'An early kick up the hole never hurt anyone'

So I've this friend. Sean Drummond is his name. Actually he's a friend of a friend. A man not too dissimilar to my good self. The ancient games are what float his boat. He'd have little or no interest in the Euros. At least I don't think he would. No, his scene centres around the fortunes of the capital's hurlers and footballers. He posted on my Facebook Timeline this morning. 'Lucky boys against Limerick yesterday,' he said. 'Huge improvement needed after that performance.' I agreed and added that Tipperary 'showed great composure' and that the experience 'will do them no harm at all' in the long run. 

Sean Drummond knows what he's talking about. He knows that custard is no use to anyone without jelly. He knows that one swallow never made a summer. 'An early kick up the hole never hurt anyone'... He knows that, along with everyone else.

The day I met a giant

A few months back a Prime Time debate about secret manager payments in the GAA was chaired by the unusually quiet Miriam O'Callaghan. On the night in question I was following the #primetime Twitter stream (Twitter is all the rage these days!) and decided I wanted to add something to the party. I wanted to say something profound but I was at a loss... In the end I retweeted @HMFerry's offering which read, 'It's the amateur status that makes the GAA unique, and the best sporting organisation in the world. No to payments.' I couldn't agree more. 

The blades have been lowered and the talk of payments to managers has dried up. I've just spent eight euro on a bottle of Nivea After Sun and Aodh O'Fearraigh's aka @HMFerry's stance on the GAA still stands.

The GAA is indeed 'amateur' and 'unique' but what do these words really mean? I'm going to go off on a bit of a tangent here. Stay with me.

Corbett 'happy enough to be just playing like'

We all know that Thurles is the home of hurling. That’s a given. You would assume then that Tipperary would be the team to beat when it came to the ancient game. That’s not a given. Down through the years Tipperary were a team to fear, a team to be respected, a team to measure your sides performance off. But the Premier County have slipped down the pecking order in recent times and it will be seven years this September since a beaming Declan Carr climbed the steps of the Hogan Stand. 

Tipperary have not gone away. Far from it. But the recent emergence of teams in Munster such as Waterford and Limerick and the continued dominance of Kilkenny and Cork have left the Tipperary hurling faithful wondering if the good times will ever return.

The safe, strong hands of Brian O'Grady

When Brian O'Grady shakes your hand you know it. He looks you in the eye, takes a firm grip and doesn't let go until he decides it's the right time. A man you could place your trust in. A man who had your back. 

As insignificant birthdays all pass you begin to lose bits and pieces of your memory but if my diminishing memory serves me right the 'shemozzle' could indeed have taken place around the small parallelogram. It was my first year on the minor football circuit, my first year in the blue of Thurles Sarsfields. I was a much better hurler but at that age you'll play anything. I remember it being a fine summer evening, perhaps a Saturday? All my many female fans from both the Presentation and Ursuline Convents were dolled up and in attendance. The stand was packed, the pitch was as far from level as possible and there was a sense of anticipation in the air. A lot of the previous information may not be accurate but I do know who our opponents were.... Kickhams!

'I suppose' it WAS 'unbelievable'

We all go through the day talking, never paying much attention to what we're saying or how we're saying it. Thoughts come into our heads and we articulate them as best we can. We hope that people understand us and that we've gotten our point across. I'm sure I overuse words and phrases but I don't know if 'I suppose' is one of them. 'I suppose'. What does it mean? Seemingly it means I guess or I think. The problem is that using it indicates you don't actually know. The phrase is endemic in the GAA. Why don't GAA folk actually know?

They do know. They've just gotten lazy. Players, who appear to be afraid to give too much away, use 'I suppose' all the time. Managers are not averse to throwing in an 'I suppose' here and there. Funnily enough supporters seem to be able to steer clear of it. Supporters don't think before they speak. They just speak. Tell it as it is. It's refreshing.

ASIWYFA Cody

And So I Watch You From Afar Cody. I thought I'd solve that puzzle for my many, many readers right away. ASIWYFA are a four-piece instrumental rock band from Belfast. Rory Friers, Tony Wright, Johnny Adger and Chris Wee make the sound. Not a Cody (Christian name or surname) in sight. So who is this Cody fella?

A groupie? Former band member? No. None of those. Cody, Brian Cody, is the most successful hurling manager of all time. He's not in the band because he doesn't have the time. Kilkenny don't afford him the time.

They were my Maltesers but I didn't mind

Perched high up in the Cusack Stand I handed the bag around. It had been two hours since we tucked into the salad, or 'cold plate' as they call it in the capital. Sugar levels were running low so I produced them. There was a spread of supporters to my right and left. Not all donning the blue and gold. No matter. 

Let's be clear. We weren't dealing with big-bag Maltesers like the ones you get in the cinema. No, just your ordinary size bag like the ones my mother used to put in my lunchbox. Some people are reluctant to dip into other people's bags of confectionery. Some need no encouragement.