TIPPERARY’S ALAN MOLONEY admits that his blood boiled when he watched RTÉ pundits Colm O’Rourke and Joe Brolly laughing at half-time in the Munster senior football final.
Brolly has since denied that he was in any way disparaging of Tipperary but Moloney was in no doubt that the Premier County were shown the “utmost disrespect” by the pair.
On live television, O’Rourke was asked for his assessment of first half events in Killarney, where Tipp were playing Kerry, and he replied at the time: “It’s a nice game but it’s not a proper championship match in the context of a Donegal-Monaghan game, where every ball was fought for.”
Moloney watched the game a few days later and says that he was appalled by the half-time footage.
Moloney said: “When I sat down to look at the Munster final a few days later, it boiled my blood.
“They showed total disrespect towards the players and football people in Tipperary.
“Maybe it was a private joke but if it was, they should have kept it to themselves and then to turn around and say that it wasn’t a real championship game showed what they really thought of Tipperary football. Hopefully last Saturday quietened them for a while.”
Moloney made a big impact off the bench against Brolly’s native county Derry at Kingspan Breffni Park last Saturday, as Tipp advanced to a very first All-Ireland SFC quarter-final appearance.
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Tipp footballer Alan Moloney. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
And the 26-year-old Rockwell Rovers clubman admitted that it was nice to get one over on Derry, considering they had beaten Meath in a previous round.
Moloney said: “Joe Brolly is from Derry and Colm O’Rourke from Meath.
“Derry were able to beat Meath and we went out and beat Derry so Colm O’Rourke needs to be careful what he says from now on.
“Both of them showed no respect at all but if we didn’t win on Saturday, they would have been saying that we caught Cork on the hop in the Munster semi-final. Now we’re starting to get the credit that we deserve.
“We can’t wait for next Sunday, it’s massive for us and down in the history books that we’re in a first-ever All-Ireland senior quarter-final.
“Even for the lads that are not around – Colin O’Riordan, Steven O’Brien, Seamus Kennedy and the lads gone to America – you have to be happy for them as well because they were part of it before that and on minor and U21 teams.”
Moloney started the Munster quarter-final victory over Waterford but has been restricted to substitute appearances since then.
But getting back to full fitness and out on the pitch again is an achievement in itself for a versatile player who can operate in midfield or attack.
Moloney lost two years of his inter-county career after breaking his ankle against Kerry at Fitzgerald Stadium in 2013.
After recovering from that, he underwent Gilmore’s Groin surgery in January 2015 and played for Tipp’s intermediate hurlers last summer.
And he said: “I got the call (from Liam Kearns) at the start of the December, asking would I be interested in going back in with the footballers. I jumped at the chance. I was out from May 2013 to May 2015 and while I played with the club, I was at nothing because of my groin injury.”
Moloney accepts that Tipp manager Kearns is likely to plump for an unchanged team again but he’ll be ready to do a job if called upon from the bench.
He added: “It’s horses for courses and the management have to do a job.
“They sit down, look at the opposition and what way we want to play the game and pick the lads suited to particular jobs.
“They have to pick based on opposition and gameplans but everybody is pushing for places and pushing each other. It’s very disappointing not to start but when you get the call to warm up, you’re delighted and busting a gut to get out on the field.”
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Tipp footballer Alan Moloney: Colm O'Rourke and Joe Brolly's laughter boiled my blood
TIPPERARY’S ALAN MOLONEY admits that his blood boiled when he watched RTÉ pundits Colm O’Rourke and Joe Brolly laughing at half-time in the Munster senior football final.
Brolly has since denied that he was in any way disparaging of Tipperary but Moloney was in no doubt that the Premier County were shown the “utmost disrespect” by the pair.
On live television, O’Rourke was asked for his assessment of first half events in Killarney, where Tipp were playing Kerry, and he replied at the time: “It’s a nice game but it’s not a proper championship match in the context of a Donegal-Monaghan game, where every ball was fought for.”
Moloney watched the game a few days later and says that he was appalled by the half-time footage.
Moloney said: “When I sat down to look at the Munster final a few days later, it boiled my blood.
“They showed total disrespect towards the players and football people in Tipperary.
“Maybe it was a private joke but if it was, they should have kept it to themselves and then to turn around and say that it wasn’t a real championship game showed what they really thought of Tipperary football. Hopefully last Saturday quietened them for a while.”
Moloney made a big impact off the bench against Brolly’s native county Derry at Kingspan Breffni Park last Saturday, as Tipp advanced to a very first All-Ireland SFC quarter-final appearance.
And the 26-year-old Rockwell Rovers clubman admitted that it was nice to get one over on Derry, considering they had beaten Meath in a previous round.
Moloney said: “Joe Brolly is from Derry and Colm O’Rourke from Meath.
“Derry were able to beat Meath and we went out and beat Derry so Colm O’Rourke needs to be careful what he says from now on.
“Both of them showed no respect at all but if we didn’t win on Saturday, they would have been saying that we caught Cork on the hop in the Munster semi-final. Now we’re starting to get the credit that we deserve.
“We can’t wait for next Sunday, it’s massive for us and down in the history books that we’re in a first-ever All-Ireland senior quarter-final.
Moloney started the Munster quarter-final victory over Waterford but has been restricted to substitute appearances since then.
But getting back to full fitness and out on the pitch again is an achievement in itself for a versatile player who can operate in midfield or attack.
Moloney lost two years of his inter-county career after breaking his ankle against Kerry at Fitzgerald Stadium in 2013.
After recovering from that, he underwent Gilmore’s Groin surgery in January 2015 and played for Tipp’s intermediate hurlers last summer.
And he said: “I got the call (from Liam Kearns) at the start of the December, asking would I be interested in going back in with the footballers. I jumped at the chance. I was out from May 2013 to May 2015 and while I played with the club, I was at nothing because of my groin injury.”
Moloney accepts that Tipp manager Kearns is likely to plump for an unchanged team again but he’ll be ready to do a job if called upon from the bench.
He added: “It’s horses for courses and the management have to do a job.
“They sit down, look at the opposition and what way we want to play the game and pick the lads suited to particular jobs.
“They have to pick based on opposition and gameplans but everybody is pushing for places and pushing each other. It’s very disappointing not to start but when you get the call to warm up, you’re delighted and busting a gut to get out on the field.”
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