DUBLIN MANAGER MICK Bohan has again expressed his frustrations as the rules of ladies football remain under the spotlight.
The lack of physicality — the rule states “there shall be no deliberate bodily contact” — and refereeing inconsistency have long come under scrutiny, and it’s reaching boiling point after three rounds of the Lidl Ladies National Football League.
Dublin edged past Cork by the minimum at Páirc Uí Rinn yesterday, two late frees from Carla Rowe helping the Sky Blues come out on top of a 4-13 to 3-15 thriller.
While referee Garryowen McMahon generally let the game flow, frustration lingered after the helter-skelter encounter.
The vast majority of players want more contact and physicality, while Bohan has been particularly vocal in the past. He has often said the rules “aren’t fit for purpose” and has continuously called for greater clarity around the refereeing of the tackle.
Bohan revisited his impassioned call for change in his post-match interview with TG4 yesterday. While hailing the “excellent” movement of forward Caoimhe O’Connor, he digressed:
I’ve a concern in the ladies game as regards the tackle. I’ve said this a long time. I just see with a little change in it, that the game could be way more open.
“Because ultimately, when you put a lot of bodies in one area of the field, and you run at somebody and then you’re deemed to be charging when somebody’s arm goes out, I find that very frustrating particularly when you’re trying to orchestrate good movement.”
The four-time All-Ireland winning manager was happy to head back to the capital with all three points after Rowe and co. rescued the win. The counties share a storied rivalry, but this is a different era with new-look teams on display yesterday.
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The Rebels started brightest on Leeside but shipped a flurry of goals and had to battle back from a 4-8 to 0-10 half-time deficit.
Rowe, O’Connor, Hannah Tyrrell — who finished with 1-6 and the Player of the Match award despite departing with a knock — and Kate Sullivan scored the Dubs’ goals, while Eimear Kiely and Orlaith Cahalane bagged two of Cork’s. They also benefitted from an own goal, with Katie Quirke and Libby Coppinger leading lights in attack.
“A good 45 minutes but we collapsed for 15 and you can’t do that at this level,” Cork manager Shane Ronayne said afterwards. “We gave away a goal and then just seemed to fold and against sides like Dublin you will pay and we did. But credit to the girls, a great second half and we can take a lot from that going forward.”
“In the National League, all we’re trying to do is find out who will battle from us when we’re in trouble and play on the front foot,” Bohan added. “You’re probably going to find it a lot more open than maybe it will be later on in the year. Look, that was a decent contest. It could have gone either way at the end of the day.
“Obviously the game has changed a little bit in the last 18 months, defences have become tighter and the scorelines have [generally] gone down. I don’t think there was a whole heap of tactics going on today. It was just both teams playing on the front foot, seeing what we can find out about our troops at this point in time.”
Earlier on Monday, holders Meath and high-flying Galway played out a 0-9 to 0-9 draw at Páirc Tailteann.
New Royals boss Davy Nelson stressed that last year is “well and truly gone” afterwards, and that the back-to-back All-Ireland champions have “embraced the change”.
“We know there is a big number on Meath’s back,” he added. “There’s a determination there to stay at the top table and anyone that gets through us is going to earn it.”
After substitute Aoife O’Rourke held her nerve to score a late equalising free, Galway joint-manager Fiona Wynne explained: “I see this as a huge learning curve for us.
“It was a big challenge coming up here to face the All-Ireland champions. We will have learned an awful lot, how to react and respond in a pressure environment. There was a huge crowd here from Meath. They cheered on every point. It was difficult to hear and difficult to get messages on to the players so to actually experience a game like that will stand to us in the future.”
2022 All-Ireland finalists and Division 2 champions Kerry stayed perfect on Saturday, establishing themselves as the only team in Division 1 with a 100% record upon their return to the top flight.
Joint manager Darragh Long says they can now take the “shackles off” after a three-point win over struggling Donegal. “Three weeks ago if you said that we’d be in this position — three wins out of three, nine points on the board, unbeaten — we’d have bit your hand off for it.”
Donegal boss Maxi Curran, meanwhile, reasoned with his side’s disappointing opening three defeats. “We’ve had a tough start, Galway away and Meath at home and then Kerry, that’s two All-Ireland finalists and Galway probably have the best squad in the country. We need to get a couple of points on the board fairly shortly as we’re staring down the barrel at the minute.”
Waterford lifted themselves up the table with a two-point win over Mayo in Dungarvan on Sunday. “We feel we’ve moved on massively from where we were last year,” manager Pat Sullivan beamed afterwards, the Déise with four points on the board and in good stead as they look to avoid another relegation play-off.
Mayo, like Donegal, are in danger on zero points. Moyles similarly bemoaned the concession of goals. “It’s a very familiar story, we’re conceding goals and aren’t scoring them. It’s frustrating. We’re all aware what the situation is and we’re trying to fix it.”
The Green and Red travel to Meath next on 19 February, with a break weekend ahead for all.
Lidl Ladies National Football League results
Division 1
- Kerry 2-10 Donegal 1-11
- Waterford 2-9 Mayo 0-13
- Meath 0-9 Galway 0-9
- Cork 3-15 Dublin 4-13
Division 2
- Armagh 1-13 Monaghan 1-3
- Cavan 2-8 Westmeath 3-4
- Laois 3-8 Tyrone 3-7
- Tipperary 0-6 Roscommon 0-4
Division 3
- Longford 2-10 Offaly 1-10
- Kildare 0-9 Clare 0-7
- Louth 2-10 Sligo 2-9
- Down 0-8 Wexford 1-4
Division 4A
- Antrim 1-13 Fermanagh 1-6
- Carlow 5-9 London 1-4.
- Additional reporting from Anthony Newman, Ivan Smyth and Darragh Small for Ladies Gaelic football.
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