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I think alcohol bans are imposed by managers who are trying to get commitment from the lads. THe thinking is that if the lads have been off the stuff, they will see themselves as being very committed.
If such a player was asked what commitment was like, you can be sure that the firs thing he would say would be 'well, we're all off the drink anyway'.

Well i suppose hearing of those incidents in Boston provoked a dislike towards their mentality in me. I suppose if it was a player from Kilkenny had written such a book, I would probably not be critical, but it just seems like another example of their arrogance to me.

Do you know for a fact that they think they're better than everyone else? Maybe they don't mix because they're shy. I don't see the value in guessing why they didn't mix.

I do agree that it was a bit strange that Donal Og took it upon himself to get those lads back from the pub. He wasn't on the team, let alone the captain of it, so it seems to me he overstepped his authority. If it was John Gardiner, who was captain on that trip, then maybe I'd understand that a bit better.

I'm not sure where you get the notion that they look down on everyone or that they think everyone is inferior to them, or that they think they can tell everyone what to do. Like I said, I have gripes with them, but mostly over incidents that have happened, not over what I'm guessing is happening in certain situations.

Obviously I do not know for a fact that they think they are better than everyone else but it is really a plausible argument to say that everyone else on the trip mixed because they were not shy and the COrk lads didnt becasue they were shy.
Where I get that idea that they think they can tell everyone what to do is that they did, like you said, tell everyone what to do.

The Claw, the incident you refer to in Boston involved the Newtownshandrum contingent of the Munster side. They flew back to Ireland the night of the game, rather than hang around Boston until the tuesday. I didn't see any real problem with that. I also heard that prior to the game, Donal Og sent out a search party to retrieve some non-Cork players from a local watering hole to go to the gym. Again, whats the problem there?

My point is, they think they can tell everyone what to do because they have a couple of al Irelands under thier belts, that any choice anyone else makes is inferior to theirs.
Flying home on the day of the match I can accept, I could get over (after a while) telling the lads to come back from the pub to go to the gym but I had talked to people who were on that trip and they said that the Cork lads just didnt mix at all, as if mixing with the rest of them would bring them down a level.

Very good article by Sweeney there, and not a bit surprized by it. Cork, by virtue of their win at all costs mentality, have lost sence of the essence of the game. We all know the story about the Railway cup two years ago in Boston where all the COrk lads would stick together and go to the gym instead of going out with the rest of the lads. Apparently Niall McCarthy was the only one with a bit of craic in him.

One of the best aspects of the game is the socialising, getting to know your team mates and opponents.

The interesting thing is that I'd say these lads are all grand on their own. Sweeney said Corcoran would never come across as the type to write that stuff. It seems to be just when they are together the group mentaliy kicks in and the arrogance appears.

I know you said no stupid scenarios but I have two q's
1. Right, a player cannot hand pass the ball to the bet, but if it gets a slight deflection, will it be counted?
2. Can someone hand pass the ball to themselves, ie over someone's head?

Louth v meath, oooo, interesting. A team on the up against Louth 

Would agree to a certain degree. the working half forwards like Dooher and Galvin arent really blessed with skill but I have to say to solo the ball at full pace with a man after you is a skill, Billy Sheehan and Sean O Sullivan are very good at it. not as many free scoring wing forwards anymore, McConville probably being the present one that comes to mind.

What about 3 players who have captained their club to all ireland title and captained their county to all ireland in the same year ?

Ray Silke would have to be one of them, Jackie Tyrell another,not sure of the third.

Joe Connolly.

Did he not lift the Club title with Castlegar before going onto lift Liam in September with Galway?

Tyrell may of won the club the previous year, 2005, but Portumna won it this year when he won the AI with Kilkenny

Ah yes, stand corrected.

Should have brought Shanahan to the international rules, some of his fights on youtube are frightening.

What about 3 players who have captained their club to all ireland title and captained their county to all ireland in the same year ?

Ray Silke would have to be one of them, Jackie Tyrell another,not sure of the third.

Only heard this second hand, so dont take it as gospel but
Who is the only man to have a Sigerson Cup medal and a World Cup medal?

Answers:
Seamus Durack, the CLare goalkeeper is the answer to the first.

Maxpower, spot on in the other two, Brian Whelehan and Alan Kerins

Nope

Name the man to win 2 All Ireland medals and two All-Stars without ever playing a match in Croke Park in his career?

Not sure of this one but I've been told its true. Name the man who played in 4 consecutive All Ireland finals (not all the same grade), won all 4, and got man of the match in all 4.

An easy one for ye
Name the man to have played in both the Club football and hurling finals AND both the County hurling and football All-Ireland finals (not the same year obvoiusly).

It would be a shame for the only man to ever win an All-Star before he played in Croke Park to bow out at this level in such a fashion.

I am understanding this correctly, he didnt play in Croke Park and won an All-Star?Smething else.What year was this az?