Every single senior hurler in the country would fancy their chances standing over a 65 straight in front of the goals.
Most senior hurlers will have the ability to strike the sliotar 80 yards or more in the current game. Their strikes are getting longer and longer recently due to a combination of better hurls and the use of sliotars that are more receptive and are lighter in weight than previous years.
That’s why we see goalkeepers like Colm Callanan having the ability to lump the ball from one end of the field to the other with their puckouts. That’s why we see the best free-takers in the game, like TJ Reid and Pauric Mahony dropping back into their half back line routinely to hit long range frees.
They’re massive scoring opportunities for players.
And if a game is tied after the extra-time period in the National League this year or in the under-17 or under-20 competitions, we will see a 65 shootout.
Páirc Tailteann was absolutely buzzing on Sunday. Meath and Longford’s O’Byrne Cup clash was decided by a free-taking shootout between the sides from 45 yards out.
It was a carnival climax to an entertaining game, and was the first time in the history of inter-county GAA that a shootout would decide a game.
The Navan crowd were hushed in eager anticipation. The excitement was pulsating and the tension for the players involved was riveting.
The teams sent five players forward, 1/3 of their team to decide the outcome of the game.
You can watch the action from the shootout here via Darren Killion’s video.
So this happened between @MeathGAA and @OfficialLDGAA #freekickcompetition @SportsJOEdotie @ballsdotie pic.twitter.com/Lr3ZPQkgvR
— Dazzler (@Killerz_Kits) January 14, 2018
It was no surprise, however, when only three out of the ten attempts taken at the 45 went over the bar.
Only one of Longford’s five kickers raised a white flag, while Meath fared slightly better with two successful attempts.
Free-taking is a specialised skill in both hurling and football, but it’s much more difficult in football.
For a hurler, a 65 is all about accuracy. For a footballers, a 45 requires both length and accuracy.
A historic day in GAA history https://t.co/OITpllncsy
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) January 14, 2018
“Can he even kick the ball 45 yards?” asked the commentators on the above video.
Those concerns are very legitimate.
How many times do we see 45 metre kicks, even from the team’s chose free-takers, end up going over the bar in a game? It’s rare enough, and it’s certainly less often than 65s in hurling. And these misses are coming from players that have been practicing on their dead ball situations all year long.
You’d have to wonder, given how hard it is for footballers, with the stakes higher than an O’Byrne Cup, would teams even have five players who’d want to try it out?
Would it be too crazy and logical to try something like, oh I don’t know, a penalty shootout?
