Paul Geaney of Kerry during the Allianz Football League Division 1 match between Galway and Kerry at Pearse Stadium in Galway. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile.
By John Harrington
This year’s All-Ireland Football Championship won’t be won by the team that best exploits the new FRC rules.
It will be won by the team that best exploits them in Croke Park where the combination of the size of the pitch and the quality of the turf makes for a unique setting.
With that in mind, Kerry footballer Paul Geaney believes Sunday’s Allianz League Division 1 Final against Mayo isn’t just a stand-alone fixture that comes with the opportunity of winning silverware, it’s also an invaluable intelligence gathering mission for the business end of the championship which Kerry certainly hope to be involved in.
“Yeah, definitely,” says Geaney. “There’s two games in Gaelic football before this year, it was in Croke Park and outside of Croke Park, and now with the new rules there’s the new rules game in Croke Park and outside of Croke Park so it will be hugely valuable to get in there and see how things pan out inside there.
“You can see Dublin probably were very strong in Croke Park and then outside of Croke Park they weren’t so strong as in Croke Park. It just plays differently so it is hugely valuable for us to be able to experience it this weekend.”
It’s easy to believe that the combination of the new FRC rules and Croke Park’s playing conditions could really suit the way Kerry play football.
As they showed in the final round of the League against Galway, their ability to kick-pass the ball over long distances can be a greater weapon than ever now that teams are obliged to keep three players in the opposition half.
“Kerry have always tried to kick the ball and it is obviously the style of play we try to implement,” says Geaney.
“Obviously you can’t always do that because teams have structures in place to stop you from doing that so you have to have plans B and C as well.
“Hopefully on Sunday Croke Park is playing wide open and we’ll see good kicking. If not we will have to revert to Plan B and go through the hands. But ideally most people like to see the ball being moved by foot.”
Paul Geaney of Kerry catches a kickout ahead of Matthew Tierney of Galway during the Allianz Football League Division 1 match between Galway and Kerry at Pearse Stadium in Galway. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile.
Kerry scored 170 points over the course of their seven League matches which was 26 points more than the next best team, Armagh, and works out at 24 points per match.
Geaney scored 3-15 of that total is enjoying the greater space that inside forwards are being afforded by the FRC rule enhancements.
“Yeah, I would imagine if you asked any of the spectators they’d say the same it is closer to the game of ten to 15 years ago when /I first started my county career, it was more positional, similar to the way structures in soccer are you play your position,” he says.
“So more similar to that. As an inside forward it is nice to go back to that to be honest.
“There is more one on one defending but I think the transition is quicker so there is more space.
“Again it depends on who you come up against in each game but at the moment the coaches are figuring out how you block it up again it is a bit more open at the moment but I’m sure that will change as well.”
Kerry’s best performance of the League campaign came in the final round against Galway.
Does that suggest they’re getting to grips with the rule enhancements and we can expect their form to continue on that upward trajectory?
“I think that probably we had segment in all the games where were pretty good and then we had loads of stuff to learn on,” says Geaney of their League form.
“There’s not too many things we have been guilty of not learning week on week, maybe one or two things still to brush up on but from the first game on I don't think I have been involved with so much learning game to game and being able to implement it the week after.
“It's been very valuable and a couple of results didn't go our way but pleasingly they all went down to the last kick nearly of the game.
“The ones we lost we were within two points of most teams so that was pleasing as well that we didn't ship too many big defeats and they were all close and within grasp and that we learned the following week.
“It was a tough league on the road as well with three up north and then Galway last week as well so four away games was tough enough in the league but it was good that way.”