Michael Commins
SUNDAY Game panellist Joe Brolly may well have hot ears this week. Mayo supporters are up in arms over a blistering attack launched by Brolly on Mayo All-Star player Conor Mortimer. The Derry man described Mortimer as being “no good anyway”, and that Michael McGoldrick had put him “in his pocket and fed him on farts”.
The comments that have raised the ire of many genuine Mayo supporters are contained in the current issue of the acclaimed Ulster GAA weekly publication, Gaelic Life. In an article reflecting on the recent Mayo v Derry match, Brolly wrote: “Bellaghy’s Michael McGoldrick was easily the best player on the field, and does everything right. He put Conor Mortimer in his pocket and fed him on farts, as we used to say in primary school. Conor is no good anyway, the sort of boy Adrian McGuckin had in mind when he said he distrusted boys with ‘dyed hair and trendy clothes that scored 2-5 in friendlies’.”
While Conor did not enjoy one of his better days in Celtic Park last Saturday week, Mayo followers are proud of his achievement in winning an All Star award in 2006 and also being the top scorer in the ‘06 championship, something that could hardly be achieved by a player who was “no good anyway”. He is the holder of three Connacht senior medals with Mayo and a Sigerson Cup medal with DCU, and along with Ciaran McDonald, is Mayo’s most recognisable player nationwide.
Mayo GAA secretary Sean Feeney said yesterday (Monday) that the criticism was “way over the top”. He said there was no substance to a lot of comments and it was a pity that sections of the media were heading that way. “Unless you’re controversial, they don’t want you on The Sunday Game. Sometimes you just wonder what depths people will descend to in order to become controversial and stir it up. Conor’s best way to answer Joe Brolly is to return to top form again.”
Former Mayo senior player and current Mayo junior football manager, Billy Fitzpatrick, who is the chief gaelic games match analyst with Mid West Radio, has also sprung to the defence of Conor Mortimer.
“Joe Brolly has no right to talk about any player in that way. It’s not right to go pulling people apart like that. Conor had a great year last year and you can’t argue with that. Any player can have a downturn in form and come back very much again.
“People can easily forget his great days, you can be king of the palace one day and come under fire the next. That kind of personalised criticism is very unfair. People have a life to live outside of football too and those comments can hurt. It’s an amateur sport and you don’t become a bad footballer overnight.”
Referring to Enda Muldoon’s ‘lobbed’ goal over the head of Mayo goalie David Clarke, Brolly said it was “a hilarious delight that genuinely had us laughing in the aisles”.
