But as you say this is basic stuff and although the training and coaching beforehand should ensure this never happens it’s very fixable,whatever about the rest of the Clare team their FF line can be devestating much like Tipps and Limerick wont face many better than it,Conor McGrath is the best forward in the country ive said that before the man is lethal and without him Clare are fucked.
The thing Limerick need to be realistic about is that the Clare keeper was poor , their half back line struggled and their half forward line , bar Conlon malfunctioned .
Eoin Larkin is a terrible writer it must be said.
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He’s writing for PunditArena, if he was worth a shit he wouldn’t be there.
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There is no Pulitzer Prize but his points are valid .
You see, I think there is actually not enough time at all spent at this stuff which you call ‘basic’. I’ve a very small bit of experience hurling with the county and I can tell you it was never addressed when I was there. I know a few youngfellas in the current academy set-up, which is very good may I add, but when I enquire about this stuff they’d nearly be looking at me like I’m Babs fucking Keating.
It’s seen as almost being too ‘basic’ to coach at the top level but that is bollox. Inter County coaches and players are now all about systems and processes and game plans and all that, and while I’m not saying there is no place for any of that stuff, what I am saying is that a lot of county acadamies and set-up’s have neglected this in the extreme. The art of defending is in decline hugely.
McGrath is key Dillon has to be
Brought back
Kelly put on frees and he needs a kick
Puckouts need to be sorted
We will win the next day?
I hope ye do Joe. I have no ill feeling for Clare seeing as we are the vastly more successful County. Best of luck in the final mate.
Lattes?
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Ok
Easy to see why he didn’t pass his leaving until he was in his 30s
Pundit arena is absolute scutter. I actually have no idea how in the fuck it has the profile it does.
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I’d agree with that; if you can cut out stupid mistakes, you’re on the road to success.
The thing is that when under pressure or in higher-paced games, players revert to what they know, sometimes bad habits. That’s what I’d love to fill the team with lots of players who have a bit of edge, who will get stuck in and work their socks off until the very last minute- players like Kyle, Colin Ryan, English, Condon, Nash, Hegarty.
Ideally we’d have a nice mix of aggression, athleticism and ballplayers, preferably we’d have players who have it all but we have very few in that category. Driving aimless balls down the field is infuriating, but so is having nicey-nice players who love tippy-tappy hurling but will let an opposition player waltz past them without laying a glove on them.
But if at the very least when things go to shit, we have a player who will wipe an opposition player out, at least we won’t be conceding a fucking goal.
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I was delighted to give your original post the magic 10, the first goal was a shambles and it really should have been a point at the other end only for a disastrous and seemingly endless set of fuck ups from Hayes.
I’m not sure how you’re advocating Casey completely halts O’Donnells run though barring dragging him down, he can’t spend the day doing that, it fell perfectly for O’Donnell, nobody could have predicted the exact end position of the ball. The long delivery/shot from Kelly couldn’t have been better placed though, pure fluke of course but it wasn’t easy to deal with,
That was a top top post though cc @nicefuckinlad
I wouldn’t be too bothered for either team. Obviously Clare have a lot to work on, but won and that’s all that mattered for them.
Limerick will be the better for it. A typical enough first round game. Both will be unrecognisable by July.
Proper defenders don’t foul overtly, they don’t make it obvious. It’s subtle. JJ Delaney was a master at it. I travelled to a Kilkenny game one time just to watch him, and I mean I literally watched what he did for the whole game, his tracking of runs, how he constantly stepped in front of attackers the minute they would move to disrupt their run while the ball was 40 or 50 yards away. It was superb stuff, proper defending, all subtle and well timed. Opposition Half Back has the ball, JJ’s marker takes the first two steps of his run and is ‘bumped’ by JJ stepping across him, the slightest little tug as the ball is in flight and all of a sudden the forwards run does’nt end up where it should, 4 paces short of where the danger is.
Real defending is trying to obstruct, slow down and hamper a forward in every way possible, especially before the ball arrives. Not reacting within a split second when it’s too late and the danger is at your door step.
If Casey had bumped/obstructed/stepped in front of O’Donnell/slowed him down by 2 seconds, no goal is scored. And what’s more, nobody would have even seen it or noticed it.
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Funny you should mention that. Noel Hickey did the exact same to Begley during the 07 final