It’s not often you see the Derry man stuck for words but he didn’t have much to say to this.
Joe Brolly never claimed Colm Cooper was a bad player but the world doesn’t care about that. He played down the goodbyes to the Kerry legend so, to the whole of Ireland at least, he thought the Gooch was shite.
What he actually said was a lot more considered but it wasn’t talking about the Dr Crokes club man as the best player ever so perhaps it deserved some criticism.
“When someone like Colm Cooper retires we tend to lose the run ourselves,” wrote in the Independent back in April.
“What is certain is that Colm was the ultimate purveyor of skill.
“He was like a computer animated footballer. Perfect balance. Perfect skills. Left foot, right foot. A perfect understanding of space and time.
“His goal finishing was without doubt the best I have seen.
“But, as I have often pointed out, he wasn’t a leader in the mould of Peter Canavan or Trevor Giles or Colm O’Rourke. He didn’t have that warrior spirit needed to turn games.”
So it wasn’t exactly inconsistent of Brolly to use Cooper as an example of how to finish properly. Darragh O’Hanlon went through for Down in the first period of the Ulster final and pulled a glorious opportunity wide when it would’ve put the Mourne men in front.
The answer was simple – pass it into the net. Do a Gooch. Even Joe Brolly knows that.
Colm Cooper didn't take Darragh O'Hanlon's miss very well… https://t.co/8uk1GxhmVQ #RTEgaa pic.twitter.com/5XHB51h6qa
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 16, 2017
Never one to let Joe Brolly get too far ahead of himself, Colm O’Rourke was there to keep the Derry native in check and he reminded him, Cooper and the entire nation of Brolly’s comments on Gooch in the past and he might as well have sat back and lit a cigar whilst he was there.
You should've heard what he was saying about you earlier… pic.twitter.com/pUUwlHtdwY
— Conán Doherty (@ConanDoherty) July 16, 2017
Brolly laughed it off – said his words were taken out of context. Rather that or a pretty awkward few minutes for all concerned – except O’Roruke of course.
