GAA Talk

This is the last week of the reign of Nicky Brennan as President of the GAA and as far as this column is concerned it couldn’t come too soon.  He will not be missed for you never knew he was there, really.

I suppose it is hard to compare any Presidency with the reforming, no bullshit tenure of the previous incumbent, Sean Kelly, who gave the staid image and complex decision-making regime of the GAA a kick in the arse into the 21st century by zealously pushing through reforms that changed forever the face of the GAA in the most positive way.

Kelly was always going to be a hard act to follow in fairness, but what we got was the ultra-conservative Brennan, a complete contrast to Kelly.  His mission for his period in office, he declared at the outset, was to sort out displine on the field of play.  What a lofty ambition for his three-year term?  As the Bob Geldof autobiography stated “Is that it?”. Was there not more pressing problems in the GAA that needed attention along with discipline ones?   Well not so, it seems. Brennan proceeded to engage in a Cover Your Arse presidency from there onwards with the only discipline reforms being the farcical yellow card/subsitute trial during the current League campaign which ended this weekend and look certain to sent to the dustbin where they belong at next weekends Annual Congress.

It is well known that he tirelessly travelled the country and worked the various rooms in promoting the GAA and, more importantly, himself.  He didn’t earn the moniker “Network Nicky” for nothing.  Brennan is viewing has a bigger picture down the road. After a three-year sabattical from Glanbia, he will return there after next week but watch out for his profile rising in political circles in the next few years. Nicky has ambitions beyond that of the IT department of Glanbia and avoiding any controversy as President of the GAA was the priority in his tenure at the top in order to achieve them.

He suceeded in that for sure.  No dishes were broken on his watch, but then no dishes were cleaned either.  He shamefully stayed out of the Cork hurling debacle when it was an issue that went to the very heart of the GAA structure. Nicky dodged the bullets with some aplomb - a trait that is very useful in politics as will have been noted by party scouts.

The Dail is of course a place where the talents of Nicky belong.  CYA is a mandatory asset there and the ability to say a lot of horseshit but actually do nothing suits him perfectly, for that is what happens in the Dail. Like the dull, monotone character he is, he will fit into the anonyomous backbencher wallpaper so well.

No, Nicky, you will not be missed. You will not be remembered for any achievement other than your own profile enhancement. Your picture will hang in the boardrooms and the museum of Croke Park, but anybody scanning the list of past presidents will quickly skip by your one. In years to come, you may be remembered for not being remembered. A trivia question in a pub quiz, perhaps.

A word of advice for the political game. Do something you never done when you were in the top job in the GAA - smile. You never did it while you were President, but when you are kissing babies for photo-shoots you’ll have to do it!