Ronan O’Gara likes a winner.
Ends justify the means in his world, it’s all about the performance.
He says things we’ve heard already – things like, why the hell would Jim Gavin give a shit about what the journalists think. He says other things like, it’s about what happens in the changing room and on the training ground an nowhere else. He also provides different reasons for those behaviours.
The Dublin manager’s carefully bland interviews are one thing but his reaction to the final whistle of an epic All-Ireland final battle with Mayo and the confirmation that Dublin had made it three-in-a-row irked with some people. Stony-faced, business-like, you were left to wonder what he’s doing it for if he doesn’t seem to be getting much enjoyment out of it at the very best of times.
But it wasn’t always like this.
That’s why Ronan O’Gara thinks that Jim Gavin has trained himself to react like he did at the full time whistle.
Debating the matter with one of Gavin’s critics, Colm Parkinson, the Irish legend stood up for the Dub and gave his take on why it’s happening.
“I found it very interesting,” O’Gara said on SportsJOE Live sponsored by Lottoland.
“I think he’s taught himself to do that. As a player, it’s very different.
“I’m no-one to comment on where he is, he’s won four All-Irelands.
“He has mastered conquering emotions. As Irish people we have an unbelievable capacity to peak for one occasion and then get nothing the next day out. What other team in the country can back it up like Dublin?
“He’s going to bed every night looking at his four medals. He’s the biggest winner in the country at the minute. He’s redefining what success is.”
The one thing you can say is that these Dubs back up their talk and they even back up their success. They are reeling out excellence to the point where it’s almost perfection and they’re doing it time and time again.
ROG and Wooly get into the topic during the first segment of SportsJOE Live below.
