We’ve all heard this one before.
Most GAA clubs, and county teams, will have a decent player that impresses most in attendance but who always draws the same comment:
“He’s good, but you should’ve seen the brother.”
For as long as we have held the game close there has always been the urban myth of the more talented brother. The one that really should have been the mega-star if it wasn’t for – and take your pick – the injuries, the stubborn coach, the drink, the job, the attitude, the travel, the lack of desire, the move abroad…
Fermanagh is no different. On my frequent trips to the county, I am often drawn into football conversations. I was at the Ulster Final in 2008 [a draw but Fermanagh lost the replay] and the 2015 All-Ireland quarter final when Dublin were given a rattle on their way to an eventual victory.
Sean Quigley [below] ruffled serious feathers that day and ‘The Maguire County’ were hoping to build on their run to the last eight.
Last year was looking bleak, though. Pete McGrath seemed to have run his motivational well dry and the county faltered badly. A host a big players either left the panel or were excluded by McGrath.
Sean Quigley continued to tip, and score, away. One one visit to Teemore, I was catching up on Quigley’s scoring exploits for Roslea in The Fermanagh Herald. Remarking that Fermanagh always had a shout when he was on form, I was told:
“Aye, he’s good but the brother is even better.”
The brother? Seamus Quigley.
The good news for Fermanagh fans is that new coach Rory Gallagher seems keen to employ the scoring talents of both Quigleys in 2018. The county were tipped for Allianz Football League success in Division 3, on The GAA Hour, and their fans will be excited by talk about the Quigleys and some other key players
Show host Colm Parkinson and former Armagh footballer Stevie McDonnell [from 45:00 below] were both complimentary of Gallagher’s decision to appoint Tyrone GAA legend Ryan ‘Ricey’ McMenamin as his assistant for the upcoming league and championship campaigns.
On Seamus Quigley and the returning Fermanagh players, Parkinson said:
“You’ve a real feel-good factor around Fermanagh and all these players coming back. You’ve got Brian Cox, who is back on after a lengthy absence, you’ve got Eamon Maguire, who has been around since 2004. Maguire is a bit of a live-wire forward, not top-notch but very good at division 2 or 3 level.
“And then you have Seamus Quigley back, who is a monster of a man. He’s a scoring machine. He’s a brother of Sean and almost a carbon copy. A little burlier, maybe, but can kick from left and right. A sensational long-range point kicker.
“You have Tomas Corrigan buzzing in and around them and a midfield of Eoin Donnelly and Ryan Jones, who can put it up to most teams.”
There are certainly reasons for Fermanagh fans to be optimistic heading into the league campaign.
Division 3 may contain the likes of Westmeath and Derry but Gallagher and his team, from the outside at least, appear primed for a good tilt ahead of the championship summer. Especially if Seamus Quigley can prove that one of GAA’s most popular urban myths is no myth at all.
