Cool Cooper unfazed by Brolly’s barbs

Colm Cooper has aimed a withering pop at Joe Brolly following the pundit’s recent comments about his leadership qualities and suitability to the centre-forward position.

Brolly last week reiterated his questioning of the seven-time All Star’s ability to guide a team through adversity. He also claimed Cooper doesn’t work hard enough in the role.

In an extensive interview with the Irish Examiner tomorrow, the 30-year-old laughs off Brolly’s criticism and joked he is thankful it’s Eamonn Fitzmaurice — and not Brolly — picking the Kerry team as he wouldn’t be selected to start.

The Derryman had said: “Cooper at centre-half forward is good in the sense that it frees him from the restrictions of the full-forward line but the problem is he’s looking for easy ball around the half-back line.

“He’s not doing the primary role of a centre-half forward. If you look at a Brian McGuigan or Greg Blaney, players like that, they could also win the breaking ball, the hard yards.

“A centre-forward must do the hard yards and that’s just not the type of footballer Colm is. He’s looking for easy ball and it’s going to be very, very difficult for him.”

Cooper, who believes his knowledge of playing the inside forward line gives him a slight advantage on the 40, was aware of what Brolly said.

“I saw something on Twitter about it. Joe Brolly is an analyst, he’s there to analyse a game and he has his opinions the same way I have and the same way you have. He writes articles and talks and that’s his game.

“I’d enjoy my football whatever position I’m put in. Eamonn gives me a job spec and I go out and try and do it. People can judge themselves whether I’m doing it well or not so well and I’m just lucky he [Brolly] is not picking the team because I’d be in trouble then!

“It doesn’t faze me at all. He had some other comments a year or two ago and he can make his assumptions. But once Eamonn is happy and the team are happy, that’s all I can do.”

Cooper’s fellow half-forward Darran O’Sullivan believes Brolly only makes such remarks to create controversy. He was taken aback by how strongly the 1993 All-Ireland winner attacked Sean Cavanagh after his tackle on Ciaran McManus in the Tyrone v Monaghan All-Ireland quarter-final.

“I think a lot of the comments he made were for attention. Obviously, we don’t like cynicism. But if it was as simple as, if you pull a man down, in fairness, the one thing I would say is, if you pull a man down going through on goal, it should be a red card.”

Meanwhile, national referees committee chairman Pat McEnaney refused to respond to Brolly’s heavy critical comments about Maurice Deegan on Twitter on Wednesday. Brolly posted a disparaging tweet about the Laois official in the wake of his handling of last Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final between Mayo and Tyrone. McEnaney said: “I’ve no interest in social media. I encourage my referees not to use it.”