Regrettably, the initial encounter under the new FRC rule changes, which had been awaited with much enthusiasm, ended up being an unbalanced match. The lack in competitive fervour, pointed out by the new two-point score, gave Connacht an early lead before the break.
On the contrary, Leinster lacked both confidence with the ball and swift understanding of the expanded field. Additionally, they incurred penalties for not having enough players on the back line.
Experienced player Aidan O’Shea from Mayo emerged as the Man of the Match post an energetic performance, including the first four-point goal and another precision goal at the end of the first quarter, referred as a “buzzer beater” by James Horan, his former manager and FRC member.
With a total of five goals, Connacht had a commanding lead from the outset, eventually triumphing with a score of 4-21, while Leinster ended on 1-11.
Following the GAA’s ruling to dissolve provincial leagues, the Connacht Council reduced the ground rent rate for counties. The Gaelic Players’ Association head endorsed the review committee’s efforts to make football more exciting to play and observe.
Amidst this, Niall Ó Ceallacháin is eager to see Dublin hurling progress, while GAAGo reported a significant revenue increase of 118% in subscriptions.
In his TV interview, O’Shea expressed that there was no necessity for the amplified scoring value of shots outside the 40-metre arc and the FRC believed that the concept needed time to settle rather than being evaluated based on one disappointing match.
Despite being disheartened by the non-competitive nature of the match, Horan was still hopeful. He praised the game structure and players’ field positions, adding that the three-on-three had positively impacted the game.
Highlighting the pressure on Stephen Cluxton during the kick-outs, he also commended Connacht’s robust press in the first quarter. Colm Collins, an FRC member and former Clare manager, remarked that it was just the beginning and the game would improve over time.
These athletes have been adhering to a certain style of play for the previous decade and it has been observed that players in the middle third often turn back rather than pushing forward when they get hold of the ball. As coaches start to influence the game, expect a more straightforward type of football with increased ball movement courtesy of the new abundant space.
Enda Smith, a Roscommon All Star player commends the vast space that the revised rules offer. Playing the game in the typical way, he felt that the trio match was particularly significant. When they managed to overturn at the top of their defence, the chance to make a real kick pass was there and it felt seamlessly fluid and natural in the initial segment. In line with Colm’s statement, it is likely that the tendency to move sideways or backwards when the game slows down, won’t be completely eliminated in a single match.
Speaking from personal experience, Smith states that the 11-a-side format offered more 1-a-side instances and a myriad of chances to excel when the ball advanced up the field.
Pádraic Joyce, the victorious manager, had voiced some concerns during the week about the need for drastic changes in football. Everyone agreed to some modifications being required in the game, but assessing the current match was challenging due to the lack of intensity. It wasn’t heated enough for a long time, but one could definitely observe the players’ efforts to attack when they got control of the ball. Certainly, there is increased speed in the game and the shot selections and scoring have become more liberated.
The team from CONNACHT consisted of C Gleeson from Galway who scored 0-1f-0, 2 and J McGrath also from Galway. Other team members included B Stack from Roscommon, S Mulkerrin and C McDaid (captain) from Galway. Galway also boasted J Daly and J Maher with Mayo’s contribution being E McLaughlin and J Carney who scored 0-1-0, 2. M Tierney also hailed from Galway with B Tuohy and E Smith from Mayo and Roscommon respectively. D Murtagh made the roster from Roscommon scoring 0-1-2 (1f), 4 alongside A O’Shea from Mayo who brought in 1-1-1, 7 and D Cregg who scored 0-0-2 1f, 2.
The interchange included F Boland from Mayo who scored 0-1-1, 3, J Heaney from Galway, D and S Smith from Roscommon with the latter scoring 0-0-1f, 1. It also featured R Fallon from Mayo and B McNulty from Leitrim who recorded 1-0-1f, 5. M Diffley also from Leitrim, C Carroll from Galway, S Cunnane from St Brigid’s and U Harney from Roscommon were part of the interchange. C Cox from Roscommon scored 0-0-2, 2 and C Murtagh from the same town pulling in 1-0-0, 4. D Duffy from Mayo, P Spillane from Sligo, L Gallagher who scored 1-0-0, 4 and C Lally from Sligo who made 0-0-1, 1 completed the line-up.
LEINSTER’s football team consisted of: Goalkeeper S Cluxton of Dublin; Defenders C Lennon from Louth, M Bambrick from Carlow, and E Murchan, J Small and Captain J McCarthy from Dublin, as well as R Wallace from Westmeath; Midfielders were R Connellan from Westmeath and D Healy from Wicklow. C Downey from Louth, C Kilkenny from Dublin (with a score of 0-0-1, 1), and B Howard from Dublin made up the team’s forward line. The other members were M Barry from Laois, D Flynn from Kildare and K Quinn from Wicklow, who scored 0-1-0, 2.
The selected replacements included P Small from Dublin (scoring 0-0-2, 2), D Keoghan from Meath, E O’Carroll from Laois, S Bugler from Dublin, and C Byrne from Louth who scored 1-1-2, 8. Completing the substitutions were P Cunningham from Offaly, R Dunphy from Carlow, K Feely from Kildare who scored 0-0-1,1, D Gallagher from Longford, R Houlihan from Kildare, K Roche from Laois, R Jones from Meath, P Kingston from Laois, L Pearson from Offaly and E Porter from Wexford scoring 0-0-1, 1.
On the day, M McNally from Monaghan was the appointed referee.