Armagh great Ronan Clarke has reservations about football’s new rules though believes the All-Ireland title holders are in a good position to take full advantage of the changes.
The 2002 All-Ireland winning full-forward, an Allstar in 2006 and 2009, is the latest former star to have been given the Laochra Gael treatment by TG4.
Pearse Óg clubman Clarke, who was frustrated by a number of serious injuries throughout his career, ultimately retired from county duty in 2010 following Achilles trouble.
It was another 14 years before the Orchard County finally won the All-Ireland again, with his 2002 captain Kieran McGeeney as boss.
Rian O’Neill, Niall Grimley and Oisin O’Neill all kicked impressive long-range scores in last year’s final defeat of Galway while Rian O’Neill and Aidan Forker later struck two-point scores from outside the new 40m arc while playing for Ulster in October’s interprovincial final.
Asked if Armagh are well placed to take advantage of two-point scores in 2025, ex-attacker Clarke smiled.
“What do you think?” he said.
“I think they do have those quality forwards inside and, of course, players who can shoot from range.
“They’re very good at the back as well and can break very fast and that is what you’re going to need to do. I do think Armagh will do well under the new rules.”
Clarke has predicted a turbulent National League though and reckons it could be too much change at the one time.
“I think it’s just going to be a lot to get used to,” he said, pointing to the pressure on match officials in particular.
“I know a lot of referees and I have talked to a lot of referees and there are a lot of changes, not just for players, but for referees too.
“They said that sometimes they struggled even with the normal rules to get things right. Now this here is coming on board. It’s going to be trial and error.
“Hopefully they’ll see sense at some point.
Maybe one or two rules being introduced to club football, I would suggest, just drip feed it, and not just throw it all in at once.”
Clarke’s Laochra Gael episode will be the fourth of eight new episodes in the 23rd instalment of the popular TG4 series and will air on Thursday, February 13 at 9.30pm.
Aside from his All-Ireland win in 2002, when he was Young Player of the Year, and his two All-Star awards, Clarke also won five Ulster titles with Armagh and a National League.
The father of three acknowledged that along with the ‘successful days’ there were also ‘a lot of hurt and heartbreak days as well’. Those included on field defeats but all too often serious injuries which curtailed his career, principally knee and Achilles problems. His club career was eventually ended in 2015 when he suffered a head injury after colliding with a set of goalposts and ended up in intensive care for several days.
“Any question I’m ever asked about it, my career and stuff, it’s the injuries that are always mentioned and did they get to you?” said Clarke, who won his All-Ireland at just 19 years of age. “But I’ve always said, ‘I’m more than settled with myself, I have no regrets’. Injuries are part and parcel of the game. I achieved a lot in a short span of time and when I look back, I just say to myself, ‘You have to be proud of yourself’.”
The full line up for this year’s Laochra Gael series is Padraic Maher (Tipperary hurling, January 23), Marc O Se (Kerry football, January 30), Ursula Jacob (Wexford camogie, February 6), Ronan Clarke (Armagh football, February 13), Michael Bond (hurling, February 20), Brid Stack (Cork LGFA and AFLW, February 27), Ben and Jerry O’Connor (Cork hurling, March 6) and Eamon McGee (Donegal football, March 13).
