No, it isn’t an All-Ireland final, or even a big sporting event, but the return of Oasis, the indie rock band that dominated the ‘90s music scene, as they have announced their comeback and reunion tour, with tickets selling out in a matter of minutes.
The Mancunian brothers aren’t the only thing that has resurfaced from the 1990s, as bands like Blink-182, N-Sync and The Backstreet Boys have all found their way back on tour and in the charts once again.
Even the biggest movies nowadays are either sequels, prequels or a relaunch of big ‘90s films, like Bad Boys, Roadhouse or Ghostbusters.
What is considered ‘cool’ now is retro, and what’s retro are things that were massive in the last decade of the 20th century.
All of these revivals got us thinking about how Gaelic football was played in that era; who the superstars were, how the game was promoted, and the different aspects of the sport that are no longer prevalent in the modern model.
So, here are some things from the ‘90s that we think should make a comeback in Gaelic football.
Kicking the ball
Okay, this seems obvious, and a bit oversimplified, but there’s no escaping the fact that modern forwards are starved of good balls being pumped into them, to be able to do what they do best; make a big catch, turn a defender, and score a great goal.
However, in the ‘90s there was certainly an element of ‘hit and hope’ where the ball was constantly (and randomly) just launched into the forwards, only to be scooped up by defenders, who launched it straight back — something which fans nowadays wouldn’t tolerate.
In an era that saw superstars Peter Canavan, Pádraic Joyce, Jason Sherlock and Joe Brolly all shine brightest — simply because they were fed with kicked balls in — then we can only be envious of them, as they were given the opportunity to really strut their stuff.
Nobody wants to see a return of ping-pong football, but if we could find a sweet spot and watch some size five O’Neill’s balls go into the square, the sport would be in a much better place.
International Rules
This is probably when the International Rules series between Australia and Ireland was at its peak, and it often delivered a spectacle.
Alright, the ‘90s maybe highlighted some of the more brutal aspects of this sport, as it wouldn’t be uncommon to see matches turn into full fist fights between the teams, but the entertainment value was certainly there.
The idea that you could represent your country by playing Gaelic football was such an appealing thing for players and fans alike, and was a great way to advertise our sport to a wider audience.
One only has to look at the amount of young Irishmen being scouted and signed over in Australia now to play in the AFL to see how much our athletes have impressed them.
All-Star tours
One of the best things about the All-Stars was that the winners actually had to play together in an All-Star team and go on a tour promoting the game in the process. We all have that childish need in us that wants to see ‘Dream Teams’ play together, just like the 1992 USA basketball side that saw fierce rivals like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson share the court with one another.
The ‘90s gave us the opportunity to see arch enemies like Canavan and Kieran McGeeney play alongside each other, and you couldn’t help but watch with a keen interest.
Railway Cup
Amazingly, this actually is coming back in October, as a way of trialling the new proposed rules put forward by Jim Gavin’s task force.
Thus, for the first time in years, we are going to see Ulster, Leinster, Munster and Connacht face off in a competition, all taking place in Croke Park.
At their height, these were massive affairs, with the final taking place on St Patrick’s Day, but as the GAA calendar became more and more congested, there was just no room or want for it anymore.
Although, with the split season now tidying things up a bit, this could be a great way for players who are no longer in their club championships to represent their provinces, and give the fans some eye-catching games to look forward to in the winter months when football is at a premium.
Media access
Back in the day, it would be totally normal for journalists to be sitting alongside players in the dressing room after matches, getting interviews for tomorrow’s papers.
This was probably a step too far as the dressing room should be a sanctuary for the players, but how did we go from that to suddenly living off crumbs, with zero interviews from management and players before the biggest games?
The media has had to resort to interviewing former players from teams involved as they desperately try to drum up some excitement and hype in the event, and you only have to look at crowd attendances in the ‘90s compared to now, to see that it isn’t nearly enough.
Competitive Championships
There’s no point in saying otherwise — Ulster is the only remaining province that has any real interest or competitive edge. Connacht is a two-horse race between Galway and Mayo, with Roscommon causing the odd upset, but even then, the Tribesmen have won the last three in a row.
Munster belongs solely to Kerry and every time we think Cork might just muster up some semblance of a competition, they let us down and The Kingdom remain firmly on top.
The less said about Leinster the better, as Dublin have won it a stupid amount of times consecutively now, and it’s a sorry state of affairs, because it used to be one of the most exciting.
Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Laois were all massive powerhouses in Gaelic football in the ‘90s and you would need to be a brave man if you were going to confidently bet on any of them to win the championship, because it was so hard to call back then.
How you can fix such an entrenched problem is beyond me, and it probably can’t be fixed, if we’re being honest, but in this magic time machine where we can take anything from that special decade and bring it back, then provincial Championships would be at the top of the list.
Getting shirty
Back in that golden era, if you were to rock up to a county training session, the chances were that all of the players would be wearing a football jersey belonging to just about any county other than their own.
Before the modern period of countless tracksuits, hoodies, quarter zips, sweatshirts, windbreakers, polo shirts, warm-up tops and training t-shirts, players were reliant on swapping their jerseys with the opposition after matches as a way of bulking out their wardrobes for the season ahead.
It was also a great sign of respect for your opponent, especially back in a time when the game was very physical and nowhere near as policed as it is now.
A gentleman’s handshake and trade of jerseys was the best way to show that what happens on the pitch stays on the pitch.
