Here at SportsJOE Towers, we like to celebrate the unsung heroes of the sporting world.
Perhaps the most underappreciated of these in our national game is the umpire.
On paper, the prospect of watching some guy in a white jacket wave one of two flags to confirm a score isn’t going to put more meat in the seats at Gaelic Grounds around the country. The only thing expected of these gentlemen is that they do their job. Nothing fancy, simple as that. Some would argue that if they do it perfectly, fans wouldn’t even notice their involvement in the game, aside from the odd flag wave for an iffy score.
Some would argue that if they do it perfectly, fans wouldn’t even notice their involvement in the game, aside from the odd flag wave for an iffy score.
We disagree.
We believe the greatest entertainment often comes from the most unlikely sources. While an umpire probably won’t steal the show, there’s always scope for him to add to it.
The 'G' in GAA stands for, well, G https://t.co/TNHhFldfiM
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 11, 2017
Anyone who caught Kerry’s Munster semi-final win over Clare on Sunday may have spotted a fantastic umpire moment in the early stages of the game. It may seem juvenile at first, but once you think about it, the umpire actually comes off pretty damn well.
You won’t find it in the video embedded below, but you’ll need to watch David Tubridy’s stunning point to understand the context of what happened next with the umpire. Check out the first six seconds of the highlights package then continue reading if you want to find out what happened next.
WATCH:
Highlights as @Kerry_Official beat Clare 1-18 to 1-12 to book their place in the @Kerry_Official final yesterday. pic.twitter.com/DHIUdrjy5Y— eir Sport (@eirSport) June 12, 2017
Just as the ball was dropping over the bar, the clip cuts off.
However, as you can see from the screenshots below, it was destined to land one place.
Sure enough, as the umpire was running towards the post to pick up his flag, he was cracked on the top of the dome by the dropping ball. It hit his head with such force that it went sailing away in the other direction.
Whether in shock, pain or both, the umpire immediately grabbed the area that was struck. However, it was going to take a lot more to stop this trooper.
He soldiered on, regained his composure, picked up his flag and confirmed the great point.
Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear white jackets.
