New rules light up opening weekend of club football championships

By Shane King

The opening round of the Westmeath club championships delivered excitement across all four grades last weekend, as the newly introduced football review committee rules made their championship debut, and their presence was felt immediately.

Among the most notable changes were the introduction of the two-point score from outside the arc and the "solo and go" attacking rule. These innovations added an extra edge to several contests and contributed to a strong turnout of spectators countywide.

In the marquee senior championship clash in TEG Cusack Park, defending champions St Loman’s found themselves trailing by eight points at half-time. However, three crucial two-pointers in the second half, helped by wind advantage, saw them claw back to earn a hard-fought draw, a positive result considering they were missing a few key players from last year’s final.

In the senior championship section ‘B’, Morgan Gavigan was the standout for St. Malachy’s with two stunning two-pointers from the ground were key in securing a four-point win and lifted what might otherwise have been a low-scoring affair.

The intermediate championship saw the most dramatic impact of the new rules. Milltown and Shandonagh were level deep into injury time when Milltown breached the new 4-v-3 defensive rule. A 20-metre free was awarded and converted. Moments later, the resultant kickout was collected inside the 40-metre arc and led to another free, in which Shandonagh’s Eoin Conlon took full advantage of the "solo and go" rule, slicing through the defence and rifling to the net for a game-winning goal.

Had these infringements occurred last year, the outcome would have likely been different, highlighting just how influential the new rules already are.

With strong crowds and exciting fixtures across the county, round two promises even more drama in two weeks’ time.