The GAA's preseason inter-county competitions are currently in full swing, with plenty of drama already being produced in the early stages of 2022.
That includes in the O'Byrne Cup, where Laois triumphed over Kildare in a penalty shootout last night.
After a fairly low scoring affair in Carlow, the two sides would go to spot kicks after ending the game on a scoreline of 1-6 to 0-9. Laois would win go on to win 6-5 via this method.
Penalty shootouts are becoming increasingly common in the GAA, with many competitions opting to finish games on the day as opposed to going to replays.
However, not all agree with this method of deciding the outcome of games.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland, Laois manager Billy Sheehan said he would prefer to see the GAA go down a different route in deciding the winner in such situations despite his side's victory on this occasion.
To be honest with you, I don't think it's a skill in the game. I'd rather if people took frees off their hands.
It is going down the soccer route. I'd rather if there was even frees from a certain distance or just on the 45, or whatever. I don't think penalties is a way to decide a Gaelic football game.
Ah, but we didn't win. That's the fact. We drew the game. I know people will say we won but we didn't win. We got a draw. Probably, at the end, we were hanging on. We had some opportunities, they had some great opportunities. But the boys' attitude is very good and that's all I can ask for as a manager.
Free-taking had previously been used in fixtures that had to be decided on the day, although this method was abandoned a number of years ago.
Regardless of whether they remain unpopular in some quarters, it looks as though penalty shootouts are here to stay.
SEE ALSO: 'It Was Crazy, We Were Still Hurling With St Kieran's College At The Time'
