74 Wednesday, January 18, 2017 www.tuamherald.ie Jim Carney This Sporting Life +XUOLQJOHJHQGKDGPL[HGIHHOLQJV DERXWKLVWKUHH$OO,UHODQGPHGDOV 7 6UHPDUNDEOHWRWKLQNWKDWZKHQ 0LFN*LOODQG7RQ\5HGGLQEHFDPHWKH InUVWWZR*DOZD\PHQWRZLQWKUHH$OO ,UHODQG6+&PHGDOVDSLHFHnYHRIWKHVL[ PHGDOVWKH\ZRQEHWZHHQWKHPEURXJKWQR KRQRXUDQGJORU\WRWKHLUQDWLYHFRXQW\ *LOOIURP%DOOLQGHUUHHQZRQWKHVHFRQG DQGWKLUGRIKLVWKUHHPHGDOVZLWK'XEOLQ ZKHUHKHZDVZRUNLQJDQGOLYLQJDQG 0XOODJKPDQ5HGGLQUHJDUGHGDVRQHRI WKHJUHDWHVWJRDONHHSHUVRIDOOWLPHHDUQHG KLVIDPHSOD\LQJIRUWKH7LSSHUDU\WKUHHLQ DURZWHDPRI 0LFN*LOOUHSUHVHQWHG*DOZD\ZLWKSULGH DQGGLVWLQFWLRQLQWKH&KDPSLRQVKLS KHZDVDNH\PDQLQWKHVHPLnQDOZLQRYHU .LONHQQ\E\WRDQGE\DOODFFRXQWV KHJDYHDQRXWVWDQGLQJGLVSOD\LQWKH WRYLFWRU\RYHU/LPHULFNLQWKHnQDO /HRQDUG0F*UDWKDQG%HUQLH*LEEVZHUH LQVHQVDWLRQDOJRDOVFRULQJIRUPIRU*DOZD\ LQWKHnQDOEXWIURPUHDGLQJVHYHUDOPDWFK UHSRUWVLWZDVFOHDUWKDWJRDOVoRZHGYLD 0LFN*LOOGRPLQDQWLQWKHPLGGOHWKLUG RIWKHnHOGOREELQJWKHEDOOLQWRWKH /LPHULFNJRDOPRXWKIRU0F*UDWKDQG*LEEV WRUDWWOHWKHQHW TWO GAA LEGENDS from Galway: Mattie McDonagh, winner of four All-Ireland SFC medals, pictured (in the mid-1960s) with Mick Gill. 7KDW&KDPSLRQVKLSZKLFKVWDUWHGRQ0D\ WKZDVQ WnQLVKHGXQWLO'HFHPEHU WKHQWUDQVIHUUHGEDFNWRWKH%DOOLQGHUUHHQ WKEHFDXVH/LPHULFNUHIXVHGWRSOD\ FOXEDQGDJDLQSOD\HGFRXQW\KXUOLQJIRU WKHLUJDPHVXQWLODOO&LYLO:DUSULVRQHUV *DOZD\+HGLHGRQ6HSWHPEHUVW ZHUHUHOHDVHG RQHGD\VKRUWRIKLVVWELUWKGD\DQGWZR 7KH&KDPSLRQVKLSVWDUWHGRQ0D\ ZHHNVDIWHU-RH&RQQROO\OHG*DOZD\WRWKH WKDQG*DOZD\ZHUHQ WLQDFWLRQXQWLO FRXQW\ VVHFRQG0DF&DUWK\&XSYLFWRU\ 1RYHPEHUUGZKHQWKH\ZRQWKHLU$OO +HDFKLHYHGDKXJHDPRXQWLQDQ ,UHODQGVHPLnQDODJDLQVW7LSSHUDU\E\ KRQRXUVODGHQFDUHHUDQGLVLQWKHUHFRUG WR%\WKHQ*DUGD0LFN*LOOZDVSOD\LQJ ERRNVDVWKHRQO\*$$SOD\HUWRZLQWZR KLVFOXEKXUOLQJLQ'XEOLQ7KH*DUGDWHDP $OO,UHODQGPHGDOVZLWKWZRFRXQWLHVLQ ZDVVRVWURQJZLWKRWKHUVWDUQDPHVVXFK WKHVDPH\HDUEXWZHNQRZWKDW0LFN*LOO DV3DW j)RZOHUx 0F,QHUQH\ &ODUH *DUUHWW KDGPL[HGIHHOLQJVDERXWSOD\LQJDJDLQVW +RZDUG /LPHULFN DQG0DWWLH3RZHU KLVIRUPHU*DOZD\WHDPPDWHVLQWKH .LONHQQ\ WKDWWKH\ZRQnYH'XEOLQ6+& $OO,UHODQGnQDO+HZURWHDERXWLWLQWKH WLWOHVLQDURZ FDSWDLQHGLQDOO *DOZD\*$$$QQXDODQGWKLVLVD WKRVH\HDUVE\0LFN*LOO TXRWHIURPWKDWDUWLFOHj$IWHUWKH 8QIRUWXQDWHO\IRU*DOZD\ZKLOHWKH\KDG nQDO,DQGIRXUWHHQRWKHU*DOZD\KXUOHUV *LOO VVHUYLFHVIRUWKHVHPLnQDODQGnQDO ZHUHDFFODLPHGDVKHURHVKDYLQJWDNHQWKH RIWKHORQJGHOD\HG&KDPSLRQVKLSKH $OO,UHODQGWURSK\DQGPHGDOVDFURVVWKH ZDVD'XEOLQKXUOHUIRUWKHFDPSDLJQ 5LYHU6KDQQRQIRUWKHnUVWWLPHEXWIRUPH 7KH\ZHUHHQWLWOHGWRFODLPKLPEHFDXVH WKDWKHURLVPZDVVKRUWOLYHGDVIDUDVVRPH KHZDVOLYLQJLQ'XEOLQDWWKHWLPH,WZDV *DOZD\IROORZHUVZHUHFRQFHUQHGx+HWKHQ FDOOHGWKHjUHVLGHQF\UXOHxDQGLWZDVQ W H[SODLQHGWKDWDIWHUOHDUQLQJKHFRXOGQRW FKDQJHGXQWLO%DFNLQ *LOOZDVDOVR SOD\ZLWK*DOZD\LQWKH&KDPSLRQVKLS XQGHUSUHVVXUHWRMRLQWKH0HWURSROLWDQV EHFDXVHRIWKHUHVLGHQF\UXOHDQGWKHIDFW EHFDXVHKHZDVSOD\LQJIRUWKH*DUGDFOXE WKDWKHKDGSOD\HGLQWKH'XEOLQ6+&KLV LQWKH'XEOLQ&RXQW\&KDPSLRQVKLS,W FKRLFHZDVWRSOD\ZLWK'XEOLQRUJLYHXS ZRXOGEHZRUVHIRUKLPRIFRXUVHLIWKH FRXQW\KXUOLQJIRURQH\HDUDQGUHWXUQ \HDUHQGHGZLWKD*DOZD\YV'XEOLQ$OO WR*DOZD\IRUWKH&KDPSLRQVKLSRQ ,UHODQGnQDODQGLWGLG'XEOLQZRQLW WKHSURPLVHRIDMREDW6W%ULJLG V+RVSLWDO WR7KH\DOVRZRQWKHnQDODJDLQVW %DOOLQDVORHLWKDGEHHQRUJDQLVHGIRU &RUNZLWK0LFN*LOOWKHYLFWRULRXVFDSWDLQ KLPE\WZRSURPLQHQW*DOZD\*$$PHQ LWZDVKLVWKLUG$OO,UHODQG6+&PHGDORQH 0LFNGHFLGHGWRSOD\IRU'XEOLQDORQJVLGH ZLWK*DOZD\WZRZLWK'XEOLQ VRPHRIKLVIULHQGVIURPWKH*DUGDKXUOLQJ +HZHQWRQWRSOD\IRUWKH,UHODQGKXUOLQJ WHDPLQGHHGQLQHRIWKHPZRQ$OO,UHODQG WHDPDORQJZLWKWZRRWKHU*DOZD\OHJHQGV PHGDOVLQZLWK*LOOWKHLUWHDPFDSWDLQ THREE All-Ireland SHC medals apiece were also won by (clockwise from top left) Tony 0LFN'HULYDQDQG0LFN.LQJDJDLQVW $QRWKHUTXRWHKDG0LFNWHOOLQJLWDVKH Reddin, Noel Lane, Conor Hayes and Sylvie Linnane. DQ([LOHVWHDPIURPWKH86$LQWKH JHQXLQHO\IHOWLWVWUDLJKWIURPWKHKHDUWj, 7DLOWHDQQ*DPHVDW&URNH3DUNDQGLQ FDQVD\ZLWKRXWKHVLWDWLRQWKDWLI,KDGEHHQ /DWHULQWKHDUWLFOHKHUHJUHWWHGIRU DUWLFOHj,VDOXWH\RXDOOx KHGHFLGHGWRHPLJUDWHWR$PHULFD SOD\LQJIRU*DOZD\LQWKH$OO,UHODQG *DOZD\ VVDNHWKDWWZRRIWKHVWDUVRIWKH 7KUHHRWKHU*DOZD\PHQDOVRZRQWKUHH EXWWKH:DOO6WUHHWFUDVKDQGWKH*UHDW nQDO,KRQHVWO\WKLQNWKH\ZRXOGKDYH $OO,UHODQGZLQQLQJWHDP6WDä*DUYH\ $OO,UHODQG6HQLRU+XUOLQJ&KDPSLRQVKLS 'HSUHVVLRQPDGHKLPFKDQJHKLVPLQG+H EHDWHQ'XEOLQDQGE\NHHSLQJWRJHWKHU DQG%HUQLH*LEEVKDGHPLJUDWHGDQGKH PHGDOVDSLHFH &RQRU+D\HV SOD\HGIRU'XEOLQLQWKH$OO,UHODQG WKH\ZRXOGDOVRKDYHEHHQFKDPSLRQVLQ DOVRKDGWKLVSHUVRQDOPHVVDJHIRUKLVROG .LOWRUPHU 6\OYLH/LQQDQH *RUW DQG1RHO nQDOZKLFKWKH\ORVWWR7LSSHUDU\DQGKH DQG x *DOZD\FRPUDGHVZKRPLJKWEHUHDGLQJKLV /DQH %DOOLQGHUUHHQ .