McShea's Say: I don't recall a game with as much intensity as that Cork/Clare final

George Orwell was a much-acclaimed writer but was not, I believe, overly enthusiastic about sport.  

On one occasion he wrote; “sport has nothing to do with fair play, it is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules, and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence. In other words, it is war minus the shooting.”  

Nowadays when one looks around at world and looks at international sport, he had a point. Sports at international level have changed. It has become sadly commercialised and grimly a serious business.  

Much of the fun has disappeared from international sport and has been replaced by frighteningly dedicated competitors who seem to have lost their capacity for joy and laughter.  

Over the years I have had the privilege of going to many wonderful games of Gaelic football and hurling matches.  

Donegal’s All-Ireland victories top the list, but if Orwell were still around, I would have loved to have brought him to Croke Park last Sunday to have the privilege of watching 30 gladiators in action plus the 19 subs that were used during the All-Ireland hurling final.  

Cork used 10 subs while Clare used nine. In watching both sets of players on Sunday it seemed as if they would have died for their county jersey. It was as if they were saying, this is me, this is where I am from, these are my values and this is how I am expressing them, and it is a privilege to do so beside my best friends.  

Sport is a performative art, players want to be seen to perform in a game, and I don’t remember a match of such intensity, skill, or outstanding sportsmanship in my time watching an All-Ireland final.  

You cannot have a game of such enduring quality without a top-class referee and Johnny Murphy from Limerick had an excellent match. He did receive a bit of criticism for not awarding Cork a late free, even though the Cork forward was in a scoreable position and missed.  

I find it difficult to understand why there was a decision not to have a replay if the teams ended up after 70 minutes level. Playing both All-Ireland finals in July is I believe a very flawed decision, it has, in no way, enhanced the quality of club football in any of the 32 counties.  

Spectator numbers are down and quite a few inter-county players are heading to play football abroad and missing out on their club championships. Not having a replay if a final is drawn would provide a financial reward to the GAA of lotto proportions. Assuming the average ticket price was €80, with an attendance of 82,000, a replay would generate more than €6 million.  

The “new fixture schedule” has very many flaws and the sooner the powers that be in headquarters realise that, the better. 

Armagh or Galway?  

As here, in Donegal, we continue to come to terms with our semi-final defeat to Galway. I believe the euphoria in Armagh is extreme and the Armagh management will have a job in keeping their players focused on the task facing them, and away from the level of expectation that their fans believe will result in their team becoming All-Ireland champions.  

Both managers Pádraic Joyce and Kieran McGeeney were very much stars of their playing careers, and associated in our minds one as a top-class centre-back and a great full-forward.  

Joyce was much more than an opportunistic full-forward. He would steal away from a defence when he didn’t have the ball, he was nearer to today's forwards than most of his contemporaries.  

McGeeney has had a chequered managerial career, and this is a glorious opportunity for him to join an exclusive bunch who have captained and managed All-Ireland winning teams.  

This is a most difficult game to call, I believe that there is little between the teams, and I would not rule out a draw. Galway only exerted their superiority against a Donegal side that were not firing on all cylinders in the last 10 minutes of the game, while Armagh got a very fortunate goal courtesy of a glaring error by the Kingdom netminder.  

Galway teams normally enjoy playing at Croke Park, while Armagh will play with a desire and conviction that this their time. If the game is half as enjoyable as the hurling final, we are in for another treat. 

Club Scene 

In winning the Senior league title with a comprehensive victory against Gaoth Dobhair on Saturday, Naomh Conaill once again showed that they will be the team to beat in this year’s club championship.  

I was in Glenties on Sunday to see my home club relegated against a young and very impressive Termon team. This was a most disappointing result for Aodh Ruadh, they are a team in transition, and it was noticeable that the fitness level of the winners was much superior to that of the Ballyshannon side.  

Enda McCormick had a great match for Termon and he got great support from Ryan McFadden, while goalkeeper Aaron Cullen and Darren Drummond both played very well for the losers.