Since the kick-out tee was introduced to Gaelic football two years ago, goalkeepers the length and breath of the country have been crying out for a tee specifically designed to suit their needs." Now, after 14 months of testing and research, ex-Roscommon goalkeeper Shane Curran and his business partner Ronnie Byrne have developed a special tee which is set to fill the void in the market. The aptly-named Puntee kick-out tee can be adjusted to three different heights to suit the particular requirements of the kicker. It also uses brush hairs which gives the impression of kicking off grass." "Goalkeepers have been using all sorts of tees, from coke bottles to rugby tees, all of which have proven unsatisfactory," Shane explains." "With this in mind, we thought it would make sense to develop one specifically for Gaelic football. We worked hard to come up with the best design, which I now believe we've achieved." "After a lot of testing and trials, we decided to settle on the brush head tee. The end product has come in for favourable comment and the race is now on to have a quantity of them manufactured in time for the championship," adds the St. Brigid's clubman, who has brought his own experience as a goalkeeper to bear on the product." Shane and Ronnie set up Puntee Sport Ltd with a view to developing and producing the revolutionary tee, and they were granted a licence by Croke Park to manufacture the product in February. High manufacturing costs in Ireland, allied to other factors, has prompted them to have the product manufactured in Germany. They hope to have up to 10,000 tees available by the end of April, costing EUR30 each." "We only the got the licence to manufacture the tee a few weeks ago, which has left us with a tight timescale in which to get them made before the championship," Ronnie says." "As much as we would have liked to have them manufactured in Ireland, it wasn't feasible so we're heading to Germany instead. Initially, we hope to have 5,000 on the market and gradually increase that figure to 10,000. The tee will be on display at the GAA's annual Congress in Killarney in April, and that will be a good opportunity for people to see it for the first time." Eagle-eyed football followers will have already seen the Puntee kick-out tee in use during the All-Ireland club football final between Salthill-Knocknacarra and St. Gall's on St. Patrick's Day. The tee was given its Croke Park debut by Salthill netminder Cathal McGinley, who was one of several goalkeepers involved in the testing process." "I spoke to Cathal after they beat us (St. Brigid's) in the Connacht club final before Christmas and he agreed to test it out. He has given it a ringing endorsement and it was great to have it used in Croke Park so soon," Curran enthuses." "This product has been fully researched and developed, and there was even a thesis done on it. We sent prototypes out to about 15 inter-county goalkeepers and we took all constructive criticism on board before settling on what we feel is the tee best suited to Gaelic football." Byrne, whose background is in engineering, stresses that there is more benefits to the tee than just helping a goalkeeper to improve his kick-outs." "There are numerous advantages to this tee which has a polyester bristle and a polypropylene base. There are benefits with regard to kicking distance and accuracy as well as avoiding injury and ground preservation." "Until now, most goalkeepers have used rugby tees which are specifically designed to give the kick extra height. This tee is different in that it helps to increase kicking distance and also allows for greater accuracy. A goalkeeper's main function nowadays is to deliver long and accurate kick-outs, and we were especially mindful of this when we were designing the tee." "There are also a lot of other positive spin-offs such as preventing damage to the pitch and avoiding injury. It's scientifically proven that goalkeepers won't suffer back injuries with this tee. The tee is flexible enough to give way on impact, yet strong enough to support the weight of the ball." "Because this is the official tee of the GAA, referees won't have to be questioning the validity and safety of some of the tees that have been in use until now. Furthermore, this tee will be beneficial from an image point of view. The coke and 7 Up bottles weren't great on the eye. Everything has been taken into consideration with this product." Curran and Byrne are both members of the St. Brigid's club in Kiltoom and have known each another for many years. Despite this venture, both men continue to hold down full-time jobs with Capco Roofing - who Shane is a sales representative for - and Elan respectively." Few people are better qualified than Shane to develop a product which will suit all goalkeepers' requirements. He played for the Roscommon seniors for 15 years and kept goal for Athlone Town in the League of Ireland for another seven seasons." Regarded as one of the great characters of the GAA, Curran or 'Cake' as he is affectionately known by Roscommon fans, brought the curtain down on his inter-county career last year after being surprised omitted from new manager John Maughan's new-look panel." "I had no problem with John's decision," he insists. "I had given 15 years of service and John obviously felt that new blood was needed. There are three lads (Darren Lennon, Gregory Claffey and David Moran) there now battling it out for the goalkeeper's jersey and the best of luck to them." Shane won a Connacht senior football medal in 2001 and captained Roscommon to an All-Ireland junior title success the following year. But his fondest memory is Roscommon's extended run in the All-Ireland qualifiers in 2003." "We beat Cork, Offaly and Kildare before our great run was ended by Kerry in the All-Ireland quarter-final at Croke Park. That was a really exciting time for Roscommon football," he recalls." Curran made the headlines again in 2004 when he produced one of the performances of the championship by scoring 1-1 against Sligo in the Connacht first round replay at Markevicz Park. His goal came from a penalty and his point was a fantastic long-range free from the left sideline which forced the game into extra-time." Shane began his club career with Castlerea, and joined St. Brigid's after moving to Brideswell in 1998. He finished on the losing side in four county finals in 1990 (with Castlerea), 2000, 2001 and 2003 before finally getting his hands on a winners' medal last year. St. Brigid's subsequently reached the provincial final where they were beaten by Salthill-Knocknacarra." "I'll be playing with St. Brigid's again this year, but obviously a lot of my time will be spent trying to make the Puntee kick-out tee a success," he concludes. Tweet

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