Cian O’Neill won’t crack the code with Kildare overnight but he has them playing some great football.
The Lilywhites creamed neighbours Meath by 10 points to kick off their Allianz Leagues campaign in style. O’Neill’s young charges rattled in 3-17 to Meath’s 0-16 at Pairc Tailteann and they looked damn good in the process.
Kick-passing, fluid movement and pace, pace, pace were key elements of a Kildare side that had only three players aged 25 or over in their starting team. No county for old men…
Their opening goal is a drill that GAA teams practice the nation over – win the throw-in, inside forward cuts into midfield, find the full forward, and the ball is played into the corner forward, who loses his man.
From the moment referee Ciaran Branigan threw up the ball, this is how long it took Ben McCormack and Kildare to score:
Meath boss Andy McEntee will not enjoy watching replays of McCormack’s goal but it highlights the pace and precision Kildare brought to bear on the contest.
Possession is won. The game is afoot.
Dan Flynn [circled yellow] dashes out from his full forward position
Quick exchange of hand-passes and McCormack bursts away from his marker
McCormack cleverly allows the ball to bounce across him and into his path
Before slotting the ball past Jack Hannigan for a 13-second goal
Q.E.D.
The fastest goal on record in GAA was scored by Michael Miller of St Eunan’s Letterkenny in 2015. Miller rippled the net after only nine seconds against St Patrick’s Armagh in the Danske Bank MacRory Cup.
McCormack’s strike could well have been a GAA record for an inter-county player. Two Kerry stars and a Roscommon forward are renowned for early strikes in All-Ireland finals – The Rossies’ John ‘Jigger’ O’Connor scored after 35 seconds of the 1980 final against while Garry McMahon’s goal in the 1962 final was 34 seconds. Paul Geaney scored for The Kingdom after 40 seconds of the 2014 final.
If you know of a faster inter-county goal than McCormack’s, please let us know via Facebook or Twitter
