As expected, Pat Spillane has used his Sunday World column to hit back at Dublin manager Jim Gavin and also Sunday Game colleagues Joe Brolly and Dessie Dolan.
Following last weekend's Leinster semi-final between Dublin and Westmeath, Gavin used the post-match press conference to criticise Spillane over his comments regarding Diarmuid Connolly three weeks previously on the Sunday Game.
Gavin said that Connolly's 'good name was attacked' by both Spillane and Colm O'Rourke, but 'particularly Pat', he added.
Later that evening on the Sunday Game, Brolly and Dolan rowed in behind Gavin, with both suggesting that Spillane being a Kerryman was a motive for wanting to get Connolly suspended.
Today, Spillane writes that he believes Gavin's remarks were made in an attempt to 'control the narrative' and also as an effort to create a 'siege mentality' within the Dublin panel.
He describes his words as balanced and disputes the suggestion that being from Kerry had anything to do with the comments.
The Sunday Game has always operated on a very simple premise: The panelists offer their views based on what they see in front of them.
Brolly and Dolan broke that golden rule by offering opinions which had absolutely no basis in fact.
I was particularly taken aback by Dessie's comments. Joe personalised comments are par for the course at this stage, so I wasn't really surprised by the tone of his remarks.
As for Des Cahill, while he did try to act as an honest broker, I think it's fair to say that it wasn't one of his better performances.
Due to Brolly's previous comments regarding Sean Cavanagh, Kieran McGeeney and referee Padraig Hughes, Spillane said he will not be 'lectured' by the Derryman on this issue.
He also added that several other Sunday Game analysts and staff have been in contact since last weekend.
As for my Sunday Game 'buddies' they played the man not the ball and lost. Since the show was broadcast I have received numerous phone calls, from other Sunday Game analysts and RTE staff who wanted to dissociate themselves from what went on during the show.
Picture credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach / SPORTSFILE
