Talking Balls - Well Informed Ignorance
Talking BallsThis week in Talking Balls we tell the hard luck story of the Dublin residents that are set to drive culchies and people from the Nort away from Croker. We consider the fall-out from the Maughan affair in Roscommon. Did he jump, was he pushed, why didn’t he stay, should he have gone? Whatever - the whole business has left a bad taste in the mouth of Roscommon football just weeks ahead of another doomed Connacht Championship campaign.
As Ollie Canning makes a declaration of intent with his announcement to return to the Gaillimh fold, we cast a cool eye over the senior debut of his hugely talented brother ‘wee Joe’. If Joe had been American he would certainly have been in Wild Bill Cody’s circus such is his sharpshooting from all arts and parts. His sideline last Sunday was a thing of real beauty. Striking like that he could wheek the bra off Pocahontas or her sister at a hundred yards with one sideline cut whilst riding backwards on a piebald mare.
Last Sunday Brian McGuigan completed his first seventy minutes in a Tyrone shirt since the All Ireland Final in 2005. And it’s official - he’s back, pulling the strings, he had the other forwards running all sorts of angles of attack. And as for the brother Tommy - there were a few moves in there the two boyos must have worked out up on the Loughshore - he hit four from play and two frees. The highlight tho’ was near the end when Brian rose to field a ball in round his own 21. Well, he caught it like his da I have to say. Welcome back Brian.
Derry and Kerry meet in the League Final, don’t know where, don’t know when. . . but for Derry folks it would be nice to mark the 15 year famine with an oul pot so good luck with that to big Kevin McGuckian - who’s a big fan of Talking Balls - and the rest of the boys. Remember lads, McCloskey says easy on the cream puddin’s.
We touch on but don’t touch the issue of scantily glad young ladies drumming up support for Friends of Armagh in Cross. Certainly the younger male supporters looked drummed up and I think the Order of Malta Ambulance was on standby such were the heart palpitations among some of the older supporters. They hadn’t been as excited in Cross since the Army dismantled their observation post and gave all the footballs back.
Remember if your travelling this weekend, you’ll likely get blown up for over-carrying. For everyone else, there’s always Talking Balls.