What a journey it’s been.
Jeff Stelling and Chris Kamara began their road to Croker eight weeks ago, with less than a clue about what was in store for them.
A pair of greenhorns they were, but a pair of enthusiastic greenhorns at that and you could sense the child-like excitement coursing through them as they were genuinely amazed at the unique culture that we all take for granted.
We can all learn something from the lads’ journey, learn that what we have in Ireland, in the GAA, is something magical, something that needs to be cherished, as the lads readily admitted that it puts aspects of their beloved other type of football to shame.
Jeff and Kammy aren’t your typical football heads though, this is a pair of lads who embrace the grassroots of football in England, a pair who revel in the everyday brilliance of it, and they weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty in Dingle, in Inis Óirr, in Monaghan or indeed, in Tyrone.
They went from junior football games to underage training sessions, and finally they made it to Croke Park, a bit wiser, but perhaps not yet fully equipped to commentate on the biggest day in the GAA calendar.
As only they would, though, they met the challenge head on, and without a care in the world. So what if they make a mistake, so what if they don’t know how to pronounce every players’ name. They were loving it, and we were too.
The third Sunday in September finally arrived and excitement around the country had reached fever pitch. The lads were like two die-hard Gaels.
Their commentary was very different to what we were used to, and not just because of their unique pronunciation of names like Moran and Sullivan, but because of the way the game appeared to them, and they told it unflinchingly.
Kammy’s attempt at pronouncing the name of the footballer of the year in waiting, in Andy Moran, was a highlight. You can listen to the magic here.
“When you have a star player like Muraan, you’ve got to give him the ball.”
Never change Kammy.
