Some of you may remember that last year Rhode imposed a media ban in the run up to the county final. No member of the panel, selectors or committee was allowed speak to the press at a time when obviously the local print and radio was keen to preview the upcoming game. And so it is again this year, with the added condition, that Rhode are also demanding that no-one is allowed report that a media ban is in existence either. (Guess I blew their cover on that one then ....
)So to sum up, Rhode want all the media not to mention them inthe run up to a match in which they are overwhelming favourites, plus they don't want anyone to say why they are not mentioning them.
Is it just me or is this woeful bad form? Leaving out the fact that the club (along with every other club, I stress) is only too happy to use the local media for the purposes of free advertising for dinner dances, golf classics and the likes, it creates a worrying precedent.
Obviously enough, it puts Clara in a no win situation, much like Shamrocks last year. They acquiesce and provide the general public with some content in the run up to the big game, and Rhode get to pick over the comments and drive themselves on with "we'll do our talking during the game". Of course this means that in time all clubs will do the same, and all that will have happened will be that readers and listeners will be deprived. I would imagine that if Shamrocks had reached this year's decider, serious consideration would have been given to doing the same - I know they were very annoyed last year.
Rhode will say that they are looking after their own interests, and that's a legitimate argument. However if the Tribune/Express/Indo was to look after their own interests, they'd have an interview with Scott Brady on one side, talking about the feeling in the club and how they hope to upset the odds. Then they'd balance that with a colour piece from the pubs of Rhode, full of comments about how Rhode are looking forward to an assault on Leinster, and how Clara are useless - exactly the kind of quotes people want to read and would drive Clara on. No doubt Rhode would be indignant at this, but again, the media would be acting in their own interests. Indeed a mischevious journalist could lead with something like "In a pub packed with current Rhode intermediate, junior and minor players, the feelings ranged from quietly confident to downright certain, with nobody voicing any real concerns over a lightweight Clara team".
No lies there, even if the journalist never said a word to any of the actual players and just talked to the drunk 18 year olds at the bar.
I would suggest that Rhode should definitely do the decent thing, let Stephen Darby himself or whoever feels comfortable with it have a few words woth the papers and cut out this messing, which only does themselves and the county a dis-service.
Wouldn't it be grand if it happened, but seriously, it's a bit much for a feckin club team to do this 'press ban' crap... 
smacks of a ''them and us'' attitude. Fair enough, they are probably the best team in the county, but don't need to keep acting like prima-donnas.
