ON FRIDAY EVENING, while many of Ireland’s Rio 2016 stars were preparing to take part in the Olympic Games’ Opening Ceremony, Greg Broderick was back in Dublin.
With his individual jumping event not due to take place until this day week in Rio, Broderick was in no rush to leave the country.
And besides, Ireland’s sole showjumping representative was busy winning the Underwriting Exchange Grand Prix at ‘Jumping In The City’ in Shelbourne Park — a timely boost as he prepares for what is surely the biggest moment of his career to date in Brazil.
Friday night was a continuation of the type of fine form that saw Broderick chosen as Ireland’s showjumping representative in Rio to the surprise of many.
Bertram Allen had been tipped, not just to go to Rio, but to star at the event and potentially win a medal.
Speaking to The42 back in March before the Olympics places were confirmed, Judy Reynolds — who will represent Ireland in individual dressage starting this Wednesday in Rio — said:
Hopefully the show-jumping representative (at the Olympics) will be Bertram Allen… He’s an amazing talent. I hope for him, this year, but he will win an Olympic gold medal at some point. There’s no question about it, he is that talented.”
Consequently, choosing Broderick over 20-year-old showjumping prodigy Allen was somewhat controversial. Someone who is not particularly well versed in the sport might glance at the world rankings and notice that Allen is 10th while Broderick is 252nd, and therefore feel perplexed as to how Horse Sport Ireland arrived at the decision.
Yet Broderick and showjumping team manager Robert Splaine will insist that the decision is more complex than many assume.
Not only did Broderick pip Allen to the spot but he also overcame strong competition from London 2012 bronze medallist Cian O’Connor and Beijing Olympian Denis Lynch for the sole position.
Speaking following the announcement that he would be going to Rio, Splaine cited the form of Broderick and his horse as key to this tough decision.
“Greg Broderick and MHS Going Global have been outstanding contributors for Ireland in the Nations Cups and have been consistent clear round jumpers at five-star level.
Their performance last weekend in St Gallen, Switzerland, where they jumped a double clear in the Nations Cup to help Ireland to victory, and followed that up with two clear rounds in the Grand Prix, shows they are a combination at the very top of their form.”
Speaking on Friday, Broderick echoed the manager’s claims, even if he does sympathise to an extent with Allen.
Nobody would have begrudged a spot to Bertram Allen if he won it fair and square. He’s had a fantastic couple of years, he’s a brilliant rider, so we would have been 100% behind Bertram if he was going.
“My horse is a real specialist at top-level showjumping, especially at Nations Cup-level, where it’s about jumping clear rounds inside the time.”
Moreover, since the Olympics announcement, Broderick’s encouraging form has continued, while he has spent some time preparing for Rio, with the showjumping events there set to be held on sand — an unusual scenario for the Irish rider.
Broderick’s horse, MHS Going Global, is “on a flight (to Rio) as we speak,” despite recent doubts over the horse’s eligibility and concerns that he had not been properly registered in time for the Olympics creating further controversy last June, following the initial hoopla surrounding the star’s nomination.
The 30-year-old Tipperary native feels the horse gave him “the edge” when it came to Rio selection.
“He takes everything in his stride,” he says of the 10-year-old gelding. “He’s a horse for the big occasion, because over the smaller jumps, he doesn’t blow you away. He’s not the big show off over smaller jumps, but when the fences get big and you ask him for a big performance, that’s when he really opens up and starts to jump.
When you see a lot of the horses at the top level as good as him, they’re quite difficult to ride. Going Global is very rideable, so when the tracks get very technical and tight, that’s when he really comes into his own. He listens very well.
“He ticks all the boxes so it’s a case of me just doing my job right and he’ll be there to answer all the questions.
What gave me the edge (for Rio) is I have one of the best horses in the world.
“Robert Splaine could see that the horse was a top horse last year and was back in top form at St Gallen, so I suppose he felt the horse could be a real contender at the Olympic Games.”
Broderick certainly isn’t shy about expressing his confidence ahead of Rio. While most Team Ireland athletes generally tend to play down their chances of winning a gold medal when asked in interviews, the showjumping star feels comfortable in suggesting that the dream scenario for the Olympics is very much within his reach.
There’s no reason why I can’t win a gold medal. I wouldn’t be getting down off Going Global to ride any other horse in the world.
“The courses (in Rio) are going to be very tough, they’re demanding courses, but with a little bit of luck and a rub of the green, we can be bang there.”
Winning gold would be a remarkable success story for Broderick, who started competing in the national showjumping circuit at the age of 16, meaning he has spent just under half his life dealing with the challenges of the sport at a high level. Unlike most top showjumpers — Allen and Reynolds both live and compete in Germany, for example — Broderick remains based in his native country, along with a horse that was bred in Ireland.
Perhaps surprisingly, the Aga Khan (which Broderick helped Ireland win last year – a feat they narrowly failed to repeat back in June) rather than the Olympics is the first thing he mentions when asked about childhood dreams.
Coming from Tipperary, Broderick also almost inevitably had dreams of a very different variety.
I played a bit of hurling with the Drom-Inch hurling club when I was younger before I started riding full time,” he recalls.
“I always loved the hurling and football. My principal in school was Paudie Butler, who hurled for Tipperary and he was a huge influence, when we were younger, towards the hurling.
At a younger age, it certainly would have been more of a dream to be part of a Tipperary team in Croke Park than to be a showjumper, but I certainly wouldn’t have been an All-Star hurler, that’s for sure.
“I still enjoy the hurling and still follow it. I’m from the same parish as (Tipperary hurlers) James Woodlock and Seamus Callanan. We actually went to school together and we fox-hunted together, so I still keep an eye on the lads to see what they’re doing. They’re doing our parish and Tipperary proud. Hopefully I’ll do the same now in Rio.”
And finally, does he have any advice for young, aspiring showjumpers hoping to emulate his achievement and represent Ireland at the Olympics some day?
The thing is certainly to work hard, and to be humble about it, because in showjumping, you can be up one minute and down the next. So don’t forget the people you’re passing out on the way up because you’ll be passing them again on the way down.”
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Coleman at fault for both goals . Only worth 4.
Very poor from Coleman for both goals. Long showing once again that he is not a natural finisher, should have had a hat trick.
Its a reality check, the Scots are pulling out some very good results in the last 6 months, its going to be tough to make the top 2 of the next campaign.
Lets be frank… we are not great at the moment…. good first 20 min then got to complacent in the remaining minutes… At pro level that cant happen…
Steve Staunton..come back please
Anyone but him….
Benny Hill?
At least we get a night off the Robbie haters tonight! He’d have had a hat trick tonight! I like Shane Long but he is no Robbie keane…. Keano is massive for us qualifying to the euros, imagine if long had missed the two sitters in a 2-1 loss at home to scotland!
Robbie is that you?
Conor, do you honestly believe Robbie Keane has the pace or muscle to run onto these chances? No way. He is fine from 6 yards but when did you ever see him drive through on goal and score? 2002 against Germany at the World Cup!!!!
Are you having a laugh giving Whelan a 6.. How that man gets on an international panel I’ll never know..
Scored a dinger to give us the lead but for Wes (wrongly) stealing it offside
The goal that was disallowed was onside. Look again the number 18(I think it was) kept hoolihan onside.
That’s what I meant by wrongly
International football is literally depressing……
Literally?
Why?
Literally…….it depresses me.not, it pisses me off….it depresses me…..dat uncomplicated enough?
dat?
That’s what it does to you but you still haven’t explained WHY international soccer specifically does this to you. It’s the best players from each country playin against each other. If it’s Ireland that depresses you we compete better than Scotland or Wales even tho there’s no reason why we should, definitely man for man we shouldn’t. Club football depresses me more, certain clubs too big to fail, mercenaries galore, certain managers treated like tele workers in Bangladesh, over priced tickets, etc etc
Its international football in general……its constantly touted as the highest standard of football but its not.generally its deplorable to watch regardless of who is playing and i think the fact that Ireland are so uninspiring and dull only compounds my misery.being better in qualifying than Wales/NI/Scotland doesnt make me feel any better….siiiiiiigh……..depressing.
Granted international games can be tight cagey affairs but it is the ultimate test for players, only top players with the big game temperament and quality shine on the international stage, all of the games last nite were meaningless friendlies as well, you couldn’t beat the passion and drama that Sweden v Portugal produced in their playoff in November, the reason..it’s the last thing in soccer you can’t buy, a place in a finals tournament
Nice indeed to see more attacking play, but they played quite poor tonight.
Coleman (the right full) at fault for both goals and gets a 6! Come on Ben, get off the stage.
How on earth does Long get a seven
He missed a sitter or 2 for sure.
He won a lot of headers and performed decently. A seven is a bit generous when a six might have been fairer but seven isn’t totally unreasonable. He missed two chances he maybe should have done better with but we were spoiled for the last fifteen years in having a striker who would likely have had a hat trick tonight and you can’t just compare Long to himself.
He ‘maybe should have done better with’? This is international football, one of them chances a game is a gift never mind 2
I don’t think Robbie would have been in those positions to create those chances, I can’t remember the last time Robbie scored a goal from an angled run off the last shoulder, it’s just not his game anymore, granted he’s a lethal finisher and our best without doubt but you can’t airlift him into those positions. Long as a lone combative striker suited Wes, his running stretched the defence and meant that through balls would be latched onto.
You make a fair point Noel but I personally think your giving too much credit to longs runs. Ball won in midfield and the striker released was my take on the two chances, even if he did well to stay onside for the first. I just feel if we played long up front instead of Robbie the end result would be half the goals.
If you look at the first goal, the amount of ground long made up to get there Keane just can’t do, plus the finish if you watch it in slow mo is quite good, on the half volley. For me Robbie is a luxury we can’t afford anymore, Robbie can’t play as a lone striker, therefore to accommodate him we have to play 442. Then we get out numbered in midfield. The argument was always that Robbie got goals, well long got a goal tonight that Robbie would have been proud of, and got 2 other great chances created in part by his strong angled runs (and a sweet ball from Wes), admittedly he fluffed both poorly
The two areas that cost us tonight were in defense where Coleman had his worst game of the season and Ward did nothing to suggest that he should still be an option at left full. And while both Wilson and Keogh might be ok alongside a more experienced centre half neither are good enough to lead the line. Both dived in with challenges when the likes of Dunne would have stayed on his feet….this cost us the second goal and nearly cost us others.
The second area that cost us was Shane Longs lack of ability to score goals. Yes he got one but he missed two that any decent international striker would have scored with their eyes closed. The second miss in particular was embarrassing. Yes he works hard and runs the channels etc but the main job of the striker is to score goals and he didnt look like scoring either of the ones he missed. Even if you look at the one he scored, another keeper would have stuck out a hand and blocked that, one and one with the keeper that should have been drilled in leaving the keeper with no chance but Long hit is shoulder height. I like Long but I dont think he is good enough to play upfront on his own.
The first half we were decent and passed the ball around well, even Whelan sprayed some good long passes that he would never have been allowed to do under Trap. But in the second half we looked ragged and we outplayed in every area.
O’Shea and Dunne will add solidity to defense and when Gibson comes back he will give the midfield a bit more bite alongside McCarthy and Hoolihan looked good and was easily our best player, so there are some positives. But we really need to unearth a replacement for Robbie Keane from somewhere. Aldridge was 26 when he made his Irish debut…..O’Neill and Keano need to search the globe for an Irish qualified striker because when Robbie does hang up his boots we dont have an International quality goal scorer to take his place.
We need a far more mobile midfield. ie we have to forget about Glen Whelan…hes not mobile enough and he loses us impetous when we are breaking by nearly always playing a side or backwards pass!! We have to play with tempo to be at our best and he slows it down to a crawl almost every time and could not live with Matic as hes not near mobile enough
And Matic is a far, far superior footballer!
Glenn Whelan = Neil Lennon
I know its only a friendly and roughly a half hour cameo but David Meyler looked very poor and has looked poor for Hull all season, very heavy touches and couldn’t pick nor spot a pass. On the plus side O’Neil actually introduced the right substitutes that warranted a run out(even though Meyler was poor he deserved a run).Something Trap never did.
He probably had a sore head.
Looked to be improving slightly under o Neill in first half , but we slowly slipped back into our old habits, Why we stopped pressing up the field so early in 2nd half is worrying, we’ve too many not up to this level unfortunately
Thought things were supposed to change.. At least the Irish rugby team have a shot at a championship. This looks a long way off. Fed up of hoping every 4 years away of my life
The Irish rugby team play the same teams year in year out and at best have been the 4th most successful 6 nations side since the tournament began. Plus they have failed miserably at world cups.
Soccer is far more competitive at international level and we do well in intetnational tournaments bar the last one.
Bring back trap..
Terrible performance. No work ethic and no game plan. Is Trap still in charge??
Usual friendly guff, can never read too much into it. Anyone else think a mini league played on the same dates would be better? Something to play for ect….. Just putting it out there.
The sooner people realise that Trappatoni was right in saying that our players are not good enough the better. O’Neill Keane or whoever else manages this limited group of mediocre journeymen should immediately get rid of McLean McGeady Meyler Keogh Ward Pilkington and Stokes as they are not up to international football and pray that we are not depending on Long to score goals for us.
And if we were to get rid of all of those players, who would you replace them with?
This is a genuine question, who else is out there?!
The answer is no one Jim. We will do well to reach the play offs in 3rd place
Joe I said that last week after the euro draw and got a load of red thumbs.. think we will sneak 3Rd place though and should beat any of the other relatively poor 3Rd seeded teams. We drew a tough group in all fairness considering we were second seeds
So we’ll just turn up for matches with half a squad, Joe? Or maybe just field a team with 8 or 9 players and tell the ref, yeh sorry, but we just don’t have the players good enough for this level.
First half was promising but we were the third best team in the second half. Long tried, but disappointed. Hoolahan had a great game though. I understand rotation during friendlies but why take of your best player, unless O Neill has his mind made up. Fingers crossed
Long is a championship level striker, he’s never proven himself at the top level, he has no consistency in his game when playing as the lone striker .
We need two men up front plane and simple.
And get completely over run in midfield with just two holding central midfielders? Your robbing Paul to pay…
One Holding Midfielder should suffice.
Goals win Games, we already tried the overly conservative approach remember.
Barcelona can play up to 6 midfielders but you wouldn’t accuse them of being conservative, it’s just modern football, just cos you plonk 2 strikers on the pitch doesn’t make you more attacking necessarily, sure look at traps teams before
Mcgeady is an absolute dud, always has been.
I found it disappointing when they seemed to be on an attack…. They turned back and gave the ball back to Forde instead of bringing a midfielder Into play? Forde then proceeded to hoof the ball and it generally landed to the opposition. I thought they were going to be using the wing backs and working the ball out? I suppose they were too complacent when they tried that too tho…
Is Roy still assistant manager ?, nothing on sky yet.
We have a collection of very average players. Keane, Dunne and O’Shea are still needed in the first 11 if we’re to make Euro 16.
Irish football has declined rapidly since 2002. John Delaney should have been sacked after the Kerr,Staunton and Trap disasters. It reflects Irish Society as a whole with inept people in power every time.
Shane Long had a great game! Great goal. A one on one with a keeper does not mean an automatic goal! If we make chances and convert 1 in 3 – happy days
Serbia have 5 champions league players we have zilch be grateful we haven’t got to face them in euro 2016 qualifers
Laughable nonsense, time to just forget about this excuse of a sport
Just look a Longs celebration after he scored his goal as if he was Messi or something then goes and misses 2 sitters due to inflated ego
Charlton and Trap did not trust Irish players technical skills and decision making. I think they were right sadly. O’Neill will do the same after watching that crap last night.