Case closed.
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I donāt know how anyone can claim Fitzgerald hasnāt tweaked his system. We have players coming forward from all over the park on overlaps and support runs.
Even if youāre not a Wexford fan and donāt necessarily pay close attention to it, there was plenty of notable examples of it in our televised games.
For example, the centre back Matthew OāHanlon bombing forward on a run up the middle to receive a diagonal pass on the Kilkenny '45 before pointing - this was when we were 1 point up with a couple of minutes left and at a time when conventional wisdom would have suggested that he stay back and hold the centre back position. Simon Donohoe creating the goal that day via a support run from corner back. OāKeeffeās goal from wing back in the Leinster Final - he scored from play in all 4 championship matches. 3 defenders scoring last Sunday and so on. All year weāve been creating lots of chances - itās just that often itās a defender taking the final shot.
I see @Appendage has actually covered this and for once weāre in agreement. It doesnāt limit us to 19 or 20 points either - we hit that and more while missing penalties, 21 yard frees, other scoreable frees and playing without any real pace upfront due to injuries.
Weāll have more speed in attack next year, some returning players (Paudie Foley will be key to add size and physicality in defence), the youthful exuberance of Reck and OāConnor fully fit and embedded and just need to continue on an upward trajectory.
We need to end any speculation about Davyās future immediately and give the great man whatever terms and conditions he desires to secure him for at least another year. If that requires one of our agri-weirdo benefactors giving him a race horse in a Rock of Gibraltar type arrangement then they should go ahead and get it sorted.
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Adaptability is whatās being thrown at Fitz, mate - How did he adapt to Galway bringing bodies back and having to break down Waterford last Sunday?
Do you want him to tog out as well?
Why donāt you fuck off for yourself?
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I didnāt see anything wrong with our tactics on Sunday. We went broadly for a running and support play based game plan with the odd longer delivery thrown in. We scored some brilliant points when it clicked like the three straight after half time from Liam Ryan marauding forward, Rory OāConnor accelerating through the crowd to finish and then his long run and lay off for Chin to point. We were largely successful in avoiding De Burca bar a couple of poor / badly struck deliveries into the forwards when we had time and space to do better.
I think we were let down by some basic errors in carrying out the game plan (seems like weāre still somewhere between 2-5 players inclusive of becoming genuine contenders). I mentioned the distribution of longer deliveries not being up to scratch and there were some occasions where the support play broke down due to poor execution or bad decision making. Weāre still developing the composure and experience needed. I also mentioned on the match thread that a couple of our players best suited to carry out that plan were left out this time (Nolan, Jack OāConnor) and this is something that didnāt work for management. Gifting them a wholly preventable goal when it was nip and tuck wasnāt in the plan either.
Overall, I think thereās a bit of Duignanism taking place here where people take the end result and fit their narrative in around that rather than recognising what actually took place. As an aside, we did push up on Waterford in the latter stages as they retreated but that only served to increase the space for Shanahan and OāHalloran to exploit and they did well to combine for a few points when having most of the half to themselves against 3 defenders.
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Very informative.
Agree. Is it a result of the system that Conor Mc was so anonymous or is something else at play? Wexford canāt afford to have one of their most talented players so marginalised.
So, youāve taken one discrete example of a player taking a poor option and used it as your basis to dismiss the entire system?
Playing this system naturally means carrying one less forward than the traditional set up along with having a greater emphasis than many other sides on support play and carrying the ball forward. So I donāt think it gets the best out of McDonald in fairness to him. That said, heās had quite an inconsistent year and has gone from very good to mediocre or vice versa from game to game and even from half to half in some games.
Heās not blessed with pace so a 5-forward set up puts him at a disadvantage from that perspective. Heās usually strong in the air and weāve mainly used him in the half forward line but his aerial prowess hasnāt been as apparent this season - maybe because heās now such a marked man.
We might have been able to get the ball to him more regularly in the opposition half from open play if McGovern and Dunne were available to either drag other defenders away or even get onto the diagonal passes first and then involve McDonald. But he just wasnāt good on Sunday - he fumbled the ball a couple of times after his early point and was dispossessed. Conor Gleeson did a very good job on him though.
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Agree. It was inaccuracy killed wexford not lack of chances. Waterford were nearly as bad. For two teams who set up so ādefensivelyā there was a hell of a lot of scoring chances.
How many did WX drop into keepers hand?
Molloy brought this up in the interview and Davy said he likes his teams to always have 2 left upfront and 1 inside the '14. He reckoned this specific incident might have been because the ā1ā had chased one of the opposition players back and hadnāt gotten back inside before Chin claimed possession.
Davyās lieutenants are still going strong on twitter. Paraic Fanning is posting clips of Galway with only 2 men inside Offalyās half and then breaking forward at pace (despite being 20 points up at the time). 
Ridiculous statement before the game. War me bollix. And they did an amazing warm up too
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Take it up with @Big_Dan_Campbell, @caoimhaoin and @Watch_The_Break - I largely concur with what you and Davy said.
Of course heās entitled to. That doesnāt mean he canāt get criticism for it
I also agree with bandage and davy. To here though.
Thats part 1.
Good coaches evolve both personally and evolve a team.
Yet to see that
Correct and right. McDonald is best at full forward when isolated one on one with a full back and that canāt happen with this system. Ye just have to decide then if yeād be better off getting the most out of McDonald or protecting the back line
I honestly donāt know if weāll ever get the best out of McDonald. Seriously lacking in pace which means his influence is easily nullified. He just doesnāt get on enough ball. Saw him in a club game recently and he never got a puck.
Iām fully aware he is entitled to criticism but the fact Duignan could implore him to grow up for firing one shot back is laughable when he is taking stick year in year out.
Do you understand now?
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Waterford were never going to leave McDonald one v one versus their full back though. We played him full forward against them at the corresponding stage last year and De Burca sat in front of Coughlan and they were able to nullify him (helped no doubt by them getting the upper hand in the middle third too).