Mark it Down with Vaughan

IT was hard not to admire the no-nonsense approach of Mark Vaughan to his free-taking duties for Dublin last weekend. There has been a lot said about Dublin's failures in this area over the last few years, and their inability to unearth a new Kieran Duff, Barney Rock or Charlie Redmond.

But Vaughan stepped up to the plate last Sunday under a lot of pressure and to say it didn't show is an understatement. If the weight of history - of the great Dublin free-takers of the past and of the tradition of Dublin-Meath clashes - leaned heavily on him it certainly didn't show.

Watching Vaughan's approach to his duties was a breath of fresh air. No big routine, no hanging around, no big intake of breath; he just put the ball on the ground, took a couple of steps back and put it over the bar. Noticing his tendency not to hang around, we decided to count the seconds between placing the ball and kicking it, the result: all of nine seconds.