Since retiring, I watch football through a different lens.
As a player, you’re selfish and when you see big teams and players getting knocked out, you revel in it because it gives you a better chance of success.
Now that I’m no longer involved at that level, I’ve fallen for the game in a very different way and lament the fact that, once their team is beaten, these top players are out of sight for a considerable period of time. Some may pop up in the odd club game on TV at the back end of the year but generally that’s it - a couple of fleeting moments with their county and then nothing more until 2022.
In that sense, two players who spring to mind in particular from last weekend are Rory Beggan and Daniel Flynn.
Flynn’s display for Kildare was full of dash, good movement, pace, ball-winning ability and his 1-1 in the second half against Dublin were scores that only a very small percentage of players can get.
I touched on Beggan last weekend and how he and others have broadened the goalkeeping portfolio and his performance in the Ulster final was so wide-ranging that very few will have seen anything quite like it before.
Apart from the traditional aspects of the position like shot-stopping and kickouts, he was a playmaker, place kicker and 15th outfield player. He jumped for kickouts, had a shot for a point from play and chased down Mattie Donnelly before executing a superb defensive tackle for what was the most memorable moment of the game.
Despite competing with other sporting events, the GAA was trending all over social media last weekend and Flynn and Beggan were a big part of that.
But that won’t happen again any time soon because those two lads are out of the picture now, much like Brian Hurley and Shane Walsh who caught the eye in defeat the week before.
If a player gets 10 years out of his inter-county career, he’s doing well. Even at that, a season or two could be lost to injury, study or other commitments and then, for many players, some campaigns can be all too short, particularly this year and last in the knockout format.
Not seeing the likes of Beggan, Flynn, Walsh and Hurley again this year hurts Gaelic football as a brand.
Yes, their respective teams aren’t good enough to go all the way but the viewing public are being shortchanged by the fact that they aren’t on display for more of the summer.
The GAA have had two years now to take stock and make sure they get it right for next year. There are motions coming before Special Congress that were drawn up before the pandemic hit. Do they need to be tweaked?
I’m not saying that I have all the answers - I don’t, and I respect anyone who takes on these administrative roles - but it’s vitally important that whatever competition structures are in place next year put our best players on view throughout the summer. Not here and there.
Cul Camps are currently in progress all over the country. Children are trying to emulate their heroes. But they need to be exposed to them more. Much more.
MID-TERM PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Sean O’Shea (Kerry)
He’s been incredible so far. He seems to be playing closer to goal and racking up huge scores from play and placed balls.
O’Shea’s development over the past few years has been obvious. His power and pace has increased and he appears to have learned that these were areas that he needed to improve on following his tussles with Lee Keegan and John Small.
He now looks ready to lead Kerry to an All-Ireland.
Matthew Ruane (Mayo)
He’s been a shining light in every game Mayo have played this year.
His scoring potential from midfield is incredible and the way in which James Horan sets the team up suits him to a tee.
High running, high pressing and high energy is how Mattie plays and his battle with Brian Fenton or James McCarthy will be crucial to Mayo’s chances of beating Dublin.
Kieran McGeary (Tyrone)
McGeary breathes oxygen into Tyrone and was outstanding throughout the Ulster Championship.
He played a different role against Monaghan in Frank Burns’s absence and, again, he was superb. He can attack, defend and he kicks the ball so well. It’ll be very interesting to see what role he’s deployed in against Kerry.
James McCarthy (Dublin)
McCarthy is a master at reading what needs to be done and when. It’s a unique skill. He knows when to inject pace into the attack, when to slow it down, when to be cynical and when his team needs a score.
He’s an incredible player whose consistency is nearly as admirable as his brilliance. Once again, he’s leading the way for Dublin this year.
OFFALY UNDER-20S
AFTER the exhilaration of the Ulster final, you’d have been forgiven for settling for that as your footballing fix last Saturday.
If you did, you missed out on a treat as the Offaly-Cork under-20 All-Ireland semi-final was a great watch.
That Offaly team play the game with a bewildering energy and were attacking Cork with the same intensity in the last minute as they were in the first.
They have several potential stars in that team and it’s how they’re nurtured now that will largely determine whether that potential is realised at senior level or not.
Their full-forward, Jack Bryant, is a joy to watch. His shooting was a little erratic against Dublin but it was his courage that caught my eye. He never stopped showing for the ball. He never backed away from taking on a shot.
His movement, first touch and the trust his teammates clearly have in him to keep feeding him creates a level of excitement around him that few players of that age can generate.
Offaly GAA deserves great credit for developing this team and now, as I said, they must phase them into the senior set up in the right manner.
But, in the short-term, I can’t wait to watch them again next weekend against Down or Roscommon.
