Poacher slams two point free rule after Aughrim loss

Leitrim manager Steven Poacher has questioned the impact that two point scores is having on gaelic football after Wicklow’s Mark Jackson hit four two pointers from placed balls in a heartbreaking 1-17 to 2-13 loss in Echelon Aughrim Park last Sunday, writes John Connolly.

Speaking after the game, Steven immediately pointed to the impact the place kicking of the hosts’ keeper had on the contest: “Mark Jackson's two-pointers there today are the difference and it's frustrating. It's really frustrating because I don't agree with it. 

“I've said this before and I'm not reacting out of emotion here today - I don't agree with the two-point free. I think it's a waste of time. I don't think it should be rewarded for someone like Mark Jackson to stand on the top of that arc and kick a two point free.

I'm standing here myself, I was a free kicker in my day and I still fancy my chances at a two-pointer from there. And it's grossly frustrating when you come away and you watch some of the frees that were handed out there today.”

Neither was the Leitrim manager overly impressed by some of the decisions of referee Ian Howley, albeit the Meath official is someone he rates highly: “The thing about Division 3 and 4 is,  you come to places like this and it's difficult enough to come here ...  young Ian there is a really good referee. He's very, very good.

REPORT: HEARTBREAK FOR LEITRIM AS TWO POINT FREE IN ADDED TIME GIVES WICKLOW VICTORY

“But you don't get the experienced referees in this division so, what you tend to find sometimes is that, you know, there's a bit of emotion involved and things like that. A couple of decisions went their way and we were denied a blatant one ourselves at the end. Mark had a black card and it was harsh - some of the stuff that went on today, we seem to be the ones who got the cards.”

For all that, Poacher felt his team had the chances to win the game: “We had enough chances. We had enough chances to win the game. We kicked 15 shots in the first half and I think we had only five or six scores and that's not good enough at this level. We're down around 40 percent but that needs to improve for the next day.”