McHugh no fan of penalty shootouts

May 16, 2024

Donegal's Ryan McHugh and Derry's Ciaran McFaul ©INPHO/Lorcan Doherty

Ryan McHugh doesn’t think penalty shootouts are a fair way of deciding big games.

Donegal beat Armagh on penalties to land the Ulster SFC title last Sunday, but while elated to come out on the right side of it, McHugh admits it’s a terrible way to lose and would have a preference for replays.

"It's easy for me to say after a game that we've won that penalties is not the right decision, but unfortunately I've been on the receiving end of a county final defeat in 2020 to Naomh Conaill, and I missed one that day myself," the Kilcar clubman told RTÉ after receiving the PwC GAA/GPA Footballer of the Month award for April.

"But I think if you can't separate [the teams], especially in a final, an Ulster final or an All-Ireland final - and I know the All-Ireland does go to a replay - there has to be a way that we can fit in a replay.

"The two teams, to be fair, give absolutely everything and you couldn't separate us after 90 minutes. I think both teams would have deserved a replay.

"But it's easy for me to say that. I'm not sitting down with the GAA master fixtures [plan], and trying to fit in weeks here and there. I can understand the headaches that come with that.

"Listen, it was a phenomenal way for us to win it. It's unbelievable being on the winning side of penalties, but I can feel for Armagh because I've been on the losing side."


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