Brian Flanagan reflects on the new rules after his first game in charge
Tommy Callaghan spoke to the Kildare manager after their clash with Galway
While the result of Saturday's first Kildare outing under new manager, Brian Flanagan, was somewhat immaterial, nevertheless there were certainly signs that the players are buying into the new management regime as they certainly gave it their all against Galway; all things considered lots of positives, new rules, a lot to do yet before the league commences but overall mostly positive with manager Flanagan expressing himself as being very happy with the display.
“I would be very happy the way we competed throughout the game, coming here today, our first public outing against a side of the stature of Galway, having been in two of the last three All-Irelands, unlucky not to have won last year, and they were fairly loaded, 12 or 13 fellas that got game time in last year's final that, very strong and a huge challenge for our lads to take on.
“I though our lads stood up to that challenge brilliantly and I thought they looked very composed, looked very at ease during the game, there was probably a ten minute patch near the end of the game when we just couldn't get our hands on the ball, we lost a lot of long kick-outs, they started picking off two pointers and ultimately that was the difference; they also posed more of a goal threat, we had one or two chances and didn't take them while they had three goal chances and they took two, overall, first time out, a lot of lads playing in the white jersey for the first time and I though they applied themselves brilliantly.”
The manager said they “when you are in possession, on the attack, you're always trying to get the highest percentage shot off, and that was probably why we had no two-pointer, for one tonight.”
On the new rules the manager said he felt the “real test for them (new rules) will be when there is proper jeopardy in games, league and championship, but overall I would be positive, would be in favour of them and I think the game needed them.
“It can be frustrating on the sideline, fans watching on; the play stopped, no one knows why and the ball is brought down the far end and tapped over; now when that happens a few times in a game as it did tonight, it doesn't add anything to the game; in fact it breaks the flow of the game; I know there has to be a punishment for not keeping three at the back but all the way to the 20m line takes the energy out of the game, something to be looked at maybe but overall in favour of the rules.”
The manager added that on the dissent rule “we simply have to learn and live with.”