VAR-FETCHED FOR THE GAA?
PAT NOLAN debates some of the main talking points to emerge after round three of the Allianz Football League.
GLENN RYAN’S LATEST GAFFE
‘SIRI, how can I make a bad situation much, much worse?’
But then, even the digital assistant on Glenn Ryan’s phone could hardly have prompted a course of action as cringeworthy as that which the Kildare manager took after Sunday’s heavy defeat to Armagh, which leaves them at the foot of Division Two.
Ryan was always going to be questioned about chairman Mick Gorman’s comments on the team’s performances at a recent county board meeting and had the guts of two weeks to formulate a diplomatic response.
Instead, he said that he hadn’t read the comments while, in the same breath, claiming that they were inaccurately reported, which was effectively an attempt to besmirch the reputation of at least one of the journalists present and something that he obviously couldn’t stand over.
It’s not the first time that
Ryan has come across terribly in the media.
OFFALY COLLAPSE
FOR the best part of two decades now, the Offaly footballers have had problems with holding a lead and closing out games.
Sunday’s defeat to Clare in Tullamore was the nadir, however, as they inexplicably blew a nine-point advantage to lose by one and leave them pointless in Division Three.
Given that Clare have been decimated by the loss of 12 players from last year, including virtually all of their frontline men, along with a brilliant manager stepping aside, there is little in the way of mitigation for the manner in which Offaly lost.
But, with three winnable games coming down the stretch against Wicklow, Sligo and Limerick, Offaly should still be able to stave off relegation.
In the world we live in, a result like Sunday’s is always going to generate comment online and while much of it was fair, some of it was over the top.
But the county chairman intervening on social media was unnecessary, ill-advised and, of course, self-serving.
Could you imagine the chairpersons of, say, Limerick, Dublin or Kerry (can you even name them?) doing similar?
No, because their egos are in the right place.
MORE CALLS FOR VAR
WITH Roscommon denied a legitimate goal against Dublin and Leitrim bizarrely awarded a late penalty for a non-foul that gave them victory over Wexford and could turn Division Four on its head, the prospect of technology intervening to avoid such controversy raised its head again.
Roscommon boss Davy Burke, also frustrated by a similar decision against Tyrone, would be in favour of a VAR-type system.
“I wouldn’t like the game slowed down any further but we do need to find a way of getting the decisions right,” he said.
IS KING CON BACK?
CON O’Callaghan set extremely high standards once he first broke into the Dublin starting team in 2017, but there is no denying that he hasn’t scaled those heights in the last season or two.
He looked to be back to his imperious best when captaining Dublin to a seven-point win over Roscommon on Saturday night, however, contributing 0-7 to their 1-19 tally, five of those points from open play, another from a mark.
What’s more, he compiled that haul on no less a man than Brian Stack, one of the game’s outstanding man-markers.
CORK’S WASTEFULNESS CONTINUES
CORK manager John Cleary rued his forwards’ wastefulness after a one-point defeat to Cavan in which they converted just eight out of 21 second half shots.
It’s not the first time Cleary has pointed to their profligacy, so maybe they just don’t have the quality up front?
After all, they’ve been in Division Two for seven out of the last eight years, the other in Division Three — and another may be beckoning.