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Another thread got me thinking who would be people's favourite writer, author, column, paper, pundit, show, podcast or whatever in the GAA world.

Breezy (Limerick) - Posts: 1236 - 10/06/2020 15:42:51    2280304

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Replying To Breezy:  "Another thread got me thinking who would be people's favourite writer, author, column, paper, pundit, show, podcast or whatever in the GAA world."
Canavan and McGuinness are the only 2 regular football pundits who seem actually capable of analyzing a game. Jarlath Burns was good but I haven't seen a game on BBC in a while.

RTE's attempt to freshen up their line-up hasn't been great. Whelan is ok but can't drop the blue tinted glasses where Dublin are involved. And as Brolly pointed out, they're told what to say anyway.

cavanman47 (Cavan) - Posts: 5012 - 10/06/2020 16:46:21    2280314

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Replying To cavanman47:  "Canavan and McGuinness are the only 2 regular football pundits who seem actually capable of analyzing a game. Jarlath Burns was good but I haven't seen a game on BBC in a while.

RTE's attempt to freshen up their line-up hasn't been great. Whelan is ok but can't drop the blue tinted glasses where Dublin are involved. And as Brolly pointed out, they're told what to say anyway."
I really enjoyed Tony Davis and Dara O'Cinnéide, very honest with their views and could deliver those views without insults unlike Pat Spillane and brolly, I like O'Rourke he's a good reader of the game and delivers good one liners.

Id have no mass on what Whelan says as he showed himself up in the drawn allireland final and sure all he's won was a few leinsters titles and never even played in an allireland final :-)

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 10/06/2020 18:20:35    2280329

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There are a good few l like, Darragh O'Se on a Wednesday in championship season in the times can be hit answer miss, you get this vision of Darragh penning the articles on the back of a beer mat in his local, but nevertheless I enjoy them. McGuinness on a Tuesday in the times is a really insightful read, often delving into the deep ness of oppositions. He is a really good and one of my favourite reads.

Brolly, Spillane and O'Rourke all write in the indo, all three as boring as each other like the Sunday game, all trying to cling to some form of current relevance but truth be told all three are outdated as each other and woulda be put out to pasture both from a TV and journalistic point of view.

I love reading and listening to Darragh O'Cinneide, he writes in the examiner and has the slot in Radio Na Gaeltachta. I really miss Seò Sport this was a cracking programme on TG4 on a Friday night, couldn't believe why it was discontinued... still don't.

I secretly hoped he would take over from Michael Lyster but it was not to be.

Horsebox77 (Kerry) - Posts: 5491 - 10/06/2020 19:31:47    2280336

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Replying To KingdomBoy1:  "I really enjoyed Tony Davis and Dara O'Cinnéide, very honest with their views and could deliver those views without insults unlike Pat Spillane and brolly, I like O'Rourke he's a good reader of the game and delivers good one liners.

Id have no mass on what Whelan says as he showed himself up in the drawn allireland final and sure all he's won was a few leinsters titles and never even played in an allireland final :-)"
What has Mass got to do with it?

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 683 - 10/06/2020 19:56:39    2280346

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Replying To Breezy:  "Another thread got me thinking who would be people's favourite writer, author, column, paper, pundit, show, podcast or whatever in the GAA world."
Canavan, Whelan and O'Rourke in that order.

lilylanger (Kildare) - Posts: 758 - 10/06/2020 20:44:17    2280353

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Replying To sligo joe:  "What has Mass got to do with it?"
OK try that again Joe as I don't understand what your asking me?

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 10/06/2020 21:14:31    2280356

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Replying To sligo joe:  "What has Mass got to do with it?"
Should be meas, Irish for respect, or regard.

MicktheMiller (Offaly) - Posts: 421 - 10/06/2020 21:19:04    2280359

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Malachy Clerkin, Kieran Shannon and Keith Duggan are usually worth reading. I tend to like Declan Bogue as well.

Óisín McConville is good value on radio/TV/podcasts. I enjoy listening to Mike Quirke as well at times.

Dara Ó Cinnéide is one of the best broadcaster in the country, a pity we don't see him that much on the likes of the Sunday Game anymore.

As an aside, live televised matches on any station, but particularly RTÉ, could do with not using pundits from the competing counties for their broadcasts. Very few of them have the ability to be impartial for example Whelan last year and Pat Spillane every time Kerry have ever lost of game.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 10/06/2020 21:29:33    2280363

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Eugene McGhee, was the only GAA persona/journalist I ever thought had a decent competence in GAA analysis, the rest is just largely and increasingly click bait or lads trying to make a few bob without much conviction supplying their name to make a few bob being led by editiors without much analysis or conviction.

Used to love reading Eugene of a Monday, agree or disagree he was always thought provoking.

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 10/06/2020 22:29:35    2280366

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Replying To Mickthemiller:  "Should be meas, Irish for respect, or regard."
Tuigim an focal "meas", just wonderin why Kingdom boy uses a west brit anglicised version, better not to use words "as Gaeilge" if they are written "as béarla"

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 683 - 10/06/2020 22:34:19    2280367

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Replying To MesAmis:  "Malachy Clerkin, Kieran Shannon and Keith Duggan are usually worth reading. I tend to like Declan Bogue as well.

Óisín McConville is good value on radio/TV/podcasts. I enjoy listening to Mike Quirke as well at times.

Dara Ó Cinnéide is one of the best broadcaster in the country, a pity we don't see him that much on the likes of the Sunday Game anymore.

As an aside, live televised matches on any station, but particularly RTÉ, could do with not using pundits from the competing counties for their broadcasts. Very few of them have the ability to be impartial for example Whelan last year and Pat Spillane every time Kerry have ever lost of game."
Dara Ó Cinnéide Would have been an ideal replacement for Michael Lyster. He was excellent presenting Seo Spoirt on TG4 a few years back.

Anyway is the Sunday game worth listening too anymore..? It's a scripted apparently....load of rubbish.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11231 - 10/06/2020 22:50:11    2280368

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Brolly

lilypad (Kildare) - Posts: 1363 - 10/06/2020 23:02:09    2280369

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Canavan and Dara O'Ceinneide would be my two favourite analysts. I find the Sky analysis good in general, much more with the times than RTE.

I quite like the GAA hour podcast too. Don't really read the print stuff any more.

I had good time for Ciaran Whelan until I saw the half time of the drawn All Ireland, it was easily the most unprofessional piece of sports broadcasting I've ever seen. He and Brolly made a complete show of themselves, nothing new for Brolly of course and it was the final straw for him as it happens but I was actually embarrassed for Whelan watching it back.

Talk of broadcasters has me thinking back to Effin Eddie Moroney, TG4 should air a few of his matches just for the craic

GeniusGerry (Kerry) - Posts: 2105 - 10/06/2020 23:02:28    2280370

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Replying To Horsebox77:  "There are a good few l like, Darragh O'Se on a Wednesday in championship season in the times can be hit answer miss, you get this vision of Darragh penning the articles on the back of a beer mat in his local, but nevertheless I enjoy them. McGuinness on a Tuesday in the times is a really insightful read, often delving into the deep ness of oppositions. He is a really good and one of my favourite reads.

Brolly, Spillane and O'Rourke all write in the indo, all three as boring as each other like the Sunday game, all trying to cling to some form of current relevance but truth be told all three are outdated as each other and woulda be put out to pasture both from a TV and journalistic point of view.

I love reading and listening to Darragh O'Cinneide, he writes in the examiner and has the slot in Radio Na Gaeltachta. I really miss Seò Sport this was a cracking programme on TG4 on a Friday night, couldn't believe why it was discontinued... still don't.

I secretly hoped he would take over from Michael Lyster but it was not to be."
Totally agree. In my opinion Seo Sport was better than the Sunday Game. Dara presented like he played the game - confident and assured. There were always great guests and unlike the Sunday Game they didn't constantly try to push some agenda down our throats. Just good analysis and less of the caic bhó. It was a crying shame that it was canned.

In terms of newspaper columns I have to say the Irish Times would be my personal favorite. McGuinness, O'Sé and more recently Kevin McStay. Darragh is an old-fashioned buck and can tell a great yarn. But there's great honesty there too. He gives great insight into what players at the very top level put in, warts and all. Like the time he said he'd "pull Diarmuid Connolly's tail just to see if he'd hiss back at you"

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9136 - 11/06/2020 08:44:18    2280383

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Replying To Mickthemiller:  "Should be meas, Irish for respect, or regard."
Oh right he was pulling me on my spelling so, fair enough then.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 11/06/2020 09:25:39    2280387

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Totally agree. In my opinion Seo Sport was better than the Sunday Game. Dara presented like he played the game - confident and assured. There were always great guests and unlike the Sunday Game they didn't constantly try to push some agenda down our throats. Just good analysis and less of the caic bhó. It was a crying shame that it was canned.

In terms of newspaper columns I have to say the Irish Times would be my personal favorite. McGuinness, O'Sé and more recently Kevin McStay. Darragh is an old-fashioned buck and can tell a great yarn. But there's great honesty there too. He gives great insight into what players at the very top level put in, warts and all. Like the time he said he'd "pull Diarmuid Connolly's tail just to see if he'd hiss back at you""
I read all the IT GAA stuff as I get the paper anyway. It's good quality but they could do with a bit more of it and find myself skipping over to the examiner during the championship as they seem to have alot more pages and also ears to the ground on what's happening in GAA

Breezy (Limerick) - Posts: 1236 - 11/06/2020 10:16:08    2280395

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Anyone else find the current Sunday Game format TOO inclusive of the ladies game? I know they need to find some content, but in the last episode they went from showing highlights of the good Kerry-Monaghan game when Clifford got the amazing late goal to the Dublin ladies winning an AI by twelve points. How is that a classic?

With all the will in the world, I have never heard anyone recall classic ladies football or camogie matches down the pub, and the average woman wouldn't follow the sport enough just to tune in for the female sport content. This 20-20-20 campaign is pushing female sport down our throats when the reality is that both in terms of quality and popularity the difference between that and men's is chalk and cheese.

And then during a normal season, they always have to have the token female pundit and I've yet to see one of them to offer anything unique other than the usual 'sure lookit....'. Besides, it would be like having a rugby league player in as a pundit for the Six Nations.

But back on topic, I agree that the Sky pundits are more modern in their analysis. Its very noticable watching the hurling pundits on RTE that they are, on the whole, very old school in their opinions, and if anyone like Derek McGrath comes on preaching how effective something like the sweeper system can be, they are quickly ganged up on. God forbid any tactical innovations making their way into the ancient game. Teams should only be hitting the ball long shure and be as 'manly'as possible.

beano (Wexford) - Posts: 1417 - 11/06/2020 11:20:21    2280403

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Replying To beano:  "Anyone else find the current Sunday Game format TOO inclusive of the ladies game? I know they need to find some content, but in the last episode they went from showing highlights of the good Kerry-Monaghan game when Clifford got the amazing late goal to the Dublin ladies winning an AI by twelve points. How is that a classic?

With all the will in the world, I have never heard anyone recall classic ladies football or camogie matches down the pub, and the average woman wouldn't follow the sport enough just to tune in for the female sport content. This 20-20-20 campaign is pushing female sport down our throats when the reality is that both in terms of quality and popularity the difference between that and men's is chalk and cheese.

And then during a normal season, they always have to have the token female pundit and I've yet to see one of them to offer anything unique other than the usual 'sure lookit....'. Besides, it would be like having a rugby league player in as a pundit for the Six Nations.

But back on topic, I agree that the Sky pundits are more modern in their analysis. Its very noticable watching the hurling pundits on RTE that they are, on the whole, very old school in their opinions, and if anyone like Derek McGrath comes on preaching how effective something like the sweeper system can be, they are quickly ganged up on. God forbid any tactical innovations making their way into the ancient game. Teams should only be hitting the ball long shure and be as 'manly'as possible."
Picking a bad women's match is not a reason to never pick them. Also how do you expect the lads down the pub to have conversations about women's sport if we don't show them and as for bad female pundits sure as this thread shows plenty think that the men suck too. Current/recent ladies football is closer to current men's football than 70s mens football is but we still get Pat Spillane.

But I reckon you thought of all this already but just don't like inclusiveness in general

Breezy (Limerick) - Posts: 1236 - 11/06/2020 12:10:35    2280407

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Anthony Moyles and Paul Rouse.

bugsie (Leitrim) - Posts: 199 - 11/06/2020 12:25:14    2280416

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