At the outset here an admission – I didn’t see the All Ireland Ladies SFC Final in real time. But, from having watched extensive highlights and analysis, as much as I would have very little time for the individual as a referee, I would have to admit Maggie Farrelly got the big, huge call at the very end of the game absolutely correct.
The transgressing Kerry player was well inside the Galway small square before Shiofra O’Se’s long looping ball went goalward.
Where questions could be legitimately be asked is why, having apparently afforded the Kerry sharpshooter an advantage – on foot of which she had (we thought) kicked an equaliser only for the Cavan controller to declare the advantage had expired and therefore she brought it back for the aforementioned free which Kerry mucked up.
Now, at this juncture, its important to point out that, the minutae of the rule, the advantage is to expire after five seconds. Which, again, Maggie appeared to be spot on about.
However, now is as good a time as any to wheel out the old movie line “If that’s the law, then the law’s an ass”. And in this instance, that is the only conclusion one could arrive.
Surely for an ‘advantage’ rule to even go near living up to its name, if a referee has applied it, should at least remain rolling until the ball goes dead. Equally as important, though, is what is becoming a farcical situation with regard to the Hooter to begin and end matches.
Commensurate to the application of the advantage rule, the GAA and LGFA need to either (a) scrap use of the Hooter altogether or (b) revert to how it was originally deployed. That is to say, that, even if the claxon has clanged, play should continue until the ball goes dead.
Other than that, there are additional rule alterations which would definitely give the ladies game a much needed shot in the arm. Needed because, as an attendance of 26,000-ish between six teams – the lowest gathering in Croke Park on Finals day since 2013 – would indicate, people haven’t the same zest for buying what the LGFA are selling.
Compared, say, to the 48,089 patrons who saw Dublin and Meath face off for the Brendan Martin Cup 12 months ago. The irony being that where last season the sky blues were raging favourites and comfortable winners, you’d have got short odds on there being much more than a kick of the ball between Galway and the Kingdom on Sunday last.
From a long way out this season, the lassies from the land of the Tribes were my idea of most likely queenpins. Though it will be admitted that the nearer it was getting to D-Day, the more inclinations were beginning to swing towards Mark Bourke’s side.
At least some of that, though, was down to wishful thinking on my behalf. Along the lines of, if Kerry did go on to win it out, it might imply that Meath are not, in fact, that far off the new breed of big hitters.
Reality, however, sits differently. Painful as it is to admit, the eight point defeat to Galway in the opening round of the NFL at Summerhill is probably a more accurate representation of where Meath currently sit comparative to – for example – Galway or Kerry or Armagh or Cork.
Indeed, if one wanted to be dispassionately realistic about the current state of affairs from a Meath perspective, it would have to be conceded that, from the time our girls historically defended their annexation of the Brendan Martin Cup in 2022 against those who were then under the direction of Declan Quill and Daragh Long, it was obvious that The Kingdom were going to be the next emerging force.
In one way. Yet viewed through another lens, their victory which followed shortly thereafter was a crowning glory for decorated warriors like Louise Ni Muircheartaigh (in particular) and Anna Galvin and Niamh Ni Conchubar and Shiofra O’Shea. Even though as far as is known at the time of typing, all bar the first named are still involved with the county setup. Granted, it’s only two days after the final and that could well change by the time they field again next February.
Even if it doesn’t mind you – and the following point has been made throughout the season long before last Sunday’s final – the side with greatest momentum behind them are definitely Galway. Yes, players such as Olivia Divilly, Roisin Leonard and Eva Noone have banked quite the reserve of experience but – having broken a 22-year chasm between drinks, so to speak – expectation would be that the Tribeswomen will be towards the head of affairs for quite some time to come yet.
Regardless of who’s where in what pecking order mind you, the game itself is in need of remedial surgery. Maybe not life saving, but, the days when Ladies Football could justifiably call itself the fastest growing field game in the world appear to be gone. For now at least.
To this observer, reasoning for same being the case is easily explained. There has been a marked dissipation in the quality of football being produced. Up to and including at the highest level. Now, this corner has long been a proponent of all arms of the GAA – in other words the LGFA and the Camogie Association – being in under the one umbrella.
However, in the interest of fairness, it needs to be pointed out that, while the Association’s adopting of the restructures instigated by Jim Gavin’s Football Review Committee (FRC) is both admirable and has the potential to be a very positive development for the Ladies game.
Which it is and can still be, but hindsight and evidence in action would seem to confirm that, in order for lady footballers to extract full value from same tweaks will be needed.
Simply put, the implementation of the requirement to have a designated number of players in a defencive zone at a given time now has the ladies game resembling what was infamously dubbed Puke Football when the men’s game was poisoned by a combination of Mickey Harte and Jim McGuinness.
Wherein teams become so paralysed by the fear of losing possession that they set up in what they term in soccer a low block. Which, to my best understanding, is positioning a bank of players a specified distance from goal to turn away any advancing threats from the other side.
Is it effective? Yes, absolutely, but, from an entertainment perspective, it has about as much value as watching a bulldog chewing a wasp. As evidenced by the sparsity of scores in last Sunday’s decider. That, however goes back to the fear of teams losing possession.
But here’s the thing, the higher the stakes, the bigger the gamble, the less people will be inclined to gamble. Now, the following could be wholly down to coincidence, but, scores definitely appeared to be more free flowing in both the Junior and Intermediate finals in Croker on Sunday last. Won by Antrim and Roscommon respectively.
However, here’s the other problem with the paralysis by analysis, the small matter of having to play a bit of attacking football in order to win matches. Which, you suspect, was the catalyst for the addition of the ‘Mark’ and the two-pointer to the repertoire of Ladies Football.
Installing the two pointer was and is a no brainer, but, and one is being very careful about how to articulate the following, Brid Stack’s suggestion on The Sunday Game highlights programme that the two point arc be moved slightly closer to goal for Ladies Football makes an awful lot of sense.
Opponents of the proposal will – and in some instances already have – baulked at the proposal. Countering that additional pitch markings could or would lead to confusion owing to the other GAA sports played on the same fields. A valid point, but not an insurmountable one.
Rather than going the route of putting down more markings, just put an orange flag on either side line at whatever requisite distance the Brains Trust decide the two-point spot should be at.
Though it gives me no pleasure to observe the following – the ladies game can hardly claim to be the fastest growing field sport in the world. Considering that, when Meath defeated Kerry in the 2022 final, the attendance was 48,089, compared to something in the region of 26,000 most recently.
The game needs a bit of assistance and as a certain supermarket chain prattle ad nauseum, every little helps.
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