FIGHTING TALK
Horan points finger at Mcguinness over physical challenges
MAYO manager James Horan has cranked up the temperature ahead of their All-Ireland SFC quarterfinal showdown on Sunday by claiming that Donegal have taken physicality to a new level in the GAA.
And he said that Donegal would try anything that would give them an advantage, as the sides prepare for a repeat of last year’s All-Ireland final.
Horan also revealed that while he enjoys banter with some intercounty managers, that is not the case with Donegal manager Jim McGuinness.
Horan responded to McGuinness’s recent assertion about his team being targeted physically by labelling the All-Ireland champions as the side which has moved the exchanges to a new level.
‘Donegal have been the leaders in that. There’s no doubt about that. They’ve brought physicality in GAA to a new level — and fair play to them,’ said Horan.
‘They brought a new dimension to football last year, and particu- larly in the area of physicality. They really brought that to a new level,’ he added.
The Mayo boss said he did not witness the exchange between Laois boss Justin McNulty and Donegal selector Rory Gallagher and McGuinness at the weekend
as he was in Croke Park on Saturday. ‘I didn’t see the thing, so I don’t know what happened,’ said Horan. ‘Jim and Rory on the sideline are competitors and they will use any means at their disposal to try and get an advantage. ‘Donegal and their back-room team, they’re competitive, they’re All-Ireland champions. Anything that’ll give them an advantage, they’ll try. Last year they mastered many new skills and brought football to a different level on many fronts… particularly in the area of physicality. ‘They really ratcheted that up last year and put a lot of teams to the sword based on their strength and their power and d their tackling. I don’t know if any of you have been at the end of a Michael Murphy tackle recently but there’s serious, serious physicality in that team. So they’ve been the leaders on that front,’ added the Mayo boss, whose rivalry with McGuinness (above) has been well chronicled. Horan, who was asked if there was much banter between McGuinness and himself, admitted there wasn’t. ‘I wouldn’t think so, no. Although maybe we’ve more banter with other teams, that might be a better way to say it. ‘Jim McGuinness and Rory Gallagher on the sideline, they do their thing.’ It was suggested to Horan that body language suggested there wasn’t much love lost between the two managers. ‘Maybe show me a team that has good body language towards Mr McGuinness on the sideline — maybe that’s a better question. Jim’s a successful manager, so good luck to him,’ added Horan.