LAST UPDATE | 10 Sep 2019
RTÉ HAVE CONFIRMED their coverage plans for Saturday’s All-Ireland final replay with Joe Brolly absent from their punditry panels as Stephen Rochford replaces him for the live coverage of the clash between Dublin and Kerry.
Former Mayo boss Rochford, who was coach to the Donegal footballers this year, will join Ciaran Whelan and Pat Spillane on the panel for The Saturday Game Live on RTÉ 2 next Saturday evening. The news was first reported by the Irish Examiner last night.
Rochford was part of the RTÉ panel last month for the All-Ireland semi-final between Kerry and Tyrone. RTÉ’s coverage will begin at 5pm with Joanne Cantwell presenting while commentary comes from Ger Canning and Kevin McStay.
The night-time show will see Des Cahill present The Saturday Game at 10pm and he will be joined by a panel of Colm O’Rourke, Sean Cavanagh and Tomás Ó Sé with Marty Morrissey at the winners’ hotel for a broadcast that will also feature the football team of the year announcement.
RTÉ’s radio coverage will be presented by Jacqui Hurley and Darren Frehill with Alan Brogan, Conor McManus and Colm Cooper. Darragh Maloney is joined on commentary by Oisin McConville.
The absence of Brolly is noticeable from the coverage. Brolly was in the spotlight during the drawn game for a heated debate that ensued over the decision to award a first-half penalty to Kerry and the sending-off of Dublin defender Jonny Cooper for the second yellow card he received after fouling David Clifford.
The Derry All-Ireland winner claimed Meath referee David Gough had been ‘clearly influenced by the propaganda coming from Kerry’ while Whelan was highly critical of the decision to dismiss Cooper. The following day Whelan reversed his position when speaking on Independent.ie’s GAA podcast ‘The Throw-In’.
In his column for The Sunday Independent at the weekend, Brolly revealed he had contacted Gough to apologise for his comments while also changing his view on the penalty, conceding it was a correct call.
With the warm-up games out of the way, Murray, Bernard and Gavan discuss the renewed cause for optimism, impressive individual player form, and a potential quarter-final versus either South Africa or New Zealand.
The42 Rugby Weekly / SoundCloud
Close the door on your way out joe
@DJ Moran: Im sure Joe is very worried about your opinion.
He has many other things to do.
He may annoy the shite out of us at times but he is a good hearted man.
Check his background.
@Marv: What a stupid and insulting ageist comment from another faceless keyboard warrior.
Im of the same age vintage as Spillane and at times may not agree with him but to say that he is too old to give input into a game that he both graced as well as contributing to its development over time shows what you really are – a Jonhsonesgue buffoon.
@Nick Condon Sen: ah right so being good hearted qualifies you to be an analyst for the All-Ireland!
He loves the controversy and tries to make it all about him instead of actually analyzing the match!
@Nick Condon Sen: I know his back ground and fair play to him for his work, but his analysis are gone beyond the point of been funny, half time of the drawn final was embarrassing for rte
@Nick Condon Sen: Read your History.
@DJ Moran: Rte were complaining they need extra millions to keep doing what they are at at the moment . I have a suggestion stop a lot of these matches botb soccer and Gaa games instead looking for more cash.
@Nick Condon Sen: well sorry to offend old man but the game has changed a lot in the last 10 plus years.
@Alan Scott: So you’re suggesting that in order to save money RTÉ should stop showing one of their most viewed programmes?
I hope your wife looks after the bills….
@DJ Moran: How was it embarassing? Spillane was the onlt one of the three who was right!
@Sorcha Ní Shúilleabháin: yes and I said brolly’s half time antics were embarrassing
@Nick Condon Sen: He’s not gonna shag you Nick
@Nick Condon Sen: we know his background and his good deeds but they are often undone by his stupid headline grabbing comments.
Joe brings a bit of excitement to it. I would argue the majority have no problem with him there but it’s the minority that are shouting they loudest.
@James Heffernan: totally agree. He is great TV and a bit of a laugh. Snowflake society dictating to the rest of us again.
@James Heffernan: He’s a clown
@James Heffernan: he’s entertaining and a bit controversial like Dunphy and George Hook. How much analysing do we need, I’d rather listen to the banter between Spillane and Brolly, tis only a bit of craic at the end of the day.
@mike Kennedy: agreed.. For 98% of the population, sport is primarily for entertainment… Brolly brings that to the table
@James Heffernan: definitely not the minority. Maybe split down the middle at best. He was screaming half the time. There’s entertainment and then there’s being a bully and going batsh 1t crazy on national TV. He needs a Xanax next time he’s given a go.
@Bruce Van der Gutschmitzer: Brolly is box office, it’s nonsense to say otherwise
@mike Kennedy: exactly ,now ur going to get Mr Rochford,and endless prying ,will he or wont he go for the Galway job,coy aul pc answers,ridiclous decision.
@TheHospitalPass: it’s nonsense to say it’s nonsense!! Obviously other ppl here feel similar. I found his carry on sickening the last day. He carried on like a narcissistic teenager. I do find him funny and he comes out with some gold but he screamed bloody murder when Spillane interjected and then constantly cut him off. He out Brollyed himself.
@Pa Magee: yes barristers are renowned for being clowns. You clown
@mike Kennedy: not when he’s publicly chastising and questioning a referee’s integrity in such a cowardly and public way.
Should have kilt two birds with the one stone and oust Whelan too.
@Ronan: what could you do with two birds …. a kilt …. and a stone.
@Ronan: idiot
@Ronan: It’s best not to bring Scottish fashion into the discussion. There’s enough happening as it is!
@John Hayes: brilliant
Happy he’s gone
@Philip McLoughlin: they might actually talk about the game now rather keep sunshine supporters entertained.
@Lad: who out of the three do you expect to bring best analysis?
Kinda feel for him. But he did make a show of himself the last day
Joe is pure entertainment. We need opinion and punditry not just boring analysis and statistics. Poor decision from RTE
It was slanderous what brolly said about the ref and god help him if Dublin has lost . If you want pantomime go to The gaiety. Whelan should have gone too
. I’m a dubs supporter but would love to see Thomas O’Shea and that soft spoken Meath hard man whose name won’t come to me , Colm o Rourke
Exactly I hate the way people especially on social media jump on anyone immediately without any feeling for that person personally. I mean look at the Maria bailey Case, yeah she was possibly in the wrong but god the witch-hunt was toxic , The abuse Brian Cowen got when he was in hospital was sick, likewise what happened to joe brolly last week. It’s happening a lot particularly in the last 3/4 years. If any popular/famous person does anything In this country they are immediately hounded and it’s not only criticism what they might have done but a lot of it is sick personal abuse.
@Donal: well Joe Brolly didn’t show any regard for David Goughs feelings, Gough made a great job of the final, got all the big decisions right. Ciaran Whelan and Joe Brolly couldn’t see the correct decision even with the aid of a load of replays, so I say good luck to em, an you can add Shefflin and Tyrell aswell over the sending off in the hurling final!! Who in there right mind would want to be a referee when u have these biased former good players criticizing ur performance and they as wrong as f**k
@Donal: Agree on Cowen and Brolly but anyone trying to claim compensation after falling off a swing while holding a drink in both hands deserves everything they get.
@Philip McLoughlin:
People are permitted to disagree with whatever they want. If it’s their opinion at that particular moment then so be it.
Sounds to me like you’d rather be listening to bland robots (nobody dare deviate from the perceived norm).
In my opinion it wasn’t Joe Brolly who called out David Gough. It was the Kerry mafia in the media, if they hadn’t of done what they did no one would have paid any attention to the sending off.
Keep up the good work, Joe. I don’t always agree with you but at least you’re not a bore. I’ll watch the replay on Sky. Up the Dubs.
@Henry Toye: that’s possibly the most stupid argument I’ve ever seen, shur if that’s the case pull any old clown in off the street to do the analysis, they don’t even have to watch the match, like joe and Whelan on the penalty they just need an opinion even if it’s totally wrong, and can apologize a week later if they like, once your entertained that’s all that matters, forget about the rest of the country that want honest articulate analysis that are there to talk football.
@John Barry:
Pundits are allowed have a difference of opinion. Like the hurling, not everyone agrees that it was a sending off. Even weeks later not everyone agrees.
I just don’t think they should be removed from coverage because of it. If you’re going to remove one you might as well remove both of them.
Brolly has been made a scapegoat.
It’s my opinion that your response to my comment is stupid. Shur I’m entitled to that opinion.
so whelan disagreed too that it was a sending off and to me even more aggressive than Brolly.
RTE then tell him to reverse his decision or he doesn’t get a gig. Wheland decision reversed. Joke.
RTE used to have a policy of not using Analysts from a participating team, whoever reintroduced this again is crazy as it clearly doesnt work. Shefflin, Whelan and Spillane all showed their bias in the last 2 games and it was painful to look at. This policy needs to stop asap as its looks amateurish currently
Permanently with any luck.
Can they make sure Sean cavanagh doesn’t get on again while they are it it? If anyone should be going it’s whelan, his Dublin bias knows no bounds.
Ciaran Whelan has to be replaced too. He is so biased and thinks Dublin can do no wrong. It was infuriating watching him.
@Ed: must be infuriating watching Dublin win all the time
It’s a pity they couldn’t get rid of that Ger Canning permanently hes dreadful to listen too
Typical RTE PC BS . Look after the snowflakes in case any of the poor things were offended, the good thing is that when the panel are droning on at half-time, we will be able to have a quick nod off by the fire or catch up on the Coronation Street omnibus. . time to boycott the licence fee I think…..
@Sean Moylan: mate he adds nothing, banter works look at Gary neville and jamie Caragher but you also need good strong relate points which he has zero
I muted the tv during half time. It was painful listening to the squabbling.
Rochford?! What a bore. Joe is great craic altogether. Come down to Mulligan’s after the game, Joe.
The guy was clearly not the full deck during the last match he sounded like some guy at the end of the bar counter trying to stir it up for the sake of it.
Thank goodness he is gone. He just wants to take over every discussion. Hard on the ears!
“hold on hold on can I just say” good riddance to him.should have never got a gig in the first place
You can forget about him as a man.
Like him or loathe him, Joe is box office. Ciaran Whelan would bore fly’s off a bucket of sh!te.
Thank god
Only one they need on either show is Tomas O’Se – brilliant.
Viewers lose out, not a dub in sight for the night show, rte proving as out of touch as ever,
Good riddance to bad rubbish
Big mistake to drop Joe. He stirs it up while doing great analysis.
Think Joanne wasn’t able to control
the free spirit Joe who speaks his mind and always supports the weaker counties against the GAA
Goliath. Only Group Think allowed in RTE now. On their last legs..
Opinion’s are like a-hole’s everyone got 1
It’s just Joe Brolly got 2 ..& the 1 under his nose is creating this …
Typical media make sure the snowflakes are appeased and the cover up your auld sins GAA fill your pockets brigade call the shots
Thank God,why wasn’t Whelan showing the door as well,when you make Pat the normal one actually talking sense, something is wrong.
Ah Joe brolly.
The Roy Keane of GAA pundits….
Joe is only there to sell newspapers and use his mouth for online clicks. He cares little if he’s right or wrong. Leave him to the indo where we can read him online and he’s not as excited.
Nothing against Joe; in fact I really used to enjoy his analysis as even when I didn’t agree it was reasoned. However, recently he has descended into a rapacious nonsense for the sake of controversy.
RTE take so many advert breaks, there is barely any time for analysis
Maybe the poor fellow is injured. Hardly sacked him. He’s a bit too intelligent for a lot of folk on here. Only thing against him is going back on his version of events in the drawn game. No penalty, no sending-off and the ticking was clearly a second yellow. Still, in a game like that nobody deserved a red. Ref got the big ones wrong.
Brolly knows his beans.
Absolute idiot,an average footballer who was lucky to win an All Ireland
There’s no show like a Joe show.
Full of self importance
Good riddance to the bigoted oaf
Need to get rid of all non neutral pundits. Half time has become a joke both hurling and football finals
Jasus lads get a grip.
Brolly is good when controlled as is Whelan, not O’Shea.
Need a bit of banter not ass kissing.
Watch how RTE cut short the analysis after the game as if they’ve something better to put on……not!
Sky might have better analysis but would bore u to tears bar Sennan Connelly who puts a smile on every time he’s on camera
Get rid of McStay too
Very sad to see Joe gone he was honest passionate gaa man he be missed he knew what the was about what it needed.
Yet another reason not to watch football
Or eamonn dunphy
PC Sheep only welcome…absolute disgrace will have to watch Sky now…
I’d get Conor Moore to replace them all
It still wasn’t a penalty so maybe people should wonder why David Gough is not referee for replay
The Pundit became bigger than the Game