Kilkenny SFL- Mullinavat off the mark under new football rules in win over Clara

The new Gaelic football rules came to Kilkenny last weekend, on a wet miserable afternoon, where the new month didn’t see even a hint of spring weather.

On the football front, despite falling 1-2 to 0-0 behind in the opening ten minutes, the Mullinavat boys recovered, to win by five points, in the difficult conditions at Mulllinavat GAA Grounds.

A lobbed goal by Harry Boyle, followed by points from Philip Carrigan and Joe Power had the North Kilkenny outfit, assisted by the wind, five points up.

Mullinavat eventually got going with some fine passing movements, and a Michael Malone solo upfield, a move involving a few colleagues, was finished to the net by corner forward Oisin Knox.

By the interval the Vegas boys led 1-4 to 1-2, Knox recording all the Mullinavat points.

Half-time Mullinavat 1-4; Clara 1-2.

Mullinavat had started the game in black jerseys but switched to their traditional white for the new half, this an indication of the heavy rainfall that fell all afternoon.

By midway through the second half, Mullinavat had sealed the contest when substitute Padraig Walsh goaled from close range, leaving his side 2-6 to 1-2 clear.

Though Jack Langton punched a Clara goal in the 22nd minute, there was never the prospect of a Clara comeback. Mullinavat went on to record a deserved five-point victory.

As for those new rules there was little difference here, with the need to always keep three outfield players in both halves throughout, causing confusion at times, and not a single two pointer attempt by either side in the difficult conditions that prevailed.

The rules will continue to be used over the course of the county football league before a review of their stance will be made at national level upon the conclusion of the Allianz Football League at the end of March.

Teams & Scorers

Mullinavat: Jack Walsh, Michael Walsh, Ian Mansfield, Sean Fitzpatrick, Padraic Gahan, Ger Malone, John Walsh, Tom Aylward, James Culleton, Conor Duggan, Michael Malone, Fiachra Knox, Oisin Knox (1-6), Brian Phelan (0-1), Jamie Davis.

Subs:- Padraig Walsh (1-0) for Jamie Davis, Jack Byrne Doyle for Padraic Gahan, Cian McDonnell for Conor Duggan.

Clara: Rory O’Keeffe, Paddy Bolger, Alan Colman, Brandon Ryan. Philip Carrigan (0-1),Jack Langton (1-0), David Barcoe, Martin O’Connell, Cian Kelly, Harry Boyle (1-0), Liam Ryan, Sean Carrigan, Joe Power (0-1), Chris Bolger, Hugh Kelly.

Subs:- Dara Glynn, Daniel Kelly for Conor O’Shea, Killian Phelan.

Referee: John O’Gorman (Dicksboro).