Eamon McGee is among the most interesting men in the GAA, and he appeared on a largely chaotic Saturday Panel on today's Off the Ball. Confusion reigned over whether Jim McGuiness had spoken to the Mayo panel before the game, with David Brady claiming that it had happened, only to get a message on air to deny the story.
McGee was in irrepressible form in regaling stories from his playing days under McGuinness and he also talked of his previous encounters with All-Ireland finalists Mayo.
The challenge of Mayo was not taken hugely seriously by some of McGee's Donegal teammates in 2012, as he revealed on air. When it was confirmed they'd face Mayo in the All-Ireland final of 2012, a couple of the members of the senior panel had a small celebration:
When we got Mayo in 2012, we were pretty confident.
Two members of the senior panel went for two pints the night knowing that it was Mayo.
In 2014, to be fair, McGee said that their opinion of Mayo was far different, and that Donegal preferred to face Kerry in that final. He did admit that Kerry went on to throw that back in Donegal faces.
McGee also offered his insight into how best to take on Dublin, believing that Mayo should slow the game down as best they can, to take the sting out of a game which Dublin will try to play at a thousand miles an hour. He also commented on Jim McGuinness' column writing, and says that there his former manager's writing had little impact on the Donegal camp.
When asked whether McGuinness was right to criticise Rory Gallagher in the Irish Times column, this is how McGee responded:
There was a big fall out there. Did I get that when I was reading the column? Not particularly. But if you guys are seeing something, the there's obviously something there. But no, I can't say that he [McGuinness] was right. Jim has been brilliant and he has worked wonders, but I can't say that he is right to do that. They're both good men, and it's sad to see when things go like that. When we won the All-Ireland, there were three important men: Jim, Rory and Michael Murphy. If Rory hadn't left, whose to say we wouldn't have won the All-Ireland in 2014...
McGee also elucidated that Diarmuid Connolly has not been the only GAA man on the end of a phone call from McGee in the wee hours of the morning, saying that John Maughan and Dessie Farell have also received a call, as "myself and Cassidy would be renowned for giving the odd jingle at 4am in the morning".
Listen to the full panel on the Newstalk website here.
See Also: Aidan O'Shea Once Wrote A Leaving Cert Column With The Irish Times, And It's Magnificent
