Enda McGinley: Goalkeepers still shape Gaelic football's biggest moments

Everything was set and stable until Cluxton came along. Then football's new rules upped the ante further to the point that football's netminders are so much more than that nowadays. Looking after No 1 has taken on a total new meaning

Donegal's Gavin Mulreany was one of the best goalkeepers during this year's National Football League. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

FROM any perspective, the evolution of the goalkeeping role in Gaelic football is a stark timeline. For the first 100-odd years, nothing much happened. Then within the last 15 years, it has undergone transformation over and again.

Once, the steady fella with the big boot, went between the posts. If he could catch and kick and maybe wasn’t as fond of the running, the position seemed like home. A degree of bravery, especially in the early days when ‘man and ball’ was the approach to stuff dropping in the square, was helpful. Only as you moved up the ranks was the degree of agility and shot stopping ability a factor in selection. Before then, if you put your hand up, well it was yours.