A significant motivating factor for players and managers in the GAA world, according to public utterances at least, has been using negative media soundbites to fuel hunger.
Over the years there have been numerous examples of a siege mentality setting in on the back of story in the media.
In a recent Laochra Gael episode featuring decorated Galway hurler Joe Canning, the Portumna man said it was something he used throughout his career, highlighting a critical match report when Galway lost to Wexford in a 2017 league encounter, the same year they would go on to claim Liam MacCarthy.
"He (the journalist) basically said that we were no good after that Wexford game. Basically, we bottled it again," Canning told viewers.
"The intention of reading the articles that were bad, I never really, I didn't really read too much that was good because there were always people questioning me, I found a lot. Anything Ger Loughnane said, that (Wexford report) article, I always used them for a chip on me shoulder to say basically, 'I’ll show you one day’."
"People looking at this now will say, ‘Jees, that’s not the right way to go about it. Psychologists will look at it and say, ‘No. Never do that.’ And that’s fair enough but that’s what worked for me."
Davy Fitzgerald has brought the relationship between managers, the media (and former team-mates) back into the limelight following his post-match comments, where he seemingly criticised Anthony Daly's recent Irish Examiner column, in which Daly made reference to Allianz League medals and €2 coins.
It seems such external factors were not something that Brian Cody used to overly draw on with his Kilkenny charges.
Given the most successful manager in GAA history led the Cats to 11 All-Ireland titles during his time in charge, negative talk was clearly not a major issue, yet he bristled on occasions when he felt his team were slighted.
Suggestions of a sinister edge to his team rankled, but speaking on the RTÉ GAA podcast, nine-time All-Ireland winner Jackie Tyrrell outlined how Cody dealt with criticism within the squad.
"He would never have referenced individuals that said stuff, but he’d often use the phrase "they" or "the outside world" have said X, Y or Z," he said.
"We would all know who he would be talking about.
"I remember Ger Loughnane saying we were over-physical, then he said we were a functional team, all that kind of stuff.
"He (Brian) would term it all under one thing; rubbish...’the rubbish that’s out there’.
"He never got specific, but we had a fair idea.
"Sometimes you wouldn't even know what has been said because you are in your own bubble, but if there was a really high profile player or ex-player, columnist or pundit that would have said something and it would have got a lot of traction – and you just can’t avoid it – Brian might make reference to it.
"It was very rare. We weren’t that kind of team to do that.
"I know Joe Canning said on his Laochra Gael, which I thought was very interesting as I didn’t think he was that type of character to do that, but it just shows different people, different personalities, different teams use these things in different ways."
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