Rivalry recalled between Ryan McMenamin and Colm Cooper

Tyrone’s Ryan McMenamin says his infamous battles with the Gooch made him a better defender.

As the pair searched for new ways to outwit each other at the height of the counties’ fierce rivalry of the noughties, Cooper and McMenamin took their own games to new heights.

“From early on, he improved in his movement down through the years as I was marking him, and he probably improved me as a defender too,” he said. “He made me look at other ways of defending, and finding ways to counteract him.

“He always seemed to be getting better every time I came up against him.”

Ricey has always denied accusations that he bit Cooper’s hand during the 2003 All-Ireland semi-final, or eye-gouged his opponent two years later in the All-Ireland final. But he made no secret of the fact that he took an uncompromising approach to marking one of the greatest attackers to play Gaelic football.

“Going out, you can’t afford to be thinking that you’re going to have an easy day. If you’re 2% off, you’ll be punished.”

The Dromore man considers himself fortunate to have had the privilege of being sent into direct opposition to the Kerry legend.

“I had some good tussles with him. I was lucky enough to mark one of the best forwards of his generation. You always look forward to battles like that, and between the two of us, we had no love lost between us, on the field.

“And that was probably the nature of rivalry between Tyrone and Kerry at the time. He was a great forward, and you always knew that whenever you played against him, you had to be at the top of your game.”

McMenamin, who won an All-Star award following Tyrone’s 2005 All-Ireland final triumph over Kerry, had been one of Cooper’s ardent admirers long before the two first faced off in what as to become a fiery, fractious, and controversial personal rivalry.

“I had watched him, and you always appreciate a good forward. It was just his general movement, his distribution, his two feet and his vision that made him the great player he is.”

And the Tyrone man felt it was inevitable the influence of the Gooch would suffer in the modern game as blanket defences became commonplace.

“I think all forwards suffer now. And as time goes on, it’s hard to be the same player as you were in your 20s.

“There were teams he would have come across who had 15 men inside the 45, and you’re not going to get much space then.”