The most pertinent issue arising from the Leinster senior hurling final in which Kilkenny beat Galway at Croke Park is what constitutes an embrace. Do you need to go with both arms? Must there be a clear attempt to wrap in the hug, or in the absence of arms, is it an offence to describe it as an embrace?
It was a contentious moment and unsurprising that it provoked disparate views, particularly those of RTÉ hurling analyst Jackie Tyrrell and anchor Joanne Cantwell. Tyrrell was lyrically waxing about an eminently forgettable final by most accounts when a murmur from the stands alerted him that the “The Handshake, Part Deux”, was imminent.
Galway manager and former Kilkenny colossus Henry Shefflin strode purposely across the turf towards his former manager Brian Cody and extended his hand. Tyrrell interrupted his post-match shakedown to declare: “And there’s a lovely touch, just to see two lads that soldiered together for so many years.”
Tyrrell’s observation was almost an involuntary outpouring of relief, grateful that he didn’t have to witness a reprise of the terse circumstances of “The Handshake, The Original”, between a man who he played under and the other, a team-mate and friend.
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However, his view of the exchange might not have been shared by the general population and certainly not by Cantwell, who interjected: “I have to say it didn’t look all that lovely, Jackie.” There was a lovely sense of mischief in her tone.
Tyrrell, as befits one of the great hurlers of his generation, scrambled sharply to regain his footing in what had now become more of a debate. Cody tagged a few words on to the handshake – glacial springs to mind in evaluating the exchange – and as the camera panned to Shefflin, he could be seen shaking his head as he walked back to the Galway cohort.
“Ah look, it is nice to see themselves embracing each other,” Tyrrell said in trying to introduce a warmer sepia tone to a black and white argument. Cantwell though was not about to be shouldered off her opinion. “That’s not an embrace, it is a very, very brief touch of hands.”
In exasperation, Tyrrell suggested: “It’s better than nothing, Joanne. I think that at the end of the day it is a game. We all love it, and we all go and try to represent ourselves as best as possible.” Cantwell gave perhaps the best example of close marking at Croke Park on Saturday night; dogged and unyielding in not giving an inch. It whets the appetite for the trilogy, “The Handshake, Redux”.
Earlier that day, Stephen Kenny’s Republic of Ireland, were going to get their first victory in the Nations League. It was to be a no-quibble deal. Armenia were ranked 92nd in the world, and while it was a little toasty temperature wise with the mercury over the 30 degrees, it wouldn’t melt the Irish challenge.
The match previews suggested to the Irish public that a 10-match losing streak in the tournament was about to come to an end. After all, Armenia had won one of their last 11 matches and their best player, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, had retired.
On RTÉ, Peter Collins said in the teaser in advance of the game: “The Republic of Ireland squad has taken steps in the right direction under Stephen Kenny. Today we can measure how great those strides have been. Our latest competitive campaign gets under way.” Cue Curtis Mayfield song Move on Up with some funky footage and the scene was set for some razzle-dazzle football Kenny style.
Collins continued: “Unbeaten in eight consecutive matches, an air of positivity has returned around the Ireland squad and a number of green shoots have blossomed into established internationals.” So far, so upbeat.
At half-time Didi Hamann was reasonably upbeat, pointing out that Ireland had created several chances, albeit that they hadn’t taken them. His only criticism was the set pieces were not up to scratch. Fellow panellist John O’Shea was also enthused by what he had been watching.
Everything changed when Armenia scored in the 74th minute and co-commentator Stephen Kelly soon produced a sizeable list of Irish shortcomings, his desperation for a reaction matched by the team but ultimately and unfortunately those calls went unheralded.
Back in the studio, Collins summed up a nation’s feeling at that moment: “It’s hard not to feel utterly deflated.” Chiedozie Ogbene, whom Kelly had nominated as the man of the match, tried to unscramble an Ireland performance, which he did, articulately, before running out of steam and suggesting that “it was just one of those days”. Indeed it was.
