Ger Loughnane and the Jimmy Cooney incident

A forum to air your views on Offaly GAA matters and beyond.
User avatar
turk
All Star
Posts: 716
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2004 10:50 am

Post by turk »

Hi everyone!

great to be back. The trilogy v clare was the most enjoyable series of sporting events i've ever been at.

the first match was brilliant, we were supposed to be able to match clare for 20 minutes before they moved up a gear into their power hurling to expose offaly's lack of fitness. We were the better team that day. i remember a decent offaly turnout at it but loughnane was banned from the touchline but he sneaked out and the clare crowd went mad.

the second match was also great. there was an auld fella up beside us in the hill. before the game he told me cooney would give us nothing again cos his wife was an offaly woman. he was getting fierce excited throughout roaring and shouting. when the match was blown up he turned purple and started roaring "replay, replay!" his young daughter was with him and was embarassed by the monster he was turning into. she started crying "stop it daddy please stop it" but he started roaring more and more. I felt sorry for that young girl. I didn't go out on the pitch myself. we headed to the pub.

the third day was brilliant beyond belief. i got a "special train" down from dublin. it was two carraiges of the dart and there was a couple of hundred crammed into it. some auld fella had cans with him, in case there wouldn't be drink on it. i had a can with him and he told me offaly would win this, no doubt about it. there was a couple of clare lads there, well dressed men, nice lads good banter with them. brilliant match i was fierce excited. got a lift back to ferbane with a former gaaboard contributor, stopped in birr on the way back. i don't know if we'll ever see days out like that again. i think we will though. i'll die happy either way.

User avatar
Lone Shark
All Star
Posts: 5377
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2004 5:21 pm
Club: Ferbane
Location: Roscommon
Contact:

The third day.

Post by Lone Shark »

It really was the pinnacle that year all right.

That third day in Thurles was surreal. You felt that you were in attendance at a pretty legendary occasion all the way through, and as for when Stephen Byrne was making those saves in front of the Terrace.... :o

That one where he was diving high to his right will be my last living memory, long after I'm unable to correctly ingest food. Unbelievable.

User avatar
Bord na Mona man
All Star
Posts: 4022
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2004 11:34 am
Club: Clara

Post by Bord na Mona man »

turk wrote:i remember a decent offaly turnout at it but loughnane was banned from the touchline but he sneaked out and the clare crowd went mad.
Great summary Turk.

The sight of Loughnane prowling around the pitch like a hungry wolf, in his white runners and tracksuit tucked into his socks will live long in the memory. The Clare fans were on their feet giving it loads for about 5 minutes.
The Offaly fans were well outnumbered that day. There was a cheer when Offaly took the field, but the stadium nearly collapsed when Clare burst onto the field. You're thinking "Oh shit" at that stage.

Hyper
All Star
Posts: 473
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2005 12:37 pm

Post by Hyper »

Am I missing something (or just plain stupid)?... but how would Cooney blowing up early be making ( if not an error in his timekeeping) up for not red carding Duignan earlier?

User avatar
Bord na Mona man
All Star
Posts: 4022
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2004 11:34 am
Club: Clara

Post by Bord na Mona man »

Hyper wrote:Am I missing something (or just plain stupid)?... but how would Cooney blowing up early be making ( if not an error in his timekeeping) up for not red carding Duignan earlier?
I think Loughnane's logic is that Cooney thought that Offaly were making too much of a comeback and were in danger of beating Clare. Offaly were 10 points down at one stage in the second half, but had got the margin down to 3.
If Offaly had won, Cooney would supposedly be under the spotlight for not sending off Duignan.

So apparently Cooney decided that he'd better make sure Clare won.
So by Loughnane's "logic", Cooney presumed that no-one would mind if he blew it up early. This implies that Cooney believed the possible fallout over finishing up early would have been less than if Offaly had won over 70 minutes.

Of course, all of this contradicts his further elaboration today, that people in the GAA were out to get Clare. If this was the case, then why would Cooney have been so anxious to terminate the game early and make damn sure Clare won? Loughnane is off his rocker!

User avatar
turk
All Star
Posts: 716
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2004 10:50 am

Post by turk »

you'ld need some there to go "Ger, that's just ridiculous!"

User avatar
Loughers
All Star
Posts: 196
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2004 1:37 pm
Location: Birr

Thurles

Post by Loughers »

The third match in Thurles is my favourite Offaly GAA moment, over Darby, 1981 etc. I really hated them at this stage. I cried on the Hill in '95 and I was never as excited before a match. For once we had as many fans as them (remember how we were outnumbered in '95). Atmosphere was electric. Great game and then the craic in the square after. I remember the bus coming through and we just lost it. The night in Birr was the second best night ever, only topped by the night of the final.

User avatar
Lone Shark
All Star
Posts: 5377
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2004 5:21 pm
Club: Ferbane
Location: Roscommon
Contact:

The Third match

Post by Lone Shark »

I think there was a feeling in Thurles that we had fought for the right to get that game, and as a result there was a little bit more to it for every supporter. I had nothing in particular against Clare, but even though I had a repeat college exam on the Monday morning to study for, I didn't leave Croke Park that night until around 9pm, and there were several there after me.

I know that it doesn't stand up to logic or reason, but I'll always feel that like every other Offaly soul out there that day, I had if not a hand then at least a fingertip in getting that replay, thus making it the sweetest victory ever.

The final didn't even come close to the euphoria to be honest.

Post Reply