1981 All Ireland Final - Kerry v Offaly

[True Red]

Just watching it on TG4 and near the end, about 10 mins to go, a ball is played through to Bomber Liston who is on his todd inside. Furlong comes out of the goals like a lunatic and with a mid air flying kick a ninja would be proud of,gets to the ball,clears it and breaks Liston up in the process.

No messing with Furlong.

[heman]

classic stuff...the older generation will tell you that was proper football and when men were tough...

[Plain of the Herbs]

Watched it too. Hindsight is 20:20 vision, and all that, but you can see how there was some hope for Offaly a year later. Offaly were four points behind in the last ten minutes, as they would be a year later, but there would be an entirely different mindset. Properly prepared, Tomás Connor and Johnny Mooney fully fit, Pádraig Dunne's distribution improved, Jimmy Deenihan ruled out for Kerry, Seán Lowry centre-back, Brendan Lowry contributing in attack, etc.

Could Pat Fitzgerald only kick with the instep?
Liam Currams outsprinting and overtaking Ger Power was a particular highlight.
As was Tomás Connor's point just before half-time which came from a break upfield after a great Furlong save.
Offaly could have had two penalties, the first early on, the second just before half-time.
Brendan Lowry got some rattle from Deenihan a minute before half time after an attempted late tackle went wrong.
What ever happened Charlie Conroy, who hardly figured the following year?

[True Red]

On the game itself - The amount of ball that Offaly gave away was unreal. It seemed (or looked that way at least)that all the backs were just told to hoof it down the other end of the field and the amount of clearances that went to Kerry men was criminal. Offaly were still in touch with Kerry with 10 to go through a combination of wides from Kerry and stubborn defending.It resembled a rugby match at times where Offaly were playing the percentages and looking for field position, rather than finding a man.

On balance Kerry were the more economical team in the end and always had that little bit more about them. They rave down there about this been the best team ever, but on the basis of that game shown last night,some of their players were only alright. Liston was a very average footballer and with the fisted goal taken out of the rule book, he was limited. Strong and moderately fit by comparison to nowadays but i doubt he would make the current Kerry side. Ger Power was a bundle of speed but his finishing was less than polished. As said already, Currams had the legs for him(Currams had the stride of a middle distance runner and ate the ground up). Some of the lesser lights were just savage fit and won their individual battles against their Offaly counterparts.

Whether it was nerves or what but Offaly were far from the finished article. I suppose it was their first All Ireland final in 9 years and a lot of lads were apprehensive and probably werent as composed as they could have been on the ball. A good few times on both sides, lads were going into tackles with their feet, something which would result in red cards nowadays.

That ninja tackle by furlong though.....good god

[Plain of the Herbs]

TG4 showed the 1980 semi-final a few weeks ago. If you think Offaly hoofed the ball to excess in 1981, you wanna see what went on 13 months previously! The ball must have been crying out for mercy in 1980 because I doubt Offaly passed the ball directly even once. 1981 was a big improvement on 1980 in terms of developing the play.

TG4 are showing a sequence of the late John Egan's football career on Wednesday evenings. Last wek it was the 1980 Final against Roscommon. One thing. Dermot Earley! I now he was one of the greats, and all that, but of the 40ish frees awarded to Kerry in that match, I'd say Earley was responsible for about eight of those, all through downright bad technique in the tackle. Now maybe that's what the pressure of Final day does to the head, and Roscommon were on the back foot for much of it, but it struck me as crazy stuff from the team leader.

[timber]

One thing that I certainly took from watching the 81 final on tg4 last night and many other archived games was how players just got on with playing football. It was physical, very hard hitting but none of the crap that goes on today.

Look at Dublin who are supposedly the number one team in the country. Every game they play theres the same auld rubbish digging and niggling from the likes of McCauley, Bastick, O' Carroll to name a few. When they or their team mate fouls the opposition they follow in with little pushes and niggly crap. Trying to be hard men. Look at the game last night and lads just took a hit winning a free, put down the ball and played away.

I am of the new generation within football but I have to say that the niggling and also diving in the modern game is a joke when we see how real men got on with it back then and played the game how it should be played. There certainly was more honesty to the game.

[DAF]

These matches really should be shown to all the Pat Spillane types who somehow think football in the past was vastly superior to todays football.The standard of footpassing was scandalous in fact it didnt seem to exist as most ball were just sent aimlessly up the field with the hope a forward might catch it.Some of the play would resemble something froma junior b team nowadays.The 1982 final was a brilliant game of football the standard was very high that day.All in all when you look at the differences between football back then and todays football I'd prefer football today, some thought seems to have been put into how teams play these days and that looked to be sevely lacking when you look at alot of the matches back on All Ireland gold.

[timber]

I would agree that some of the kicking was poor enough back then compared to now, but there's alot of intercounty footballers who have all Ireland medals these days that I would not trust to put a ball on my chest from even 30 yards either.

I play football, have always had a huge interest in it but I do feel that the foot has gone out of football alot in recent times. Athletes more so than footballers is what is being selected. I would say there is still alot of intercounty players on the top teams at present that lack good footballing skills. Are they more skillful than the old days, some are, some are not I would say.

The above is getting away from the point that I was making and which is very notable. Has football become a game where lads want to always try and wind the opposition up or try play for frees. I dont think that was in the game as much back then. Just watching TG4 the other night the majority of the time there was no unnecessary niggle. Players just got on with it.

[Phoenix]

One key difference in 1982 compared to 1981 - the GAA imposed a stricter interpretation of the hand pass.

That change in rule interpetation bridged the gap between Offaly and Kerry in passing technique. The 1982 game was a brilliant exhibition notable for brilliant point taking and Offaly matched Kerry in all the skills.

[Plain of the Herbs]

That rule change was made between 1980 and 1981, Phoenix, but that doesn't change your point, which is absolutely correct. Kerry played in 1980 like it was basketball, throwing the ball arpund the place.

How that rule chance came about is outlined in Eoghan Corry's Kingdom Come. From memory, there was a special congress, a new handpass rule was voted on and carried. Then the delegates discussed the new rule over lunch, realised the rule they had just adopted was impractical, so they had to re-draft a hand-pass rule, propose a new motion and get a 2/3 majority to change the impossible rule they had imposed just a few hours earlier. I must dig that book out next week.

One key difference in 1982 compared to 1981 - the GAA imposed a stricter interpretation of the hand pass.

That change in rule interpetation bridged the gap between Offaly and Kerry in passing technique. The 1982 game was a brilliant exhibition notable for brilliant point taking and Offaly matched Kerry in all the skills.

[Plain of the Herbs]

I found that piece from Eoghan Corry's Kingdom Come, page 143-145.

The 1980 Kerry Convention gave vent to some of the ire of the old-timers. Donie O’Sullivan, “the corner-back who used to make the ball moan when he was kicking it out,” declared that “as Gaelic football rules are now framed, a team of tall basket-ballers from Alabama could come over and destroy the All-Ireland champions.” Joe Keohane joined the charge “I believe the game is becoming popular in convent schools and reverend mothers are losing their minds about it.”

In 1981 the hue and cry against the hand-pass had grown so much that a special congress was announced, purportedly to examine the hand-pass, the solo run and the personal foul. The event was to become a public execution of the hand-pass.

A committee was asked to report to the special congress. It decided that the hand-pass had four advantages: it eliminated pulling and mauling from the game; it gave the player plenty of options in a tight situation; it helped the less physical player; and it speeded up the game for spectators.

The committee listed two disadvantages of the hand-pass: that it changed the character of Gaelic football from a kicking game to a running game, and that it was virtually impossible to manage for referees, claiming (without much foundation) that 60 per-cent of all hand-passes were in fact foul passes.

It produced a slim but influential 24-page report. Future GAA president, and referee, Mick Loftus chaired the committee. It was top-heavy with officials: Jim Roche, Ciarán O’Neill, Gerry Fagan, Jim McKeever and director-general Liam Mulvihill. There were two players appointed, but Dermot Earley pulled out and Jack O’Shea was unable to attend any of the meetings.

Their decision to recommend that scores from the hand-pass be abolished was made on such improbable grounds as that it was “a poor ending to a good movement”, that it was “too simple, there is not much skill involved” and it was “not in full keeping with the game of football,” alongside more credible reasons such as “the hand-pass disadvantages the referee too much”, that it was “too difficult for a referee to determine the legality of a hand-pass where an important score was involved.”

A tiny sample was asked for their views on the hand-pass. Of these, 12 were players (none from Kerry), 15 were coaches (including Mick O’Dwyer), 14 were referees (including Weeshie Fogarty), and 18 were spectators and administrators (including Paddy Moriarty). Only 45 replied, Jack O’Shea produced a detailed submission without a questionnaire, as did Joe Keohane.

Kerry decided before the special congress was held at the Na Fianna clubhouse on Dublin’s Mobhi Road on May 9th 1981 that they wanted to retain the hand-pass with scores by the hand allowed, despite Joe Keohane’s objections. The Kerry motion “that the hand-pass in play be retained” was passed on a 77/40 vote. The definition of a hand-pass that “there be a visible striking of the ball by the hand, and where the striking action is not visible the referee shall deem the pass as being a foul,” was submitted by Cork and Louth and accepted by 91 votes to 36. A revival of the old “if he receives the ball by hand-pass, he must kick it” rule was lost. The congress then decided that scores be allowed with the fist only.

The satisfied delegated adjourned to lunch. Then some of them began to realise the mess they had created. Allowing only fisted scores would create havoc when it came to a referee having to come to a decision in a tense Junior B match surrounded by thirty footballers and the goalie’s granny.

They had to reverse the morning’s decision by a two-thirds majority when they returned. They decided to outlaw all scores with the hand unless the ball is already in flight. It was a vital definition that would allow Pat Spillane score a goal against Tyrone in the 1986 All-Ireland final.

[Phoenix]

Thanks POTH. That brings back to me all the arguments around then. There's still a residual resentment against the handpass - the refereeing interpretation changes every so often and Congress wouldn't need much encouragement to restrict it severely. I think that might help Offaly. Unfortunately Offaly Senior Footballers are not anywhere near the level where a rule change would put us over the top. They were a lot closer in 1980-1982.

[turk]

Is it true or just general pub talk that 81 All Ireland referee Paddy Collins went down to Kerry to train the Kerry panel after the modified handpass rule came in? If it's not true then it was a brilliant lie.

[Fargo Boyle]

1982 final is on now as part of the John Egan season. Couple of points to note:

That Offaly jersey is class, we should see a return of this

Offaly make 3 hand passes in a row to which O Hehir comments that Offaly are doing a lot of hand passing. It's lucky that Micheal was not around to see the 250 odd hand passes that cork completed on Sunday

It must be strange for the Conor family of walsh Island to turn on the tv on a wet Wednesday evening and see all their fathers and uncles on the box

Matt Conor was a class above. I would say our best ever. Strong, accurate, fast, won his own ball, good in the air and absolutely no ego whatsoever

[Fargo Boyle]

Jaysus that was brilliant. With 10 minutes left I'm sure everyone at it thought it was over when they went 4 points down and it looked like Kerry were cruising. Who would have dreamed that finish! Have to say Offaly got 3 handy frees in a row near the end which brought them back into range but we'll take anything we get