Interesting to see Daly’s staying on alright. I think they’ve taken the easy option personally. They obviously have to acknowledge that this season was a massive failure but they’ve declined to confront the very real possibility that the setup itself has hit a dead end, and all the discomfort that such a confrontation would entail.
The second half performance against Clare was so poor that you’d have to doubt that they’re headed in the right direction. The complete lack of composure in their decision-making in general, and in their finishing in particular wouldn’t leave you with the impression that this is a group of players who know what they’re about. After four years that’s a serious indictment of their management.
The lack of tactical flexibility they showed should be another major worry for Dublin supporters. They got some joy from long deliveries to their full-forward line in the first half because they were isolating the Clare backs in one-on-one situations. In the second half, their persistence with this approach led Clare to drop their half-backline deeper and pack the defence, so that where there was one in the first half, there was now at least three Clare players in the vicinity of every ball they delivered in.
A suspect Clare defence were made to look heroic and Dublin never changed their strategy. Daly seems to have been too intimidated by the threat of McGrath and Honan at the other end to push the extra-man up the field and really turn the screws on Clare. But even if he didn’t do that, you’d have to wonder why Dublin didn’t carry the ball and work scoring chances from 40-50 yards instead of just lobbing the ball goalward and hoping for the best.
Again you’d have to conclude that a lot of the Dublin players haven’t matured significantly over the last four years and still panic when they find themselves in high pressure situations.The individual leadership that was needed to see them through against Clare just wasn’t forthcoming, and whether that’s an issue with Daly or with Dublin hurling itself it’s hard to tell.
The perception afterwards was that Larry was trying to upset Tommy. Walsh did get an early yellow card but I hold firm to the theory that there are no tactics in hurling. You go man on man. Corbett is Tipp’s most dangerous attacker. He shouldn’t have been following around any defender.
Pleased with that. It took a while for Allen to readjust to IC management and the fitness issues earlier in the year reflected that IMO. Was interested in his comments after the Kilkenny game that we were off the pace with regard to physical training. Would expect a more focused set up over the winter with the benefits being reaped later in 2013. It’s also important that players have continuity and stability.
Thats obviously a good move, it’ll be interesting to see how this Limerick teams develops.
Develops is not a word I’d associate with Dublin now with Daly going back for a fourth year. He’s done great work with them, but they hit a wall this year. Injuries didn’t help, but you need to have a large panel in IC hurling now and some of the comments above about player maturing are relevant. Another experienced voice would have probably pushed them to another level next year, not sure Daly can offer much more now.
From the IT:
Tipperary expected to confirm end of the Ryan era
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TIPPERARY GAA officials are expected to confirm, before the weekend, that Declan Ryan is no longer the county’s senior hurling team manager.
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Ryan’s two-year tenure officially came to an end following the recent 18-point defeat to Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final.
He presided over two successive Munster SHC wins but Tipp lost the 2011 All-Ireland final to Kilkenny and suffered their heaviest senior championship defeat since the late 1800s against the Cats at Croke Park last Sunday week.
The fallout in Tipperary has been unprecedented and Ryan is due to inform county board officials this week that he will not be seeking another term.
Ryan, coach Tommy Dunne and selector Michael Gleeson will leave en masse and the search for successors is expected to commence next week. No candidates will be approached until Ryan officially vacates the position.
<p>Given Sid’s comments about Nicky English, I would have thought he’d be a shoe in for the position.</p>
You know he is still training Bandon ? Astonishingly (for Teddy, not Bandon who have good hurlers) they are into the Premier intermediate final after only getting up this year. Serious achievement in probably Corks most competitive competition. There was a funny comment in the paper last week from Paddy Crowley (of UCC fame and Bandon chairman or something) " it took us a while YO get used to Teddy’s unique coaching style" Unique! He’s mental.
Anyway how can a man who has a round trip of a few hundred KM’s managing a county team have time for a club team? It’s crazy, and a mental selection from Laois in the first place.
Yeah, I picked up all that. A ridiculous situation that was even more bizarre than you could imagine at times. He was sacked but given chance to resign. New man will most likely be John O Sullivan.
Don’t know how true it is (Kid may well know more) but I was told that Colin Lynch was interviewed/sounded out about the Laois hurling job last year before Teddy McCarthy got it. He would have been a very good appointment, ambitious, a decent coach and wouldn’t tolerate too much messing.