It was a nice trip Ron, no complaints there but Iâm more sickened I missed out on the final the more I think of it.
The last update I got before I got on the plane was when we were 8 points up with about 18 to go. Got the final score and full report when I got to Amsterdam.
Much craic after it?
Yeah was good craic around. I was very very drunk by the end of the night though. We were in Gills then did a tour of a few of the pubs around croke park and then hit southside and ended up doing the Coppers Experience (They have a VIP section in there now apparently which I was in). The Tipp cunts were gracious enough in fairness and didnt have any complaints with the result.
Ah coppers after the all-ireland. Iâm getting misty here mate.
Sep 10, 2011
KILKENNY DOMINANCE NOT REFLECTED ON SCORE BOARD
Going into last Sundayâs All-Ireland final, there appeared to be two main points of view among the pundits regarding the gameâs final outcome. On the one side there were those who favoured Kilkenny on the grounds that they would want it more than Tipperary; on the other side were those who favoured Tipperary on the grounds that they were younger and fresher and would have the legs going into the final stages.
In the end, there is no doubt that Kilkennyâs desire was greatest, as reflected in an overall superiority in the number of plays of 203/178, a level of territorial domination which they maintained in both halves. However, of even greater importance was the superior quality of the Catsâ play. Under our system where plays are rated on a quality range of 1-5, Kilkennyâs average of 2.34 was way ahead of Tipperaryâs 1.97. Of 24 plays which were awarded a quality rating of 4 or 5, Tipperary only accounted for 4.
Kilkennyâs territorial dominance was achieved despite playing second fiddle when it came to winning puckouts. Tipperary won most (65%) of Kilkennyâs puckouts and the majority (54%) of their own. But then last year the roles were reversed, with Kilkenny winning the majority of both sidesâ puckouts, but losing the game.
The overall balance in terms of plays was reflected in the difference in the number of shots at goal managed by both sides, with Kilkenny getting in 30 to Tipperaryâs 20. Yet in the end, Kilkennyâs territorial domination was not reflected on the scoreboard. The main reason for this was the fact that the Catsâ shooting was not on a par with their general play. They only converted 63% of their shots, compared with Tipperaryâs extraordinarily high conversion rate of 85%.
Indeed, with the scoring so close, those who expected Tipp to have the legs were nearly vindicated, as they stormed the Kilkenny citadel in the closing stages and were a little unfortunate not to get the second goal which would have made for a grandstand finish. However, once again it was the team with the better attitude which got the breaks, and overall it would have been an injustice had Kilkenny not won this game.
In doing so, they had some towering performances, with no less than eight players getting a quality points total of 30 or more, of whom five got over 40. By contrast, only two Tipperary players got into the thirties, neither of whom came even close to 40.
In our report on the 2009 final, we suggested that Tipperary were too preoccupied with running with, and passing the ball, and needed to be more direct in their play. Since then, and especially this year, they have gone overboard in the opposite direction, being fixated with lashing the ball in the direction of the Kilkenny goal at every opportunity. This might work if you are hitting the ball in from around midfield, so that it is landing in the so-called point of maximum opportunity around the goal.
However, last Sunday, Tipperary had few opportunities to send in this kind of ball. In total, they sent in just seven long balls which landed inside the 20 metres line, but five of these were from frees which meant the landing area was crowded with waiting defenders. An example of this came in the 28th minute when John OâBrien made a superb catch from a Conor OâMahony free but was unable to either pass the ball or get in a shot and the ball was eventually cleared.
Tipperaryâs main supplier of good early long ball from out the field has been Shane McGrath, but last Sunday he was totally eclipsed and did not manage even one ball of this type. PĂĄdraic Maher is the other main supplier of this kind of ball, and last Sunday he persisted in letting the ball go long whenever he got it, the problem being that he was usually too far back which meant the ball rarely landed in the danger area (in fact he only landed two balls inside the Kilkenny 20 metre line during the course of the game).
While Kilkenny also hit their fair share of long ball (usually, as in Tipperaryâs case, to little effect), they were much more varied in their approach, working their way up the field with hand or stick passes and using the crossfield ball, especially to Henry Shefflin, to great effect. Indeed, were it not for some untypical poor shooting by King Henry, the gap between the teams would have been significantly greater at the end.
The decision of the Tipperary mentors to place John OâKeefe on Shefflin was strange, as OâKeeffe had neither the experience, the height nor the strength to cope with the Kilkenny man, and this was a key factor in Kilkennyâs early scoring spurt which stood to them right to the end. One would also have thought that by now the same mentors would know that Seamus Callanan has no appetite for the kind of tight and tough exchanges which were certain to be a feature of this game, and that he is best used as a second half substitute when things are loosening up (as was the case in last yearâs final). Last Sunday, Callanan made just one harmless play in the entire first half before being substituted.
Ultimately, Tipperaryâs biggest problem last Sunday was the lack of a midfield platform from which telling ball could be played into their forwards. Shane McGrath was only a shadow of the player he can be. He rarely got on the ball at all, never mind producing the combination of early long balls and searing runs which are his stock in trade. Nor did the decision to replace him with Benny Dunne make much sense, as the hard working and hard running James Woodlock would have seemed the more obvious option against opposition like Kilkenny.
The key player in this sector was Michael Rice, who has an almost uncanny ability to be in position to take passes from out of defence or from fellow players under pressure in the midfield area. Rice rarely essays a spectacular play, concentrating on routine movement of the ball into his forwards. The service he provided helps account for the fact that the Kilkenny inside line notched 1-5 from play, compared with just one point for their Tipperary counterparts. Two of those forwards, Richie Hogan and Colin Fennelly, did not start last yearâs final, and when one throws in the very effective performance of Paul Murphy, one can see that there is little sign of the Kilkenny conveyor belt drying up.
We have written here before of how little acknowledgement Michael Rice gets from the professional pundits, and last Sunday was no exception. Despite his crucial contribution to Kilkennyâs success in 2009, Rice did not start last yearâs final but still ended up with his sideâs highest quality points total after he replaced Henry Shefflin in the 13th minute. Last Sunday he did it again, his 53 quality points from 22 plays putting him ahead of Tommy Walshâs 49 points from 18 plays. Also in the forties were Colin Fennelly (42/17, a remarkable total for a corner forward and especially a rookie), JJ Delaney (41/15) and Henry Shefflin (40/20). Following in the thirties were Richie Power (36/14), Eoin Larkin (33/15) and Eddie Brennan (30/11).
By contrast, Tipperary had nobody remotely near the forty mark, their top players being PĂĄdraic Maher (34/18) and Micky Cahill (33/14). Brendan Maher got a very creditable 25 points following his introduction after 30 minutes, and the decision not to start him was another major mistake on the part of the Tipperary mentors. Eoin Kelly, Lar Corbett and Noel McGrath only played the ball 19 times between them. The same players contributed 34 plays in last yearâs final and 35 the year before. The players in the same starting positions for Kilkenny (Colin Fennelly, Richie Hogan and Richie Power) made 39 plays between them.
In our view, referee Brian Gavin had a poor game last Sunday. We counted eleven incidents where his handling of the game was faulty, and while numerically these were equally divided between both sides, if he had acted properly the main impact would have been on Kilkenny. While the general reaction to the incident where Gavin was struck by Tommy Walsh has been lighthearted (including Gavin himself), Walshâs flailing with the point of his hurley in a tight cluster of players was downright dangerous and could have taken Gavinâs eye out. Such behaviour should not be tolerated.
It is also hard to understand why Gavin did not issue a yellow card to Noel Hickey for this cynical trip on Patrick Maher in the first half. In the second half Hickey also got off scot free when he pulled across Benny Dunne as he charged through on goal. Richie Power also should have got a yellow card for a slap at PĂĄdraic Maherâs hand midway through the second half. Referees have been very strict on this foul through the year, so why not in the final?
Play counts (plays/quality points)
KILKENNY (203/475) : Herity D (3/8); Murphy P (13/24), Hickey N (5/12); Tyrrell J (11/19), Walsh T (18/49); Hogan B (13/29), JJ Delaney (15/41); Fennelly M (14/28); Rice M (22/53); Brennan E (11/30); Power R (14/36); Shefflin H (20/40); Fennelly C (17/42); Larkin E (15/33); Hogan R (8/20); Reid TJ (3/9); Mulhall J (1/2).
TIPPERARY (178/350): Cummins B (10/22); Stapleton P (12/22); Curran P (7/15); Cahill M (14/33); OâKeeffe J (3/5); OâMahony C (11/20); Maher Padraic (18/34); Ryan G (13/26); McGrath S (7/11); Callanan S (1/1); McGrath N (8/19); Maher Patrick (13/25); Kelly E (4/11); OâBrien J (13/29); Corbett L (7/14); Maher B (15/25); Dunne B (5/11); Bourke P (12/16); Young D (4/9); OâNeill J (1/2).
Be the feck. Having only watched it once my perception was that fennelly was far more influential than rice.
Itâs an interesting concept and Iâd imagine if it was applied to some so called âgreatsâ in the past that theyâre greatness might be debunked.
he was going grand and I was wondering why there was no sour grapes to KK winning, until the last paragraph and how all those KK players should have got yellow. no mention of Eoin kellys sneaky and dirty pull on Hickeys hand as he contested a ball with Corbett in the first half.
have always felt that Rice was a very under rated player. he was one of KKâs best players when he came on last year, and whilst at the game I didnt notice him doing much, watching it again on tv, he cleared and was the link between defence and attack for a serious amount of ball.
Watched the final again recently and got hold of some stats on the game. Will throw them up when I have the full set but one key issue was the amount of times Kilkenny turned the ball over during the game. They executed 18 turnovers in total, 14 of those in the second half. Compare that with just 6 turnovers in total from Tipp. Their ability to sustain pressure and force the opposition to cough up ball was incredible.
One of the major differences between this and last yearâs game was the use of the ball though, as has been flagged already on this thread. I really donât know what happened to Tipp, except perhaps that they just werenât fit enough to play their game against Kilkenny. Certainly in the early stages Kilkennyâs relentless pressure could be offered as an excuse for Tippâs dreadful delivery to their forwards, but as the game progressed they were hitting awful ball forward regardless of how much space they were in.
Donal OâGrady made a very prescient remark during the Dublin-Tipp game about the lack of width in Tippâs attack. It was a brilliant diagnosis of their problems. Time and time again against Kilkenny, 5 or 6 of their forwards would be in the central channel as the ball came forward, making it so much easier for the Kilkenny backs to snuff out the danger. Itâs difficult to understand why this has happened, but you could reasonably put forward the hypothesis that Tippâs greater emphasis on quick, long delivery, has undermined the discipline and workrate which helped them open up Kilkennyâs defence last year. Gearoid Ryan delivered a low trajectory, 50 yard pass straight into Noel McGrathâs hand for the second Tipp goal in last yearâs final. This year he was lobbing ball up in the air that posed no real threat at all because it was slow to arrive and it was aimless.
Tipp lived with and eventually beat Kilkenny over 09/10 because they could deliver better than 50/50 ball to their dangermen despite the savage pressure imposed by Kilkenny. Although Kilkenny may have intensified their approach this year, you would have expected that to produce greater error in Tippâs play, not destroy it completely. Kilkenny played in a way that was going to make it very hard for Tipp to win no matter how they played, but the manner in which Tipp performed meant they were never going to win that game. In the end the scoreboard flattered them.
Interesting stuff WTB, weâve been hearing., especially since the Waterford annihilation, about the much vaunted mobility of the Tipp forwards, how its impossible to man mark them etc. Turns out they have very little width and play in a narrow central channel.
Or, was it the case that the KK backs were effectively corralling them into this channel? (could be that their agricultural background helps in this case, with all the sheep hearding they do).
an aussie mocking fellas about sheep herding? whatever next.
tippâs goals against waterford were from just as narrow a formation as the AI final, itâs just that the waterford full back line werenât even within hurl-throwing distance of them. corbett got two from the edge of the big square, kelly from just outside the âDâ, callinan was nearly on top of the keeper. it makes waterfordâs failure to mark them all the more lamentable.
It was an element of both Iâd say. Kilkennyâs backs tend to get to the breaks very quickly which draws the forwards in after them but Tipp seemed to be going straight down the middle regardless in the final. They didnât play like that last year, they played much more like Kilkenny did this year with lots of variation in the balls forward and were creating chances in a much greater variety of positions. They just never seemed to be finding teammates with accurate ball. It was all long ball stuff.
Some raw numbers from the final:
Defensive Play
Blocks
Kilkenny - 7
Tipperary - 3
Hooks
Kilkenny - 3
Tipperary - 1
Body Hits
Kilkenny - 15
Tipperary - 19
Turnovers from Dispossessions
Kilkenny - 18
Tipperary - 6
Ball Winning
Rucks Won
Kilkenny - 9
Tipperary - 10
Catches in Defence
Kilkenny - 10
Tipperary - 3
Catches in Attack
Kilkenny - 9
Tipperary - 7
Breaks Won - Own Half
Kilkenny - 24
Tipperary - 21
Breaks Won - Opposition Half
Kilkenny - 9
Tipperary - 11
Possession Usage
Handpasses in Defence
Kilkenny - 16
Tipperary - 14
Handpasses in Attack
Kilkenny - 13
Tipperary - 11
Direct Stick Passes - From Own Half
Kilkenny - 17
Tipperary - 11
Direct Stick Passes - In Opposition Half
Kilkenny - 13
Tipperary - 11
Undirected Clearances
Kilkenny - 24
Tipperary - 30
Deliveries to Attack - High
Kilkenny - 28
Tipperary - 34
Deliveries to Attack - Low
Kilkenny - 9
Tipperary - 10
Eoin Murphy has retired from inter county hurling.
Whoâs Eoin Murphy? Waterford?
[quote=âLocke, post: 593883â]
Whoâs Eoin Murphy? Waterford?
[/quote]Yeah. He got a terrible accidental belt in a club game. Fractured his skull trying to block a lad who took a drop shot. He is supposed to be grand now but I assume
⌠I assume hurling skips down your list of priorities after something like that
Didnât he suffer some freak multiple break in his arm a few years ago as well when he fell warming up at training
Not sure if itâs been reported on here already but Paudie Butler has taken up some role with Laois County Board as a âMaster Hurling Coachâ. Hopefully it should deliver long term benefits to Laois hurling.
Its part of a long term overhaul of hurling in Laois that came out of the forum held earlier in the year. Thereâs a large number of aspects to it, including streamlining the SHC Club to 8 teams and looking into overall coaching in the County, that part will be Butlers baby. Having read through the findings of the committee set up to trawl through the forum outcomes, thereâs a lot of good in it, and this role is ideal for Butler. Its just a shame Pat Critchley isnt around to lend his skills to Butler in the role. Missed opportunity sadly.
Is that a full time role? Great appointment for Laois, either way.
Heâs also doing some work with Waterford I believe, but I was under the impression it was.