THE SUNDAY GAME is ingrained in the public consciousness and sets the agenda like no other sports show in this country.
RTÉ’s flagship GAA programme has been on the air since 1979 and makes its return to our screens tonight. Over the years it has provided plenty of memorable moments that set the nation’s tongues wagging.
In no particular order, we’ve picked out the 10 most controversial Sunday Game moments over the years. It includes a few thrown-in from The Saturday Game for good measure.
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10. Donal Og Cusack on Cork’s ‘centre of mediocrity’
Following Cork’s comprehensive 10-point defeat to Tipperary in the 2014 All-Ireland hurling semi-final, Cusack launched a scathing attack on the county board.
The former goalkeeper didn’t hold back when criticizing Cork’s development of a centre of excellence, while he also questioned the county’s underage structures.
9. Tomas Ó Sé: ‘It’s called football, Des’
Back in 2014 Kerry booked their spot in the All-Ireland final with a replay win over Mayo.
The Kingdom’s display of kick-passing had the public drooling and Tomas Ó Sé broke down their football philosophy into very simple terms for presenter Des Cahill.
8. Martin McHugh calls Colm Cooper a ‘two-trick pony’
Former Donegal Allstar Martin McHugh caused uproar when he described Colm Cooper as a “two-trick pony” and claimed his teammate James O’Donoghue was a far superior player.
“I just want to make a point here: he’s a better player than Cooper, he’s one of the greatest I’ve ever seen. In my opinion, Cooper’s a two-trick pony I just really believe that… I’m just making a point what I feel about him personally having watched him, studied him,” said McHugh.
Dermot Earley and Kevin McStay, who joined him on the panel, quickly leapt to Cooper’s defence.
7. Eamonn O’Hara lays into Kevin Walsh
Sligo’s former Allstar Eamonn O’Hara called for Kevin Walsh’s resignation in 2013 following the county’s shock defeat to London in the Connacht SFC.
O’Hara criticised the standard of training, tactics and the selection policy employed by the Sligo manager.
“I think he will (resign) and I think he should do the county board a favour,” he said.
O’Hara, then 37, announced his retirement earlier that month after Walsh left him out of Sligo’s championship panel.
6. Joe Brolly questions Sean Cavanagh’s manliness
This one tops the lot.
Joe Brolly launched a tirade against Tyrone’s Sean Cavanagh for a rugby tackle that brought down Conor McManus when he was through on goal late on in the 2013 All-Ireland quarter-final.
Cavanagh only shipped a yellow for the tackle, and Brolly went over the top in a highly personalised attack.
Brolly later revealed he called Cavanagh to apologise for his remarks. The black-card was introduced the following season.
5. Pat Spillane insults both Donegal and Muslims
As Jim McGuinness’s radical tactical ideas started to turn Donegal into serious All-Ireland contenders in 2011, not everybody was pleased about it.
Kerry legend Pat Spillane wasn’t impressed after Dublin’s narrow All-Ireland semi-final over Donegal in an incredibly low-scoring game.
Even Joe Brolly felt he strayed off the point.
4. Ger Loughnane on Dublin’s ‘pure constipated hurling’
Anthony Daly’s Dublin laboured to a draw against Wexford in their Leinster championship opener in 2014 and he came in for criticism from his former manager after the game.
Ger Loughnane described Dublin’s performance as “pure constipated hurling.”
The laxative did the trick for the Dubs. They defeated Wexford in the replay and enjoyed wins over Kilkenny and Galway on the way to the Leinster title.
3. Joe Brolly calls Marty Morrissey ‘ugly’
Joe Brolly features yet again.
Brolly ruffled more feathers when he made an ill-advised jibe comparing Cavan’s style of football to Marty Morrissey’s appearance last year.
“I’ve referred to Cavan in recent years as the Black Death because the football has been as some people have said, as ugly as Marty Morrissey,” he said.
Brolly later apologised on air for his remarks.
2. Joe Brolly labels Colm Cooper as ‘a choker’
Ahead of Kerry’s All-Ireland qualifier clash with Tyrone in 2012, Brolly labelled Colm Cooper “a choker” in his Derry Journal column.
He later defended his criticism of Cooper on The Sunday Game, but rejected suggestions he called Cooper a choker.
“I didn’t say Cooper was a choker,” Brolly said.
“What I said was had a stranger wandered into the All-Ireland club semi-final between Cross and Crokes and saw him, they would say he was a choker.”
1. Pat Spillane finds a cure for insomnia
A low-scoring first-half of the Connacht SFC semi-final between Mayo and Roscommon incensed Pat Spillane in 2014.
Mayo led by 0-4 to 0-3 at the break, and Spillane didn’t hold back when he gave his take on the first-half.
Excitement levels lifted somewhat after the interval and Mayo secured a one-point win.
https://vine.co/v/MDxqKg5Owqu
Honourable mentions: Colm O’Rourke says cynicism follows Tyrone around “like a bad smell,” Joe Brolly calls Michael Murphy “the most influential player in Gaelic football,” Shane Curran says the GAA might go the way of the “Church and Fianna Fail,” Kieran Donaghy sticks it to Joe Brolly after All-Ireland final win.
Did we miss any controversial moments from The Sunday Game over the years? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Tell that to limerick, on the cusp of the double
@Ave it: There’s always an exception or two but the normality is complete non-events and a predictable outcome until the later stages of the championship.
@Rochelle: it wouldn’t be like that if we have tiers and open draw and dispensed with the provincial championship or ran provincial at a different time of year
@Ave it: Limerick beat a division 3 team hardly that much of an upset?
Imagine trying to get a ticket with six teams playing on the same day
@Eugene O’ Sullivan: exactly. Terrible idea. Double header of tier 2 and 3 on the Saturday evening and Tier 1 / minor final as tradition on its own the Sunday.
- Abolish Provincial Championships
- Champions League format with seeded draws
- 8 groups of 4
- Teams that finish first and Second play for Sam
- Third team and fourth team play in Bed and C Championships respectively
- All players still get the opportunity to pull off shocks and play for Sam.
- all players have something to play for
- Plus think of how the fixtures being so structured would also allow the club game to flourish.
Think I’ll run for the County council now too
@Séamus Tierney: Probably one of the best ideas, because one of the main complaints along with lack of coverage is that a ‘B’ championship would take away a players chance for a upset or a big day out in Croke Park against a top team. At least with this they get both that and chance of winning some silverware.
@Séamus Tierney: that’s a good idea and Zi used to be for it, but it wouldn’t work because you can pretty much pick which 16 teams will qualify with 1 or 2 surprises. 2/3 of the marches would be drubbings that will attract no public interest and the 1 decent game really a dead rubber as both teams guaranteed 2 wins from the other matches.
@Séamus Tierney: that’s a good idea and I used to be for it, but it wouldn’t work because you can pretty much pick which 16 teams will qualify with 1 or 2 surprises. 2/3 of the matches would be drubbings/hammerings that will attract no public interest and the 1 decent game really a dead rubber as both teams guaranteed 2 wins from the other matches.
@Séamus Tierney: still the same amount of hammerings in champions league format
All they need to do is reduce the size of the ball to little more than tennis ball size and let them bring sticks onto the pitch to hit the reduced size ball, problem solved.
@Dino: nice idea but I could see this becoming a niche product, played by an elite few counties and generally ignored by everyone else.
@Etherman: As opposed to the big ball game we have ATM played by one ‘elite’ county and where everyone yearns after the competitiveness of the niche product??
The league is a far better competition. Can we not just swap them around and play the championship in the spring?
@Brian Dunne: what???
@Brian Dunne: the league is very competitive, but it’s not the competition teams really want to win. The Kerry manager said all throughout the league that they weren’t interested in winning it. He got his wish in the end.
@Stephen Walsh: yea but if it was the championship they would
Works for the ladies also as TG4 cover all grades. RTE who pay Brolly are part of the problem zero coverage of lower profile games .
Intercounty League starts 1st Jan. Champions league format starting in April. Finished by end of June All Ireland final. Players back to the clubs by mid July. Then county finals played worse case end of Sept. Solved both Hurling and football in 261 characters.
There is no perfect format. A champions league type group system or an NFL type fixture competition would work best in my opinion. Teams can come against opposition of all levels and benefit from each. Eliminated teams can go into a second tier competition. Every team would play at least 4 games at a minimum. Season tickets & game planning could also be organised well in advance.