KERRY LEGEND PAT Spillane has said Gaelic football is becoming 'deadly boring' after the recent All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals between Monaghan and Armagh, and Derry and Cork drew more mixed reviews from fans and pundits.
Kerry and Dublin were both praised for trying to play football in their quarter-finals, while the likes of Monaghan and Armagh, and Derry and Cork received backlash for their lack of urgency and lack of willingness to play quickly, Spillane expressing himself in his Sunday World column became the latest figure to take issue with how certain teams approached Gaelic football in 2023.
Firstly, Armagh and Monaghan's game came under fire. The game was decided on penalties, but Spillane described the game as a 'hard watch' for any armchair fan.
"Armagh quarter-final was a hard watch for the armchair fan," said the 67-year-old in his column.
"In a severe case of paralysis by analysis, the two teams set up as mirror images of each other.
"It was a cautious, safety-first, keep-possession style of football. In other words, deadly boring."
The Kerry great then made reference to the Cork v Derry quarter-final and took particular issue with the Ulster side for how long they kept the ball. He claimed he 'finally reached breaking point early on in the game'.
"I consider myself a mild-mannered individual. But after the first three minutes, I wanted to drive my boot through the television screen," said the Kerry native.
Pat Spillane: Football in danger of passing away from boredom https://t.co/0QbjrszcmE
— Sunday World (@sundayworld) July 10, 2023
"What I was seeing was not the game I fell in love with and played. This was a new sport called 'keep ball'.
"Cork won possession from the throw-in, and the entire Derry team retreated behind the halfway line, where they sat back and allowed Cork to have the ball.
"A Derry player never touched the ball; indeed, they scarcely bothered to tackle an opponent bar one half-hearted effort.
"There would have been more contact at an Old Folk’s Sunday afternoon dance.
"So what did Cork do with the ball? They strolled around, occasionally breaking into a gentle jog as they hand-passed to each other.
"They completed 55 hand-passes in the three minutes – 34 of which went either sideways or backward."
This comes after Meath's senior football manager Colm O'Rourke made similar references to the same issue.
O'Rourke, who is preparing his Meath side for next Saturday's Tailteann Cup final against Down, was asked if the game would go back to its roots. O'Rourke responded, "No, I don't see any turning back."
