Pat Spillane has spelled out the reasons why The Sunday Game has gone downhill in his opinion.

The one-time RTÉ pundit says the show "has become too scripted, too formula-driven and too safe" and has "lost its X-factor" as a result.

"Sadly, The Sunday Game has lost its X-factor. The era when it was a must-watch programme dictating the GAA narrative for the week ahead is now a distant memory," he wrote in his Sunday World column.

"I watch the live matches on Sunday afternoons and record the Sunday night programme. I rarely get around to watching it and only occasionally do I bother with the analysis.

"What made The Sunday Game so special? It reflected what the GAA is all about: the craic, the colour, the passion, the banter and the arguments.

"But it has become too scripted, too formula-driven and too safe. It lacks humour, passion and fun. It is as dry as the endless statistics it churns out."

The Kerry great added: "There is no single reason why The Sunday Game has declined. We learned from the various Dáil hearings into the RTÉ payments controversy that the station operates in silos with little in the way of oversight.

"This is not an issue when everything is going well. But when things go awry it means there is nobody around to shout stop.

"In the absence of strong personalities to drive the programme, they have tried to deflect – but they are probably trying too hard. A recent sketch involving former hurlers TJ Ryan, Anthony Daly and an actress was cringe viewing.

"For the night programme, they don’t want the panellists sitting behind a desk. Hence the introduction of all the gizmos with panellists standing in front of a screen with an iPad. Everybody looks uncomfortable and it adds zero value to the programme."

 

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