Teaching, old dogs and new tricks

Sideline Snippets is www.gaa.ie's sideways look at all things in the world of GAA. Catch it every week on the site throughout the summer. 

Darran hits the mark with soccer fans

Long after the 2011 Championship season is consigned to memory, Darran O’Sullivan’s back heel goal against Limerick will be fondly recalled by those who cherish such moments of individual brilliance.

Although O’Sullivan quite rightly awoke up on Monday morning – probably with a very sore hamstring – to headlines lauding his moment of magic, the former QPR trialist probably didn’t imagine that his goal would register with a much wider sporting audience.

However, the Glenbeigh man’s elegant back flick has already been viewed by thousands of soccer fans on the website 101greatgoals.com under the headline, ‘Ok. So it’s not strictly football. But it’s undoubtedly the best flick goal of the week!’

RTÉ commentator Martin Carney compared O'Sullivan to Ronaldinho, while others have opted for Gianfranco Zola and Lee Sharpe. Here’s a top-10 compilation video of the best back heel goals ever scored in soccer (excuse the music!) so you can make your own mind up. Sideline Snippets reckons O’Sullivan’s goal would sit quite comfortably among some of those moments of brilliance.

Teaching, old dogs and new tricks

We’ve seen plenty of examples of poachers turning gamekeepers in the GAA but Kildare had another unusual dynamic going on in their ranks this year.

Everyone in the country (and their dog) knows the team is marshaled by former Armagh maestro Kieran McGeeney. Not as many know that one of his right hand men is his former All-Ireland winning team-mate Aidan O’Rourke. Aidan has many feathers in his cap (owner of Sporting Vision photography agency and GAA Academy Development Officer at Queens amongst them) but always keen to broaden his horizons, he also completed a Masters in Sport and Exercise Management in UCD this year.

And who else was in his class? Kildare star Rob Kelly. The Straffan man is probably best known for almost breaking the crossbar with his thunderous injury time free-kick against Down in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final but his additional talents on the field have been in full view throughout this year’s campaign.

And while Rob is undoubtedly benefitting from Aidan’s guidance and experience on the training field, word from our inside man in UCD suggests the exchange of knowledge was definitely two-way when the pair participated in any class discussions. In fact, Aidan was particularly impressed with one of Rob’s presentations on an idea for a GAA coaching app. Watch this space.

Family links to Poc Fada win

Tipperary hurling goalkeeper Brendan Cummins equaled his GAA All Star haul of five awards, by claiming his fifth M Donnelly All-Ireland Senior Hurling Poc Fada title at the Annaverna Mountain on Saturday last.

Keen observers of the competition will be aware that Cork's Ger Cunningham is the all-time Poc Fada title holder conquering the mountain on seven occasions, but what links Cummins’ inaugural win in 2004 with his latest triumph?

Answer - the flag bearers on both occasions were sons of current Poc Fada secretary and well-known Louth GAA enthusiast Pat Hamilton.

Fifteen-year old Cathal Hamilton was a flag carrier for Cummins last weekend, as the Premier County man completed the course in 50 pocs.

Back in 2004 when Cummins claimed his first title in a course record of 48 pocs, Cathal's brother Ciaran – then a 12-year-old - was a flag carrier for the Premier County netminder.

Sideline Snippets had a mole up the mountain to witness the unique event, which draws hundreds of spectators to the Cooley Penninsula each year, and which competition sponsor Martin Donnelly stated on Saturday 'is the only sport in the world where the spectators exert as much energy as the competitors!'

And while the five-kilometer course is certainly a test of endurance, Louth Civil defence were on hand with their mobile stretcher and quad bikes - the only serious complaints were of sunburn on a balmy day for a couple of pucks!

Fifty and out

It almost went unnoticed because of the never-to-be-forgotten conclusion to the All-Ireland quarter-final between Kildare and Donegal at Croke Park, but the longest scoring streak in Gaelic football came to an end on Saturday night when Lilywhite scoring machine Johnny Doyle failed to get his name on the scoresheet.

After scoring in a landmark 50th successive game against Derry the previous Saturday, the Allenwood man’s sequence was brought to a quiet end when the closest he came to registering a point was the shot he struck off a post before Tomás O’Connor’s disallowed goal.

Doyle is also out of the race to finish top of the Championship scoring charts for the third time in four years as he remains five points behind Wexford’s Ben Brosnan.

Cork’s Donncha O’Connor has moved into third with his haul of 1-2 in the defeat to Mayo, meaning that we are left with the rather unusual scenario that as things stand none of the top three scorers are actually still playing in the competition.

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