You learn something new every day and it was Pat Spillane who delivered that lesson for many viewers yesterday.
“Tyrone had the Indian sign over Kerry, there was a feeling that Mayo had the Indian sign over this Kerry team.”
Indian sign, Mr Google informed me, means a “magic spell or curse”.
Spillane had a real penchant for the occult world on RTÉ’s Sunday Game, going onto to mention Kerry’s “mojo” several times in almost as many seconds (mojo: noun - a magic charm, talisman, or spell.)
Indeed, Kerry’s “mojo” had host Des Cahill grinning like a Cheshire cat, as he giddily talked about how great it was to be able to discuss different contenders to topple Dublin in their ‘drive for five’.
“It’s great, I suppose, on one level…” said Mayo panellist Kevin McStay, not quite as sold on how ‘great’ this was for Gaelic Football as the other two were.
Des, perhaps still under the Indian sign, persisted in his angle that this weekend’s Super 8s action points to a real challenge to Dublin’s dominance.
“Can this Kerry team win the All-Ireland this year?” inquired Des.
“Ah, I couldn’t say that,” replied a flustered McStay.
Meanwhile, the Sky Sports team were full of praise for the workmanlike shift put in by lean and mean Donegal star Michael Murphy in his team’s victory over Meath.
“Looking leaner than ever before,” said the panellists who lauded Murphy for his ‘quarter-back role’.
“Setting the tempo, what a show from him”, said former Dub Senan Connell of Murphy’s contribution, before pointing out the 36 possessions that the Glenswilly man enjoyed throughout the match.
Some pundits have been questioning the Tir Chonaill man in recent weeks, but the Sky Sports team were quick to rubbish those claims.
“Murphy is the master,” said an admiring Kieran Donaghy.
“He is so big, so strong, so athletic, so smart, so cool,” added Donaghy in the middle of his ode to Murphy.
“There were some pundits that were calling out Murphy for his lack of scoring in certain games, as if scoring is everything to do with the game. In the overall sense, you can have so much effect on the game without scoring at all.”
However, the RTÉ and Sky Sports teams concluded that scoring could indeed turn out to be all important in tight Super 8s groups, with both commenting that it could come down to scoring difference to decide who advances to the semi-finals.
“We had a great shot of Stephen Rochford on the side-line encouraging Donegal forward when they were playing back and forth across the field. Points difference could be all important.”
