Ronan O'Gara attempted to put a different spin on the famous Miami Dolphins 'ruse' tonight.
On the Off the Ball roadshow in Cork tonight, Ger Gilroy began tiptoeing up to the question by referring to Jarryd Hayne, the Australian rugby league player who has been converted into an NFL player for the San Francisco 49ers.
ROG cut him off by saying 'It could have been me, Ger!'
O'Gara then explained the origin of the Dolphins rumour. In tonight's interview, O'Gara presented himself as an non-mischievous victim of events. He denied it was a negotiating gambit although he jokingly admitted it didn't do him any harm.
I shook Wayne Huzienga's hand in the Old Head of Kinsale on a Friday afternoon... My father-in-law is, I think a director down there, in the Old Head of Kinsale. I was down there for a lunch. I was playing for (Cork) Con on the Saturday and the story broke in the Echo on the Saturday night. And then the Sundays ran with it. And the Mondays. I can recall the meeting room in the Irish team hotel when we reconvened and we had to release a statement.
However, in his autobiography, O'Gara painted himself in a more Machiavellian light.
He introduced the segment by saying that David Humphreys was on 'a good bit more money' than him 'because he had turned down offers from abroad. And he regarded the Dolphins rumours as a chance to 'up the ante' in his own negotiations with the IRFU.
He detailed how the Echo rang him with the rumour two weeks after the handshake with Huzienga and he refused to deny it. In fact, he deliberately fed it the rumour.
On Saturday morning a couple of weeks later, I got a phone call from the Evening Echo. They had heard the Miami Dolphins were interested in me and instead of telling them the truth I told them what they wanted to hear: 'I have spoken to them on the phone,' I said 'and I expecting further contact. There is a lot to be discussed, including their set-up and how many kickers they have on their panel.
After the Cork Con game, he said he added to the fire again when cornered by another reporter.
I was flabbergasted when I received the call... My discussions with the Miami Dolphins were very basic and are in the initial stage. I was born in Sacramento and I watch the sport on television but I've never played or kicked a ball. There might be discussions at a later stage. It might be an option but I want to put it aside for a while.
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