They’re in every county, they’re in every parish.
No, not GAA clubs. Well, yes to GAA clubs but GAA WhatsApp groups.
They’re rampant around the country, it’s just a handy way for all the lads or ladies to keep in touch.
Management can organise training and matches. Players can organise lifts and nights out.
But the most important purpose of these WhatsApp groups is to stitch lads up and rip the piss out of them.
How the leaked St. Brigid's contract could've went down on the club WhatsApp, @ConanDoherty imagineshttps://t.co/19M00f3l5s pic.twitter.com/4aNAudZWht
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) January 10, 2017
Questionable photos of a night in the town can surface within these groups and are perfectly acceptable and random slagging for no reason is fair. All in good spirits though, the GAA folk normally know when not to cross the line. They do… right?
Every team has a group, whether it be the Whitehall Colmcille Junior B’s or the Waterford Senior hurling team.
Especially the Waterford team.
Sometimes the predictable jokes are the best ones and the Waterford lads seemingly love to pick on Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh.
At 34-years-old, Walsh is among the elder statesmen of the group and he gets slagged for being just that according to Austin Gleeson.
The 2016 Hurler of the Year was speaking at the launch of Coca-Cola’s designated driver campaign and revealed that the Waterford WhatsApp group gets going at times and that ‘Brick’ gets some slagging.
“We’ve a team WhatsApp so it gets lively every now and again,” Gleeson says.
“It’s a bit 50/50 I wouldn’t say photos would be many a much of a thing but ‘Brick’ Walsh would get it a lot for being the grandad on the team. The likes of Patrick Curran and Darragh Lyons he calls them the little kids and everyone else just jumps in on it and it goes a bit loose after that but it’s good craic.”
You’d excuse the team’s WhatsApp group for being a bit quiet after their final loss but it was anything but according to the 22-year-old.
“Jesus, it was the total opposite. Everyone was just jeering each other. People were sending pictures in of fellas asleep left right and centre so there was good craic in it, it was lively enough.”
The Waterford team’s WhatsApp group did have Derek McGrath and co. involved so things can never get too out of hand but it wasn’t the same for Gleeson in 2016 when he was involved with the under-21 team.
“There was no management in that one so that was a bit loose. There are a couple of fellas on our team that I don’t know how they’re still sane to be honest so that was a bit extreme.”
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