Armagh's McGeeney Feels New GAA Rule Is Leading To 'Pure Piggery'

Roscommon earned an impressive victory over Armagh this evening, holding off a second half comeback to secure a 3-18 to 0-24 win at Dr Hyde Park.

The Rossies were utterly dominant in the opening half of the game, leading 2-14 to 0-8 at the interval. They were aided by a strong breeze at the backs during that period.

Armagh were always likely to reduce the gap after halftime, although it remained to be seen whether it would be enough to get back into the contest. The Ulster side would produce an impressive second half performance, getting back to within a goal of in the final minutes.

However, it was not enough to avoid a second defeat of their league campaign for Kieran McGeeney’s side.

Armagh’s McGeeney Feels GAA Rule Loved By Fans Leading To ‘Pure Piggery’

Armagh will feel that they have left a couple of points on the table in recent weeks, with their poor first half performance proving costly against Roscommon.

They struggled to deal with the windy conditions during that period, with Roscommon dominating on the Armagh kick-out. That trend was then reversed after the interval, with the current kick-out rules resulting in more contests in the middle of the pitch.

Speaking to Off The Ball, Kieran McGeeney suggested that the current rules have led to a reversion to a ‘kick and hope’ style of football.

It’s just that 50/50 game that everybody wants.

There’s no skill in it, it’s just pure piggery. Get in and get it like, that’s just what it turns into. It depends what way the momentum is going, it’s hard to shift that momentum when it’s going against you.

Listen, people find it exciting so I can’t see it changing…

You can see teams that weren’t competing a couple of years ago are now sitting in the top five or six teams because of sheer size in the middle.

It’s going back to the old days, it’s kick and hope. It’s exciting I suppose.

An interesting take. There is now a premium put on size in the middle third, with there being far more aerial contests on restarts than had been the case in recent seasons before the rule changes.

That has resulted in teams finding it more difficult to control games, an area that sides such as Armagh had excelled in in previous years.

The Orchard County will face another stern test in their next league fixture, hosting an undefeated Donegal side at the Gaelic Grounds. A positive result in that one will be needed if McGeeney’s side are to avoid being dragged into a relegation scrap over the coming weeks.

Armagh’s McGeeney Feels New GAA Rule Is Leading To ‘Pure Piggery’

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