Murphys Gloves Q+A With Shay McGuigan

Thursday 28.05.2020

 

1. What is your Earliest GAA memory?
Playing at half time in a full house Clones at a Tyrone championship game, I was in P7 so don’t ask me who Tyrone were playing, but all I can mind was the atmosphere was electric and a group of us school children all running for the ball and when we got it we weren’t passing it in a hurry.

2. You are part of a very famous GAA family. How big a help as regards football were your brothers and father when you were growing up?
A massive help, from as young as I can remember it was always football that they had me practising. We had a football pitch right at our back door, so you can only imagine how much it was used by all of us. Tommy, Frank and Brian were all great help, But dad was the one who pushed me most, he had me learning all the basics at early age and I can remember him always saying to me keep practising and practising on your weaker foot cause that will make a massive difference in your game.

3. The best GAA venue you have been to?
Obviously Croke Park would be everyone’s answer but I always loved Casement Park, there was always such a great atmosphere there and the pitch was always like carpet.

4. School participation and/or success.
I Captained our Markey Cup team at Holy Trinity College Cookstown. Didn’t have much success unfortunately at school, we had a great team at Holy Trinity but we just could never seem to edge past Castlewellan in the Markey Cup games.

5. Club/ County role models that you looked up to as a youth
Club- always looked up to my 3 brothers when I at youth, glad I can say that I got to start alongside all 3 of them on the same pitch in a County Final when I was 17, was just unfortunate about the result that day in 2009.

County- again Brian would have been a role model to look up, I think also the fact that when I was younger everyone used to say do you want to be like your brother Brian when your older and play for Tyrone. And well of course my answer was yes, but other than him I loved Canavan, he was just a joy to watch. It was great then to grow up and be taught by Peter in school and he was over our school team.

 

6. Other sports that you played or had an interest in.
Golf- I love Golf, I have recently just started back playing it. Dad also tried to get me onto the golf when I was younger, he bought me my own clubs and always took me out golfing (I think its cause there’s money in golf and no money in the GAA 😉). All jokes a side it’s great to get out for a game and clear the head, well until you put the ball over the hedge!!!

7. Most difficult opponent you have faced in club football and why?
Mattie Donnelly- myself and Mattie are great friends and have had our wee battles over the years but he is just the type of player you can’t give too much room and he is very strong on the ball with two great feet.

8. Best player you have ever seen play Gaelic football
Canavan probably the best I have ever seen play, but in the present day I love watching Shane Walsh (Galway), seriously talented player and a joy to watch.

9. What is your greatest day as a player to date?
It was way back to 2008. Tyrone minor Championhip Final replay against Omagh in Galbally… how we came back and won I will never know. We should have won the first day out but Omagh came back and sent it to a replay. In the second game Omagh looked well in control but we moved Kyle Coney into the edge of the square and just kept pumping it into him and he just kept putting them over. That move won us the game. I dropped at the final whistle and couldn’t believe we had pulled it back. A day I will never forget.

10. The best GAA match that you ever saw?
The 2017 all Ireland final Dublin v Mayo. It was Mayo’s best performance yet and they still came up short. It was end to end stuff, you daren’t have blinked or you would have missed something. Fair play to Dean Rock for having the nerve to kick the winner for three in a row

11. What was your biggest disappointment as a player?
I’d say that it’s under achieving, for being so involved from youth right up to now I haven’t got too much success, winning a county minor grade 1 title in 2008 at 16 years of age and then reaching a county final in 2009 I thought this is great. There is going to be a lot of success if this keeps up. Older people would always say to you, make the most of your playing days as it goes by in a flash, but you never really pay attention to that at 17 years of age. Well look at me now at 28 years of age, 10/11 years gone just like that and still haven’t achieved anything worth talking about. I’d also add a big disappointment as a player is not having the county career that I dreamed about. I left the Tyrone panel in 2015 due to work commitments and lack of game time and just haven’t been selected again. But I do not regret that decision, at that time it was the best decision for me personally and I was getting married that year so something had to give and I wasn’t for giving up my business over football. But if I was back on the county squad now I would be in a more comfortable position to juggle work and football commitments.

12. Your own involvement around the club.
At the moment just a player. I try help out in any other way possible if needed, but our club is great when it comes to voluntary work. I do hope to get involved with coaching at a stage with youth and then take it from there.

13. How important is the GAA in your community?
MASSIVE. Ardboe is all about the GAA. Anywhere you go in Ardboe football is all you talk about to someone you meet, even now in these tough times with this pandemic the GAA club are helping out the vulnerable in the area. Every week us players do our bit and help deliver some essentials to the people in need of it. I know for a fact after all this is over our GAA club will be appreciated even more.

14. Favourite county jersey (not Tyrone)
I know they not liked by many but hate them or love them the Dublin jersey has always done it for me.

15. Are you a fan of penalties to decide the outcome of championship games?
No. I think it’s a harsh way to lose out on. Blow it up let the two of them settle it on a different day. Yes it’s all good if you are on the winning side of the penalties but to train all year and be so close and have your dreams shattered by penalties is just cruel, so it’s a no from me.