Joe Brolly weighs in on Mayo's latest heartbreak: 'The culture is all wrong'
Joe Brolly has had his say on Mayo's elimination from the All-Ireland days after the county suffered their latest Championship heartbreak.
Mayo were knocked out of the All-Ireland after a loss to Donegal on the hooter having clawed back to level the game with 20 seconds to go, which would have seen the Green & Red go through.
The fixing of the game for Dr Hyde Park in Roscommon ruffled some feathers in the Donegal camp with Jim McGuinness outraged at the travel time for his side.
Speaking on his Free State podcast, Brolly landed a jibe at Mayo's supporters for their unwavering hope, saying "They're a funny lot you know, the culture is all wrong, they're fundamentally not serious.
"People from Mayo suffer from an incurable genetic condition, MHOS, Mayo Hopeless Optimists Syndrome.
"The thing about them is that they can beat anybody, unless it's a final, and they have beaten everybody. So when a wee farmer from Bohola is painting his sheep red and green on the eve of an All-Ireland final, filled with euphoria, certain in the knowledge that on Monday Mayo will be champions, and his sheep will bleat triumphantly as the Mayo bus and cavalcade pass by on the way to the victory celebration.
"On the Monday he has already forgotten because of MHOS and he's already looking forward, filled with the thrill of being All-Ireland champions in 2026, Mayo for Sam 2026.
"It's a great way to be I suppose, but they're not serious, you know what I mean, they're not serious."
When compared with Scotland's World Cup sides of years gone by, Brolly said: "The difference is that Scotland are a plucky underdog, Mayo is a superpower of Gaelic football, and the problem is that the culture's wrong.
"It was exemplified by Donegal's winning score. Ten seconds to go, Mayo get the equaliser, they work really hard, just frantic all-out effort to turn Donegal over.
"Donegal were really just trying to hold possession for the last two-and-a-half minutes, Mayo turned them over and they come forward, and with ten seconds to go they kick the equaliser... so they knew that - they had to know - that 'as long as we don't concede a score we're through to the knockout phase.'
"A kickout comes, Donegal win it, Mayo don't foul, it's passed on to Ciarán Moore, who's sort of a human horse who must've stampeded up the pitch 120 metres at least 20 times... and so Moore takes off up the side line, and they let him go, and he gets in and kicks the winning score and Mayo are gone.
"And had that been Mayo taking that kickout, a Donegal man would most certainly have stopped him in his tracks as soon as the ball was won... Donegal work on these things whereas Mayo are just hopeful.
"It was all to no avail as we knew it would be, because they're fundamentally not serious, they're not there to win, that's ultimately not why they're there."
Undoubtedly it has been a tough pill for the Mayo side and supporters, but had they waited for the hooter they could have worked the equaliser as a buzzer beater. Did the tension of the moment ultimately get to the side under Stephen Rochford's temporary care?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Children's books review: Sports rivalries, journey of self discovery, and a haunting Wolfling
Féile by Emma Larkin (O'Brien Press, €9.99) Féile is in full swing and for the first time, the Power twins Aoife and Aidan are playing on different football teams. Their twin telepathy was previously at the heart of the Droichead Beag team but at U14 level, the siblings have had to part company — Aoife joining new combined LGFA side Droichead/Gorman. With the Droichead side depleted, the arrival in the village of talented all-rounder Dayo — whose parents came to Ireland from Nigeria — is a welcome boost for Aidan and his team-mates. His twin, meanwhile, is appointed captain of Droichead/Gorman ladies but must contend with sulky team-mate Ellie, who appears unwilling to abandon the fierce rivalry between her own Gorman team and Droichead — despite now playing on the same side. Both boys' and girls' sides win their county finals and are heading for the National Féile, with the chance to meet the country's top teams, or perhaps those from London or New York. Droichead have not reached the Féile finals since the twins' estranged uncle Eamon captained the side, before leaving for America upon finishing his Leaving Certificate. That was nearly 20 years ago and Eamon has not returned, initially due to his undocumented status, and latterly having settled and married, with his children never having met their family back in Ireland. Family matters are pushed to the back of the twins' minds however, as the end of June approaches and Droichead's history-making Féile double bid puts both boys' and girls' teams in the spotlight. As in her two previous Twin Power titles, Cork native Emma Larkin — herself a GAA coach — plays her part in levelling the playing field for girls in sporting fiction. Here, in addition to affording the football achievements of Aidan and Aoife equal status, she references the GAA's One Club model as both teams travel together to Féile on one bus and receive parity of treatment. Larkin, whose writing is inspired by her maternal grandmother Maureen Cashman, a member of Cork's All-Ireland Camogie Championship treble-winning team of 1939-1941, adds a nice touch by giving the Power twins' Nana a footballing back-story. A University College Cork and Coláiste Muire Crosshaven past student now living in Kerry, Larkin threads a tale of family intrigue through the sporting action — capturing the essence of grassroots GAA and parochial rivalries in a story perfectly pitched for both boys and girls aged nine to teens. The Brightest Star by Meg Grehan (Little Island, €10.99) The move from primary to secondary school is a milestone in anyone's life, the anticipation and excitement often being accompanied by uncertainty at what lies ahead. With the first glimpse of impending adulthood coming into view and the prospect of forming new friendships, it is a time both of change and reflection, where self-identity can come under scrutiny. For Stevie, co-narrator of Donegal-based Meg Grehan's fifth verse novel, there are challenges ahead and anxieties to be managed, but one thing she is certain of is how she feels about Chloe. If maths lessons leave her in a state of deep confusion, Stevie knows she loves the 'fizzy' feeling she gets when she's with Chloe, as their relationship begins to develop from childhood friendship to something more. When they join the afterschool LGBTQIA+ Rainbow Club, the pair find a place where they belong and feel comfortable, but there is still something troubling Stevie. Their other close friend, Andrew, is becoming distant and the ties that bound the trio together at national school look set to unravel. While Chloe and Stevie find liberation at the Rainbow Club, Andrew is hesitant about attending, even as an ally. How should he introduce himself to club members, for a start, when he hasn't yet figured out who he is? Stevie, in the end, sums it up best, and if she cannot provide Andrew with answers, she can at least reassure him that there is no need for him to provide them either. 'You don't need to know anything. We're thirteen. We don't need to be sure of anything. We just need to feel,' she says. 'I'm still figuring out what it all means.' Though Andrew is the second narrator in this follow-up to The Deepest Breath, his is a quieter, subsidiary voice, eclipsed by Stevie's internal monologues and reflective of his uncertainty in his sexuality — contrasting with her growing confidence in her relationship with Chloe. Their different paths towards discovery represent one of the chief strengths of this warm embrace of a novel which 'isn't about knowing everything, or understanding everything. Even yourself. It's about friendship. It's about having a safe space to figure it all out'. The Nightmare Club: The Wolfling's Bite by Annie Graves/Oisín McGann, illustrated by Glenn McElhinney (Little Island, €10.15) Annie Graves is a 12-year-old orphan who lives in Glasnevin with her pet toad Much Misunderstood and black kitten Hugh Shalby Nameless. She is the host of The Nightmare Club, tellers of spooky stories for the kind of sleepovers that rarely involve sleep. The tale of young Jessie and her seemingly cuddly toy Wolfling is enough to give any child nightmares, even if she has given her furry friend the innocuous name, 'Twinkle'. The Wolfling is a robotic learning toy, designed to do tricks and copy words spoken by the child. However, when Jessie's older brother Jonah searches online, he finds rumours suggesting Wolflings can move without being switched on and have been known to bite their owners. 'Don't let a Wolfling smell its owner's blood,' advises one internet source. 'Don't let it anywhere near meat after sunset', counsels another. If that sounds like something straight out of a Gremlins movie, it also seems unlikely to Jonah — who dismisses the words of internet wisdom… until one night he hears a shriek. Jessie has awoken from her pink princess bed, still clutching her beloved Twinkle, and holding her hand over her nose as blood seeps through her fingers. Roger, one of Jessie's two pet rabbits, is deemed the culprit and swiftly banished. Bugs, the remaining bunny, is plainly petrified of something. Now, big brothers can be quite perceptive about little sisters, and Jonah has a hunch that Jessie might possibly have been picking her nose prior to the savage attack. Picking it until she made it bleed. Could his sister's nose represent 'meat' to a Wolfling? Jessie and Jonah are about to find out as this short story, part of a Nightmare Club series, takes a surprisingly gruesome turn, considering its six-plus age guide. Though its title gives a clue so unsubtle as to negate much of the plot's suspense, the slimness of this book and its copious illustrations should not be mistaken for indications of its suitability for beginner readers.
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Leaving Cert physical education (PE): Students pushed for time with longer questions
The higher-level physical education (PE) paper was fair and had lots of choice and popular topics, although students were pushed for time with the longer questions. Brian Gregan, a PE teacher at the Institute of Education, said that there was more choice than in previous years. 'Entering into this exam, students will have already completed two projects and have 50 per cent of their grade locked in,' he said. 'This final push will see students racing through some sections only to be faced with more daunting long answers that will keep them writing until the final second.' READ MORE In section A, which focuses on short questions, Mr Gregan said that there was a great range of ideas but Students with a slight emphasis on topic five (promoting physical activity). 'While not always a popular topic, the questions were clear and to the point meaning that few will struggle to have something to say,' said Mr Gregan. 'Topic five synthesises well with topic seven, inclusivity which was a prescribed topic for this paper, so everyone should be prepared for these ideas. 'Questions on coaching will be popular with those who are up to speed on their principles of training, and the ever-popular topic of doping appeared twice. Tricker topics like vectors and scalers were absent or while others like stereotyping were avoidable through lots of internal choice.' However, Mr Gregan said that section B's compulsory case study will have ground some student momentum to a halt. 'The text was denser, and students needed to pay attention to every aspect of the pages to ensure they had the correct material,' he said. 'You couldn't simply skim the text on move on - the details really mattered. As a result, some will feel that time ebbed away in this section. Overall, the case study on throwing was a good mixture of Topics one, two, five and six – all of which will be familiar but the fact there was little choice meant that they really needed to know their stuff. Skipping sections wasn't an option.' Section C's long questions reiterated the previous two sections' relationship in miniature: a swift start that loses speed in longer essay questions, said Mr Gregan. 'PE isn't like other subjects that are heavily essay based, but long questions do demand the students cover a good amount of material in order to safeguard against any ambiguity in the marking scheme. In terms of the material, there was nothing unexpected here: questions on components of fitness and principles of training would all have been banker topics heading into the exam.' Mr Gregan said that, while all the questions were viable, question 15 was a great balance of principles of training, ethics and coaching that will draw many people in. 'This was a fair paper, but students will find themselves in a sprint to the finish to fill everything in,' he concluded.
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Aston Villa drop major hint Emi Martinez is set for Man Utd transfer with clubs ‘holding talks over move'
ASTON VILLA have dropped a hint over Emi Martinez's future amid his links to Manchester United. The goalkeeper is expected to leave Villa Park this summer and appeared to say his goodbyes at the end of last season. Advertisement 2 Emi Martinez could join Manchester United Credit: Alamy 2 Lucas Chevalier is being lined up as a potential replacement Credit: Getty Martinez is said to be on United's transfer wishlist with fresh reports claiming the Red Devils have made contact with his agent. Argentinian outlet Several clubs are interested in the World Cup winner but And it has been suggested Villa will demand a £34million fee, which will likely go towards his replacement. Advertisement READ MORE ON MAN UTD The French side are demanding £40m for the 23-year-old after Villa enquired about his availability. United also The Red Devils have prioritised selling players in order to fund potential Advertisement Most read in Football BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS SunSport revealed Newcastle are planning to While Jadon Sancho is being Gyokeres trying to force Arsenal move | Newcastle eye Rashford deal | Transfers Exposed
