‘Let goalkeepers tee it up’

Shane Curran has called for kicking tees to be used by goalkeepers for long-range frees as a safety precaution.

With the number of inter-county goalkeepers now shooting at goal increasing as illustrated in last Sunday’s Division 1 final, the St Brigid’s All-Ireland SFC club winner believes it’s in their best interest to be allowed to use a tee to avoid injury for frees outside the 45m line.

Former Roscommon star Curran was involved in producing the Puntee for kick-outs as a means of reducing goalkeeping injuries while kicking the ball from the ground and he now feels it should be extended for goalkeepers shooting towards goal.

“It’s a concern in general because a lot of what the goalkeepers are doing with 45s and long kicks from the ground is putting a lot of strain on the kicking side of the body — your quads, your groin and particularly your lower back.

“Stephen Cluxton is young and Niall Morgan is younger and Morgan seems to be kicking some of the relatively close frees as well as the long ones. He’s obviously quite accurate and is good at what he does.

“I think it’s great and it just shows you how the skill-sets of goalkeepers are changing all the time. From a health and safety point of view, the use of the tee would be a very good idea. They’re well able to kick off the ground but there’s a safety element to it too.

“I would make it exclusive totally to the goalkeeper and allow it for any kick more than 45 metres out.”

Curran credits the introduction of the tee in 2005 with adding years to his career between the posts.

“There’s no doubt about it before the tee came in goalkeepers’ careers were limited to maybe 34 or 35 at the most because the pressure was huge on lower backs and groins.

“I’m 42 now and I would say the advent of the rule allowing the kicking tee to be used has probably put three, four or maybe five years onto my career. There’s no possible way I could play football now without a tee. It would be impossible.”

“It’s been a great rule and there is probably a call for more innovation in relation to equipment being used by goalkeepers that won’t deter the game but can improve it.”

Curran was one of the first goalkeepers to take long-range frees, scoring 1-1 for Roscommon in the 2004 Connacht quarter-final replay against Sligo. He’s delighted to see more goalkeepers coming out the field as well as shooting.

“In my time, people were saying it shouldn’t be done, that it was a skill that is the preserve of outfield players.

“But the bottom line is that if you have that skill in your locker, it doesn’t matter what position you play, you have something special. But there is an added bit of galleria when you see the goalkeeper doing it. Stephen is very good at it and young Morgan is as well and they’ve perfected it.

“To be honest about it, it makes sense because goalkeepers in general are probably one of the better strikers of the ball on the pitch. From a kick-out point of view, you have to be able to pick out your kicks.

“The game is changing and you’re seeing more goalkeepers come out the pitch because there is a lot of space in the inside line and the goalkeeper is nearly required as a sweeper.”

He doesn’t see an incident when a goalkeeper could be caught out by the opposition as he ran back. “No, it’s impossible, really. There are too many barriers to gain entry to the goal.”

Meanwhile, Curran has described as unfortunate the fact Roscommon will go into this year’s Connacht championship without their two first-choice goalkeepers. Geoffrey Claffey and Mark Miley have both left the panel with Darren O’Malley and Tadhg Lowe the two now in the set-up.

“It’s unfortunate really that both number one and two goalkeepers are not available. It’s not a reflection on the two lads who are there but it does point to a problem of communication between the management and the players.