THE FIRST SUNDAY Game of the summer inevitably ended up in the panellists’ first barney of the summer.
As is his wont, Michael Lyster hopped the ball after Donegal’s win over Tyrone and asked about Michael Murphy’s role for the Ulster champions.
It prompted Joe Brolly to launch a stirring defence of his new favourite footballer.
“I know there’s a view that playing him off the square is like hiring the prize bull from the ministry and then using it to plough the field but he has been the one indispensable in the rise of Donegal. The one indispensable player.
“He has no ego. He slugged his guts out all over the field today and then when it came to it, he nailed two truly great frees to kill the game.
He is, in my view, the most influential player in Gaelic football.
Leaving that Michael Murphy-prize bull analogy to one side for a minute, Colm O’Rourke was having none of it.
“That’s a really stupid thing to say Joe,” he pointed out before attempting to list off a few decent Kerry lads without Brolly butting in.
The mere mention of the Gooch, or Seamus Moynihan, or the Ó Sés saw Pat Spillane nearly leap out of his seat, but he wasn’t buying Brolly’s line of reasoning either.
“Michael Murphy did not have a good day today, full stop,” he said.
“He’s invaluable to the cause, Pat,” Brolly responded.
He won the game for them, he won the game. That’s what you call a clutch player.
“The attention span of a human is eight seconds,” Spillane said by way of summation. “A goldfish is nine. Now there you are!”
Prize bulls, goldfish and a good old-fashioned disagreement. It’s good to have you back, lads.
