Rob Finnerty: Goalkeepers cutting value of two-pointer by touching ball 'a bit crazy'
Galway attacker Rob Finnerty reckons it's 'a bit crazy' that goalkeepers can cut the value of a two-pointer in half by simply getting a touch to the ball.
Galway benefited from the directive in the Connacht final when goalkeeper Connor Gleeson got his hand to a long-range kick from Mayo's Ryan O'Donoghue which still went over.
There was controversy at the time as TV replays suggested that the ball had already gone beyond the crossbar when Gleeson got his touch.
Either way, Finnerty isn't a fan of the directive that a goalkeeper can have such an influence on the scoring system, agreeing that it is a weird rule.
"It is, it's a strange rule," he said. "Because it obviously halves the reward which I think is probably a bit crazy. If you can get the ball over from 50 or 45 metres, I don't see why you wouldn't get the reward of the two points. Obviously it worked in our favour at the weekend so we'll take it.
"Connor has done that in a few games now. It's obviously something he's been looking at and he's done it well so fair play to him."
Galway won by just two points in the end, clinching an historic four-in-a-row of Connacht titles and their place in a devilishly difficult All-Ireland SFC group alongside Dublin, Derry and All-Ireland champions Armagh or Donegal.
First up for Galway will be a home date with Dublin in Salthill on Saturday week.
It remains to be seen if star attackers Shane Walsh and Damien Comer are fit for duty having both missed the provincial decider.
"I'm actually not sure, I'd say it mightn't be too far away," said Finnerty of his colleagues' returns. "But I'm not sure will they make that Dublin game."
It has been confirmed that the 5pm encounter will form part of a double header with the county's hurlers facing Antrim beforehand at 2.30pm.
"That'll only add to the occasion and hopefully as many Galway people as possible can get down to it," said Finnerty, who plays for the local Salthill-Knocknacarra club.
One thing Finnerty isn't a fan of is holding the draw for the All-Ireland SFC before the provincial finals, potentially shifting the players' focus from the job at hand.
"Obviously it wasn't ideal that they did do the draw beforehand," he said. "It doesn't really make much sense in my eyes, knowing where you're going to be and who you're facing. I think we did a good job of just staying focused on Mayo and on winning a Connacht championship.
"Even do it this weekend after the Ulster and Leinster finals, that probably would be an ideal thing, just do it on TV after the game or whatever. That would be my opinion on it."
*Rob Finnerty was speaking at the launch of Harvey Norman's new GAA sponsorships, including Hawk-Eye and Camogie Stats partnerships.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
19 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Tipperary march into All-Ireland semi-final after emphatic win over Galway
Tipperary are heading back to Croke Park for the first time since the 2019 All-Ireland final after a comfortable eight-point victory over Galway. 2 Tipperary sailed past Galway to book an All-Ireland semi-final place 2 Tipp bagged two goals in a win that secured their first semi-final since 2019 The old and young guards came up trumps for Liam Cahill's side. On the inside line, Jason Forde and John McGrath shared 10 points, led by Forde's 0-7. That tally was matched by the roving duo of Jake Morris and Andrew Ormond, who scored 0-5 each. Teenage talent Oisín O'Donoghue made sure they would avenge their 2023 quarter-final exit against the same opponents with the clinching goal. Colm Molloy and Declan McLoughlin, in the final play, hit the net for Galway. They were overly reliant on Cathal Mannion's 13 points. read more on gaa Tipp won the toss and chose to play with the breeze at their backs. Whereas Galway were reliant on Mannion for nine of their 11 first-half points, all six Tipp forwards were on the scoresheet within 25 minutes. Forde tallied five points, comprising four from play and a sideline cut. McGrath tacked on three more and assisted two of Forde's scores. Vice-captain Morris also shone with 0-3 and was fouled for three scoreable frees. Galway began with an early response to their Leinster final defeat. Mannion split the posts for three of the first five points, including one from play. Most read in GAA Hurling Tipp responded each time with instant equalisers. The Premier went on to thread together five points on the spin. Forde scored two of those and laid on McGrath's first. 'Just in time for Father's Day' - Dublin GAA legends welcome the birth of precious baby daughter Craig Morgan had three assists within 12 minutes, teeing up Morris (twice) and Ormond. Centre-forward Ormond also had a sight of goal. Back from suspension, Darach Fahy advanced to save with his leg. Trailing 0-7 to 0-3, Galway kept in touch with points from play via Conor Whelan, Mannion, and Conor Cooney. The Tribesmen looked like slicing through a couple of times, but the ball didn't go to hand. Brian Concannon fired high and wide with a snapshot. Tipp's scramble defence also came up trumps with Bryan O'Mara and Robert Doyle blocking point attempts. Ronan Maher held up Whelan's run on goal at the cost of a free. Their biggest advantage was seven, 0-15 to 0-8, on the half-hour. Mannion finished the second half as he started it, with three of the final four points. They could've had a goal in the closing stages, too. Kevin Cooney was forced to shoot early, and Rhys Shelly dived to turn the sliotar around the post. They trailed 0-16 to 0-11 at half-time, but got their goal within five minutes of the restart. Conor Cooney swooped onto a loose pass and fed Molloy out wide. Doyle slipped and the Kilnadeema-Leitrim attacker took full advantage, racing in for a low finish to the far corner. The gap was two, but Galway didn't score again for the next 12 minutes. They tallied seven wides in the third quarter. In the meantime, Tipp scrubbed the goal with six consecutive points. Ormond accounted for two and won a free for McCarthy. Forde slotted his second sideline They almost capped it with a goal, but Fahy denied Morris and Darragh Stakelum's rebound. Tom Monaghan broke the spell, only for Tipp to find the net in the 59th minute. Noel McGrath fed the sliotar to O'Donoghue, who wrongfooted the keeper for his second championship goal. When Galway tried the same short free routine that led to a Concannon goal in the Leinster final, the forward was too close to the free-taker. Mannion went for goal from another free, which Shelly saved, and Eoghan Connolly got in the way of a Concannon strike. Tipperary 1-28 Galway 2-17 Declan McLoughlin had three late efforts. Doyle blocked one, the next flew wide, but the final one evaded Shelly's grasp to find the net. TIPPERARY: R Shelly; M Breen, R Doyle, B O'Mara; C Morgan, E Connolly, R Maher; W Connors 0-1, P McGarry; J Morris 0-5, A Ormond 0-5, S O'Farrell 0-1; D McCarthy 0-3, 3f, J McGrath 0-3, J Forde 0-7, 2s/l, 1f. Subs: D Stakelum 0-2 for McGarry h-t, N McGrath 0-1 for J McGrath 48 mins, O O'Donoghue 1-0 for McCarthy 52, C Stakelum for O'Farrell 59, S Kennedy for Connors 66. GALWAY: D Fahy; P Mannion, Daithí Burke, D Morrissey; S Linnane, G Lee, C Fahy; David Burke, R Glennon; C Whelan 0-1, C Cooney 0-1, B Concannon; C Mannion 0-13, 8f, 3 65, C Molloy 1-0, K Cooney. Subs: TJ Brennan for Linnane h-t, T Monaghan 0-2 for David Burke 50 mins, D McLoughlin 1-0 for C Cooney 51, T Killeen for K Cooney 58, R Burke for Glennon 66. Referee: S Stack (Dublin).
Irish Times
21 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Tipperary ease into All-Ireland semi-finals with convincing win over Galway
All-Ireland SHC quarter-final: Tipperary 1-28 Galway 2-17 Tipperary are heading back to Croke Park for the first time since the 2019 All-Ireland final after a comfortable eight-point victory over Galway . The Premier will face Kilkenny in that semi-final on Sunday, July 6th. The result in front of 15,404 fans at the Gaelic Grounds also means that giant-killers Dublin will meet Cork the previous evening . The old and young guards came up trumps for Liam Cahill's side. On the inside line, Jason Forde and John McGrath shared 10 points, led by Forde's 0-7. That tally was matched by the roving duo of Jake Morris and Andrew Ormond, who scored 0-5 each. READ MORE Teenage talent Oisín O'Donoghue made sure they would avenge their 2023 quarter-final exit against the same opponents with the clinching goal. Colm Molloy and Declan McLoughlin, in the final play, hit the net for Galway. They were overly reliant on Cathal Mannion's 13 points. The Tribesmen tallied 16 wides plus a handful of missed goal chances. Tipp missed the posts with 14 shots. Tipp won the toss and chose to play with the breeze at their backs. Whereas Galway were reliant on Mannion for nine of their 11 first-half points, all six Tipp forwards were on the scoresheet within 25 minutes. Forde tallied five points, comprising four from play and a sideline cut. McGrath tacked on three more and assisted two of Forde's scores. Vice-captain Morris also shone with 0-3 and was fouled for three scoreable frees. Galway began with an early response to their Leinster final defeat. Mannion split the posts for three of the first five points, including one from play. Tipp responded each time with instant equalisers. [ Inspired 14-man Dublin beat Limerick in remarkable championship shock Opens in new window ] Tipperary's Oisin O'Donoghue celebrates. Photograph: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho The Premier went on to thread together five points on the spin. Forde scored two of those and laid on McGrath's first. Centre-forward Ormond also had a sight of goal. Back from suspension, Darach Fahy advanced to save with his leg. Trailing 0-7 to 0-3, Galway kept in touch with points from play via Conor Whelan, Mannion, and Conor Cooney. Tipp's biggest advantage was seven, 0-15 to 0-8, on the half-hour. Mannion finished the second half as he started it, with three of the final four points. They could've had a goal in the closing stages, too. Kevin Cooney was forced to shoot early, and Rhys Shelly dived to turn the sliotar around the post. They trailed 0-16 to 0-11 at half-time, but got their goal within five minutes of the restart. Conor Cooney swooped on to a loose pass and fed Molloy out wide. Robert Doyle slipped and the Kilnadeema-Leitrim attacker took full advantage, racing in for a low finish to the far corner. The gap was two, but Galway didn't score again for the next 12 minutes. They tallied seven wides in the third quarter. In the meantime, Tipp scrubbed the goal with six consecutive points. Ormond accounted for two and won a free for McCarthy. Forde slotted his second sideline They almost capped it with a goal, but Fahy denied Morris and Darragh Stakelum's rebound. Tom Monaghan broke the spell, only for Tipp to find the net in the 59th minute. Noel McGrath fed the sliotar to O'Donoghue, who wrong-footed the keeper for his second championship goal. When Galway tried the same short free routine that led to a Brian Concannon goal in the Leinster final, the forward was too close to the free-taker. Mannion went for goal from another free, which Shelly saved, and Eoghan Connolly got in the way of a Concannon strike. Declan McLoughlin had three late efforts. Doyle blocked one, the next flew wide, but the final one evaded Shelly's grasp to find the net. Tipperary: R Shelly; M Breen, R Doyle, B O'Mara; C Morgan, E Connolly, R Maher; W Connors (0-1), P McGarry; J Morris (0-5), A Ormond (0-5), S O'Farrell (0-1); D McCarthy (0-3, three frees), J McGrath (0-3), J Forde (0-7, two sideline cuts, one free). Subs: D Stakelum (0-2) for McGarry (h-t), N McGrath (0-1) for J McGrath (48 mins), O O'Donoghue (1-0) for McCarthy (52), C Stakelum for O'Farrell (59), S Kennedy for Connors (66). Galway: D Fahy; P Mannion, Daithí Burke, D Morrissey; S Linnane, G Lee, C Fahy; David Burke, R Glennon; C Whelan (0-1), C Cooney (0-1), B Concannon; C Mannion (0-13, eight frees, three 65s), C Molloy (1-0), K Cooney. Subs: TJ Brennan for Linnane (h-t), T Monaghan (0-2) for David Burke (50), D McLoughlin (1-0) for C Cooney (51), T Killeen for K Cooney (58), R Burke for Glennon (66). Referee: S Stack (Dublin).
Irish Independent
24 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Dublin finally get the measure of Cork to book place in All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals
Dublin advanced to the last eight of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship with an unconvincing three-point victory over Cork in their preliminary quarter-final at Croke Park on Saturday evening.
