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In a surprising revelation, Meath and Ireland defender Kevin Reilly has claimed that kicking the round ball in the International Rules series is ‘difficult’ for Gaelic footballers.
The use of the round ball in the hybrid game is an obvious advantage for the Irish, one would suspect, but Reilly, claims that the GAA players have had to adapt slightly to the ball too.
He explained that it’s not quite the same dimensions as a regular O’Neill’s football and has therefore required some adaptation from the current Irish squad.
Speaking in the Irish Examiner, Reilly added: 'Kicking is difficult for a number of reasons. The ball is different than what we are used to because it is not an O’Neill’s ball and it is slightly lighter and smaller.'
'I know it’s totally different for the Australians, but we had to get used to the new ball too.'
He admitted that his own kicking and distribution must improve at Croke Park if he’s to help Ireland turn a seven-point deficit into a series success.
'I was happy enough with parts of my own performance (in Limerick) but I thought my kicking was a bit wayward at times.'
