Red and Luis make an impressive pairing and leave the rest standing
WHAT A week, Twitter really lit up. Contrasting opinions but everyone looking for a winner to be declared, there were record re-tweets, plenty of talk but in the end only one champion.
The parties fought a great campaign, fair but not without its share of controversy. Votes cast, counted and spoiled, it took a while to get there but in the cold light of day the result was clear, there was no doubt: HWH-Bunclody deservedly took the 'Trender' for 'G.A.A. club Twitter of the year'.
As much as it would be great to sit and dwell on the saccharine success of the border club, which the victors gleefully embraced this past week, there are plenty of 'Trenders' to be handed out before the holiday period.
Part of the beauty of Twitter is how impersonal it is compared to its cousin Facebook, or deceased aunt Bebo and uncle MySpace. Friends are replaced by followers. You sum yourself up within your bio, under the 140 characters limit. That's pretty much it, embracing people of similar interests with a protective wire mesh.
Oh, and a single profile photo. Gone are the 37 folders with 2,475 photos of Facebook, and this week it's that one photo, the defining Twitter profile picture, that Trending salutes.
Our second ' Trender' is simply ‘Wexford sport profile picture of the year'. And so for the rundown.
Just edging into fifth place ahead of a cartoon Ben Brosnan (@ Ben_Brosnan) is county team-mate David Murphy (@ davidmurphy66). Maybe looking for his own Sarah Silverman, Murphy has summoned his inner Matt Damon to produce a profile picture straight off the set of 'The Legend Of Bagger Vance'. However, a fine attire does not a scratch handicapper make.
It's a little known fact that when county handball P.R.O. and South East Radio contributor Noel Holohan (@ NoelHolohan) isn't reporting on sport he likes to relax in cool chairs.
Apparently, sometimes he even takes it to another level and compiles reports while in cool chairs.
However, the chair in Noel's profile picture is not only cool, but from so many angles it's debilitating, and that's enough to book fourth spot in this 'Trender'.
Positions in the top three were particularly hard-fought. How could an Olympic champion be anything but in contention for this title?
Darragh McDonald (@ Darragh_McD) creates an iconic pose in his profile picture but just misses out on being a couple of spots higher because the said snap doesn't contain that fine 24 carat gold, covered sterling silver, medal.
Showing Darragh the way is Mags D'Arcy (@ magsdarcy) who clutches not just one but two lumps of silverware - including the O'Duffy Cup - to lasso second spot. Considering how few chances our All-Ireland winners get to let their hair down, it's absolutely incredible that they are almost exclusively out, or on their way out, in their profilers.
SPORTS PROFILE PIC OF THE YEAR
Drum roll…How often do you get arguably one of the top five soccer attackers in the world in the same shot as one of the five best Gaelic football forwards on the planet. Never you say.
Wrong. Redmond Barry (@ ReddBarry) takes the 'Trender' for his snap with Uruguay and Liverpool star Luis Suarez. Who needs All Stars when you can claim the big prizes from your own couch?