We learned in the recent Off the Ball interview that Mick O'Connell is quite the soccer fan. In addition to volunteering that he had watched Arsenal and Bournemouth the previous night (not an astonishing admission), he heavily implied that the only reason he was a Gaelic footballer was that it was the dominant game in his locality.
More striking was the comment of Joe Molloy afterwards. Molloy related how Eoin Hand - now living in Moyvanne in Kerry - was stunned by O'Connell's knowledge of modern professional football. O'Connell apparently even keeps abreast of the latest transfer tittle tattle, an intimidating ask for even the most obsessed football fan.
In stark contrast, his fondness for Gaelic football, specifically the inter-county game, has diminished greatly in recent years. Indeed, he no longer calls it 'Gaelic football'.
He is frustrated by the governance of the game. He blames the administrators for the direction the game has taken in the modern era. The players and coaches have only done what was logical in exploiting the rules as they are. That these rules haven't facilitated an attractive spectacle - in his eyes - is the fault of the legislators.
In an interview with the Kerryman to mark his 80th birthday, O'Connell said that he doesn't "bother with Kerry games" these days.
I call it Gaelic, not Gaelic football. I go to watch Valentia playing, and that’s about it. I don’t bother with Kerry games anymore. I don’t blame the players; the game adapted to the rules that are there. But while I still enjoy watching sport, Gaelic does not hold any appeal to me. It’s totally different to the game I know.
For more on Mick O'Connell's great 'career' (he doesn't like the term) head here. Including a letter from a Welsh tourist in Kerry who believed O'Connell to be on a par with Tom Finney, Babe Ruth and Cliff Morgan.
