I T sometimes appears to me that Gaelic Games is increasingly being played by the white-collar middle classes.
You only have to see the great Dublin team of the last decade, a team made up primarily of third-level educated, semi-professional athletes.
I am a white-collar worker too, so this should not be misconstrued as an attack on those who choose a sharp suit over a high-vis jacket.
Sometimes I think that our game has moved so far away from what and who historically played the game, the ‘tradesman’ and manual worker can no longer commit to the huge levels of dedication being asked of them.
Without knowing the statistics, hurling and football are, I suspect, predominantly being played by students and white-collar workers.
I know of a few remaining tradesmen who are still playing inter-county football. However, by and large, the club game remains the sum of their aspirations.
Given the long hours, tough physical work and travelling constraints, the county game is becoming infeasible to this category.
My grandad was a plasterer by trade, I would argue the hardest and most cruel of all the trades. Yes, it is made easier now by modern technology, but it remains tough going.
My grandad loved his club, Carrickcruppin, a few pints of Guinness, and his cigarettes.
He died at 77 – not bad considering he was a smoker all his life. He never jogged, lifted weights, or watched his diet.
He would probably disown me and my like, considering how vain we have become.
I shudder to think what he would say if he watched the game now with lads going down holding their faces.
He, like many others, played the game and approached life similarly. Tough and fair.
Imagine Derry’s Brian McGilligan in today’s game. The man appeared as hard as granite – I would doubt McGilligan would even flinch with a modern-day ‘tackle.’
I cannot help but see what I see though. Week in, week out, we witness lads feigning injury and a level of gamesmanship that used to be a rarity. It’s now endemic in the game.
There are more cameras now and the ‘eye in the sky’ is picking up a lot more, with social media the mechanism by which you can be judge, jury, and executioner.
A few weeks ago, I was urging officials to get tough on players who go down too easily. To get tough on those feigning injury. Why are we not showing these players a yellow card?
In the recent Aidan O’Mahony Laochra Gael episode, the former Kerry defender described the shame he felt when an incident involving Cork’s Donncha O’Connor resulted in the Rebel man being sent off in the 2008 All-Ireland SFC semi-final.
It was a real game-changer and, despite the Kerry win, the huge level of criticism O’Mahony received had a significant impact on his mental health.
It was brutally honest and when he looks at the outcome you see that it still causes him a huge level of embarrassment. He took a long time to get over it.
There is a huge level of discipline needed from players to conduct themselves in the proper way.
‘Honour’ is probably not in any rule-book, indeed it is unlikely to be in the many rule-books of any sport.
However, it is probably the most underused and underrated rule in sport.
Why would players lifting weights and building incredible levels of strength not take a bit of pride in standing up to a shoulder, a robust tackle or even, at worst, a slap on the mouth?
This ‘win-at-all-costs’ attitude, even at the cost of your ‘honour’, is an unhealthy and toxic mix and one that probably needs to be addressed by managers and coaches from an early age.
Nobody is talking about negligence when an actual injury occurs, but living life as my grandad did ‘tough but fair’ is a mantra I still try to live by.
SO Derry have proved their credentials. At this point in the season, all you can do is win the games against teams like Dublin, Kerry, Mayo, and Galway.
As a player, the win against the Dubs gives you a huge shot in the arm. As the first half demonstrated, when Dublin are going well, they remain a serious team.
The Oak Leaf eventually got to their level in the second half, but Brian Fenton, Con O’Callaghan, and Ciaran Kilkenny had helped lift Dublin to a five-point lead by half-time.
Part of Dublin’s problem now is that the ‘invincible’ tag that enveloped the county over the last decade is somewhat gone.
The squad has undergone significant changes and mentally, as a group, it appears they are more brittle.
Dublin teams of the past had spells when opposing teams dominated them, however they were always able to regain control and, importantly, arrest momentum with big scores. They are now fallible.
Part of Dublin’s armour was always an ability to score goals. However, watching them now, they are happy to take their point – as Kilkenny demonstrated in the second half. Goals win games.
With the individuals at Dessie Farrell’s disposal, I think there is an element of under-performance here.
While Farrell isn’t under any pressure given his status as a player and now coach, I do think the natives will become restless should Dublin not begin to regain some of their old swagger.
Speaking of swagger, Tyrone never lacked this approach historically when it came to Kerry. Their win was massive and it’s not often you use that in a League game.
As I said last week, their only consistency is their inconsistency.
The Tyrone management got their tactics spot on and the players deserve huge credit in turning over the current All-Ireland champions.
In that division, two points are hugely significant.
It must be remembered, Tyrone are building a new squad, given the turnover of players since their 2021 All-Ireland win.
It will be back-boned by seasoned campaigners like Hampsey, Kilpatrick, and co but also the Canavan brothers who, already, look like future leaders.
Of course, any blooding of new stock, you would rather do it in the first division.
Tyrone look to be able to survive with another win.
While Cavan are not in the first tier, I think it is virtually certain they will be in the second division next season.
While the scoreline flattered them a bit, they deserved their win against Down nonetheless.
Mickey Graham must be looking forward to the Championship with a strong squad of players.
They have some class talent. They also happen to be six-foot plus. A deadly combination in any man’s language.
