In today’s Hospital Pass, we lament back-slapping GAA press conferences and are curious as to the content of Shane McGrath’s party-pieces.
Sometimes, don’t you just wish that GAA press conferences were more like their boxing equivalents?
Instead of taking the opportunity to play down their own chances and big up those of the opposition, you just wish that those involved would throw some sort of barb or insult in the other’s direction, raising the temperature a little and add even more excitement to what, in terms of Sunday’s All-Ireland hurling final, promises to be an occasion for the ages.
Wouldn’t it be great viewing, for example, if Eoin Kelly said of Henry Shefflin: “King Henry? Only one son of a b*tch gonna be sittin’ on a throne on Sunday evening and that’s me,” or if asked his view on Lar Corbett, Tommy Walsh replied: “Sure, I respect Lar Corbett, but he gonna be pickin’ splinters from my hurley out of his ass for weeks when I’m done with him.”
Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen in the GAA, as pre-game press conferences have become nothing more than an exercise in flattery, as is evident from the recent comments of two men who have been around long enough to know the media game inside out; Tipp netminder Brendan Cummins and Kilkenny boss Brian Cody.
“I think Kilkenny set the bar where two, three and four All-Irelands is where you want to be,” said Cummins earlier this week, but he was outdone by Cody, who was so glowing in his praise of Tipperary that he might as well have penned his quotes in a valentine’s card.
“Tipperary are an excellent team. The quality of their forward line is well-chronicled, the skill, the goal-scoring ability. They are the complete team,” Cody blushed.
“I know I’m supposed to say these types of things but they are. It is brilliant to be taking them on. They are as good and as tough an opposition as we have ever faced.”
C’mon lads, get a room.
Shane McGrath will do anything for you, and we mean ANYTHING
Elsewhere, there is a nice, light-hearted interview with Tipp’s Conor O’Mahony on the GAA website today.
You know the type; consisting of a load of short, pop-culture questions, it gives the player a chance to dish a little dirt on his team-mates and give the readers a little access into the life of an inter-county player behind the scenes.
But among Conor’s revelations, which included that Green Day are his favourite band, that Noel McGrath has to get his mother to ring him every night before he goes to bed and that senior panellist John O’Neill fancies himself as a bit of a ladies’ man, was one disturbing piece of information about Shane McGrath.
Asked what his party piece was, Conor replied: “I don’t have one, but Shane McGrath will do whatever you want him to do.”
We have to stop you there, Conor. Just what does ‘whatever you want him to do’ encompass? We’ve heard enough scary stories about so-called ‘party-pieces’ over the years to be pretty worried. And will he be looking for dodgy favours in return?
Suddenly we’re looking at the Tipp midfielder in a whole new light…
