THERE WAS LITTLE chance of Jim Gavin’s team being leaked to the media ahead of Dublin’s clash with Kerry last Sunday.
As is often the case, Gavin made a couple of late changes to the Dublin team with Kevin McManamon and Michael Darragh MacAuley added to the starting lineup in place of Paul Mannion and Denis Bastick.
McManamon has being enjoying his best year in a Dublin shirt and went on to kick two fine scores in Dublin’s 0-22 to 2-14 win.
But the St. Jude’s forward’s lips were firmly sealed in the build up to the game. Even his close family didn’t know if he’d start or not.
“Kev would be private enough,” his older brother Brendan said yesterday. “He wouldn’t even tell us whether he’d be starting or not.
“I actually didn’t know whether he was going to be playing or not. Even though I expected him to play because of the performances he made beforehand.
“Strangely enough, I actually rang him to ask – and he wouldn’t tell me! My own father didn’t know!
“I texted him, going ’I presume that team isn’t the team?’ And he said, ‘No, no, that’s the team’.”
McManamon was involved in the game’s biggest talking point afterwards. His shoulder on Peter Crowley was clearly a foul on second-viewing, but referee David Gough failed to award Kerry a free.
Moments later Diarmuid Connolly escaped from Kerry’s clutches and curled over the insurance score.
“I saw it in real time and I thought it was an amazing shoulder,” Brendan said. “And then I saw it in slow-motion and it looked a bit, you know, borderline.
“It probably was a free, and it’s only when you slow it down. It’s very hard to make a comment on it when you keep slowing it and you’re playing it bit-by-bit.
“It looked perfect at the time but, looking back on it, it probably was a free.”
The elder McManamon, who was a member of the senior squad for a few years under Pat Gilroy, is hopeful the Dublin star will be the first footballer from the club to win an All-Star – and maybe more.
“He’s been nominated once or twice for an All-Star as a sub, which I don’t think many people have done.
“I think he’s nailed on to get one this year and I wouldn’t say he’s far off getting Footballer of the Year if he has a good final as well.”
Brendan McManamon was speaking as Volkswagen and St. Jude’s GAA Club officially launched the 2016 Junior Hurling Sevens event. It takes place on Saturday 3 September.
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This is a great opportunity to try something different and not have the usual opposition of the old school diehards who dont want change.
The idea of an open knockout championship sounds great I think and would give teams a shot of a dream run. If I’m from Kildare or Fermanagh, I would be much more motivated for championship as you go from 7 games (minimum) to an All Ireland final to 4 games..
@Lad: until those old school diehards stop getting voted onto county/provincial boards, provincial championships are here to stay.
@Lad: Would that not bring us back to why the qualifier system was introduced. 16 teams would only get 1 game. I’d be in favour of a champions league style group format, ran for 2 years, and then split into 2 separate championships, retaining that format. Have a system for promotion and relegation. It’s a lot of games for players though, which may make it a hard sell.
Open draw, try it once. Can u imagine if Kerry got Dublin in killarney in football or tipp v kilkenny in thurles..in first round ties..the buzz would be unique.
@jay bernard: would they allow supporters at the match?
Look, it’s best to just forget about the league, and I’m not just saying that because we may be relegated (‘ ‘) ….
@Logan Shepherd: “May”
@Logan Shepherd: please god forget about the league
@my name: Ah .. if it was May, I’d say go ahead and finish it, but it’s nearly the end of June :-)
Always thought brollys idea of 8 groups of 4 teams with top two play knockout for A all Ireland bottom two play in b all Ireland. Everyone gets 4 games and everyone has chance for a all Ireland. Entails for far more excitement
Yeah, what most of us have wanted for years… provincial championship in football is a joke, Ulster aside. You can’t keep the current provincial set up based on one province alone