15 aside this weekend please

This was supposed to be the showpiece event of a brilliant year of club football. We were to crown the best team in the country after one of the most entertaining series in years. The Junior & intermediate finals brought unbelievable entertainment on and off the field, this had even more potential. Kilmacud were looking for redemption after throwing it away last year and Glen were seeking immortality in Derry. Croke Park. Shane Walsh. Conor Glass. Football in January. What could go wrong? Everything, it turned out. 

This whole fiasco is embarrassing for the GAA. Let’s face it. Everyone got so excited and emotional that there were no rules at all by the end. When everything should have been extra tight, it all got looser. All you had to say to the linesman was ‘I’m gonna head on there, is that alright?’ And he’d have said ‘era yeah go on, enjoy yourself’. It just makes us look so bloody amateur. If you met an American football fan or a rugby fan and they asked how did that national final go, what would you say?Well there were fellas running onto the field left, right and centre at the end, they are talking about replaying the game. One club lodged a complaint because the GAA refused to deal with it, then the other club lodged a complaint against the complaint. There's now talks of just handing over the cup without the replay. Social media has exploded and there’s pundits throwing petrol on the fire for their own entertainment. And the intercounty season has started in the meantime.

The players have been completely messed around here too. Both sets of teams dedicated their lives to this. For well over 12 months. It takes a lot more than a year to get to where they got. There is absolutely no winners out of this whole situation. If the game is replayed and Glen win, there will be an asterisk next to their name for ever more. If the game is not replayed there will be one next to Kilmacuds name. ‘They won but’. And that’s not fair.

This debacle has thrown a massive cloud over the national league starting this weekend. It’s barely been mentioned. It’s so hard to call the first games in the league in a normal year, never mind when its been so low key. I can see a few sides struggling at the start of the season but that's ok if you can deal with the pressure of a few bad results. Nobody wants to be under pressure in February, but they will be.

I was involved in a relegation decider away to Tyrone in 2013, after being hammered by Mayo and Donegal on the way. We were seriously low in confidence all through the league and getting battered in the press. I remember that there was never too much panic though, we knew where we had to be come July. I think it was around that time Brolly was on about the production line grounding to a hair in Kerry. Gobshite. We ended up drawing in Omagh and staying up by the skin of our teeth. After everything, we were pipped in a classic All Ireland semi final against Dublin when Gooch put on a masterclass at 11. I look back on that league campaign and think 'my god we were awful', but we beat an excellent Cork team in the Munster final and had chances to win that semi final. It took great management from Fitzmaurice at the time to keep our heads out of the papers and focused on the bigger picture. 

I remember a trip to Portugal to focus on nothing but football absolutely transformed us. Away from the spotlight and playing football in the sun every day. We came back absolutely bouncing and a different team completely. We had skills sessions with Cian o'Neill, it was like being 12 again playing in the garden, it was so enjoyable. We were in our element, Cian even more so! Handling drills, kick passing, shooting. Every day for a week. You literally wouldnt drop a ball for the rest of the year. It was the sharpest I have ever been in my career after those Portugal trips. One or two mixed teams games towards the end of the week were crucial then to show what you had. You'd get your team in the morning and you would have the afternoon to prepare for the game that evening. Plotting against your teammates, thinking of their weaknesses. We learned alot. I honestly think fellas took those games just as seriously as championship games. They were incredible. Mouth guards were an absolute must!

Those trips are a thing of the past but it shows that the league doesn’t always tell the full story. A good training block with your best players available can set you straight. That’s definitely what Jack o Conor will be saying this year to the Kerry lads, it’s looking more and more likely that they will struggle with injuries and lads taking a break. He will have to give the right messages at the right time and take the pressure off the players shoulders.

Diarmaid o Connor, Paul Geaney, Stephen o Brien &  Seanie Shea are all currently injured. David Moran has retired. The two Clifford’s are in the Golden Nugget. Not many could take that hit. Keeping everyone together and focusing on team morale & camaraderie might be the best approach for Kerry rather than being results focused. Donegal will be licking their lips. At home in the first game under new management, welcoming the All Ireland champions. Its set up for them, but Kerry always have a kick.

Its the round of games to pick outsiders this week with Kildare, Roscommon & Donegal all fancying their chances. Game of the week should be tonight though, Mayo & Galway in Castlebar under lights. Lovely cold, dry weather. Getting off to a winning start is brilliant for everyone in the camp, even better if its at the expense of your neighbours. You'd have to say Galway look stronger on paper but if you listen to the football pod then it’s clear that paper means f*** all! What a way to kick it all off again. 

Pint of Guinness, fire, national league. Perfect. Hopefully it’ll be just the 15 aside!