Penalties no longer sufficient punishment or deterrent

Penalties are no longer a strong enough deterrent to prevent defenders from fouling forwards bearing down on goal, as evidenced during Sunday’s drawn All-Ireland final.

Both Semaus Callanan and John O’Dwyer saw their penalties saved by Kilkenny goalkeeper Eoin Murphy, sparking debate over the rule change that came into effect at the star of this year’s championship whereby a penalty must be struck from outside the 20 metre line.