CLARE BOSS DAVY Fitzgerald last night expressed concerns over the rules in place for 20 metre frees in hurling in the wake of the recent All-Ireland hurling final draw against Cork.
Cork goalkeeper Anthony Nash’s striking from close-range frees was a hot topic of debate in the aftermath of that game.
Rebels selector Ger Cunningham last week queried Clare goalkeeper Patrick Kelly advancing so far from the his goal line when facing frees.
But Fitzgerald has moved to question Nash’s technique of lifting the ball from close range when coming upfield to strike frees close to goal.
“My only concern would be from a health and safety point of view that if he meets it from the 14, I don’t what’s going to happen him if it hits him in the neck.
“The fact that you can carry it on your hurley and hit it on the 14 is a concern from that point of view. When you have to be 20 metres from the free I presumed you had to take it from out around that area.
“Anthony Nash doesn’t need to carry it too far because, trust me, he has an unbelievable shot. My hat is off to him because he is a fantastic goalkeeper. If we can keep him down the other end of the field we’ll be happy.
“Safety is my only concern on this and I think it’s something that should be looked at. Listen, we won’t kick up too much about it. It’s going to be there the next day and ourselves in Clare aren’t going to make a massive issue.”
Clare goalkeeper Patrick Kelly saves a penalty from Cork’s Anthony Nash
Pic: INPHO/Morgan Treacy
Fitzgerald also expressed surprise that Cork had raised the issue of Nash being jostled when he travelled upfield to take frees during the drawn games and does not believe it was a major problem.
“You’re giving me tricky questions,” laughed the Clare manager. “I could give you two or three examples of things that happened the last day and in the Munster semi-final that mightn’t have been great.
“I’m choosing not to and to be honest with you I’m a bit surprised that Cork brought it up. I don’t think anyone hit him a big dunt or anything like that.
“There might have been a bit of gamesmanship. I know the likes of Ger Cunningham, he’s probably laughing that off.”
Man In The Middle
Fitzgerald is adamant that he has no issues with the choice of James McGrath to referee the game and revealed Clare have not sought to train under floodlights in Croke Park before Saturday week’s replay.
“Someone said it to me that we were offered to go up there or that Cork were offered to go up there, but I didn’t hear a word.
“When the fixture was made I remember thinking to myself, ‘there’s no point in even thinking about this thing’.
“I would have my own personal opinion on the time and the day, but there’s no point in even commenting on that now. It’s on then and we in Clare accept that.”
“My only concern would be from a health and safety point of view that if he meets it from the 14, I don’t what’s going to happen him if it hits him in the neck.”…That could be said about any shot ever taken for a goal in hurling, in that the goalie might be hit, its one of the risks of goalkeeping. As for the lifting alright the distance Nash gets is a bit much, but Davy himself used to do it, not to the extent but he did lift it beyond the place of the free, and I never heard him complain about Joe Canning doing it for LIT when he coached them
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No Brian, this is bigger than Davy. He may be playing mind games , prior to the replay , but he had hit on an issue the GAA must address . In the modern game, with the new ball and the physique and technique of the penalty takers, the ball flies at a savage speed, and someone will get badly hurt , maybe loose Abe eye or worse. I don’t know how they will solve it but here’s my ten cents worth . How about a football type penalty, a free taken from a penalty spot, say 30m out, just one man in goal, and the penalty taker, it would be safer, and I think , just as exciting for the crowd . Shur weren’t we always at it as kids, and believe me they won’t always be scored.
It’s only become bigger than Davy (which wouldn’t be hard) since he made a big deal of it! He’s dragged down an unbelievably talented bunch of Clare hurlers into the bitter doldrums than exuding their uninhibited hurling talents!
While Davy is right on this issue insofar as saying that striking the ball from the 14 yard line isn’t really right (disregard the safety argument) he is now, ultimately, the boy who cried Wolf. He has huffed and puffed so much and alienated everyone to such an extent that he is not seen as a reliable critic. Even when he’s raising an point that has validity no one will give him much heed. Personally I feel that a 21 should be hit from that area but Nash like other great players has made the best of a grey area. However I feel that if Nash goes down that road carrying the ball that far then the goalie should be allowed to do something equal. The rule now unfairly favours the striker. Just my two cents.
Methinks ole Davy should be more worried about his pool of “little fish” as he calls them himself.Poor Davy the whole worlds against him
I knew when I read the comments there would be the usual anti Davy comments. He was asked questions about issues and answered you lot are obsessed with him, sad enough really
Same stupid old comments. Its a genuine issue regardless of fish.
Ya like Alex Ferguson last year with the whole van Persie ‘He could have been killed’ theory???!!!
I bet the fact that cork are even allowed to score goals is a problem for him. Cork being allowed have 15 players? another issue thats wrong with the game…if you ask davy cork shouldnt be allowed play with hurleys…
Listening to Davy is a health and safety concern too!!!
New Amendment by Central Council/Annual Congress, Section 4 Sub Section 6 No Lashies in front of Goal.
Methinks Davy should be more concentrated on his pool of “little fish” as he calls them.Poor ole Davy, the whole worlds against him
no fear of hitting the clare goalie in neck shur he will be out on the 20 himself
But he’s right, it does need to be addressed. Everybody was complaining about the sideline ball a few years ago, in football & hurling, when it was been taken from 3 yards on the pitch and not on the line. Even the goalies were being pulled up on for leaving the small square when taking a puck out. And everybody was happy when the rules were enforced. By the time the ball is struck in a free/pen/45/65, the players have gone 3-4 foot ahead of where they picked it up. Why is the placing of the ball on the ground more important of a sideline cut than a penalty ?
Ya right you have the cork goalie running the full length of the pitch nearly and Clare players can’t touch him come of it of course he is going to get tackled what are they moaning about cork saying it was dangerous play on Nash lets change the rules for cork and let Nash have the freedom of the pitch and no player can touch him LOL!
Eh? This is him being jostled on the way to take the free. The ball is dead. What business do the Clare players have to hit him when the ball is dead and not in play? It is the bane of the GAA. It’s not intimidatory. Pathetic.
I’ll tell you what’s pathetic, pathetic is a player striking another player in the head with his hurley. Ye Cork fans make me laugh. Ye are all so disgusted & appalled that some of the Clare players tried to shoulder Nash but conveniently forget to mention Shane O’Neill assaulting Darach Honan.
There has been 3 articles this week about the Clare players trying to shoulder Nash along with Ger Cunningham’s concern for Kelly coming out to face Nash’s frees.
The Cork management team are obviously worried & are putting all this crap out there in the media in the hope that the match officials give them some favours in the replay.
Pa Horgan made a good point the other team is being penalised this rule would hand the advantage to the fouling team. There a simple enough solution to this if you dont want the ball coming at you that fast than dont be dragging fellas down!