Things you don't see in GAA anymore

jr86

Following a nostalgic conversation with a few mates over the weekend, what are things you don't see or rarely see in the modern games of hurling/football anymore

- Fog-horns/flags at matches
- "AN other" on the match programme
- The good old traditional tough ball winning full back in football. Packed defences have completely changed the position
- The third midfielder. While still in operation it was all the rage for a while, in the days before short kickouts, when teams wanted to pack the middle with ball winners for kickouts.
- There was much less accessibility to players. Nowadays people can nearly track their every move on social media.
- Fans getting jerseys signed - mainly selfies now

shmeee

- "Tubs of ices now folks" for sale on the terraces!
- Running for a broken hurley to take off the grip and bring it home in the pocket.
- "sure he's only going sitting on my lap, be grand" to the man on the stile with the younglad by your side.

Sebastian Dangerfield

I remember a lot of the lads on the turnstiles in Cusack Park operating on a "one for them, one for me" basis. The place could be packed but the news reports would have it half full

frag420

Guys jumping 40ft in the air to catch a ball...

NewbridgeIR

Non-neutral umpires
Lads being called “sissies” because they wore a helmet
Fewer travellers seem to play hurling now

NewbridgeIR

Also, lads getting togged out in the front seat of the car

shockframe

Puma Kings. Worn by about 2/3 of players from the late 80s to the late 00s.

Now rarely worn by anyone in a big match.

sanjose1

Guys peeing on the packed terraces of Semple Stadium for Munster final day

Boom__Boom

jr86 wrote: »

- The third midfielder. While still in operation it was all the rage for a while, in the days before short kickouts, when teams wanted to pack the middle with ball winners for kickouts.

Have to disagree with this a bit - Kerry definitely used what looked very much like a third midfielder in a number of games in the league.

jr86

Boom__Boom wrote: »

Have to disagree with this a bit - Kerry definitely used what looked very much like a third midfielder in a number of games in the league.

Sure I said it's still in operation

But when I was playing club senior football in the early/mid 00s it was all the rage.

Generally a number 15 dropping back to the middle, while all the other numbers played exactly as selected.

As I said it was effective in the era of basically every kickout going long. Nowadays it's forwards dropping back to help out the defence and sweep up loose ball.

The_Kew_Tour

Flags,
A real buzz before games
Overweight players
Ground Hurling
Good Football

clfy39tzve8njq

JOHN 3:7

Davys Fits

Kilkenny throwing Liam Mc Cup into the boot of the car.

shockframe

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Flags,
A real buzz before games
Overweight players
Ground Hurling
Good Football

Miss Round 7 of the League yesterday?

Walter.White

Mullets !

Road-Hog

Walter.White wrote: »

Mullets !

White or other alternative colored boots

Subs having a fag in the dug out

The ‘Un official’ program

Spectators roaring ‘put it up’ aimed at umpires as a guy has just struck the sliotar so confident are they that it is over the bar before it lands

Offaly at top table in hurling or football and people on about their ‘never give up/can never write them off’ etc

A fan in a row in front of you turning around tinyou and saying ‘where is your shouting now’ when his team gets a score to go ahead in last minute of a game

Pecker dunne in thurles

Packed stadiums other than all Ireland final days

Michael lyster

The ‘lock hard’ guys around Croke Park who promised to guard your car during a big match for €5

Cork’s cockiness....!

Pit Spillane’s attempts at humor/tot puns during his analysis at half/full time on Sunday game.

The tin foil wrapped sanguage and flask of tae brigade.....white bread ham sandwiches laden with butter and fatty ham......

Pitch invasions on all Ireland final days. Will only ever happen again if a norn iron team wins a final again.

Walter.White

Ham sandwiches and tea from the boot of the car !

joebloggs32

Fans lining the side of the pitch in the last 5 minutes of a game ready to invade it at the final whistle!

boggerman1

The pre motorway days heading to cork for a Munster championship matches against Clare.those matches between Tipp and Clare in the late 90's early 00 were mighty.a packed pairc,backed alive in the sun on the Blackrock end.plus you would have to head down early on the Saturday to avoid the traffic.plus be in reardens by 7 to get in the door.any excuse to go the day before.now you would be at the tunnel in an hour or so from home.no craic

tayto lover

Walter.White wrote: »

Ham sandwiches and tea from the boot of the car !

I still do that.
Love me tae and ham sammich.

Rob Thomas

shockframe wrote: »

Puma Kings. Worn by about 2/3 of players from the late 80s to the late 00s.

Now rarely worn by anyone in a big match.

God yeah, it was all about Puma Kings - apart from the real poser who got Adidas World Cups.



A kid playing mascot in the photo is not something you see now either.

corny

Plan B

50HX

Schemozzles

Legging it onto the croker pitch

Warm bottles of country spring/ to lemonade in the car.....yuck

Banter around grounds is a lot less.......Internet on phones has made people a lot less sociable

DJIMI TRARORE

Chronic lack of atmosphere and pre match excitement B4 games
The lack of a fat lad at FF
The lack of daddy playing in goals + his 16 year old son at CF.
Actually, now when I think about it,was Colin Cookery the last of the pot bellied footballer? I know that Fermanagh had a big fella FF but he wasn't that much out of shape

jr86

Listening to local radio to hear a team being named for a big match live from training. Now it's just on twitter

Going on massive long session after winning a club semi final. Nowadays drink bans in place for months and I'd doubt any team even goes for a few after a semi anymore

Stop off in Enfield/moate on way home west from a big match in Dublin. The place hopping. Similarly cans on bus home, and into a few fields on way home to take multiple toilet breaks

As mentioned above, schemozzles!

Lads smoking before/during/after game

Managers patrolling the whole pitch.

Full on rows in the crowd at club matches

jr86

DJIMI TRARORE wrote: »

Chronic lack of atmosphere and pre match excitement B4 games
The lack of a fat lad at FF
The lack of daddy playing in goals + his 16 year old son at CF.
Actually, now when I think about it,was Colin Cookery the last of the pot bellied footballer? I know that Fermanagh had a big fella FF but he wasn't that much out of shape

Yup when I was playing in the early 00s it was either a big lummox or a fast dinger of a full forward.

Nowadays you can't even tell in many cases who's actually playing full back or full forward. They were such specialised positions up until a few years ago (meanness and toughness a major requirement for FB, and in the case of the big lummox at FF, the hands spread out in agitation when any ball wasn't directed straight into the bread basket )

wirelessdude01

One in, ALL in. That's the thing I miss most now

beertons

A few lads sneaking up on the roof. Hasn't happened in Croker for a while anyway.

wirelessdude01

beertons wrote:

A few lads sneaking up on the roof. Hasn't happened in Croker for a while anyway.

The old Nally stand was the king for that..

delaad

Banners with, sometimes, witty comments on them,.....as at Down 93 final,

"The man in front is Mickey Linden"

Deskjockey

-Furry green and gold hats
-Terriers on pitches
-Players smiling while walking around in the parade, without a care in the world
-Enough broken timber at the end of a match to start a bonfire
-Swaying Terraces
-Players with an entire missing row of front teeth
-Lads pinning a paper rosette onto your jacket as you make your way up from the square in Thurles
- Dual intercounty players
- minor footballers with Osama Bin Laden beards (in fairness he was a one off!)

carter10

Doing 2 laps of the field a few stretches and then a game of backs and forwards= training

padd b1975

Every player wearing goalkeeper gloves.

Goalkeepers wearing rugby boots.

An auld fella sitting on a football behind the goal.

Training sessions with players wearing jerseys from other counties that they'd have swapped down through the years.

Nobody owned a replica shirt.

Church Gate collections for team expenses if a provincial title was won.

No turnstiles at county grounds, just a few guys sitting at tables who dealt only in cash.

BENDYBINN

Michael o Hehir

Road-Hog

BENDYBINN wrote: »

Michael o Hehir

Foul mouthed biased auld fellas , smoking and farting and who take no account of any childer that might be in the vicinity.

elefant

Umbro Specialis

C__MC

Kilkenny winning Leinster at a canter

zetecescort

Tidy corner forwards with jerseys 3 sizes too big

Rasputin11

Deskjockey wrote: »

-Furry green and gold hats
-Terriers on pitches
-Players smiling while walking around in the parade, without a care in the world
-Enough broken timber at the end of a match to start a bonfire
-Swaying Terraces
-Players with an entire missing row of front teeth
-Lads pinning a paper rosette onto your jacket as you make your way up from the square in Thurles
- Dual intercounty players
- minor footballers with Osama Bin Laden beards (in fairness he was a one off!)

Who was the minor football OBL?

hardybuck

Those O'Neill's socks with the padded white foot bit at the bottom. Ironically replaced now with lads wearing a regular white sock over their football socks.

Deep Heat and Freeze Spray.

Knee Bands.

Lads tying their laces around the bottom of their boots.

Paper hats in county colours.

Plan B in Croke Park.

Senior clerics throwing in the ball to start the game.

clfy39tzve8njq

hardybuck wrote:

Senior clerics throwing in the ball to start the game.

God yeah I'd actually forgotten about that custom.

tayto lover

The old paper hats.
When it rained the colours ran down your face.
Have a few great photos of that from the 1970’s.

Kevhog1988

Micko insisting the team eat a full fry before playing a provincial final

Kevhog1988

Being called up from the junior squad to senior for the game against neighbouring club because you were a hardy bastard 😂😂

BloodyBill

1. Daisies on the pitch for a Connacht football final and the graveyard in Hyde Park.
2. Swaying in the crowd at the old Pairc Ui Chaoimh and the fear of losing in Munster
3. People looking into TV cameras thinking they might see their family at home in the sitting room. I miss that the most.

megadodge

BloodyBill wrote: »

1. Daisies on the pitch for a Connacht football final and the graveyard in Hyde Park.
2. Swaying in the crowd at the old Pairc Ui Chaoimh and the fear of losing in Munster
3. People looking into TV cameras thinking they might see their family at home in the sitting room. I miss that the most.

The graveyard is still there!

Unsurprisingly.

elefant

hardybuck wrote: »

Lads tying their laces around the bottom of their boots.

Good one!

www.bored.ie

puma kings

Beechwoodspark

Edgar Tinkling Jacuzzi wrote: »

God yeah I'd actually forgotten about that custom.

A bishop still presents the minor all Ireland trophy as far as I know.

jasper100

Three priests sitting in a stand discussing how they know a player will be getting a three month suspension before the disciplinary hearing has taken place.

spurscormac

hardybuck wrote: »

Plan B in Croke Park..

If Mayo ever get over the line, you can be damn sure there'll be a return of Plan B.