It was brought in with the introduction of the back door to signify the difference between the provincial championship and ‘All-Ireland series’.
It’s not the worst term in the world and is not a cliche.
The terrible branding ‘Super 8s’ is closer to what you were getting at though I reckon.
I’d say the term has been in use for well over 30 years. Was definitely being used in the very early 90s and I think back into the 80s too.
Have to say I dont remember it bring widely used until the back door in hurling in '97.
If it was it would make sense to use it for the semi final on to differentiate between the provincial competitions. I don’t think you could use an alternative that would be any better.
Talking up “value” for punters as regards attractive, very attractive or exceedingly attractive double headers or triple headers.
For example €45 for a stand ticket for an attractive Leinster football triple header at Croke Park consisting of Wicklow v Longford, Wexford v Carlow and Offaly v Louth is defended as “excellent value” because it’s just €15 per match.
This will then be compared to other sports and framed as “very good value” for “patrons” (the GAA, like Augusta National, loves that word) compared to the price of a ticket for a Leinster rugby match or a ticket or an Ireland association football international.
Speculating on attendance figures, possible permutations for fixtures and double header connotations/combinations.
Stand alone quarter-final.
Good to see our old friend “novel pairing” return for Derry v Clare.
Calling for games to be outside Croke Park that they know are contractually required to be in Croke Park.
Saying that ‘the players’ want a particular game to be in croke park as if said players were some homogenous bunch or that there had been any type of vote or even survey taken.
It’s fascinating to watch
“A smashing score with the outside of the right/left boot” gets aired with incredible regularity.
You might, if you were possessed of a keen vision, see one of these on a rare occasion but they’re not as common as commentators would have you believe. It’s becoming infuriating as the season progresses.
“A slicer” as McStay calls them.
Yea they are usually just straight punts off the laces. I was only thinking this the other days as a Donegal fella fired one over. Maurice fitz in thurles it was not.
A team having “more questions than answers hanging over them”.
Sometimes these teams are UNTESTED, which raises the questions.
Sometimes these teams have been involved in several hard matches, which also raises questions.
Calling Semple Stadium ‘Tom Semple’s field’.
What a coincidence, I was going to post earlier about teams having questions or question marks over them. It’s a real GAA turn of phrase alright. I don’t think it’s used in other sports when a pundit is unsure about a particular team’s standing. A relation to this is when a team with questions over them “has more improvement to find”. It’s kinda counter-intuitive but some pundits will back a team who’ve been shit and have questions over them because they think they’ve more improvement to find than the opponent.
I think it’s because they play so little. You’d hear similar stuff in international rugby. The flying in training stuff comes from that too.
“you couldn’t find a more HONEST bunch of lads”
Standing up/stood up.
Where rugby has “putting your hand up”, GAA has “standing up”.
“The lads really stood up.”
“Time to stand up.”
Don’t forget the obvious fronting up.
The doubter’s were silenced