Scrambling to sort the mess and deception on Gaelic football's 50m advanced free

If football is to persist with the 50m advancement, a small addendum around the team receiving the ball could help significantly – as in any play-acting or attempts to manipulate the situation in their favour would result in either a hop ball or reversal of the free

FRUSTRATED: Roscommon manager Mark Dowd remonstrates with sideline official Cormac Dineen after the League tie in Killarney: 'Just drop the ball dead (on the ground) - that’s a fairly simple one'. Pic: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile

THERE are good reasons why David Clifford’s looping 18th minute arc from an acutely-angled sideline free for Kerry against Roscommon on Sunday didn’t colonise social media in the way it should have and frequently does.

First, well it’s Clifford. He has made the outrageous vanilla. Second, what should have been a pretty low wattage League opener for the All-Ireland champions turned into anything but. Mark Dowd’s inter-county debut as Rossies manager was a hoot, as the visitors reeled off eight second half points on the bounce to put the biggest shock of the opening weekend in play.