Think our backs are collectively a little below whatâs needed at this level. That said, wouldnât dispute that another midfielder or forward of genuine quality would go amiss either.
McGovern and OâKeeffe faded out a bit near the end. There must be something in the theory that a style requiring so many high intensity runs/sprints hurts you eventually. Not sure who was meant to be picking up Noel McGrath in the latter stages.
I think itâs a harsh to make such a definitive assessment on Joe OâConnor. Granted it didnât go well for him yesterday, but heâs just out of U21, was outstanding against Dublin and Galway at that grade last year and missed pretty much the entire league with injury. Presume he was âflying in trainingâ over the past few weeks to get pitched in yesterday but itâs too early to write him off.
Clare had a similar bitter defeat last year and havenât kicked on
Waterford didnât kick on after 2017
Dublin never kicked on after 2013
The psychological toll of such a defeat for a county that doesnât traditionally get much success, and is doing well to compete as it is with a thin panel, can be significant
Itâs even worse if youâre playing an attritional style dependent on high intensity running , and even worse if your manager is travelling the breadth of the country to train the team
The backs are pretty much fine save for SD. Wexford should have won yesterday and the resultant AIF would have been 50:50.
If JOâC makes a good intercounty hurler, I know nothing about hurling.
The âfade outâ⌠Economy is the founding principle of efficiency. Tipp were more economical in the finish. And Wexford lost needless midfield possessions, crucial midfield possessiona, via silly short passes. If you play with a full forward line high up the field, you always have an out ball on the beat. This facet is all the more important when bodies tire in the last 10m.
No amount of bullshine from Davek McFitzack will change these truths.
Yes, but he is in essence a professional manager, it is one of his man sources of income. He also has a token role on the payroll in LIT but no longer trains their Fitzgibbon cup team. He has a few other ventures like fittest families and a pub out the back of Sixmilebridge which is mother runs for him.
He will be open to a return to Wexford as long as the terms suit or there are no other suitors.
This also rings true for Limerick on Saturday evening. The full backline was Kilkennyâs weakest line yet they were unable to deviate from their gameplan to actually go and put it under pressure and left them off the hook completely. Leaving Gillane isolated inside with Kilkenny filling the space he wanted to run into and not having a direct option played into Kilkennyâs hands.
Are you advocating that if Tipp leave Forde, McGrath and Callanan in on that KK fullback line that theyâll get 2 cuts of silage off Kilkennyâs weakest line
They will have to shuffle their hand to find a way of playing Bubbles inside. He was a disaster on the half forward line. The âtackleâ he put in on Sean Murphy for the first Wexford goal was embarrassing.
Very true. Kilkenny totally shutdown hannon, lynch and brynes. Limericks best distributors. It was invariably wod, Casey or English left unmarked on the ball.
This was obvious pretty early on. Padraig Walsh as the free man was standing alone on a wing which in isolation looked ridiculous. But they clearly had their homework done on the kind of runs Gillane likes and Walsh was taking that space from those runs by finding open space to stand in, even if it looked strange.
Clare won three of their four games in Munster last year and had a comfortable quarter-final victory so were in no way âblessedâ to be in a semi-final
Derek McGrath built that Waterford team and that team has collapsed without him
Are Kilkenny âblessedâ to be in an All-Ireland final this year given they had a run of three games in which they only drew one, and won their semi-final by a point?
Are Tipperary blessed given they were five points down and a man down yesterday?
Were Limerick âblessedâ given they were six points down against Cork last year and their goalkeeper had to pull out a ridiculous interception when they were a point down in injury time?
Itâs amazing how so many self identified âhurling menâ are full of miserable begrudgery, isnât it
This is a valid point and along with @fenwayparkâs one about the big three dominating. The big three are best suited to bounce back year on year.
I would expect Limerick to be a consistent force for the next few years similar to Galway 2014 to 2018 and be there abouts. Cork need 3 or 4 years but they have a fine side in the making.
I donât expect the other counties outside the big three to go back to the doldrums simply due to the structures and development squad approach meaning that it does not take an element of luck in having a exceptional group coming along together to be competitive at underage as it was in previous generations, but I think there will be an element of boom and bust to them over the next decade or so with a couple of relatively good years followed by disappointing seasons before bouncing back again.