Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
No comparison.. so stop looking back and enjoy
Games that I played in. so many matches were poor
LET’S stop a moment and think about the GAA and what it represents, the extraordinary movement that it is.
Nowhere in the world would you get anything like what’s occurring in Croke Park over this bank holiday weekend.
Close on 200,000 people will descend on one stadium for four games over three days – just think of the magnetic pulling power that our Games have in such a small country. It defies sporting logic.
But, by God, do we do our best to rip apart such an amazing organization, one that we all have a part to play in.
It’s time we all reflected on that. An organisation like this, where most of the work is done on a voluntary basis, needs nourishment – not punishment.
It’s too easy now to say, ‘That game was no good’, or ‘That player was useless’.
If people could look through an unclouded lens – through the eyes of the participants playing –
they’d see it differently.
It riles me that people don’t really have a clue what it takes to be involved at club level and, more importantly, at county level.
They’ve no idea what it takes to reach the pinnacle in these amateur Games while also trying to live your life – to work or to study.
I regularly meet people from outside Ireland and they just can’t get their head around it, that these people commit themselves so completely for no financial gain.
I say all this because I was on Game On last Monday and was appalled by the number of texts knocking last weekend’s games at Croke Park.
That’s despite Monaghan’s superb second half display against Down, the great contest between Armagh v Kildare and then the brilliant showdown between Mayo and Roscommon.
For me, Football is in a much better place than people give it credit for – and here’s the real proof in the pudding. On Wednesday night I watched the 1983 All-ireland final replay between Dublin and Galway on eirsport. I cringed, to be honest.
I played in that era. I’ve watched back a number of these games that I was involved in and the standard was cringeworthy compared to today’s game.
Before I’m attacked by the diehard, I do realise that it’s all relative. Those were just the standards that existed then.
It was great to see the enthusiasm of the Dublin lads winning in such tough circumstances, to see the raw courage on show.
But any sound-minded football lover watching that ‘83 final should genuflect to the lads playing now.
Back then, no-one knew any different. The standard was deplorable.
It was the same in the Meath games I played in. Looking back in general, so many big matches were poor.
The ‘85 final between Kerry and Dublin was shown again last week. It was instructive to see some of the great Kerry players fail to execute some basic skills.
That was another poor game until the last five minutes. I saw one player balloon the ball away with no-one near him and, in general, desperately poor passing.
But watching a number of those finals I was almost hiding behind the couch at times, such was the paucity of the play.
Yes, modern day football is not the finished article but the basics have improved. Shooting, for one.
People need to change the way they look at the game. They need to really study it, to see that it’s played at ferocious pace by gladiators – seriously big and strong men who have to give 40 yard passes before taking big hits, or who are attempting to score with a defender hanging off them.
It has a lot more to offer if you look again without prejudice.
In comparison rugby can be poor to watch if the top teams aren’t playing. Soccer is the same. And how many golf lovers switch over if the world’s best aren’t involved?
Every sport has it’s downsides. But just watch this weekend and see the level of skill involved.
Granted last Sunday the shooting wasn’t up to scratch in the Mayo v Roscommon game but we were treated to some magnificent tackling, great fielding and unbelievable one on one battles.
If you’re in Croker this weekend, look at the game for what it is now – the tactics employed, the strength and condition of the players, the skill levels.
Let’s enjoy it for what it is.