Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Hey look, Rory Delap can throw stuff

Delap, sans ball


In World War 2, he'd have been the lad with the grenades. He was born too late for that, but even so, Rory Delap's superhuman ability to throw round objects has caught the attention of the Irish Pointy Stick Throwing Association back home, and they've got big plans for Delap in 2012.

They're eyeing up Olympic gold with the javelin, and who better to use than Stoke's bearded chucker?


I can't quite believe that it's true, but the Daily Star (think three steps below the Daily Mail for journalistic integrity) says it is, and they've got the quotes to prove it:
Mary Coghlan, head of Athletics Ireland, said: We don’t have any javelin throwers competing at the World Championships next year so of course we would welcome him. To reach the acquired standard would be extremely difficult but nothing is impossible. Certainly, if he wanted to try and throw the javelin for Ireland we would be more than delighted to have him."
So there you have it: Delap for 2012. It'd be a wonderful story, rivaling those legends like the Togolese medalist in canoeing and of course, the Jamaican bobsled team.

Athletics Ireland hopes to get Delap to sit down with Irish javelin "legend" Terry McHugh (of course I would never mock him to his face considering his prowess with a javelin) to talk strategy and see if there might be any interest.

Watch the vid of Delap's long-throw magic in action, and ask yourself: could he really do for a pointy stick what he's done for a leather-stitched ball?




6 comments:

BackBergtt said...

i actually hadnt seen these throws til now, ridiculous. can you just throw it into the goal?

i would think he would be better at shot-put or whatever its called

Bigus Dickus said...

Technically..YES. Realistically? Not a chance. But they sure are amazing. Challinor at Tranmere could do the same. Unlike from a foot, they come in like arrows at perfect header height. Hard to defend especially as players can come from offside positions and hang in front of the keeper.

BackBergtt said...

yeah i just meant like rules wise. i wouldnt discount it happening with keepers like almunia and carson in the league.

The Fan's Attic said...

a throw in is like an indirect kick...it must be touched by another player before it can be counted as a goal.

The Fan's Attic said...

oh, and those throws are real and spectacular.

Jacob said...

Why did we run a picture of Jim Halpert? Odd.