Ah, sure it’s only February.
Right, Pat?
Pat?
What a difference a few weeks can make. Only 21 days ago, Pat Spillane sat in the RTÉ studios and broadcast his opinions to the rest of the country. If you were from Mayo, they were not good.
Monaghan beat them by two points in Castlebar and the Kerry man all but wrote off Stephen Rochford’s men after the very first game of the season, eight months out from an All-Ireland final.
What has happened since then? It’s very interesting.
- Mayo, the same team Spillane wrote off, beat Kerry.
- Monaghan, the same team that beat Mayo and caused Spillane to write them off, beat Kerry.
- Kerry have lost two games since then.
- Mayo have won both games since then.
But sure it’s only February.
Pat?
Is Sam Maguire history repeating itself? https://t.co/3e8FgNYwkU #Mayo #GAA
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) February 11, 2017
After that first game in the first week of February, Spillane went to town on the Connacht force because, according to him, league form translates to championship form.
“For years you hear ‘it’s only the League, everything will come right by the championship’ but nowadays the League is so competitive,” Spillane said on Allianz League Sunday.
“Look at last year’s excellent League performances – Clare, won Division 3, got into the (All-Ireland) quarter-finals, Tyrone, won Division 2, won the Ulster championship. Two teams in the National League final, Kerry and Dublin, were in the last four, and Dublin were the All-Ireland champions.
“So right, this was their night, big crowd, they’re a passionate crowd. This was their night to send out signals that this is a different team this year.
“Sadly, the signals were mixed and poor. Monaghan were up for it mentally, physically, bullied Mayo out of the game. As signals and signs go for the year ahead, not good signals out of Castlebar last night.”
Two games later, Mayo have not just beaten Kerry, but they’ve leapfrogged them as the Kingdom fell to two successive home defeats.
But it’s only February. It’s only the league. Or so says Pat Spillane. When Kerry lose…
THERE'S NOTHING DECIDED IN FEBRUARY 🙈🙈🙈 pic.twitter.com/kk5alFD2dE
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) February 26, 2017
Watching him squirm on this weekend’s edition of the RTÉ highlights show was a joy to watch.
Then, he went and praised Mayo’s performance.
"Mayo people got their knickers in a twist" pic.twitter.com/dchX56o1Ee
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) February 26, 2017
But it was too late. The damage was done. There was too much hypocrisy flowing under the bridge. Too much.
"There's nothing decided in Feb" says Pateen Spillane. That coming from the man who based #Mayogaa 's year on 1 game. #LeagueSunday 🙈🙈👌
— L. NíHéineacháin (@LaobhaoiseNihE) February 26, 2017
Spillane says nothing decided in Feb after Kerry lose again,Mayo lost their first league match,in Feb, and they're in trouble. #shitpundit
— Barry Mullane (@BarryMullane1) February 26, 2017
Spillane has dramatically changed his tune regarding Kerry in just 3 weeks
Thank God for Rory Kavanagh & some sense!#AllianzLeagues #gaa— Seán Perry (@perry_sean) February 26, 2017
Another day, another dollar.
