Our favourite GAA picture of the year so far

Kildare blew past Kilkenny in the Leinster Junior football championship last night. This picture might explain why.

Is there any other sport that can put two men at, shall we say, different ends of the fitness scale in direct competition like the GAA does?

Up and down the country every week young lads as fit as fleas compete against other fellas who haven’t seen their own toes in quite a while. But at the more elite end of the game, such contrasts are rare these days.

However, this gem of a picture, which we think originated from @truefergallynch, was captured at last night’s Leinster Junior Football Championship quarter-final match between Kilkenny and Kildare and is doing the rounds on Twitter today.

The Cats team would have been severe underdogs anyway, even against the Lilywhites second string, but with the added excellence of Dermot Earley, working his way back to fitness, Kilkenny hearts must have sank.

The above picture shows the two-time All Star is not in bad nick in his 15^th season at inter-county level. As for his opponent, Kilkenny full-back Paul Donnelly, well, we will let the picture tell its own story.

And the final result? Kildare 0-18, Kilkenny 1-2.

Update: The Kilkenny footballer who marked Dermot Earley has seen the funny side of it