Trademark edginess from Fran blowing me out of the water here.
:lol: :lol:
Youāre an entertaining poster Sid but the boring Kilkenny players thing has been done to death now. You need some new material
Brolly really loves annoying people on and off the pitch but heās one of the more conservative, old school GAA men of his generation surely.
Itās Richie Hogans jersey.
Until the KK players grow a little bit of personality or fuck off its not done to death IMHO. Talk about sucking the life from a once proud sport.
I thought Sidneys post was quite a nice riff on an old theme.
It takes a certain type of simpleton to laugh at the same joke over and over again
suck it up sham
:rolleyes:
ah superb 
You forgot about favourite quote - 'fail to prepare , prepare to fail"
and also for favouite film - āwatching Braveheart on the bus up to the gameā.
Tony Keady - Man of the Match in AI Final.
Goes boozing with Brendan Lynskey in Phibsboro directly after the game and never turns up in Burlo to collect MOTM award.
Cyril Farrel collects on his behalf.
2013 has been a strange year for Kilkenny hurling legend Canice Picklington. marked by injury problems, a new arrival and an unusually early exit from the championship. I caught up with him in that famous Kilkenny haunt, Langtons.
Canice, itās great to talk to you again, although this year hasnāt been as successful for Kilkenny. Youāve had a few injury problems over the last year?
"Ah yeah, itās been frustrating. I suppose it all started when I played for the club the week after the All-Ireland last year and I tore my cruciate. Iād probably put it down to not being in top shape after the four pints I had on the Tuesday at the celebration. Then in the county semi-final I tore my other cruciate, which wasnāt ideal. That meant I had a tough battle to play in the final, but I was fit to start thankfully, although we lost by 10 points and I had to go off after five minutes.
Then when the League came around in February, I tore my achilles in the first match against Tipp. That meant I was only able to go in corner forward for the rest of the League. But Cody said I was fine, and if he says it thatās good enough for me. "
That wasnāt the end of the injuries, though?
"Thatās right. I broke my jaw trying to wrench a cracked metal band off the boss of one of my hurleys, and then I missed the first couple of matches of the championship as I was in getting a new hip, but Ger Hartmann said heād have me right for the Tipp game and, fair play to him, he did.
Iāve been getting some treatment here in Kilkenny too. The doctor inside in St. Lukeās told me not to play if I wanted to walk again, but I told him he must be confusing me with somebody else, as Iāve never been sent off."
That Tipp game must have been a special occasion?
āDefinitely. The match against Tipp inside in the Park was unreal. Definitely the best atmosphere of any match Iāve ever played in. There was no way we were going to lose that night. Weāve the best supporters in Ireland and we didnāt want to let them down. The intensity was up there with some our A v B games in training. Savage.ā
There must have been real optimism that you could go all the way after that night, but it wasnāt to be as Cork beat you in the quarter-final.
āAh yeah, we felt we were very hard done by this year, like, with Henry being sent off and all. There wasnāt a dirty stroke in the game. It was good, manly stuff. Thereās no problem with the rules, thereās no problem there, but that decision was awful unfair.ā
Did you watch the final between Cork and Clare?
āI didnāt have the heart to be watching it, to be honest. I saw bits of it later on, but we were having a club fundraiser here that afternoon so I was busy making roast beef and cucumber sandwiches. I heard it on the radio though - I thought DJ did a terrific job. Heās a very good analyser.ā
Who do you hope wins the replay now?
āAh it wouldnāt bother me too much now, but I suppose Iād like to see Cork win. Itās always nice if you lose that the teams who beats you goes on to win it, and thatās what we told the Cork players after the match in Thurles. āGo on and win it nowā.ā
Thereās been quite a change in the hurling landscape this year.
āAh yeah, itās good to see these young teams like Clare and Dublin coming through. Itās good for the game to have more strong teams. Thereās good hurling people in every county. The more good teams, the merrier, I supposeā.
Clare look to be the coming team. Are you looking forward to taking them on next year?
āYes, I suppose so. Theyāve some really good young hurlers and we know all about them from the under-21 final last year when my cousin Lester was marking Tots OāConnell. I was discussing the merits of the under-21 championships with Brian Carthy there last week and we both agreed that itās great for bringing through the youth. 'Tis nice to see Antrim involved this year, as thereās good hurlers in every county.ā
There was a bit of controversy over the venue for that match? What do you think yourself?
āAh, I can see Antrimās point, but I think Thurles is the right venue, as itās the home of hurling. I know there was talk of playing it up North in somewhere like Navan or Cavan, but theyāre football rather than hurling pitches and theyāre set up for football, so Thurles is definitely the best place for it.ā
It must have been a bit of a shock to the system to go out of the championship at the quarter-final stage, given that youāre so used to being involved in All-Ireland finals?
"Ah, yeah, itās been kind of strange, alright, going out so early, but it means Iāve had time to catch up on hobbies and stuff. "
What kind of hobbies have you had time to catch up on?
āJust hurling away with the club, like.ā
It surely gave you time to catch up on your social life, given that youāre away training so much during the year?
āI suppose Iāve been able to have the odd pint now that weāre out of the championship, but the lads there in the pub would keep you in check. Some of the lads whoād drive down from Graiguehenry and Knockcharles, theyād be your worst critics, actually. If they saw you on your third pint they wouldnāt be shy in letting you know what they thought of you. But theyāre our greatest supporters as well, and they know their hurling better than anybody.ā
I hear you got to see āthe Bossā after that defeat to Cork?
āCody? No, Iāve seen enough of him already!ā
No, Bruce Springsteen.
āOh right, sorry. Yeah, a few of us headed down to the Park that night, and it was very enjoyable. 'Twas nice to be able to relax for once, although we were still feeling the pain of the defeat badly. Iād be more of a Coldplay fan, but an event like that is great for the area.ā
A career in media may be on the cards, Iām hearing?
"Ah, I donāt know about that, now. John Knox has sounded me out about doing a column in the Kilkenny People, and I said Iād think about it, as itās always nice to help out.
Barrie Henriques here on the local radio station KCLR has asked me if Iād consider doing a bit of co-commentary for some of the club championship matches when weāre not playing, and I said Iād think about it as itās always nice to help out. I heard DJ commentating with Marty there during the match on Sunday and he was very good. If I could be half as good as that Iād be happy."
Youāre clearly hugely devoted to your club and Iām told youāve been putting something back in lately?
āYeah, Iād be a big club man. Malcolm whoās the chairman here asked me if Iād be interested in refereeing a few camogie matches recently, which I was happy to do, as thereās a great refereeing tradition in the family here as my great grandfather the Reverend Timmy Picklington refereed the 1901 All-Ireland final. Itās strange because I didnāt think Iād enjoy it but it was actually very enjoyable - the standard was very good, and itās always nice to help out.ā
Thereās been a new arrival in the Picklington household since we last spoke?
āThatās right. My wife Rachel had a son, George, there in May. We named him George after Rachelās father who died there three years ago. Rachel was delighted when William and Kate named their son George as well. as sheās a big fan of Kate. I met the Queen two years ago and she was a very nice woman. Anyway, Georgeās arrival means Harry, Chloe and Canice Junior have somebody else to play with out on my father TJās farm, which is great, especially during the summer when they get to run around in the wheat fields and see how the combine harvesters work.ā
Thatās not the only change in your life since we last spoke. I hear?
āThatās right. Iāve got a new job now with Glanbia as a rep and they gave me a new Toyota Yaris, which is a lovely car, the same as the previous one I drove. That was good because I like to have the one thing and stick to it.ā
Youāve an eagerly anticpated book coming out for Christmas. āCanice Picklington - Hurling Man.ā That will be in a lot of hurling fansā stockings come Christmas morning, I imagine?
"Thatās right, myself and Brian Carthy are working on my autobiography at the moment. "
Will you be letting us into the secrets of what makes a hurling legend like yourself?
"Ah, thereās not much to tell, I suppose, but there should be some good stories in there. "
Will you be laying bare what happens in the Kilkenny dressing room?
"Ah not really, like. But as I said, thereās some good stories there - most of them are about Tommy Walsh doing impressions. Heās some character. He can do loads of them - you should have seen the time he did Cody on the team holiday to Mauritius. The look on Codyās face was priceless. Iāll never forget it. "
Was it always an ambition of yours to tell your life story?
āNo, not really, but Brian Carthy said I had an interesting story to tell, and thatās nice to hear. Iād be a big fan of his radio work, heās a great journalist.ā
Do you enjoy reading about sport?
āYeah, Iād be a big reader about sport. I really like Rachel Wyseās columns in the Irish Independent. She really knows her stuff, especially about hurling, and itās great to see someone like her be so successful in England. Itās good for the country, like. And of course Iād have to say I enjoyed Codyās book, otherwise heād kill me.ā
Did you fear Brian Cody might call it a day, especially given his recent health scare?
āNo, never. I think Cody will go on forever, and we hope he does, and I know all hurling people will hope he does. Heās great for the game, such a character.ā
Did you consider that now might be the time to call it a day yourself?
"No, not really. Sure what else would I be doing with myself. Lookit, youāre only as good as your last game, and that tenth All-Ireland medal is what keeps driving me on.
Sure Iāll keep going as long as the body will take it, and please God, it seems to be holding up well at the moment."
Thanks for your time, as always, Canice.
āCanice Picklington - Hurling Manā by Canice Picklington and Brian Carthy, foreword by PM OāSullivan, will be available in all good bookshops soon, priced at ā¬30.99
Picklington reveals āproperty hellā in new book
Kilkenny hurling legend Canice Picklington has revealed how his āproperty hellā resulted in āhumiliationā and fear that he āwould not be able to put bread on the tableā for his wife and children.
The frank account of how his exclusive Thomastown apartment development went disastrously wrong is contained in his new autobiography āCanice Picklington ā Hurling Manā, ghost written by respected RTE Gaelic Games commentator Brian Carthy, and which goes on sale next week.
Picklington also details how his financial troubles spurred him on to even greater success on the pitch.
But itās the tale of his failed property deal which will no doubt attract most interest.
Marketed as āRanelagh-sur-Noreā, the development of 10 luxury riverside apartments launched in September 2006, right at the peak of the property bubble.
Picklington was the public face of the scheme, built in partnership with his cousin Derek Picklington and infamous beef baron turned property developer PJ āHornsā Prendergast, but it was the latter two who pulled the strings behind the scenes.
Derek Picklington had had success in property development in mid-Leinster the early 2000s. A former Kilkenny intermediate hurling championship winner with St. Davidās, Welshtown, he first entered into business with former team mate Podge Parkinson and later with the much more experienced PJ Prendergast. āDerek was a hard man both on and off the pitchā, says Canice.
Prendergast, who made his name as a controversial ābeef baronā in the late 1980s and early 1990s, had diversified successfully into property, developing low-specification apartments in Dublin. Basing himself out of the ā¬4.7m trophy home on Dublinās ultra-prestigious Shrewsbury Road, which he bought in 2003, he was a fanatical supporter of the Kilkenny hurlers. His face was ubiquitous at county fundraisers and post All-Ireland banquets.
āIt wasnāt something I had any interest in up to then, Iād have to say, as I was happy with my lot hurling with the club and county and working as an insurance salesman inside in the cityā, says Picklington. āBut in 2005 Derek and PJ Prendergast approached me. They were pretty bullish about it. āThis is a no-lose betā, they said. I was to be the frontman, while they would get the thing built.ā
āMy mother didnāt trust Derek from the word go and warned me against getting involved. But after a lot of persuasion. I decided to go for it, against my better judgement.ā
Prenlington Developments aimed the scheme at the high end of the market, with prices set at ā¬850,000 for a two bed apartment in the scheme. āIt was ambitious, but Derek and PJ said that that price would prove to be a bargain three or four years down the line, and there would be queues of people waiting to buy them.ā
The development was launched at a gala reception at the K Club on the weekend of the 2006 Ryder Cup.
āOn the face of it everything seemed great. PJ and Derek organised a marquee and the drinks flowed. The McCarthy Cup was placed at the head of the top table. Brian Cowen was there and spoke about how I was a credit to the country both on the hurling pitch and in business. He had a few drinks on him and sang āThe Offaly Roverā and then himself and PJ got up on the table with the McCarthy Cup to sing The Rose of Mooncoin.ā Iād no real interest in the golf, but it was nice to be there, as the Ryder Cup being played in Ireland was good for the country, I suppose. But that kind of thing wasnāt really for me. There were people there who Iād never seen in my life wanting to get their photographs taken with me. I was happy to oblige, of course, but after my third pint I made my excuses and left.ā
An extensive advertising campaign for the scheme was launched in the national media. Picklingtonās face was used in full page advertisements in the Irish Times property supplement under the slogan āAn opportunity too good to ig-Noreā.
Picklingtonās naturally shy demeanour meant he felt ill at ease with such a role. āIt just wasnāt me. I mean, there were radio ads as well. I couldnāt turn on the radio without hearing my own voice, so I kept it off and just listened to a CD instead. Coldplayās āParachutesā was the only thing I listened to for about three months. The song kept telling me it was all yellow, but as the apartments failed to sell, gradually the only thing I could see was red. ā
The 10 luxury riverside apartments did not sell as expected, with only two selling within the first six months. Then the collapse in property values was to result in a financial nightmare for Picklington.
A week before Christmas in 2006, Picklington demanded showdown talks with his cousin Derek and PJ Prendergast. āThey reassured me that everything was fine and that any talk of a property crash was nonsense. They said the worst that could possibly happen was that there would be a soft landing.ā
Things reached the point of no return in mid-2007 when Canice told Derek and PJ Prendergast to āfuck offā. āIt was the night before the Leinster final. They were strong words, and it was out of character for me, but they had to be said. I was very angry, and it showed the next day.ā Picklington was to put in one of his greatest ever performances in that Leinster final, scoring 2-11. But there was to be no going back after that and the relationship between him and Derek Picklington and PJ Prendergast broke down irretrievably.
Things hit rock bottom for Canice Picklington in late 2007 when he realised that all personal guarantees for the money borrowed to build the apartments had been registered under his name. āI was naĆÆve, no doubt about it. I trusted Derek completely, but he took advantage of my naivety. I gave him access to my personal bank account. I trusted him to take care of the financial side of things, but he let me down.ā The pair have not maintained contact since and the split is said to have bitterly divided the extended Picklington family.
In 2008 Derek Picklington fled to the UK, where he declared bankruptcy and now runs a financial advisory service. Prendergast continues to live in his Shrewsbury Road home.
āDerek just upped and left without telling anybody, and PJ laughed at me saying āyou got yourself into this mess, you get yourself out of itā. Things got pretty nasty, youād have to say."
Playing hurling helped to take Caniceās mind off things.
āHurling became my refuge. I put everything into training and I was flying. On that pitch inside in Nowlan Park, I became an animal. But when I went home, I had trouble sleeping."
"I was literally worried about how Iād put bread on the table for my daughter Chloe and my wife Rachel. Only for the great feed Langtonās gave us after training, I would have gone home hungry. It got to the point where I was bringing home food from Langtonās in my gear bag.ā
The real scale of Picklingtonās difficulties became apparent at the Commerical Court in November 2008 when Mr Justice Michael Keating granted a judgement order against him for the repayment of ā¬5.7m to ACC Bank. āThe bank that likes to say yes said a firm ānoā to me when I asked for a few months grace. I was in turmoil. The media had llatched onto things. The āCanice in a Pickleā headline in the Irish Daily Star was the worst moment. I felt humiliated.ā
Picklington was also forced to sell his collection of All-Ireland and Kilkenny county championship medals, as well the crystal vases and gold watches given to him for his Man of the Match performances in the 2000, 2003 and 2006 All-Ireland finals. āI never wore the watch so it was an easy decision. And the medals, well I didnāt really mind either, you canāt wear them around your neck. I was sorry to part with the vases though. They were very nice.ā
But a chat with Mickey Harte at the 2008 All-Star awards ceremony, where Picklington picked up his third Hurler of the Year award, helped put things in perspective. āHe was great. He told me that things could be a lot worse, and that Iād always have the respect of true Gaels for the way Iād represented my club and county, that Iād provided employment in the area, and that there was a media witch-hunt against me. That meant a lot to me.ā
Picklington declared bankruptcy in August 2009, just weeks before he lined out with Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final against Tipperary. He claims he used his financial difficulty as a motivating factor. āI used it as a motivating factorā, he says.
āThat 2009 final was a great win, youād have to say, and the reaction from the Kilkenny supporters was incredible. Theyāre the best and most passionate supporters in Ireland, and Iāll never forget how they sang my name that day. That was the start of the road to recovery for me."
Picklington says the support from the local community when his financial difficulties became known helped him enormously. āThey really rallied around me. They helped me to see the light at the end of the tunnel.ā
āIām coping well now. Itās been a tough road the last few years but Iām happy with where I am right now. Life is about the simple things for me. It always has been. Hurling with the club and county. Helping out with the camogie. The family. An occasional day helping out on my father TJās farm. Having a skinny latte inside in Ethos in Thomastown. An occasional dinner with Rachel inside in Hudsonās. Browsing the antique shops on Market Street. A conversation with MJ inside in Fitzwilliamās when Iām buying a newspaper. That kind of thing.ā
He can even look those riverside apartments in the eye when heās having his latte. āIāve no regrets. And theyāre fairly decent apartments, actually.ā
Heās been there and done that. And all may not yet be done. āIād love to get that tenth All-Ireland. It drives me on. If I could get that tenth one Iād be enclosed in an envelope of satisfaction, as we say down here. But then thereās the club as well, and thatās probably even more important. We went out of the championship early this year, which was disappointing. But weāll be back training next week. I canāt wait.ā
Happy with what he has, but never one to rest on his laurels, Canice Picklington has entered his season of mellow fruitfulness.
The apartments may not have sold well, but the book will surely be in the stocking of every hurling fan, and every hurling man, this Christmas.
āCanice Picklington - Hurling Manā by Canice Picklington and Brian Carthy, foreword by PM OāSullivan, will be available in all good bookshops from next Monday, priced at ā¬30.99
Picklington to make surprise return to Fitzgibbon hurling
Liam Wordsworth, South Kilkenny Standard (incorporating the Mullinavat Bugle), March 21st, 2014
Legendary Kilkenny star Canice Picklington is set to make a surprise return to Fitzgibbon Cup hurling next year, the South Kilkenny Standard has learned.
Picklington has enrolled as a mature student on a full-time evening diploma course in Agricultural Financial Management at Waterford Institute of Technology, and is set to be the latest long-established inter-county star to make a return to inter-varsities action, after Graham Geraghty (Social and Community Development) with IT Blanchardstown and Paul Galvin (Fashion Buying) with DIT in the Sigerson Cup this year.
It will mark a return to Fitzgibbon Cup competition for the St. Davidās, Welshtown clubman after a gap of over 13 years, and will come some 16 years after he made his debut in the competition.
Picklington previously played in the Fitzgibbon Cup for UCD between 1998 and 2001, and was a key player in one of the most star-studded teamās in the competitonās history, winning one final in 2001 and losing another in 2000.
The man known to Kilkenny supporters as āSt. Caniceā remembers his UCD days fondly. "Yah, itās a fond memory, I suppose. We had a great bunch of lads there from all over the place but the atmosphere really was one of a club team. It was tough going though. Iād have lectures on Monday, then Iād get a bus down to Kilkenny for county training that night, back to Dublin for a lecture or two on Tuesday, and down to Kilkenny again for club training on Tuesday. Iād usually skip Wednesday morning lectures, then we might be playing a college league match that afternoon, then itād be straight down again to training with Kilkenny that night, back the next morning for lectures which I usually missed, back down for club training that night and straight back again for maybe an Ag Science party, before more missed lectures again on Friday and maybe a gym session on Friday night.
āI suppose it was no wonder I failed and had to repeat first year twice before eventually I threw in the towel when we finally won the Fitzgibbon in 2001.ā
The then commerce student was inconsolable when the Belfield men lost out to Henry Shefflinās WIT team in the 2000 final. Picklington and his long-time Kilkenny team-mate and friend went head to head in a shoot-out that seasoned experts on the inter-varsities hurling scene have dubbed āthe Fitzgibbon Cup match of the centuryā.
āYeah, well I suppose the century was only two months old at that point so there wouldnāt have been too many other contendersā, quips Picklington, modestly.
āIt was absolutely devastating to lose, but yeah, it was great to have been involved in a match like that at such an early stage in my career, and it helped me to deal with pressure, as we would have had the expectations of the whole college on us, even though I suppose hurling was fairly weak in Dublin at that time. The morale in the college was low after the Challenging Times team had gone out in the first round to Sligo IT, and hopefully we helped to lift everybodyās spirits.ā
Picklington considers the 2001 Fitzgibbon final win to be one the finest moments of his career. āYeah, it was great, I suppose. We played UCC and of course they were the team that everybody wants to beat, especially as they called themselves āCollegeā, which we thought was a bit arrogant. There was a good bit of needle to the game and Donal Og Cusack would have been in goal for them. It was around the time of the foot and mouth disease and Cusack never kept his mouth shut the whole time. One of the lads made a joke at half-time that Cusack thought it was the foot in mouth final, which we all thought was very funny, and it helped relax us at half-time. That was the type of camaraderie in that team.ā
Picklington is philosophical about his planned return to the competition. āI suppose I wonāt really have too much time to think about it, as obviously Iāve got the league to finish with Kilkenny and then of course thereās the championship, which we hope to do well in, and then the club championship, which is the most important thing of all, I suppose. But yeah, itāll be great to get back playing Fitzgibbon hurling, as itās the highest standard there is, apart from senior inter-county.ā
āItāll be a tough task to get into the WIT team, first of all. Jake Dillon might not be a household name throughout the country but heās one of the best forwards around. Iāll have a tough job to get into the team at all with lads like him around. But yeah, I suppose you could say Iām looking forward to living the student life again (laughs), if I can fit in the time for lectures, which will be a tough job.ā
Canice Picklington was speaking in his role as a brand ambassador for Avonmoreās range of āFreshly Gratedā cheese products - available in shops nationwide
[QUOTE=āSidney, post: 716484, member: 183ā]1. Joe Brolly.
A point from a handpass would have been a certainty, but Brolly sidestepped the goalkeeper and placed a perfect shot past a diving Donegal defender and into the top left corner of the net.[/QUOTE]
You werenāt allowed score a point with a handpass in 1998.
Fist pass, whatever.
Or a fist-pass. The score with the hand (unless the ball was in open flight) wasnāt re-introduced until 2004
Picklington angry at GAAās āsell-outā to Sky
Sean Betjeman, South Kilkenny Standard, April 2nd, 2014
Nine-times All-Ireland senior hurling medallist Canice Picklington has become the first high-profile player to come out against the GAAās new TV deal with Sky Sports.
The legendary Kilkenny hurling star launched a broadside against the new pay TV deal on his Twitter acount, calling it a āsell-outā, and āa disgraceā.
When contacted by the Standard this morning, Picklington explained his views.
āI thought it was an April Foolās joke at first. But then my wife told me that April Fool is dead and gone after midday, and I realised that it was actually trueā, said the veteran forward.
āIt goes against the whole ethos - which is also my favourite coffee shop in Thomastown, by the way, of the association. Itās the thin end of the wedge, as they say. They might have 20 games now but in a few years theyāll have the lot, the All-Ireland finals and all. Itās all about money. I donāt know why they donāt come out and say it. Itās dishonest.ā
āIāve had a lot of reaction to my comments. Some people on Twitter have accused me of being a backwoodsman, but thatās totally wrong. Iām as open minded as anybody. I mean I watched the Irish rugby team playing France a few weeks back and I was as happy as anybody to see them win. I donāt know that much about rugby but it was it was good for the country. I suppose. But, look it, the vast majority of the comments Iāve received have been positive, telling me that the association needs more people like myself to speak out against this.ā
Picklington is pessimistic about the future now that the deal has been signed.
āThis is a step too far. They went behind our back. Itās a sell-out of our traditional values, I suppose. The recession has hit people hard. The Sky costs ā¬700 a year. Itās pay-per-view. Thatās money that myself and most other people donāt have. Take my neighbour Cecil here. Heās an elderly man in his 70s and lives alone. Heās too old to go to matches these days. He doesnāt have the Sky. He doesnāt have a television. How is he expected to watch his county playing?ā
āThis hits very close to home as our match against Offaly inside in the Park is the first match on the Sky. I wonāt be giving them any interviews, and I know most of the lads feel the same way, although I suPpose I might talk to Rachel Wyse, as Iāve a lot of respect for her - she knows her hurling.ā
Picklington also doubts that the increased coverage of Gaelic Games abroad under the terms of the deal will be of benefit to the association.
āI want our games for our own children and couldnāt care less if the Arabs or black lads are running around the desert and jungle beating the camels or zebras with hurls whilst wearing Leitrim jerseys. Charity should begin at home. We need to look after our own first.ā
āBut I suppose the main thing Iām thinking of is the children who are out on the roads and in the fields every night with hurls who wonāt be able to see the match, now. Thatās very unfortunate. Iāve often debated the merits of the under-21 championships with Brian Carthy and we always agree that itās great for bringing through the youth. But if the Sky get their way, there might be no youth to bring through in the future. And where are we then?ā
āI know I might be a bit biased here as I wrote the book with him but itās an insult to the likes of our great commentators like Brian Carthy. You canāt buy the passion that man has for our games. Iād be very upset if Brian was sidelined for the likes of Geoff (sic) Stelling and Jimmy White (sic).ā
āWhat I want to know is - where is the money going? Will my club see a penny of it? I doubt it. Iād usually be very defensive of the GAA but after this, people are right when they call them the Grab All Association.ā
[QUOTE=āSidney, post: 925504, member: 183ā] Take my neighbour Cecil here. Heās an elderly man in his 70s and lives alone. Heās too old to go to matches these days. He doesnāt have the Sky. He doesnāt have a television. How is he expected to watch his county playing?"
[/QUOTE]
Good man Sid, love the bit āHe doesnāt have a television. How is he expected to watch his county playing?ā