In today’s Hospital Pass, the t-shirt that all Kilkenny fans will soon be wearing and a look ahead to a game that could be classed as the ‘biggest’ All-Ireland semi final ever… literally.
A must have fashion accessory for all Kilkenny fans
Like the number of actual GAA players on Twitter, the number of GAA parody accounts has skyrocketed in recent times.
Unfortunately the majority of them are nothing to write or indeed tweet home about but there are a few exceptions, one of which is an account credited to the Real Brian Cody, who regularly spouts forth on various Kilkenny hurling matters, including some of the fictional (or maybe not) ways in which the Cats ensure their dominant position on the hurling landscape.
So far reaching have these ‘Cody-isms’ been that one of his fans has created a t-shirt in his honour, a garment sure to be seen in its thousands at the All-Ireland Hurling Final next month.
That’s the front, click here to see the back. Via Twitter/TheBiggerTheyCome
Amongst the quotes featured on the professional looking and appropriately coloured black and amber t-shirt (see above) are the following: “Tipperary is a lot like Kilkenny except they’ve half the medals, twice the arrogance, three times the money and no Brian Cody. #domination” and “Tommy treatment is 5 practise matches marking Tommy Walsh with no whistle and no helmet. No ambulance is called and nobody saw nothing… right?”
We’re not sure where one might get a hold of these t-shirts – enlighten us if you have any information dear readers – but your best bet is to contact the guy who tweeted the Cody parody account alerting him of their existence in the first place.
He goes by the handle The Bigger They Come and you can find him on Twitter here.
Cork v Donegal: The biggest All-Ireland semi-final of all time… literally
Fascinating stuff in today’s Irish Examiner from John Fogarty, who has been looking forward to the physical aspect of Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final between Cork and Donegal, certainly two of the fittest and most athletic teams in the history of Gaelic football.
As Fogarty writes in the piece, the size of both teams, particularly Cork, has been used almost as a stick to beat them with, but it’s hard to get away from just how much size matters in the modern game when you consider the physiological make-up of these two modern day giants.
The piece in full can be read here and it really is worth a look, but here’s a flavour of some of the mind boggling stats contained within.
Only one player in the starting team of the last three All-Ireland Final winners has been smaller than five feet, 11 inches – that honour goes to Darran O’Sullivan of Kerry, who last won the All-Ireland in 2009.
Indeed, Noel O’Leary is likely to be the only player in the Cork team under six foot on Sunday and if Donegal lose something in height they certainly make up for it in weight; believe it or not, the Donegal team that started against Kerry have a cumulative weight of approximately 204 stone, which works out at nearly 14 stone per person, more than a stone per man heavier than the Kerry team that won the All-Ireland title in 2004.
As Fogarty points out, it is a reflection of the way Gaelic football is going and Sunday’s encounter at headquarters could accurately be described as the ‘biggest’ All-Ireland semi-final ever played.
Hopefully it won’t prove too tall an order for Cork to perform, Donegal won’t make heavy weather of it and the game will live up to expectations… sorry.
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