You can bring the horses to water but you can’t make them drink. For more than a decade now, Gaeldom, myself included, have been articulating ad nauseum how pedantic, restrictive, and frankly boring snooze fest Gaelic football has become.
You can blame Mickey Harte or Jim McGuinness or Eamon Ryan or Elon Musk or whoever the hell you like, the fact is Oireachtas TV held more prospect of delivering feisty, entertaining exchanges than what passed as Gaelic football for far too long.
However, to that end, with the election of Jarlath Burns as Uachtarain CLG, a (relatively) young appointee to the top job, there was at least the hope that, rather than the fear of change which has hamstrung the Association for generations, we now had a leader who has made his life therein as a driver of change.
As a player, media commentator and, latterly, as a rapidly burgeoning administrator. As if to frank those credentials and aspirations for his stewardship in this seat, almost immediately upon his accession into office, he made contact with Jim Gavin with a view to getting, statistically, the greatest manager in Gaelic football history on board as a statement of intent. A clear sign that promises were genuine in terms of getting the game back to something like we used to know and love.
Of course, it’s not only Jim, the Clondalkin native has around him a body of the most astute and respected GAA minds there are. People of the ilk of Malachy O’Rourke, Eamonn Fitzmaurice, James Horan, Colm Collins and Michael Murphy.
If you look at the makeup of Gavin’s group, geographically speaking, that they met 35 times as a committee, that’s without totting up surveys conducted, team managers met and ‘sand box’ games played, they certainly have upturned every stone they came across.
Perhaps most significantly, though, they have most definitely listened and acted upon the feedback received. That football had gone boring is the most blatant statement of the obvious since Eamon Dunphy said Niall Quinn was a creep!
Their acknowledgment as such also vindicates those of us who had grown hoarse extolling the virtues of what was deemed ‘old fashioned’ football. Hell, a former inter county footballer said to this writer earlier this year “You can’t play football that way anymore”.
Really? It seems to me that all those brainwashed by sports science and paralysed by analysis failed to notice that, yes, the team that Jim built did indulge in so called ‘modern’ football, but they also employed the old tried and trusted methodology more than some will want to admit.
Transcending a few eras here, but, whether it was Stephen Cluxton pinging kickouts down on top of Paul Flynn or Dean Rock or Brian Fenton fetching missiles and then either lasering them into Con O’Callaghan or essaying them over from out the field himself, Dulblin played a lot more ‘old’ football than many ever realised or admitted.
Didn’t turn out too bad for them, did it? So it was always on the cards that Gavin’s group were going to at least try inculcating something that rewards long kicking in different areas of the field. Whether that be by way of longer kickouts or as an encouragement to go for scores from further out. Just as committee members Horan and Murphy had made a career out of.
So, after a weekend of Jimmy Ball II (crediting Mr McGuinness with what has afflicted Gaelic football for the last dozen years) what’s the verdict?
Well, the three immediate observations are (a) the alterations are very much to the advantage of forwards, (b) the scoring rate seems certain to increase greatly. If the four games over the weekend are anything to go by. And (c) the ‘mic’ing up’ of referees is an overdue but very welcome development.
Now, perhaps understandably, the matches on Friday night certainly wouldn’t have converted many non believers. Though in fairness, even from the first match to the second one, there was a marked improvement in game management. Very obviously showing that the Munster and Ulster players had looked and learned at and from the first game.
Where Leinster appeared miles off things therein. Which allowed Mayo’s Aidan O’Shea make history, scoring the first four point goal in GAA. Thereafter, the Roscommon duo of Enda Smyth and Diarmuid Murtagh, O’Shea and his Mayo colleague Fergal Boland rained points over Stephen Cluxton’s crossbar.
By the end of the first game, Connacht had clocked up 4-21. Even in old currency, that is impressive work. Yes, a goal being worth four points obviously aids a good accumulation. Against that, however, it’s important to point out that the four matches under the Croker lights were played over four fifteen minute quarters (60 minutes) so you can imagine what the scores would be like with an extra ten minutes.
“Ulster Says No”. Those of us of certain vintage thought we’d heard the last of that with the passing of the man once described as follows by the late Luke Kelly leadimg into Hand Me Down The Bible:
“I’d like to dedicate this one to our great friend, the Reverend…Doctor, sorry, Doctor, Ian, well, I won’t complete the full name, you know who it is”! Well, it appears, in an almost funny way, that the legacy of one of the most unlikely Chuckle Brothers lives on in an even more unexpected location.
For, in one way, the smug, almost ignorant reaction of Armagh’s Connaire Mackin when asked for his views on the trialling rules had a depressingly familiar whiff of ‘Ulster says No’ about them. A bit surprising really, given that, very close to home, they don’t mind playing by different rules if it puts a bit of extra weight in the pocket. Another classic case of ‘Do as I say, not as I do’.
Mind you, it is only fair to point out that Mackin didn’t appear to be on his own with his views. Because, early on at least, on Friday evening, it appeared his Ulster brethern were actively doing their best to ignore the new stipulations.
Certainly in terms of shooting outside the 40m arc anyway. That said, at least the dictum pertaining to kickouts – that they must travel beyond the above mentioned arc – necessitates longer kicking and almost guarantees a contest around centre field.
Speaking of the arc, the extra point now available for 45s will surely incentivise the notion, nay, importance of teams having a dead-eyed Dick placed ball specialist. Whether it be an outfield player or goalie. Jazus, how many more All Irelands would would Meath have won if these alterations were around when we had Trevor Giles and Staff in the pomp?
Not to mention Brendan Reilly, O’Rourke, Flynn, Gillic, Dowd, Geraghty and Murphy, all of whom were capable of kicking scores from the next parish. Even Enda McManus ventured forth one day and drove over a monster against Armagh in an All Ireland semi final. Or perhaps the most pertinent example of the lot – Colm Coyle’s levelling point against Mayo in 1996. If it were under current parametres it would’ve been a winning score. Thus there would have been no draw, no replay and history would be a lot more boring!
Anyway, frustratingly predictable Ulster objection-ism aside, it was a shade disappointing to hear those considered to be open and fair minded venturing that tweaks may be needed already. Jesus wept. At least give them the duration of the National League before beginning condemnations. You see, there’s the first drawback of giving an upstart like Tom Parsons too much rope. On his head were the preseason competitions axed. When the dogs, cats and cows on the street know they were the platform on which to trial the new initiatives. As has been the case since God was a gasun.
To quote Erin McGregor (there’s four words I never thought I’d use together!) the neck on Parsons, saying he “wouldn’t mind” inter county matches being played on a Friday night if it was a ‘one off’. It should be absolutely none of his business. The sooner the better Jarlath Burns stands on that tail and stops it wagging the dog the better. However, thankfully the good people of the county Cavan are already en route to calling the bluff of Parsons and his ilk by tabling a proposal for the Central Council meeting next weekend calling on the abolition of the Cup competitions to be itself culled before it comes into effect.
So, in conclusion, what’s my own take on the new ideas? Well, I think the 3v3 concept definitely lends itself to more open, attacking and thereby entertaining football. Ditto kickouts having to cross the 40 arc. If there was one aspect of the auditioning adjustments there would be doubt about the need for it is the four point goal. I’d leave the goal as it has been for most of modern history and, if they did want to trial something else, either two points, say, for a scored sideline ball or, something similar to the shot clock in basketball but amended so that, for example, a defending team only had 20 seconds to get the ball to the halfway line after a turnover has been affected.
All debate and rancour for now, of course, but hopefully, if the Cavan motion gets the support it deserves, we might get to have a proper look at the new ideas in action sooner rather than later.
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