STANDING up out of your seat as presenter of a flagship programme, grabbing your coat and heading out the door, declaring “I’m off – I need to meet the actual individuals” is an uncommon transfer in TV land, however Des Cahill is useless proper to depart the Montrose Mausoleum that entombs The Sunday Sport evening present.
hat occurs subsequent will probably be fascinating but it surely shouldn’t be merely a case of asserting a substitute, lining up a sequence of interviews, a number of inside RTÉ, the place the brand new presenter nearly weeps with pleasure whereas speaking of the way it’s the fulfilment of an ambition which first manifested itself on the age of 5.
The programme wants a complete lot extra change than that, as certainly does RTÉ’s method to the championship particularly. The unsatisfactory nature of The Sunday Sport (evening) has been evident for a very long time and have become extra pronounced in recent times.
Humourless. No spontaneity. Sucking the life out of the product it’s purported to be championing. Utter frustration throughout. A programme with no room to breathe making an attempt to do an excessive amount of. Everybody is aware of what’s lacking.
These aren’t the descriptions of a TV critic on a hatchet mission however relatively the phrases of the presenter who defined that his cause for leaving was in order that he may go to “dwell video games once more” on Sundays.
Now if that’s what he considered the programme from the within, it’s no shock that the remainder of us have been even much less impressed. Important viewing it definitely isn’t.
Cahill’s interview with Vincent Hogan on these pages final June prompted plenty of whispering round RTÉ corridors. Right here was certainly one of their very own dissing the programme he offered. And in mid-championship too! It simply ain’t the achieved factor down Donnybrook approach.
The remainder of us may complain incessantly in regards to the programme’s flaws, but it surely wouldn’t have something like the identical influence because the anchor utilizing a string of unflattering descriptions.
Cahill offered the programme nicely, which was no imply feat given its hotchpotch format. Nobody may argue with the factors he made, however I’d add some others too, beginning with the evaluation segments.
Pundits are employed due to the supposed insights and understanding their experiences have taught them. Their job is to see issues the remainder of us mere mortals don’t spot, clarify how they took place and why they’re vital.
Most of all, they’ve to inform us one thing we don’t know – in any other case why have them? It hardly ever occurs on The Sunday Sport – evening or afternoon.
Having All-Eire medals, or a minimum of performed in finals, is considered an important high quality in an RTÉ pundit, a requirement which excludes nearly all of counties. So not solely do they not get TV protection, apart from an occasional token two-minute bundle, their voices aren’t heard both.
Why have a retired participant from a lower-ranked county, who may know extra in regards to the working of the video games than his profitable neighbour, when a multi-medalled various is offered? They will not be as fascinating or incisive, however hey, they’re a giant identify so their opinion have to be worthwhile. It’s showbiz, nothing else.
I took to not watching The Sunday Sport (evening) after listening to one pundit declaring a group had “pressed excessive up the pitch” and one other talked of a hurler “dropping into the pocket” to take a go. Two phrases borrowed from soccer and rugby have been superimposed on soccer and hurling in comical examples of spoof relatively than perception.
These days, I document the programme and pace by means of it to see if there’s something fascinating. Quick-forward hardly ever stops.
The Sunday Sport has an excessive amount of speak, typically involving pundits from the counties concerned within the video games being analysed. Did the producers ever hear of subjective bias?
Along with revamping the evening programme by providing extra motion and fewer prattle, there’s additionally a necessity for a preview programme within the second half of the week, offering an outlet for correct evaluation, together with delving into points and subjects throughout the GAA spectrum.
Friday evening is the perfect timeslot however that may contain clearing the schedule of repeats. It’s a lot simpler to succeed in for the Killinaskully tapes.
Connacht draw exposes weak facet
Leitrim misplaced to Galway by 23 factors on this 12 months’s Connacht Championship whereas Sligo misplaced to Roscommon by 12 factors. Mayo beat Leitrim by 24 factors and Sligo by 20 factors final 12 months.
It hasn’t all the time been like that, and hopefully received’t be for lengthy, however Leitrim and Sligo are going by means of a valley interval proper now the place they’re nicely behind Galway, Mayo and Roscommon.
They’re equally positioned vis-a-vis Kerry, Dublin and a few others. The identical goes for London and New York.
Regardless of that, one from Sligo, Leitrim, London and New York will probably be deemed a top-16 (Sam Maguire Tier) facet in subsequent 12 months’s All-Eire Championship.
That’s as a result of certainly one of them will probably be within the Connacht last after being on the other facet of the draw to the three Division 1 groups.
Possibly, one of many weaker 4 is not going to solely lose closely within the Connacht last however undergo an analogous destiny within the three All-Eire group video games.
Would they not be higher off within the Tailteann Cup?
Leinster rota enhance for formidable Dubs
New Dublin supervisor Micheál Donoghue would be the happiest of the managers after the rota for subsequent 12 months’s Leinster SHC was introduced.
They play Antrim (away) and Westmeath (residence) within the first two rounds, video games they are going to be anticipated to win, giving them a stable base earlier than internet hosting Wexford, dealing with Kilkenny in Nowlan Park, and concluding at residence to Galway.
Realistically, the three All-Eire qualification spots are between Kilkenny, Galway, Wexford and Dublin, so residence video games are vital in these contests. Kilkenny and Dublin have two every, Wexford and Galway one every.
It’s more likely to come right down to the ultimate spherical the place Wexford host Kilkenny and Dublin host Galway.
How ironic it could be if Donoghue presided over a Dublin win which knocked out Galway. In 2019, he was answerable for Galway when Dublin eradicated them with a last spherical victory in Parnell Park.
