JOE BROLLY: We own Jim a big thank you

JIM Gavin wasn’t ready for the Nasty Rose of Tralee. His pristine reputation meant that an ancient €3,000 rent dispute with a journalist was enough to mobilise the outrage machine and have him cancelled.

If on the other hand 10 women appeared before a Senate hearing tomorrow and revealed that President Trump had sexually assaulted them, the media and the US people would yawn and say been there, heard that. For that reason, Fianna Fail would have been far better with Bertie who is still beloved by the party faithful and throughout rural Ireland. When the skeletons are already out of the closet, you can’t take them out again.

If Jim’s political career died faster than an Israeli comedian at the West Belfast Féile, his Gaelic football career will live forever.

On Sunday past, the Knockmore u-21s played a strong Breaffy team up in Breaffy. A year ago, it would have been a borefest. On Sunday, it was electrifying entertainment. Goals, two-pointers, man-to-man tackling, a big comeback and another endangered species that Jim saved from extinction, the long ball to the full-forward. Knockmore lost by a point, but who cares? We left the ground buzzing.

Game after game after game is the same story. Newbridge’s thrilling Derry senior final win. Loughmacrory beating Trillick, young McElholm looking like the reincarnation of Wee Peter, able to show his stuff without being double- or triple-marked. Dunloy’s exuberant long ball extravaganza finally breaking Cargin’s dull stranglehold on Antrim.

I went to the Mayo senior final. In the drawn game, Ballina looked to be out of sight and game over after 15 minutes. Before Jim, it would have been over. Now, an eight-point lead is safer in hurling than football.

Westport mounted a thrilling comeback and looked as though they had won it, before Ballina scored a saving goal from a long ball to the square being fisted to the net (only those of us of a certain age remember such a thing) and a two-pointer with the last kick.

The replay was the opposite, Westport surging majestically through the first 50 minutes of the game, by which time the score was Westport 1-14, Ballina 0-7. Not even a ten-point lead is safe any more. Ballina got a goal from a close-in free taken quickly, then with three minutes to go, another goal from (you guessed it) a long ball to the edge of the square that was fisted to the net. Then a massive two-pointer to equalise things with one minute on injury time to go. From the final kick-out, Ballina drove forward again and kicked the winner on the whistle. It was so shocking it took the crowd a moment to realise Ballina had won it.

The same with the Mayo Intermediate final between Kilmeena and Moy Davitt’s. Davitt’s, who lost last year’s final to Crossmolina after a replay, were up by a point, then down by a point, then up, then down. It was an absolute cliffhanger. I found myself shouting and jumping up and down even though I did not know a single player on either team. Seven two pointers were kicked. Seventeen-year-old Cormac O’Malley scored 0-5 for Kilmeena, all from play.

With a minute to go, and the sides level, the Kilmeena sub Halligan kicked an extraordinary point to put them ahead.

From the kickout, Moy Davitt’s attacked ferociously, every man streaming forward. As we held our breaths, the chance was created for Anthony Jordan.

As two men dived to block, he got his kick away. The crowd roared as it headed straight between the posts, only for the keeper to take a high catch above the crossbar.

The whistle blew, the Moy Davitt’s men collapsed.

The crowd collapsed. Kilmeena’s entire 0-23 was from play. Not a single free. What a game. What a year of games.

All that remains to be said is thank you Jim.