Louth manager says a new rule he does not like “is the opportunity for a 12 v 11 attack”

Louth senior football manager Ger Brennan praised his side’s efforts in their Round 1 victory over Westmeath and highlighted the contributions from new and old faces.

Andy McDonnell made his return to inter-county football after several years away and was one of the standout stories of the day.  

Speaking after the game, Brennan didn’t hold back in acknowledging McDonnell’s impact. He said: “He’s a super player, to be fair. This time last year he was standing beside ye doing interviews and writing articles.  

“His love for Louth football was obviously reinvigorated, and I think everyone would agree that in the Louth County Championship this year he was one of the standout players. 

“We had a quick chat about it to see if he was interested in giving it a go, and he thought about it and said yeah. You saw out there how much it means to him—he really gave it everything. 

“He missed a couple of chances, and then he got one on the board. You could see the smile he had on his face after kicking it. 

“I say if you shoot enough, then you’re going to score,” Brennan joked. “He’s a great bit of stuff—we were slagging him inside there. 

“That’s probably just a bit of rustiness. He hasn’t played in four and a half years for Louth, so that is a long time to be out of the game.

“For him to put in that performance today was great, and it will only bring him on going into the next stage of the league.”

Thoughts on new rules

Brennan also shared his thoughts on the new rules introduced this season and offered praise for some while raising concerns about others.

He said: “I think most people are enjoying the rules. That is something that definitely needs to be done, and it is something that’s going to take a bit of getting used to. 

“One that I just don’t like at all is the opportunity for a 12 v 11 attack (when the opposition keeper comes up).

“After talking to other inter-county managers, that is something we are going to have to look at because it obviously wasn’t part of the plan, I imagine when the FRC were having their think tanks and their sandbox games. 

“Some of the other measures are possibly quite punitive. For example, the ball being brought up 50 metres, and the keeper taking too long now leading to a 13-metre free for the opposition instead of a 20-meter throw ball.

“I think that should go back to being a throw ball. But overall, very positive.”