AFL issue not a big deal

STEFAN Okunbor is returning to Kerry having spent three years with the Geelong Cats. That’s a massive boost for new Kingdom boss Jack O’Connor because the youngster really did look a talent before he left. It is also another demonstration that the fear of poaching maybe isn’t as severe as some would think. Time after time we have witnessed players making the trip only to return after a couple of seasons. There are exceptions – such as Zach Tuohy who is over the decade mark – but most players seem to be over and back long before their Gaelic careers are over. Derry have benefitted from Conor Glass’s return last year and Anton Tohill is also back on home soil. So there is no major reason to get upset.

NIALL MCCOY

Four-point goal idea

ANTHONY Daly believes the GAA should trial a four-point goal in hurling, and maybe he has a point (no pun intended). There has been much debate about whether the sport has lost some of the entertainment factor, but there can be no denying that teams are becoming increasingly happy to just raise white flag after white flag from distance. The Clare man’s suggestion is actually three points for a first goal and four points for goals thereafter, and as much as we seem to be against dramatic change, it is the sort of outside the box thinking that could be worth a trial. It’s hard to know if those extra few points would change a team’s philosophy, but there’s only one way to find out.

NIALL MCCOY

Children don’t go free

CHILDREN aged under 16 go free has been missing in some club championships this season, and a lot of people aren’t happy. I understand the reasons for it. Tickets need bought during these Covid times, and there is also an argument that getting in to see a game for a fiver or so is more than fair. Still, it feels like something that we should preserve. In Armagh at the weekend it was £8 per child for a double-header, and if you had three kids looking to go that’s £24. Throw in the £16 for the parents and that bill does start to rise. Hopefully it goes back to normal next year.

NIALL MCCOY

Give strategy a chance

IN THIS week’s edition Áine Tubridy reveals what happened in 2019 when they lost their All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship final. She says that losing a player late on plus a kick out strategy that Naomh Ciaran worked out how to break down played against them. It is fascinating to hear how kick-out strategy is worked on in training by the ladies team. It feels like those kind of strategies have so much potential to help teams that have limitations. In St Paul’s case it was the size of their players. Strategy gets a bad rap sometimes, but I think it can be fascinating.

RONAN SCOTT

Calling the Kettle selfless

JOHNNY Campbell tells some great stories in his interview in this week’s paper. Many of them are about the men who believed in him during his career. Guys like Dinny Cahill and Jim Nelson gave him confidence as managers. But he also tells how Mickey Kettle, a team mate gave Campbell encouragement to keep working hard. That’s something that I find fascinating, particularly in this case as Campbell might have take Kettle’s place on the team. That sort of bonding seems to make good teams great.

RONAN SCOTT

The tale of Cassidy

KEVIN Cassidy’s Laochra Gael is being shown this weekend on TG4, and it really is a show worth watching. Not only because those guys know how to make great TV, but Cassidy’s story is just fascinating. He’s the sort of guy who is an example of what club players in Ireland are like. They love to play for their club, but they love to party. But his story is even more interesting because of his connections to Glasgow. Oh and then there was also that whole thing with Jim McGuinness.

RONAN SCOTT

29 June 2018; Stefan Okunbor of Kerry during the EirGrid Munster GAA Football U20 Championship Final match between Kerry and Cork at Austin Stack Park in Tralee, Kerry. Photo by Piaras Ó MídheachSportsfile