Rory Beggan’s kick passing has changed the goalkeeping position again

Conan Doherty

Stephen Cluxton changed the game forever.

The idea that you could be guaranteed possession with every single kickout seems so simple now but it wasn’t until Cluxton and his vision, his skill, his nerve and unmatchable consistency redefined the goalkeeping position.

Over 17 years later and a Monaghan man is threatening to do the same.

Rory Beggan’s kicking has always been exemplary. He can pinpoint moving targets like a torpedo but, this season, the county are using him as one of their most important attackers.

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Beggan is even more than a sweeper ‘keeper. This isn’t some copycat tactic, it’s becoming a revolution.

He’s like a sevens goalkeeper, the team’s most crucial player when in possession. He’s unmarked so he’s there to be used and move the team upfield and he’s not the sort of character you can leave to wander because you can bet your life that he’ll go the whole way if you let him, like Clontibret found out when Beggan ran the length of the field and kicked a point for Scotstown last year.

But he doesn’t even need to do any running these days because his right foot is capable of launching heat-seeking missiles with devastating results.

Against Dublin, Beggan carried the ball out of defence and he forced his team into full-frontal attacks with his ability to pick out men and space and land the ball on a sixpence if he had to.

From his own D, he was hitting the ball over the top of players to run onto on the opposition 65′.

60 metres passes, one kick and Monaghan were away.

When he could, he wasn’t afraid to run beyond the 45′ and, from there, he could garner even more effective results – even with less room for error.

The old saying is that Monaghan can’t win at Croke Park.

Well, with Beggan, they condemned Dublin to their first defeat in a year, and they made the most of every single inch on that hallowed turf. With Beggan, every single team in the country would have to fear Monaghan at Croke Park with all that space for him to exploit.