It was unfortunate that the much anticipated first competitive outing for the FRC proposed rule changes was such a one-way contest. The loss of competitive tension – highlighted by the new two-point score – allowed Connacht surge away over the horizon well before half-time.
Leinster hadn’t the same assuredness on the ball or quick appreciation of the increased space. They also managed to get penalised for not having sufficient men back.
Mayo veteran Aidan O’Shea earned the Man of the Match award after a lively display, which included the first four-point goal and what his former manager and FRC member James Horan afterwards called a “buzzer beater” – a great, two-pointer swept over just as the first quarter was ending.
There were five goals in all, which largely helped put Connacht out of sight as early as possible, eventually running out winners by 4-21 to Leinster’s 1-11.
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O’Shea said in his TV interview that he felt there was no need for the enhanced scoring value of shots from outside the 40-metre arc. The FRC view was that the idea needed time to settle rather than be judged on one such disappointing contest.
Horan’s general reaction was coloured by the lack of competitiveness but he was nonetheless encouraged.
“Leave the one-sidedness out of it because Connacht were clearly superior. The key thing that stood out for me was the structure of the game and where the players were distributed throughout the field.
“I think the three-on-three in that regard has definitely had an imprint on the game. That looked strong and solid and what we were looking for – that long-ball option.
“That and the kick-outs – Stephen Cluxton sweating is a great thing to see! But in the first quarter, you saw Connacht with a huge press, which is exactly what we want. They are the two things.”
Fellow FRC member and former Clare manager Colm Collins made the point that it was early days for the players and that the game would improve.
“All these players have been playing a certain way for the last 10 years and one thing you’d notice is that when players get possession in the middle third, they look backwards instead of forwards.
“When coaches get their hands on this game, there’s going to be a lot more direct football and a lot more ball going in because the space is there now.”
Roscommon All Star Enda Smith also praised the amount of space the new rules encouraged.
“We played it like a normal game. For me the three v three was the big one. Having that opportunity when we turned them over on the top of our D to look up and have a genuine kick pass on, especially that first quarter, it felt very fluid and very natural. Going back to what Colm said, when it is a bit slower, we probably are conditioned to go sideways or backwards. That won’t change overnight in one game.
“From my point of view playing, space-wise with the 11-v-11 there were so many more 1-v-1s and opportunities to really express yourself when you got the ball up the pitch.”
Winning manager, Pádraic Joyce had expressed some misgivings during the week about the idea that football needed radical alteration.
“We all said the game needed some sort of change. I know it was hard to assess tonight’s game with lack of intensity. The game wasn’t in the melting pot long enough but you could definitely see that from the players’ point of view they definitely are trying to attack when they get the ball.
“Definitely there’s more pace in the game and the shot selection and the scoring are a lot freer.”
CONNACHT: C Gleeson (Galway 0-1f-0, 2); J McGrath (Galway), B Stack (Roscommon), S Mulkerrin (Galway); C McDaid (capt; Galway), J Daly (Galway, E McLaughlin (Mayo); J Carney (Mayo; 0-1-0, 2), J Maher (Galway); M Tierney (Galway), B Tuohy (Mayo), E Smith (Roscommon); D Murtagh (Roscommon; 0-1-2 (1f), 4), A O’Shea (Mayo; 1-1-1, 7), D Cregg (0-0-2 1f, 2). (Roscommon). Interchange: F Boland (Mayo; 0-1-1, 3), J Heaney (Galway), D Smith (Roscommon), R Fallon (Mayo), B McNulty (Leitrim; 1-0-1f, 5), M Diffley (Leitrim), C Carroll (Galway), S Cunnane (St Brigid’s), U Harney (Roscommon), C Cox (Roscommon 0-0-2, 2), D Smith (Roscommon; 0-0-1f, 1), C Murtagh (Roscommon 1-0-0, 4)), D Duffy (Mayo), P Spillane (Sligo), L Gallagher (1-0-0, 4) C Lally (Sligo; 0-0-1, 1).
LEINSTER: S Cluxton (Dublin); C Lennon (Louth), M Bambrick (Carlow), E Murchan (Dublin); J Small (Dublin), R Wallace (Westmeath), J McCarthy (capt; Dublin); R Connellan (Westmeath), D Healy (Wicklow); C Downey (Louth), C Kilkenny (Dublin; 0-0-1, 1)), B Howard (Dublin); M Barry (Laois), D Flynn (Kildare), K Quinn (Wicklow; 0-1-0, 2). Interchange: P Small (Dublin; 0-0-2, 2), D Keoghan (Meath), E O’Carroll (Laois), S Bugler (Dublin), C Byrne (Louth; 1-1-2, 8), P Cunningham (Offaly), R Dunphy (Carlow), K Feely (Kildare; 0-0-1,1), D Gallagher (Longford), R Houlihan (Kildare), K Roche (Laois), R Jones (Meath), P Kingston (Laois), L Pearson (Offaly), E Porter (Wexford; 0-0-1, 1).
Referee: M McNally (Monaghan).
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