By now, you'll be well aware of Nickey Brennan's displeasure with some managers supposedly getting paid on the side. But given it's the week of Glenn Ryan's retirement (by the way Glenn, thanks for the memories), we'd like to make it clear discontent works both ways.

It's 1997 and Kildare have "nally been beaten by Meath, 1-12 to 1-10, after a three-game epic in the Leinster Championship. Ryan, who was immense that day as he's been for most of his career in the white number six jersey, was approached on the pitch afterwards and given two . . . yes, two . . . drinks vouchers for the bar. For three games running he had helped sell-out Croke Park and this was his reward.

Unfortunately we can't say this de"nitely happened as we have no proof either.

GREAT GAA HEADLINES YOU'VE NEVER SEEN:

'Croke Park residents say nothing at all'

FITNESS NOT FIGHT THE FLAW LAST SERIES

The appearance of Sean Boylan on these pages last week and his reexamination of last year's malicious compromise rules series blew the cobwebs off some recent memories for Sideline Cuts. We had the pleasure (or, perhaps, displeasure? ) of a seat in Melbourne's Telstra Dome last autumn for the mauling of Ireland's "nest. All about us, the Aussies were baying for green blood and more often than not it spilled.

We've presumed that, given his track record with Meath, Boylan will ensure the Irish take to the "elds of Galway and Dublin with a little more, ahem, physicality than they did last time out, but there were other factors in the demise of Ireland last year.

With the onslaught "nally over, a number of the Irish team naturally made for the establishments of the city. We were fortunate to share the same mahogany as them. Speaking off the record, a couple of players were convinced the series was conceded off the "eld. They were trained into the ground, they said.

Not long after their plane hit Western Australia, they were out pounding the "elds. Fine in a professional setup, they said, but not for players after a long season of football and work.

Just a note for Sean Boylan as he trims his squad. Size doesn't always matter. It's just how you treat the talents with which you're bestowed.

Compiled by Ewan MacKenna and TJ Flynn