The Sunday Game needs Joe Brolly to analyse first and then entertain

The entertainment viewers get from watching a game on television should come from the game itself, not the pundits.

The job of a pundit is to inform, to tell viewers something that they may not have already known. They're said to be experts in their field of analysing our games, and any insightful information that our audience gets from those analysts will be lapped up gratefully. Joe Brolly appeared on SportsJOE Live on Wednesday night when he was posed a few questions by host Colm Parkinson on the recent controversy surrounding The Sunday Game.   "I discuss the game as though I was standing at a bar having a pint of stout with you talking about it. I've always been a free thinker since I was small. It has never occurred to me to tailor what I say so that it's politically correct," said the 48-year-old. When Brolly was asked about the furore surrounding Pat Spillane and his analysis of the Diarmuid Connolly incident, he dodged the question entirely. Parkinson let the All-Ireland winner with Derry in 1993 know that Spillane's analysis didn't differ to Sky Sports' analysis on the night of the game itself. "Yes, but nobody watches Sky. That's the point. For last year's All-Ireland final more people went to mass in Donnybrook than watched Sky," said Brolly. Parkinson questioned the analyst on whether he believes The Sunday Game is "agenda-driven" on the back of the Spillane incident. Brolly's response(s) told us exactly why he is performing his punditry role as more of an entertainer than a pundit. Brolly compared his mindset when analysing on The Sunday Game to Francis Urquhart on the original House Of Cards. "He used to say, 'time to put a bit of stick about.' Sometimes I just like to have a bit of fun on television." Brolly claimed that GAA people enjoy the entertainment that certain pundits can bring to the table. He used this as a reason why he likes to bring an edge to his punditry, claiming that people are interested in the relationships that exist between the analysts. "Wherever we would go, people would come up and they'd be like 'ah, what's Spillane like?' They're interested in that. They're not particularly interested in whether or not Down won 57% of their kick outs in the second half." Brolly claimed he enjoys the 'stick', the banter that can arise from making a dig at someone. The barrister is well renowned for his combative nature on The Sunday Game. He likes to disagree, he likes to challenge the standard perception. Certain people enjoy this, but it's not Brolly's job to have people laughing at the personalities on the punditry table. People enjoy this because Brolly has 'the gift of the gab' like nobody else. He brings gusto to his punditry, he brings entertainment, he brings life. Brolly ventures off-track. He said last Sunday before the Mayo game that Stephen Rochford's men were finished on the evidence of their warm-up for the game against Derry. "I think Mayo are in a bad place. I was watching their warm-up and it was very lacklustre. I think that their Sam Maguire dream is over, and I think they feel that. It must be gutting for them," said Brolly before the game last weekend. Eamon Dunphy, eat your heart out. Brolly's defence of Diarmuid Connolly when he had clearly broken a rule was inexplicable, his comments on Colm Cooper? Likewise. Undoubtedly armed with a sharp, analytical mind, Brolly has shown in the past he is capable of breaking down a football match as well as anyone - but he claims that is not what the people want. Brolly defends this off-the-wall approach, claiming that he delivers his opinion on a matter. "When I say things I mean them,” Brolly told the Irish News. "I think people in the GAA community understand that, which is why I get a good welcome wherever I go because (as) people say: 'Well, he speaks his mind – like him or hate him.'" When Brolly claimed on SportsJOE Live that he enjoys the stick, is he admitting he will say something just to get a rise out of someone? If people want entertainment, they can switch to the movie channels, to the comedy, not The Sunday Game's team of experts. Brolly rejected the notion that RTÉ's flagship highlight show is weak on analysis, and claimed that he would dissect any game on the spot. There is nobody doubting Brolly's ability to pass comment on a game; what people are doubting is his ability to control his powerful personality because it so often appears that he says things in order to get a reaction. He basically admitted that on Wednesday night. Mickey Harte claimed recently that The Sunday Game is full of celebrity analysts, and Brolly's comments on Wednesday night don't do much to refute these claims. "You need to be sure the people analysing our games - some people would call them celebrity analysts - they need to be really mindful of the fact that it is not about putting someone else down to raise themselves up," said the Tyrone manager. Brolly makes for great television but would he be better suited to The Late Late Show? Now there's a thought. He may be box office, but that's not what The Sunday Game needs.