It's been 20 years since the last rivalry comparable to the modern version of Kerry and Tyrone was in full swing - in the shape of Meath and Cork. In that time the game has seen many changes and advancements. Most notable, perhaps, is the change in the way infringements are dealt with by referees, with players now receiving at least a tick for personal fouls.
Bearing the last of those changes in mind, David Sheehansat down with intercounty referees Pat McEnaney and Cormac Reilly to pore over the 1988 All-Ireland final replay between Meath and Cork in an effort to gauge how a game from a different era would hold up under the modern laws. The style of the match as a whole was also compared to this seasons All-Ireland final to examine how the game has evolved
FOR THOSE too young to remember, let's shed a little light on the background to the 1988 All-Ireland football final replay. Having seen their respective provincial rivals - Kerry and Dublin - dominate the championship for as far back as they could remember, Meath and Cork emerged from the shadow of their illustrious neighbours at around the same time.
Meath overthrew Dublin in the 1986 Leinster final while Cork finally loosened Kerry's grip on the Munster championship the following year. And it was in 1987 that the Royals and the Rebels, both craving national honours, met in the All-Ireland final.
Despite a good start from Cork, Meath eventually ran out comfortable winners. The game was played for the most part in a decent spirit, though tempers became frayed in the Cork ranks as the match slipped from them, with Larry Tompkins lucky not to earn a dismissal for an elbow to Robbie O'Malley's back.
That game was the first in a series that would see the sides meet in four All-Irelands between 1987 and 1990 as well as an ill-tempered National League semi-final which saw Niall Cahalane dismissed as Meath came out on top.
Between them, Meath and Cork appeared in every All-Ireland final for five straight years from 1987 to 1991. Put simply, these two sides were the Kerry and Tyrone of their era.
THE BAD BLOOD between the sides arguably reached its peak in that replay of 1988, though. Cork, rightly, felt they had been robbed of victory first time out as Tommy Sugrue awarded a very contentious free to Meath right at the death from which Brian Stafford secured a replay.
It's interesting to note Sugrue, a Kerry native, took charge of the drawn game and the replay. These days it's impossible to imagine a referee from a neighbouring county officiating at an All-Ireland final, let alone the replay.
Meath felt they had been pushed around in the drawn game and the replay began with several minor bouts of handbags. As I watched the game with the two officials, they immediately spotted a ticking offence for Cork's Michael McCarthy, sadly no longer with us, for a foul on Mick Lyons. The game was barely 20 seconds old. I thought at that point I would be in for a long nights writing.
From the resultant free Colm O'Rourke - to quote from his autobiography - "gave Barry Coffey a harmless dig . . . just to let him know I was still alive" (Coffey had given O'Rourke "one of the worst wallops I ever got on a football pitch" in the drawn game). Again, tempers flared, and Sugrue reached for his notebook but quickly put it away again. Perhaps a booking for O'Rourke was on the cards, McEnaney thought, but: "Colm sneaked off before Tommy could get to him!"
The game went on.
After just six minutes things boiled over as Meath's Gerry McEntee warmed the side of Cahalane's face with a closed fist. No argument here - straight red now, sending-off then. There was a little posturing by several players around the incident, but nothing warranting a ticking or booking under modern rules.
AS THE GAME went on, it was a little surprising neither referee would have added too many extra names to the rap-sheet. During the match, Sugrue booked Lyons, Liam Hayes and Coffey and dismissed McEntee. Having watched the game in full, McEnaney and Reilly issued only two additional yellow cards: to David Beggy and Colm Coyle, for personal fouling. Oh, and did I mention O'Rourke?
Fortunately for O'Rourke, he received very lenient treatment, as, by the time the video had reached its end, the now Sunday Game analyst had committed four yellow-card offences (two in each half) and two tickings. "Seán Boylan should have dropped him off at Mountjoy on the way home, he committed that many offences," quipped McEnaney.
Of course, had the game been played under today's conventions, the Meath corner forward would have tailored his game had he picked up a booking early on. Having gotten used to the current system, in which any personal fouls are noted by the referee, it was strange to see O'Rourke racking up foul after foul without any censure whatsoever. But this was an era in which a corner back could pull his man's shirt repeatedly, and, while he may give away a free, no booking would follow unless the infringement was of an overly-physical or cynical nature.
FOR A GAME that gained a reputation for being ill-tempered, both McEnaney and Reilly agreed - while there was a certain amount of niggle - it was far from dirty. Indeed, aside from the aforementioned bookings, half of the starting 30 players emerged without so much as a ticking.
The free count at full-time was 57 - one every 72 seconds. Because frees were all taken from the ground, this slowed the game down a great deal. Every time a foul was committed it would take around 10 seconds at least before the match was under way again.
It's worth bearing in mind that 43 frees were awarded in the 2008 final, but 58 in 2007. However, the impact on these two games would have been far less noticeable than in 1988 - which was in comparison very fractured - due to the taking of frees quickly from the hand. It shows though, that little has changed for better or indeed worse in terms of player discipline.
Both referees were full of praise for their erstwhile colleague Sugrue, he was right on top of every foul he awarded; a credit to the Kerryman's fitness. All three of us were also impressed with the levels of stamina displayed by both sides. Granted, the game frequently stopped, but, when the ball was alive, the pace was brisk. Despite that, Meath only made one substitution, even though they were down to 14 men, and all the participants battled at full tilt until the end. There were no signs of anyone dropping with cramp.
Aside from the disciplinary aspect of the match, there was one glaring difference between the style of football then and now. In the 2008 All-Ireland final, Tyrone and Kerry between them hand-passed the ball 205 times - a quite astonishing tally. Tyrone accounted for 110 of this total, but Kerry, known for a direct style, came not far behind on 95.
Contrast this to 1988, when Meath and Cork used the fisted pass a grand total of 73 times, with Meath - as if to underline their catch-and-kick approach - accounting for just 23 of that total. It's an amazing comparison and an interesting insight into the way the game has changed over the years.
MEATH HAVE ALWAYS been known for their direct game, but there were times, especially at the death - with Cork laying siege - when the hand-pass would have been a more favourable option than pumping the ball 60 yards against a red brick wall. A man down, it would have made more sense to hold possession and draw a foul, but they got away with it.
Meath certainly let the ball do the work and their forwards earned any possession they got through hard battling. They had a physically strong attack, with the likes of Stafford, O'Rourke and PJ Gillic all well able to fight their corner.
Cork, for their part, played what we might call a more modern game. Without too many big men to aim at, their half-backs often ambled forward and sought to play low ball into the corners. But their shooting let them down. Some bad wides - particularly in the second half, cost them dear.
It was a far more straightforward game back then. It is hard to imagine anyone in either dressingroom handing out a red or green book demanding players make a specified number of blocks, or taking a note of how many times a player turned the ball over.
The players knew what was expected, and, amid all the changes mentioned above, the one constant remains: the overwhelming will to win.
Long may that continue.
MEATH: Michael McQuillan; Robbie O'Malley, Mick Lyons, Terry Ferguson; Martin O'Connell, Liam Harnan, Colm Coyle; Liam Hayes, Gerry McEntee; David Beggy, Joe Cassells (capt), PJ Gillic; Colm O'Rourke, Brian Stafford, Bernard Flynn. Sub: Mattie McCabe for Gillic.
CORK: John Kerins; Niall Cahalane, Coleman Corrigan, Stephen O'Brien; Tony Davis, Conor Counihan, Tony Nation (capt); Shay Fahy, Teddy McCarthy; Paul McGrath, Larry Tompkins, Barry Coffey; Denis Allen, Dave Barry, Michael McCarthy. Subs: Colm O'Neill for Michael McCarthy, John O'Driscoll for McGrath.
Summary
1988
Sent off: G McEntee
Booked: M Lyons, L Hayes (both Meath), B Coffey (Cork).
Under modern rules
As above plus
Booked: D Beggy, C Coyle (both Meath).
Sent off: C O'Rourke (Meath)
