This is one team announcement you can trust.
RTÉ have revealed the line-up for their All-Ireland football final coverage, with Joe Brolly, Colm O’Rourke and Pat Spillane all on duty alongside presenter Michael Lyster.
Dublin may be slight favourites with the bookies but defending champions Kerry hold the advantage in the TV studio, where Kingdom legend Spillane will be given free rein on the cute-hoorism, with no Dublin adversary to counteract the bias.
It's finally here…All-Ireland Final 2015 coverage from 2.15pm on Sunday. @RTE2 | @RTEplayer! #DubvKer #SundayGamehttps://t.co/iXjkydojUw
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) September 16, 2015
Ciarán Whelan will be representing the Sky Blues on the evening highlights show, opposite Tomas Ó Sé, with the younger pairing also expected to contribute sideline analysis during the live broadcast.
Wounded by suggestions of bias, Whelan took to the airwaves in the wake of the drawn Dublin-Mayo semi-final – phoning into Newstalk’s Off The Ball to defend himself against accusations of bias.
“We don’t have ice flowing through us. We all have blood flowing through us. We’re all loyal to our own counties whether we like it or not, that is a natural instinctive thing within us all.
“Now, I was critical of Dublin the other night and I’ve come under fire from some Dublin supporters who felt I didn’t defend them enough and then we have the other end of the scale where people feel I went soft on them.”
Kingdom legend Spillane has never gone to such lengths to defend his integrity, but the eight-time All-Ireland was always nailed on to occupy one of the swivel chairs alongside Meath hero O’Rourke and Derry firebrand Brolly.
You can take Éamonn Fitzmaurice and Jim Gavin’s team announcements with a pinch of salt, but these three are sure to start on Sunday.
In fairness, they are good value… if you can bear the bluster.
