John Fogarty: The 10 counties primed to exploit two-point score
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With a wink to the greatest shooter in basketball and a nod to a Gaelic football club in Carrigaholt, we are christening the following rankings “The O’Currys”. The top 10 teams best placed to make the most of the new two-point rule in 2025.
Apologies to the likes of Monaghan who miss out – Rory Beggan and Conor McManus could make hay with kicks from outside the 40-metre line – but the competition is fierce:
Top shooters: Daire Ó Baoill, Oisín Gallen, Michael Langan, Peadar Mogan, Michael Murphy, Paddy McBrearty, Niall O’Donnell, Ciarán Thompson.
It’s no wonder Jim McGuinness is enthused by the new rules when he is blessed with a bevy of long-range finishers and that was before Murphy returned to the fold. He has options who are comfortable on both sides of the field. Look back on this year’s Ulster final – it was laden with long-range scores. Donegal are primed to exploit their added value.
Top shooters: Jarly Óg Burns, Aidan Forker, Niall Grimley, Rory Grugan, Oisín O’Neill, Rian O’Neill.
Rian O’Neill possesses the strongest right boot in the country and will be even more of an asset for Armagh as they come to terms with being marked men. Captain Forker is capable of finding his range from both sides of the field. Grimley, as he showed in the All-Ireland final and the interprovincials, has a mighty kick. The strength of Armagh’s panel will ensure they won’t fade away and the new rules, particularly this one, fall into their barrow.
Top shooters: Paul Conroy, Conor Gleeson, Cillian McDaid, Dylan McHugh, Shane Walsh.
A Galway acquaintance of ours recently claimed his county would have won the All-Ireland final had the two-point rule been in play. Certainly, Conroy’s three efforts would have been worth double. Walsh’s audaciousness from both sides of the field should be rewarded even more in the new year. If Peter Cooke is back, their shooting gallery will be stocked.
Top shooters: David Clifford, Paul Geaney, Seán O’Shea, Tom O’Sullivan.
On the back of another fine personal season with Dingle, Geaney is confirmed for the 2025 season and ensures Kerry’s list of finishers isn’t restricted to the usual suspects. David Clifford may see more game-time around the 45m line if not for the new rule (he is likely to score more two-pointers than goals) then the fact Kerry have to rebuild their half-forward line. Paudie Clifford, Diarmuid O’Connor and Killian Spillane can chip in.
Top shooters: Cormac Costello, Paul Mannion, Niall Scully, Paddy Small.
The retirement of Brian Fenton deprives Dublin of so much not least his great knack of turning up at just the right time to pick off points from distance. Mannion, should he lace up for another season in 2025, is the county’s most natural finisher from beyond the “D”. You feel Con O’Callaghan would have benefitted more from the four-point goal.
Top shooters: Ruairí Canavan, Mattie Donnelly, Darren McCurry, Niall Morgan.
Morgan’s movements might be restricted by the new pass-to-goalkeeper rule although you would imagine he will continue to foray and create overloads never mind kick every two-point free going. Ruairí Canavan has an extended radar as does inside man McCurry when he steps out. Like O’Callaghan, Darragh Canavan’s best work is done closer to goal.
Top shooters: Conor Glass, Shane McGuigan, Lachlan Murray, Brendan Rogers.
The defending league champions have to turn over a new leaf after a championship to forget and a late managerial appointment didn’t help. However, they have two midfielders in Glass and Rogers who are sure to raise a few orange flags in 2025.
Top shooters: Jack Carney, Jordan Flynn, Ryan O’Donoghue, Matthew Ruane.
Cillian O’Connor’s decision to step away certainly narrows Mayo’s scoring spread yet there remain competent long-range operators in the squad. Flynn has emerged as a fine point-taker in the past couple of seasons. Tommy Conroy and Aidan O’Shea will back themselves for double points too and Paddy Durcan’s return from injury should give an option from deep.
Top shooters: Conor Cox, Daire Cregg, Diarmuid Murtagh, Donie Smith.
Roscommon have grounds to claim they should chart higher than ninth seeing as Murtagh is one of the best long-range kickers around. As true as that is and other left-footers Cregg and Smith are proven scorers, they might not have the same balance as counties above them.
Top shooters: Ciarán Byrne, Tommy Durnin, Conor Grimes, Sam Mulroy.
Louth pip Monaghan for a top-10 spot based on their variety of scorers able to find the posts from 40m plus out. Grimes’ game has volumised in the last three seasons and if Byrne can enjoy a injury-free run he can be a genuine scoring asset in two-point territory.
john.fogarty@examiner.ie
In his presentation to Special Congress last Saturday week, Football Review Committee (FRC) chairman Jim Gavin returned to a story from a “sandbox” game between Cavan and Kildare in Mullahoran in October.
Speaking about that experience at a later FRC briefing, he mentioned meeting a Cavan supporter at the game. “There was a gentleman in the stand in Mullahoran who said it was a long time since he saw Cavan score 2-21. He meant it in a very positive way. He was very enthused by what he saw.” Cavan’s aggregate total of 29 points was augmented by four-point goals, which have since been dropped by the FRC. They also featured two-pointers and the points-only total of 21 points didn’t tell the whole tale. In fact, under the present rules, their whole total would have worked out less than the 1-20 they put up in losing to Roscommon this past summer.
It, and the pending two-pointers, led us to ask how exactly are we going to score games? Instead of one dash between any goals scored and the number of points accrued, do we add another, i.e. 2-3-11 (23). After all, there is a new orange flag to recognise the third type of score. Shouldn’t our own scorelines and grounds scoreboards make that distinguishment? Is it possible for scoreboards to reflect that? Or do we keep it simple and retain the status quo?
Between scoreboard operators and the media, it may take time to form a consensus on such but as the FRC reconstitutes itself to include statisticians it must be careful not to make any claims that scoring totals are up if they are being arbitrarily inflated by the two-point score. The scoreboard mightn’t lie but it can be economical with the truth.
For now, as we try to get our heads around telling the story of a football game in its most basic terms accurately, all constructive suggestions to the usual email address will be kindly received.
After the black card was introduced in Gaelic football, then GAA president Liam O’Neill was initially at pains to avoid, at least in public, fuelling speculation that they would transfer to hurling. They eventually did – seven years later – but O’Neill was well aware of the hurling fraternity’s belief that the sauce for the goose is not always good for the gander.
On the cusp of another Football Review Committee’s (FRC) suite of rule changes coming into play, debate about what of them can be applied to hurling has already commenced.
In his annual report released on Friday, Cork GAA secretary Kevin O’Donovan qualified his remarks by highlighting hurling’s sovereignty but suggested some of the proposed and jettisoned FRC plans would serve the smaller ball game well.
“And perhaps even more silently, we wonder if the ‘hands off our hurling’ devotees would have then considered a four-point goal in the sister code,” he wrote. “Did the iconic scores by Robert Downey and Tony Kelly in Croke Park in July really only merit three points each in a game that now regularly sees between 50 and 60 one-pointers? Was it not refreshing to see the Cork hurlers put their own value on goalscoring this year?
“In fear of final damnation, we humbly suggest that the experimental rules in relation to dissent and cynical play be immediately adopted for hurling, if passed. Yes, they are different games, but it’s the same players and the same officials, with usually the same motives.”
Leading a dual county, O’Donovan’s awareness of serving both games as best as possible is acute but hurling’s stubbornness, often righteous, is well-known.