Pat Spillane appears to have taken Dessie Dolan’s criticism of his studious preparation to his Sunday Game analyst role to heart.
The dynamic duo of Spillane and Dolan were reunited in The RTÉ studios on Sunday to give the expert view on the Connacht football final between Galway and Roscommon.
The Rossies flew out of the blocks in Salthill to race into an eight-point lead after 33-miutes of play.
Kevin McStay’s men, aided by a strong breeze, were in utter control in Pearse Stadium and could’ve been further in front were it not for their seven wides in the first half.
Roscommon confirmed their supremacy in the early stages of the second half with a fine goal from their half forward Brian Stack.
Galway, lead by talisman Damien Comar began to narrow the gap, but the Rossies kicked on once more, eventually winning by nine-points in a result few could have predicted.
It just goes to show, with Galway winning division 2 in the league, and Roscommon suffering a hammering in the majority of their division one games, that Championship really does take on a life of its own.
WATCH:
HT: Galway 0-03 | Roscommon 1-07. Cian Connolly's goal the highlight of the opening half in Salthill. Roscommon lead by 7. #GAAClips pic.twitter.com/RBSxqc7ORA— eir Sport (@eirSport) July 9, 2017
For Galway, the optics weren’t so good. They had only kicked two points in 35 minutes of football, one from play.
The Sunday Game host Michael Lyster invited Pat Spillane to run the rule over Galway’s struggles.
“You infamously described a match a couple of years ago as puke football, any advance on that?”
We were braced for an onslaught from the Kerry man.
It wasn’t coming. Pat bizarrely bit his tongue and claimed a decision on a vow of silence, perhaps owing to Dessie Dolan’s criticism of his preparation of “notes” in his analysis of a certain Diarmuid Connolly incident.
“No, Michael, I’ve decided in recent times, sort of like the conversion of St Paul on the road to Damascus. (If I see) Something bad now, I see the goodness in everything. My glass is always half-full. I’m going to plead the fifth amendment and in the words of the song “you say it best when you say nothing at all,” so I’ll give it a miss.
He wasn’t able to resist having a little pop, though.
“For 22 minutes, one score from play, another score from a free. Deplorable attacking play, it was woeful. It looks like Galway got a bit carried away after the victory over Mayo. They thought it was only a matter of turning up. Roscommon have been controlling the game.
Pat Spillane's first-half verdict: You say it best, when you say nothing at all pic.twitter.com/xWnwZoHRd6
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 9, 2017
Brilliant stuff from the Kerry man.
Poor Dessie didn’t even get a word in.
