GAME OF SHAME
Ahead of their biggest clash since ‘83 final Galway hero Talty reflects on Dub rivalry, 12 apostles and new look Tribe
REMINDERS of the 1983 All-ireland final are never too far away for Brian Talty, especially on weeks like this.
For a host of reasons, it was one of the most controversial games in GAA history with four players sent off and reports of crushing on Hill 16, which caused the terrace to be rebuilt.
Talty (left) was a central character in the drama on the field, with Dublin’s Brian Mullins dismissed for a swinging arm that caught him flush in the face. There followed a skirmish in the tunnel at half-time after which Talty didn’t emerge for the second half.
Along with Mullins, Dublin’s Ray Hazley and Kieran Duff and Tomas Tierney of Galway were also sent off and despite the numerical advantage they held, Talty’s side were edged out by two points by 12 men.
“I sat yesterday with two friends of mine that are big Dublin supporters and somebody mentioned ‘83 and I said, ‘I get a pain in my head every time you mention that lads, will you stop please!’” laughs Talty now, almost four decades on from when he first moved to the capital.
“When you reflect, it’s done and dusted and when you get to a certain age, having an Allireland medal doesn’t make that big a difference but at the time it was a huge thing and very disappointing the way it went, losing it first of all and the involvement in what went on in the match and that kind of thing. You had friends on both sides but that’s the way it goes. Myself and Kieran Duff would be best friends now.
“People are amazed when they see us out together. It’s something that happened, it’s an experience, it’s done and dusted and once it’s over, it’s over and you can’t go back.”
Years later, Talty and Duff were selectors in Paul Caffrey’s Dublin management team. By 1983 he had already switched from Tuam Stars to Parnells having taken up a teaching post in St David’s CBS, Artane in 1979.
Being involved with Dublin teams seemed far-fetched back then but Talty was only too willing when the opportu-
nity later presented itself.
“I think it just comes around from wanting to be involved in football and being involved at whatever level and then you’re invited to go to a higher level.
“Alan Larkin invited me in to be involved with a Dublin minor squad. To be honest with you, there was never any great hassle.
“You’d hear it an odd time, a fella slagging you and stuff like that on the field but there was never a bother really.
“I think when you’re in a county and you’re involved in club football in a county and schools football and things like that, people know that you’re doing an amount of work there.
“Different people mightn’t be happy that you’d be asked early on but once I was asked by Alan Larkin, that was the start for me, getting involved at county level in Dublin and I was only delighted to be involved at that level.”
A Dublin minor team he was involved with lost an All-ireland semi-final to Galway while in 2002 he was part of the under21 set up well beaten in a final by his native county.
They never crossed paths in the senior Championship during his four years at that level.
“You’d prefer not to be clashing, let’s put it that way.
“I’ll probably enjoy Sunday an awful lot more than if I was involved but no, it didn’t bother me to be honest with you but you’d prefer to be playing a different county obviously.”
The counties haven’t met in the Championship since 1983 and Sunday’s Allianz League final is their most high profile clash in the last 35 years.
But there’ll be no divided loyalties for Talty.
“Absolutely, I hope Galway are going to win. They’ve done brilliantly in the League this year. To think at the start of the League, everybody would have thought Galway were going to be relegated.
“The big match for Galway is the 13th of May against Mayo to be honest with you but this one is a big plus and hopefully they’re going to come up and give a big performance.
“I suppose the whole country would love to see Galway win this game but it’s going to be a huge challenge for them. It’s going to be a tough one to win.”