BY KEVIN MCGOURTY

columnists@gaeliclife.com

ISN'T TG4 Just class, Not your run of the mill introduction so let me elaborate. Each week either through Laochra Gael or All Ireland Gold the younger generations of our association gets the chance to dive into the archives and see the stars of the past in full flow.

A number of weeks ago the station broadcast a rerun of the epic 1978 All Ireland football final between Kerry and Dublin. There on one side was the awesome Jack O'Shea the talented John Egan and Mickey Sheehy and the thick Paudie O Se. On the other side stood Jimmy Keaveney looking like Jocky Wilson at the oche, Paddy Cullen between the posts with a pair of painters gloves on and Paddy Doherty at full back using every move, illegal or otherwise, to gain possession of the ball.

However for this viewer the only man I wanted to see in full flow was my sporting hero the great Pat Spillane. From a young age my mother and father used to tell me to watch the hare from Templenoe. We have seen some great players through the ages Mick O'Connell, Brian Mullins, Dennis 'Ogie' Moran, Colm O'Rourke, Mickey Linden, Anthony Tohill, Sean O'Neill, Geezer and Peter the Great but none of them can hold a match to the outrageous Spillane.

He had everything. Lethal pace, the ability to connect back to front, could score with the best of them and most importantly when the chips were down for the kingdom they could count on the blonde haired Spillane to pull them through. Many of you want to probably turn the page at this point, but stick with me for a while, this is important. I need to explain why we will never see his likes again.

Like him or loathe him Spillane's record in Gaelic football will never be surpassed. From his earliest days in St Brendan's of Killarney success followed him everywhere he went. When retiring from the game in 1991 he had won an All Ireland club medal, a record nine All stars, 11 Muster Football Championship medals, Eight All Ireland senior football medals, an All Ireland u21 medal, a couple of national leagues, countless railway cups and represented his country in world superstars.

At the age of just 19 a baby-faced Spillane in 1975 was sent up the steps of the Hogan stand to collect the Sam Maguire after Mickey 'Ned' O'Sullivan had been rushed to hospital. For many it would have been a daunting task but for this confident young man from south east Kerry it was merely the starting point of an exceptional career. He was to play in a total of ten All Ireland Finals and was named man of the match in three of these games.

What makes him so unique is that in the early 1980s he suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury and many thought that was the end. However through a stroke of luck he got in contact with a surgeon in Coventry and finally returned to top level football playing even better than before leading Kerry to a three in a row in the mid 80s. To recover he trained three times a day, cycled up hills, swam the three miles across Kenmare bay and reportedly refused to engage in any bedroom action with the wife. Many a man marker tried their best to disrupt him through negative tactics but he always rose above it.

Many will argue he came along with a wonderful team, that's all well and good but it is better to be the greatest on a good team than the greatest on a poor side. His performance in the 1986 all Ireland final over Tyrone has to rate amongst the greatest of all time. At one stage in the game the kingdom where on the ropes, but Spillane single-handedly hauled them back into the game and his flicked goal midway through the second half into the Hill 16 goal will live long in the memory.

There can be little doubt that in recent years he has incensed many supporters around the country, especially here in Ulster, with his uncompromising views of modern day football, but forget about that and remember him for his football talents. I came across one example of just what a unique talent he was came when I had the pleasure last June of having lunch with the great Mick O'Dwyer in Queens Student's Union. Micko talked about his views on some of the Kerry greats how close he was to the Bomber, how strange Mick O'Connell could be at times, the unique athlete that was Jack O'Shea, Paudie's drive to win more, The skill of Ogie Moran and Mickey Sheehy, his regrets about how the talented John Egan left the Kerry scene, but above all else when I mentioned Spillane he just shook his head and said, "They were a class bunch of players but Spillane was just a cut above them all." A glowing testimony to a wonderful Gaelic Footballer. Spillane like his autobiography suggests does shoot from the hip but like George Best let's remember him for his football because there was none better.

From one Kerry man to another and wasn't Kieran Donaghy at times awesome last Saturday night against Tyrone. His high fielding was something that would not be out of place down under and caused major problems for the Tyrone defence. Alongside Declan O'Sullivan and Bryan Sheehan he proved to be an excellent target man for the Kerry defence and propelled them to a deserved three point win.

Tyrone in contrast looked one dimensional at times and seemed without doubt to be suffering up front with the departure of Steven O'Neill. It's just as well they now have a few home fixtures where they should be able to pick up points.

Derry had a very good win in Portlaoise and I am sure they are more than happy with maximum points. Likewise Donegal after another late comeback at the expense of last year's beaten league finalists, Mayo.

In division two Monaghan comfortably won the local derby against Cavan giving them maximum points and keeping them on course for promotion. In contrast Cavan will now find it hard to avoid the drop if they don't win next day out.

Armagh lost to Westmeath and weren't helped by having two sent off, but they will improve as the league goes on and the Crossmaglen players return. They should gain enough points to ensure their status is retained for next season. Down are now on six wins in six matches, a last gasp winner against Louth ensuring their run continues. They are probably the country's most in form side at the present moment.

Fermanagh must be very frustrated at the lack of games and excuses over pitch and weather conditions at this stage. However, they just have to knuckle down to it and hit the ground running when they eventually get the opportunity to play.

In division four its coming up to a big fortnight for Antrim with Offaly coming to Casement in what looks like the battle to see who tops division four. Both teams should gain promotion by the end of the present league campaign regardless of the result.

I'll close on a sombre note. It would be great if all Ulster Gaels took a quiet moment this weekend to remember the 20th anniversary of the death of Aidan McAnespie, my thoughts are with his family at this time.