KILKENNY’S TJ REID believes an 18-metre penalty would have been the best solution to the solve the dilemma that faced hurling’s power makers.
Before Christmas it was announced that the GAA were set to trial a rule in the 2015 pre-season competitions that would see a penalty taker face only one player – the goalkeeper – when striking a shot that could not see the ball advance past the 21-metre line.
Reid is Kilkenny’s designated penalty taker – he found the net twice in last May’s hurling league final – while he also stood on the line when the Cats conceded penalties against Tipperary in last September’s All-Ireland final.
The Ballyhale Shamrocks player is well placed to offer views on the subject and reckons a penalty taker striking from the 18-metre line while facing three players on the goal line would have been the best solution.
“If I was going to change the rule, I probably just would have brought it back to the normal way like when DJ Carey used to lift and strike, bring it in two yards and then strike with the three (on the line).
“A penalty is very exciting for the spectators, it is exciting to see Anthony Nash going up to take a penalty having three in goal. I just think they should have went back to the normal rule. On the 21, lift it there, go in two yards and strike. It would have made more sense.
“The penalty is in the forward’s advantage now. I haven’t tried it yet obviously. If a forward hits it bang on, the goalie has no chance unless the ball hits off him. It’ll be like soccer now – the goalie is going to have to pick his spot before you hit it. I’m not here to make the rules, I’m only told.”
Reid also revealed that he had previously taken penalties in the style of Anthony Nash before the Cork goalkeeper’s tactic came under the spotlight in recent years.
“I wouldn’t say I copied Nash. Even when I was taking them for minors and U21′s, that’s the way I was taking them anyway. It came natural to me.
“Once I saw Nash doing it and once I was on the frees I got the opportunity to do it. It was a few challenge games against Carlow IT where I started doing it and that’s where James McGarry and Brian Cody saw me taking penalties so after that they kept me on it.”
Surely the advantage should be with the attacking team? Isn’t that the whole point of a penalty? To give the attacking team a similar scoring chance to the one they would have had had the player not been fouled?
There was great drama with the Nash penalties especially in the 2013 AI. While the GAA have to be complimented for putting safety first it doesn’t seem to have dawned on them that they just washed pure gold down the drain. Similar to the video ref in at a critical stage in a rugby the atmosphere rose several notches for the “Nash” style penalties.
There was huge positive publicity and drama. Capturing the imagination of young fellas isn’t an easy thing to do these days with blanket coverage of pro sports on TV but every kid at my club was practicing their Nash penalties in sept 2013 and I’d imagine it was similar in many other clubs.
Would it not have been worth just moving the penalty out to 24/25 yards and letting fellas throw it as far as they like. Penalties have traditionally been hit from 17/18 yards without anyone batting an eyelid and we’d be back to striking from a safe distance again but we’d have drama and indeed another great feature or skill to the game.
Worst case it could always be reviewed if fellas started throwing it further again.
Sean the issue with that is the only reason Nash would throw it as far as he did was so that he could be almost on top of the goal when striking, if you moved it back that far then people would all need to be throwing it miles to get any sort of reasonable distance to goal. The drama didn’t come from the long toss it came from how close to goal he was when striking, which is to say that it was dramatic because it was dangerous rather than because it was especially difficult, several other players were doing it by the start of the following championship season once it had become clear it was free game.
They’ve probably over corrected a bit but there’s no need for long tosses I think TJ’s solution is about right
Wouldn’t it be great if they improved on how to get the decision to award or not correct. Half the penalties are very marginal or just wrong, and often a player is given nothing when deserving a penalty
Exactly Patrick. There is going to have to be some kind of review system in place if its only 1 on 1, going to be hard to miss em now. All Tipps decisions in both All Irelands were dubious to say the least, no one want refs deciding All Ireland’s!