Connacht final Sunday started early for some
FEATURE
DANIEL CAREY
REPORTER
danielcarey@mayonews.ie
IT’S not yet 8.30am on Sunday morning, and yet there’s already a quiet buzz of activity around McHale Park. Not a huge crowd, obviously, but enough cars and people to suggest that this is no ordinary Sabbath day. When the Connacht final comes to town, those charged with running it don’t get a lie-in.
Event manager James Rocke is already in situ, and marshalling a growing army of volunteers. There are a million little jobs to be done before the gates open: crash barriers and traffic cones to be put in place, nets to be tied down, communication systems to be double checked. Oh, and the small matter of the President of Ireland arriving. All in a day’s work!
Much has clearly been done already. The Irish, Mayo and Galway flags all flutter in the breeze. The stretcher, red carpet and bench for the team photo are in position at the entrance to the tunnel. The place generally has a ‘spruced up’ look about it – after all, this will be the last provincial decider played at the venue before the redevelopment begins. Sadly, the sign with the word ‘pitch’ and an arrow pointing towards the tunnel, deployed for the Cumann na mBunscol finals in June, has been removed.
The bulk of the stewards arrive after 9am. A glance around An Sportlann reveals a who’s who of Mayo Gaeldom. Among those reporting for duty are Kevin Barrett, Ger McHugh, Tom Connolly, Mel Kenny, Peter Geraghty, Ollie Dillon, Mattie Murphy, Willie Kelly, PJ Loftus, Richie Cosgrove, Hugh Rudden, John Hopkins, Tommy O’Brien, Mike Connelly, Mattie Joe Connolly and Willie Feeley.
It is perhaps no coincidence that many of the stewards have refereeing experience. Both are, after all, unglamorous but vital jobs, and it’s not everyone who can be relied upon to turn up to a game five hours before the main event. The topics for discussion are what you’d expect when any two GAA people meet: talk of the game to come, tickets, the crowd, the result of Friday’s minor league club matches. “I’m not signing autographs,” one man with a self-effacing take on his own celebrity insists. “Where are we togging out?” asks another.
They collect their bibs down in the squash court, and the stipulation that ‘lensed eyewear must be worn’ clearly doesn’t arise today. ‘Payment’ for stewarding comes in the form of tokens – one in the morning, to be exchanged for tea and/or a sandwich; the other when the day is done, to be bartered for dinner. The man dishing out the snacks reckons ‘There’s a lot of sandwiches gone for the tokens I have in front of me’, but as far as I can tell, anybody tucking into ham and cheese will earn it later on.
Apart from this reporter, everybody in the room seems to have a role in stadium management – after all, why would you be here at this hour if you didn’t? “You can use that voucher now or use it later,” one man explains to a first-timer. “I’ll use it now,” comes the reply, the debutant clearly realising that the beef or salmon is a few hours away yet.
Just after 10.20am, the stewards troop back into the squash court for a briefing, initially taking their seats in the viewing area. “There’s no bride and groom’s side at this wedding, is there?” jokes Westport’s Mel Kenny, weighing up whether to sit on the left or right of the aisle. Chief steward Paddy McNicholas thanks all maoranna for their efforts at the Mayo-Sligo game, but warns that a ‘much bigger effort’ will be needed today, with a large crowd expected. He conducts the roll call and each steward is designated to a particular area.
Next up is James Rocke, who predicts that there will be ‘a lot of pressure’ on certain parts of the ground in the half hour before the senior game. He reminds everybody where the doctor, ambulances and office for lost children are located, and reiterates the importance of keeping people moving, having aisles clear, availing of Garda assistance if necessary, and above all, using common sense.
Inspector Michael Murray, one of 78 members of An Garda Siochána on duty, stresses that no alcohol is allowed inside the ground. He says the ‘secret of success’ is for stewards to ‘make themselves known’ to the gardaí working in their sector. “I’ll be calling on my people to go to their stations ten or 15 minutes before the end, depending on if it’s a Mayo walkover!” he says, a popular scenario which, sadly, doesn’t come to pass. The meeting breaks up and stewards go to man their posts. It’s 10.45am. Time to open the gates.
AS one group go their separate ways, another gather for their own ‘huddle’. For the first time ever, the Connacht final will be broadcast live on TV3, and the Mayoman heading up the coverage has a few words of wisdom for his team. Ciarán Ó hEadhra from Geesala is acting both as producer and director today, and clearly a lot of planning has gone into today’s show. The TV3 crew arrived at McHale Park on Thursday and, rather amusingly, had an audience for their Saturday rigging-up operation. “We never had a crowd before,” Ó hEadhra says with a smile. “I kept wondering if Mayo were training!”
Co-commentator Paul Earley brings us news of Roscommon’s success in the All-Ireland junior semi-final. “We’re the only team who can beat Kerry!” he laughs. Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly amble past deep in conversation but, disappointingly, there’s no sign of Micheál Collins. Willie Joe Padden has been spotted on McHale Road – surely, Galway won’t ‘bate’ Mayo now?
Inside the TV3 truck, located in front of the back pitch, a bank of 60 screens dominate one wall. Here, Ó hEadhra and his crew can view every camera angle, and there’s time for a rehearsal before the programme starts at 1pm.
Match analysts David Brady, Liam Hayes and Peter Canavan are shown the footage they’re going to be commenting on. There’s a ‘dry run’ through their take on key players, Mayo’s pressure game and, rather ominously, a short highlights package entitled ‘Mayo misses’. Brief pre-match interviews with the respective managers are recorded, and Earley does a ‘scene set’ from the sideline with commentator Mike Finnerty.
There’s a sneak preview of Brady’s interview with Mayo captain Ronan McGarrity, while Hayes warns that Galway’s dependence on Pádraic Joyce means they could end up ‘in Ciaran McDonaldland’. Everything is timed to the second – the interviews, the footage, even the length captions remain on screen. It’s clearly a well-run operation, and the wonders of earpiece technology allow Ó hEadhra to be in regular contact with anchor Matt Cooper.
After a western-style motif in the opening titles, Cooper begins the programme with a line film buffs will appreciate. “By 4pm today, we’ll know the story of how the west was won’.
Indeed we would, though with all the helicopters taking off from the back pitch, we seemed to be looking at a Vietnam War movie rather than a John Ford classic. Now it’s time for reconstruction to begin.
