For what feels like an eternity now Joe Brolly has been one of the most prolific, possibly even divisive pundits in the country, exuding his rarely filtered opinions initially across RTÉ and more recently the Independent.
Now, according to Declan Bogue of The 42, the Derry man looks set to make a wholly surprising foray into coaching under two-time County Champion Ray Dempsey, for whom Brolly will be both a head coach and selector.
Together the pair will be taking charge of Brolly's local Knockmore GAA in Mayo, hoping to bring them one step further than the County final they reached this year.
![Joe Brolly](https://img.resized.co/balls_ie/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL21lZGlhLmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL3VwbG9hZHNcXFwvMjAyNVxcXC8wMVxcXC8yOTEyMzgyNFxcXC8xMDAwMzUzLmpwZ1wiLFwid2lkdGhcIjpcIjc2OFwiLFwiaGVpZ2h0XCI6XCI1MjlcIixcImRlZmF1bHRcIjpcImh0dHBzOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC9icmFuZC1pbWFnZS5qcGdcIixcIm9wdGlvbnNcIjp7XCJvdXRwdXRcIjpcImF2aWZcIixcInF1YWxpdHlcIjo1NX19IiwiaGFzaCI6ImRkMzQ2OWU5YWEzM2E1YTIxYWMwMmQwYzNkOTU3OTU1OWM0MmU5YjkifQ==/report-joe-brolly-makes-surprising-move-into-coaching-in-mayo.jpg)
24 May 2015; Former Derry footballer and RTÉ analyst Joe Brolly makes his way to the game. Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Quarter-Final, Clare v Limerick. Semple Stadium, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. Picture credit: Ray McManus / SPORTSFILE
Joe Brolly set for coaching foray with Knockmore
Brolly already has some experience coaching in the club that he now lives beside, having pitched in to help the Ladies' team previously.
However, the opinionated pundit is now being given the official title 'Head Coach and Selector' in Knockmore, rowing in behind the experience of manager Ray Dempsey.
Dempsey previously led Knockmore to two County titles in 2020 and 2021 before moving on to manage the Limerick Senior Footballers for an unexpectedly short stint of five league games.
Both Dempsey and Brolly will be coming into a well-versed Knockmore side that features intercounty stars like Colm Reape and Darren McHale and who marched all the way to the Mayo senior final last year only to fall to local rivals Ballina Stephenites at the final hurdle.
![Joe Brolly Derry GAA](https://img.resized.co/balls_ie/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL21lZGlhLmJhbGxzLmllXFxcL3VwbG9hZHNcXFwvMjAyNVxcXC8wMVxcXC8yOTEyMzg0N1xcXC8wMDI3NTUuanBnXCIsXCJ3aWR0aFwiOlwiNzUxXCIsXCJoZWlnaHRcIjpcIjc2OFwiLFwiZGVmYXVsdFwiOlwiaHR0cHM6XFxcL1xcXC93d3cuYmFsbHMuaWVcXFwvaW1hZ2VzXFxcL2JyYW5kLWltYWdlLmpwZ1wiLFwib3B0aW9uc1wiOntcIm91dHB1dFwiOlwiYXZpZlwiLFwicXVhbGl0eVwiOjU1fX0iLCJoYXNoIjoiMGUzZGQ3YzI3YzlkZmE2MTM0ZTQ3NzY4NGJlOGIzNGRkZmY4NDYyYiJ9/report-joe-brolly-makes-surprising-move-into-coaching-in-mayo.jpg)
Joe Brolly of Derry. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
While in recent years Brolly's rather controversial thoughts on the state of Gaelic football have been confined to newspaper columns, it'll be nothing if not interesting to see how that translates onto the pitch.
After all, he has no shortage of experience on the field, famously claiming an All-Ireland win with Derry in 1993 and a further four national league titles - In all likelihood, it'll be a mix of Brolly's playing days and his extensive work analysing the game that he'll be looking to put to work for Knockmore.
Something tells us, this won't be the last we hear on this, either from Brolly himself or from the ever-talkative world of GAA.