Gloves come off in fisted point debate

Kieran McGeeney was on the warpath last Saturday night, taking aim at overly fussy fourth officials but he has his own team's conservatism to blame for costing them two league points.

Like everyone else, I've seen the video posted up by Smaller Fish's Colm Parkinson of Geezer letting loose on the officials for their interpretation of the first-half breach.

You'd have to have sympathy for him and his team in that instance given that it did alter the momentum of the game - although, at the same time, it was hardly the ref's fault that Blaine Hughes let a badly struck free bounce under his legs and into the net.

But it's not just the officials. The fisted point is in the dock after last Saturday.

If you score seven fisted points - SEVEN! - and lose a game by the scoreline they did, the question is bound to arise. Would you ever think of going for goals?

There was a huge amount to admire about Armagh's performance. Their running game is phenomenal, the way they are to cut through and create scoring chances at will. Their defensive system around the arc looked pretty well set up, in the first half at least. But make no mistake, this was a game they tossed away through lack of ruthlessness.

A few of the fisted points were probably the right option, particularly the ones converted from close to the end-line. But others could easily have been worked into goal opportunities.

The Jason Duffy one in the final 10 minutes, after Jack Glynn was dispossessed, is the one people have zeroed in on. That was the play which made it look like it was an actual policy for Armagh to fist it over at every opportunity.

Not alone was it a three-on-one situation with a free man at the back post but he was in a central enough location. In the Dubs' heyday, you know what'd happen. One or two swift disguised handpasses and the ball would be palmed into a more or less empty net.

During my inter-county career, we didn't have a hard and fast policy as such around fisted points vis a vis goals, but I would say there was a general encouragement and overall attitude to go for the goal if it was on.

It's always situational and a judgement call for the player in possession. For instance, if you're stealing up the end-line and the angle is very narrow, and there's no support arriving through the middle for a palmed goal, what can you do only fist the ball over and take the point?

Nowadays, you could argue it's even less worth your while to fist the point, with the increase in scores across the board, with the introduction of the two-pointer and the stretching of the play via the 4-on-3 generating more opportunities. The simple fisted point doesn't carry the same value as before.

McGeeney stressed afterwards he leaves up to the players to decide and his only advice is to make sure of the score. But I reckon if Duffy was playing for Padraic Joyce and he took that fisted point option, I'd say he'd receive a serious earful after the game.

Galway missed a hat-ful of goal chances against Mayo the previous weekend but it clearly didn't deter them from seeking out goals.

Credit to Galway, their entire midfield is either on the treatment table or recuperating after the club season and they still managed to hang in there with minimal possession. Their forwards executed whenever they were given a sniff in the second half.

The game underlined again that Rob Finnerty is now one of the elite forwards in the sport.

He's been underrated nationally for too long, partly because he's been overshadowed by Shane Walsh and Damien Comer beside him in the forward line. But also, I reckon, on account of his cheerful and relaxed demeanour on the pitch

Aside from his poxy goal - which he wasn't crowing about afterwards, in fairness - he scored 0-06 and four of them from play, all beautifully taken.

The Tribesmen will have been delighted to head down the road with a massive two points. It's a huge boost given how depleted they are and they're unearthing more and more players. Ciarán Mulhern was snuffed out last weekend but then Shane McGrath and Shay McGlinchey announced themselves off the bench.

But both teams look in good shape heading into the break week.

I was on Mid-West radio duty last weekend for Mayo's win over Dublin, perched in the press box that looms above the main terrace side in MacHale Park.

The scene below emphasised the extent to which the buzz has returned to Mayo football. There were 15,000+ at the game, compared to crowds of 9,000 for league fixtures last year.

It's testament to the style of football they're playing under Andy Moran, which is a return to the high-octane principles of old. Some folk might have noticed they were wearing a 1951 commemorative jersey, with no sponsor across the front.

It was a decent game but it petered out in the second half once Sean MacMahon was sent off and Darragh Beirne buried a goal. The Dubs were lacking in leadership and their tally of 2-09 is very paltry in this day and age.

Ger Brennan was pretty forthright afterwards, which is pretty typical of him. No more than Pat Gilroy, he's fairly black and white about these things and won't hesitate to wield the axe.

The priority for him will be to develop and usher through a new team over the medium term. They're looking like candidates for relegation at present though that mightn't be the end of the world provided they don't get stuck down there.

It was a bumper win for Connacht across the board. Roscommon had another impressive win to build on their strong start, even if it was undermined by the wrong crest appearing on the League Sunday graphic that evening. Rumours of Ballaghaderreen interference are naturally running rife down in these parts.

In the all-important second tier, Derry ended a long, gruelling losing run after 18 months and plunged Tyrone further into a hole.

It was a hard one to call given the quality in both teams. I had a fear that Derry might show traces of white line fever again in sight of the finish line, given they've had so many near misses.

There were traces of that in the third quarter when they kept on missing chances. But their desire and dominance around the middle got them over the line.

It's a worrying time for Malachy O'Rourke and Tyrone, who have so many players coming through but are still putting in stale and lethargic performances. Darragh Canavan and Eoin McElholm were shoved into the starting team at the eleventh hour but their ponderous attack isn't getting the most out of them.

I had the Ulster duo to make a speedy return to the top table at the outset. After a couple of weekends, I may have to re-evaluate.

Cork are motoring well. Makes a pleasant change from most years, when they're often looking over their shoulder at the Tailteann.

But what about the maligned Leinster duo - Meath and Kildare - to cast off the shackles and jointly return to Division 1. Time will tell.

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