Tailteann Cup exit a big blow

The Extra Mile column

Westmeath’s narrow defeat against Wicklow on Sunday in the Tailteann Cup semi-final at Aughrim is a bitter pill to swallow. The Lake County were defeated by 2-18 to 2-17 after they lost an eight-point lead and their season ended on June 14.

Defeats by Limerick and Wicklow in the Tailteann Cup make for a poor campaign overall, and Westmeath manager Dermot McCabe will be aiming to improve vastly on that next year. The slack performance against Limerick proved very costly, as Westmeath handed Wicklow the initiative by giving them home advantage in the quarter-final. Wicklow had a lot of momentum in the closing 10 minutes and that ultimately carried them to a famous win.

The effort of Wicklow to win the ball back late on when Westmeath were on the attack showed their hunger and desire - traits that remain key in championship football. Match-winner Dean Healy spoke of the impact the younger players coming through have made to Wicklow in recent years and Westmeath could learn from that - they will need to develop a stronger panel in order to make progress.

Westmeath should have been forewarned after losing to Wicklow last year in the Leinster championship and it's a different game now with the new rules, especially two-pointers and of course that final play when the hooter sounds. Wicklow fed off the positive energy from the home crowd and punished Westmeath's inability to manage a healthy advantage.

Elsewhere, Westmeath senior hurlers are looking for a new manager after Seoirse Bulfin resigned following a disappointing season. The process will officially begin this week when the County Committee meet to get the green light from the clubs, and it’s a key appointment for the future of hurling. An interesting name being linked with the vacancy already is Derek McGrath, the former Waterford manager, and that would certainly be major news; a local candidate is an option, but Johnny Greville, the obvious choice, has taken over Meath, so where else can you look? Alan Mangan has been a revelation with Castletown Geoghegan and that win over Kilkenny’s Thomastown was significant.

New rules contribute to exciting league finals

The league football finals at underage and adult level took centre stage in the past week and there was some wonderful action and entertainment provided. The one feature that stuck out, however, is the challenge for match officials with the new playing rules. It was noticeable at U14 level that a lot of the players needed prompting regarding some of the new rules, such as the solo and go, which is curious after almost six months now. Noticeable, too, that some adults are finding it difficult to grasp the rules: in the Division 4 final, Shandonagh gave away a point when a defender passed the ball back to the goalie. The goalie prevented the ball from crossing the goal line, which obviously would have been a goal, but whether he caught the ball or not, a free was the penalty, as it’s only permitted to pass the ball to your own goalie when both they and the defender in possession are in the big square.

‘A player may only pass the ball to their goalkeeper if both they and the goalkeeper are inside the large rectangle or if the goalkeeper has advanced beyond their own 65-metre line. The goalkeeper may still move upfield to challenge opposition kick-outs or attempt to intercept a pass.’

That was an interesting observation. Match officials will have to be more clued in on the two-pointer: there was a shot from Shandonagh’s Fionn Maguire in the first half, given as one point, which to many observers looked like two. There was a lack of consultation on it. Everyone, including the referee, is going to have to accept that mistakes will be made and consultation is needed to get the correct call—it’s crucial with two points on the line.

Shandonagh lost the game by a point and frustration and ire were evident afterwards. Referee Joe Fallon came under fire and there was vitriol. That’s totally unacceptable and belongs in the scrap heap with some of the old rules. A former county player, Joe Fallon has a good grasp of the game and solid judgement. That potential needs to be worked on and anything less would be a poor reflection on everyone. When you lose by a point, everything comes into play. But the overriding feature of that game was the impact of the new rules, especially the two-pointer, with Ryan Donnelly kicking some great scores for Shandonagh and Darragh Seery excelling for Ballinagore. And this was Division 4.

The kick-out is another big feature of the game and the most crucial one here was the final kick-out. Shandonagh had got back within a point deep in added time, but it was Cody Finnane who caught the last kick-out for Ballinagore, almost uncontested.

Shandonagh were angry at the end, but in fairness, the game was over once Finnane stepped up and claimed that ball, in my humble opinion. And the same player was fouled in the square in the first half, for which a free, rather than a penalty, was awarded. So things often balance themselves out in games, which is of course forgotten about in the white heat of frenzy immediately after the match. People just need to take a step back sometimes.

The second half had plenty of drama and Shandonagh came from seven points adrift, showing great spirit and engineering a great goal. They didn’t think on their feet when they sent Ryan Donnelly, a left-footed free-taker, across to the wrong side to take a scorable free in the 54th minute, and what should have been a point resulted in a wide. It was a routine kick for a right-footed player. It’s basic, but something that has been happening at all levels and those over teams need to be a little more perceptive. It was similar in the Division 2 final on Saturday when Killucan’s Sami Clarke took a free with the right boot, off the ground, from a position more suitable to a left-footed free-taker. It was a one-in-10 chance.

Teams were also caught out on the three v three rule during the league finals, the penalty for a breach of which is a free in front of goal and a certain score.

The Division 3 final on Friday resulted in an easy win for Coralstown/Kinnegad after they scored two second-half goals to deny Castledaly, whose challenge imploded after half-time. The latter tried to work the ball through the centre too often and were overturned; they needed to work the ball to either side of the scoring arc and stretch the opposing defence. They also missed far too many scoring chances. The one feature of the game that is now crucial is kicking, and coaches need to work much harder on it. Pool together, get ideas on kicking drills and drive the standard up—it will make it better for everyone. The kicking skill and fielding of the ball are two of the greatest in the game and they will be crucial as the club championship season unfolds. The gap was four points here and referee Eoin Gorman, who has solid potential also, had a smoother exit than Joe Fallon.

The Division 2 final on Saturday was largely disappointing, Tubberclair’s poor shooting costing them dearly as Killucan took the spoils. After a heavy day’s rain, as a final, this was a damp squib, and Devin Hill and Sami Clarke had that bit more composure in front of goal, which was probably the difference in the end.

The new rules are going to make for tighter, more competitive games and closer finishes than we have seen in the past. Everyone should be aware of that and prepared for the tension that comes with it: in that regard, the league finals are a great taste of what lies ahead.

Club championship action is due to begin on July 19/20 with hurling first on the list.