McGrath: ifs and buts win you nothing

HE’S one of the best midfielders in the country at the moment, Shane McGrath of Tipperary, a current All Star and looking good to retain that honour as Tipp ready themselves to face Limerick in Croke Park this Sunday in the All-Ireland semi-final.

He’s also one of the best interviews around: easy-going, witty and articulate, a bonus for those of us on this side of the line. Earlier this season, however, Shane’s effervescence was well tested when he suffered a bout of the mumps, an illness that knocked him for six.

“I went in to the doctor, and because it hadn’t been seen in a long time he had to call in the other doctor just to have a look and say, ‘Is it the mumps?’ It was a big worry, but when I heard other lads were getting it I didn’t feel so bad, I thought, ‘I’m not the only freak getting this!’ Cha (Fitzpatrick, Kilkenny midfielder) got them and Conor O’Mahony (Tipperary centre-back) got them — Cha would probably say himself that he’s not a patch on the hurler he was in the last few years, because it just took so much out of him.”