Hackett’s Goal, Was It Good Or Great?

Sunday 11.09.2011

Club

Good scores usually generate lots of discussion and often their timing can determine the outcome of games and I suppose the later they come in a game the better. But what makes a good score a great score? Is it a case of “beauty being in the eye of the beholder”? Well judging by the events of Friday and Saturday that appears to be the case as the outcomes of at least three of those games were decided by very late scores which could not all be labelled great scores.

On Saturday at Galbally and Augher the strong winds of that evening appeared to play a major role in a couple of scores that greatly influenced the games they came in. Peter Loughran’s late long range attempt in the match between Brockagh and Errigal Thirds deceived the keeper and ended up in the net changing the course of that game in Errigal’s favour. Something similar happened in Augher when a Shane Mallon lob/shot/pass caught Chris Dynes off his line and from all of sixty metres finished in the net. Just like Peter Loughran’s this goal had a major bearing on the outcome of the game ending it as a contest and Killeeshil went on to comfortably win against their old rivals Aghaloo. Both were decisive but if truth be told somewhat dependent on the elements and slightly fortuitous.

On Friday night we were treated to an exhibition of fine point scoring as both Colm Mc Cullagh and Kyle Coney showed that the art of long, accurate kicking is alive and well with some super strikes. The result was decided by a last kick of the ball as Mc Cullagh showed nerves of steel to strike over a fabulous free from nearly forty metres into a very strong wind.

However the score of the weekend, which came very early in the game, was Sean Hackett’s wonderful individual goal against Stewartstown on Friday night. Interestingly it gave his side an early four point lead but instead of pushing on from their good start it seemed to have the opposite effect and Augher were second best for the rest of the game. The goal itself however was a piece of brilliance as the young forward picked the ball up out wide on the right. He went on a mazy forty metre solo run leaving defenders in his wake before rounding the keeper and finishing low to the net with his left foot. It was a wonderful piece of individual skill that will be talked about for quite a while in the Clogher valley. Sadly in terms of timing it did not decide the outcome of the game and Stewartstown regrouped to go on and win the match convincingly.

So it would seem that great scores, be they goals or points, are only really great scores when they determine the result of a game or are scored by the winners and the later they are scored the greater they become.