Cork's Cian Kiely: ‘Basketball complements football’

Back in 2011, well before Dublin became dominant, their success was already considered the death-knell of one of Gaelic football’s time-honoured forces. Former Monaghan captain Owen Lennon had no time for basketballer Michael Darragh Macauley or Denis Bastick’s way of doing things.

“If Dublin are the example of the way the game is going, then there is no place for a traditional midfielder,” he bemoaned. “Bastick and Macauley are just athletes, they use the short kick-out more often and there is no room for the 50/50 kick-out.”