The Committee Room

[muppet]

Here is the players v the media problem as I see it.

The hacks need copy in August September and it needs to be relevent. If it is the same old teams involved it is not too bad as they will have groundwork done with some of the well-known players. But with break-through teams they will have very little done previously. It is hard for them to write any more about Aiden Ó'Sé and Michael Murphy than a real supporter would already know. Witness articles this week cataloguing their underage careers, which Google would provide, but no revealing interview.

The problem is at this time of year the two mentioned above and their teammates are rather busy and may see media interviews as an unnecessary distraction. Worse still, given the Irish mentality, how often does the fella featured in the Sunday paper play crap on the day? He will hear from his colleagues and supporters all week that he was too interested in publicity and not the football. Another problem is that players see August and September as the end of a long road. The media, naturally enough from their point of view, only show up near the end of that road.

Or at least some of them.

A long time ago when I was at secondary school training one afternoon, Micheál O'Muircheartaigh showed up. There was great excitement and fellas were taking outrageous shots from everywhere trying to impress. I asked one of our two well known coaches (All-Ireland winners both) why he was there and I was told 'he does that'. He travelled around to schools and clubs in the winter when access to anyone was not an issue. That was when people would talk, with no pressure of an All-Ireland semi-final or final that week. That is where he got his stories about relatives who played and what the family business was.

To me that is the way to go. I'd bet many posters here could point to Micheál having been at their (or a neighbouring club) sometime, but could they point to another national journalist?

Instead of whinging about access to players, who often have full-time jobs while preparing for huge matches, why not spend a week in Connacht next January and take in Carrick-on-Shannon, St. Bridgets and Clan na Gael, Tourlestrane and Eastern Harps, Breaffy and Ballintubber, Caltra and Corofin? Lads would be delighted with the attention in January and the journailst, in one week, might have covered Connacht in case of one of them breaking through in the summer. Surely the other provinces could be covered in another 5 or 6 weeks?

[Croí na hÉireann]

Anyone see it this week?

I thought it was very poor. Three relatively interesting guests, O'Dwyer the hurler, ex-footballer Fitzmaurice from Kerry and Colm Keyes and it was still poor.

The feature was Vincent Hogan in a long well worded whinge about players not being available to the media. But it was still a whinge. They had a current player sitting on the panel talking about this and the irony went straight over Marty's substantial head.

If feels like a book review, about a subject you don't care about, rather than the most popular sport in the country at the peak of the season.

I agree with all of that but the bit that got me was when it came back from his voice over piece and the annoying bollix was laughing at his own stupid joke. Thanks Christ I bought a plasma and not a led tv.

[cornafean]

A long time ago when I was at secondary school training one afternoon, Micheál O'Muircheartaigh showed up. There was great excitement and fellas were taking outrageous shots from everywhere trying to impress. I asked one of our two well known coaches (All-Ireland winners both) why he was there and I was told 'he does that'. He travelled around to schools and clubs in the winter when access to anyone was not an issue. That was when people would talk, with no pressure of an All-Ireland semi-final or final that week. That is where he got his stories about relatives who played and what the family business was.

To me that is the way to go. I'd bet many posters here could point to Micheál having been at their (or a neighbouring club) sometime, but could they point to another national journalist?

The other hoors would go nowhere without expenses for every mile.

[Stevie g 8]

Marty for president ,like the rest when he,s stuck for a bit of publicity

[Croí na hÉireann]

Every year RTE tries to come up with some "revolutionary" GAA midweek program and every year it's brutal. Two words, Breaking Ball. And what's worse is we'll all be here again next year.

Prophetic

This season will also see Marty Morrissey present a new GAA discussion show, Championship Matters on Thursday evenings.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2012/0511/320597-vcxvcv/

[GalwayBayBoy]

This season will also see Marty Morrissey present a new GAA discussion show, Championship Matters on Thursday evenings.

Basically The Commitee Room rebranded with the exact same presenter.

[DuffleKing]

For f**k's sake

[neilthemac]

Marty must have some serious dirt on the decision makers in RTE that he keeps getting these gigs

there must be at least 20 better presenters in RTE than him
I'd take Craig Doyle over the little gerbil

[ross4life]