Meathman's Diary: Let’s get a grip on the handshake

It gets better with every slow-mo'd frame.

The hand-quake between Henry Shefflin and Brian Cody will be replayed for years, nay decades, to come.

In case you missed it, Cody, who bagged 11-All-Irelands as manager of Kilkenny and Shefflin who won 10 playing under him, and now managing Galway, came together at the end of a tempestuous Leinster SHC opener which saw Shefflin's new Tribesmen snatch a dramatic victory over his native county and former boss.

At the full-time whistle which came just seconds after Conor Cooney's game-clinching free, the cameras move in to capture the moment Cody grips the Ballyhale legend's hand and fix him with a stare that would melt every White Walker north of the Wall in Game of Thrones.

Shefflin doesn't flinch or flicker and duly fixes Cody with an equally steely set of eyeballs. As Shefflin goes to turn away, Cody maintains the grasp, forcing to Shefflin to re-engage with the staredown before Cody disdainfully dismisses the hand that scored a Championship career haul of 22-382 (thanks GAA.ie) and give him one last withering side eye. All of this caught in beautiful slow motion by the RTE cameras.

Of course social media was sent into a frenzy with many believing Cody had let himself down and shown major disrespect for a man who was one of his most loyal, trusted and ridiculously talented soldiers.

What many people weren't saying was...just how wonderful it was to see the handshake grabbing the limelight!

After more than two years of no social contact or greeting pleasantries, who knows where we stand with the traditional embrace?

In peak Covid frenzy, we couldn't even look at each other let alone stick out the paw to say hello.

As the novelty of our new aloofness continued we tried that silly elbow bumping panto move accompanied by the faux awkwardness of 'Aha, are we doing it this way, go on, go on, howaya...'

In more recent times, as pandemic paranoia began to wane some started to opt for the fist bump. (Full disclosure, if we're doing this, I much prefer the mutual tap of the soft heel of a clenched fist than the straight-on boney crash of knuckles.)

So where are we at with the handshake? And by handshake I mean the proper, meaty squeezage of fingers and palms now, not that extension of a wet squid that some untrustworthy wretches can wobble at you.

Well, if old-school is alright for Cody and Shefflin it's alright for me and if you don't like it, you need to get a grip.