Fancy approaching the county board chairperson like that!
What a weekend!
You’re SO embarrassing!
I’m telling you, people are beginning to appreciate my GAA pedigree…finally!
So you claim…(rolls eyes)
Will I go over it again?
I expect you will…
(They pause to check if Boris Johnson is really, really gone from the spotlight, at least for now)
So I was having a quiet pint on Thursday evening, when a few ‘GAA heads’ happened to come in…
Yes…
And one of the camps preparing for the senior ladies final – I can’t disclose which – approaches me…
So you say…
They were aware that I was an accomplished player in my day, and that my promising coaching career was unavoidably cut short.
Yeah, because your team lost eight on the trot…
We were purists! The results were going to come!
After that disastrous run as a manager long over a decade ago, you rightly packed it in!
I took a break from management…
You were ousted!
Point is, a respected Gael approaches me on Thursday night and asks would I make a motivational speech to the ladies.
Yeah…
THEN, in a bizarre coincidence, one my hurling buddies pops in, overhears our chat, and asks if I’ll talk to his players ahead of the hurling final!
Sounds like you’re as popular as Ant & Dec…
I had to politely decline both parties! I couldn’t choose! But it definitely whetted my appetite for a comeback!
(They pause to propose a belated toast to Des Cahill on the occasion of his relinquishing of the host’s chair on The Sunday Game)
Sorry if I embarrassed you at the Hyde on Sunday, it’s just that my confidence is now sky-high. I really feel in demand for my GAA expertise!
Fancy approaching the County Board chairperson like that, on county final day!
It was just a brief chat…
You literally offered your services to the county board. “Hey Brian, I could be a selector for the new manager, I could even be the new manager. Can I tell you some of my theories on the game?” SO EMBARRASSING!
He seemed keen! I think I saw him typing my number into his smartphone…
No, he was checking the score in Leeds v Fulham!
He was very courteous…
And very patient! Look, there might be some delayed contribution you can make to the GAA in your middle-aged years, but please don’t get ahead of yourself!
Colm O’Rourke’s 65!
Yeah, but he’s Colm O’Rourke!
Anyways, congratulations to Strokestown on a fantastic win. And to all other winning teams last weekend.
Agreed! And hard luck to all beaten finalists.
Hold on, I better take this call, it’s a Castlerea number…
Can’t it wait?
NO! It could be the Aoife O’Rourke camp. You do know I was a promising boxer in my youth?
