Declan Bogue

IT’S FAIR TO say that if the reporters in the press box are having their minds scrambled by the effect the new rules are having on the sport of Gaelic football, it’s nothing to what it is doing for the stress levels of managers.

For long periods of yesterday’s game in Celtic Park against Derry, Kerry looked to be hanging on, the pace of the game hard to get used to after the longest and draggiest off-season the Kingdom has ever known.

But the introduction of Paul Geaney and Donal O’Sullivan, along with a much greater second-half showing from Diarmuid O’Connor, put them in the hunt for the game in the last ten minutes.

Two goals in the last two minutes drew Kerry level, and then pushed them into a three point lead.

Did they deserve it?

We’ll let the victorious manager settle that. Jack O’Connor and Derry manager Paddy Tally are well acquainted from Tally’s three years as coach with Kerry and there was a natural sympathy afterwards from one to the other.

“I genuinely – not putting this on – I genuinely feel sorry for Paddy because he has built his coaching career on doing a good job, he was great with us defensively. And that will hit him hard. I don’t know what you thought, I thought it was a real smash and grab,” said O’Connor.

“We seriously would have settled for a draw there with five minutes to go.

“That game hinged on a turnover there. That’s what it hinged on. That just rattled them. 

“So you talk about smash and grab, normally we are at the wrong end of those.”

Not every game can be like this. Or maybe it will. Either way, the 4,866 in attendance got their money’s worth for entertainment.

Kickouts were contested. Players took on their man. There were six goals scored and four more goal chances that were foiled by blocks or else flew over the bar. It was chaotic and engaging. And if you aren’t keen after all that, well then maybe it’s just all a matter of taste.

“We are all trying to get to know the game,” said O’Connor.

“There is still bits and pieces, we aren’t getting right. Obviously the one there when Shane Ryan kicked it out, we had it won and suddenly there is a 14 yard free.

“I’m not too sure what that is about. Probably one of our players less than 13m away or something like that? Overall I thought the referee did a good job. Kept the game flowing, he didn’t impact the game one way or another.”

It’s an accurate description, right up to the last item he noted. There will be issues over the three-up rule. At one point in the second half, Derry were punished when in actual fact Kerry’s Conor Geaney had strayed well into his own half. Nevertheless, with some vocal Kerry encouragement, they got the free for it.

“I think we were five down with five minutes to go, so you wouldn’t give us much of a chance. It is a different game with the two-pointers. It is almost turning into hurling style scoring. Just a mad game,” O’Connor continued.

Asked what he thought was the most positive change, he said, “The three up is a big one. If there was no other rule than that, it will help the game and the transition from defence to attack no end.

“Every attack last year by in large was a slow attack. Now you can transition by foot. That is how we got the two goals in the first half.

“We turned them over and broke hard, we kicked and linked inside. Obviously the kickouts are more interesting. A lot of kickouts up for grabs, breaking ball. I thought Diarmuid O’Connor was immense today. Really showed his mettle because he was up against a big man in Glass and a monster in (Anton) Tohill.”

Derry manager Paddy Tally has now been over two decades into coaching and managing teams at the highest level. His coaching has spanned a period of rapid transformation, perhaps one of the greatest periods of change Gaelic football has known.

Paddy Tally before the game. Lorcan Doherty / INPHO Lorcan Doherty / INPHO / INPHO

And he’s encouraged by the new-look sport, despite losing the opening two games to Tyrone and now Kerry.

You suspect he’s not at all bothered however, given how he has handed league debuts to six players across those two games. Some of that is enforced, as he confirmed they will be without Gareth McKinless (cruciate) and Niall O’Donnell (hamstring) for the season.

“I think it’s exciting. It definitely was an exciting game. I think the game lacked a wee bit of the physical contest it used to be. Maybe it’s going to take a little bit of time to get back to being used to that.

“There was definitely more contact tackles on today. There’s a bit more edge in it but there’s still a little space out there. Maybe that’s the way the game’s going to go. We have to run with it.

“I just think sometimes the game lacks that little bit of bite that we’re used to in terms of just tackling and working. The three players having to stay up the pitch is very difficult. It’s not natural when you’re playing an invasion game that you can only come so far and you have to stop. That’s a hard one to get used to.”

More space means the players with the greatest skills can try that bit more. The outrageous scoring tallies here and there shows that there is some pay off. Derry seemed to be playing to a clearer plan here, but as Tally pointed out, “You can’t give away five goals in a game and expect to win.

“The last ten minutes seemed like as if it lasted for a week. Is it very difficult to get game management into those last ten minutes because you can’t use a short kick-out or you can’t go back to the keeper so it’s difficult and you rely on possession at that point.

“It is helter-skelter and it seems to be the nature of the game now. The kick-outs are going out to the middle and it’s really who can get their hands on the ball and who can make the best choices.”