Ah it wasnt really. He was anonymous at wing back before being moved up to the forwards where he clipped a couple of points and a scuttery enough goal. I think he may have been sick heading into the game.
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If Cork donât beat an Aussie-less Waterford the scars will be worse than last years All Ireland
He got a dose of the flu I think
Decent attempt at wummery but just like Austin, just falls that bit short unfortunately
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Austin Gleeson is a Roy Of The Rovers type âheroâ player, a type that occurs periodically across different field sports. Hero players are a throwback to the 1970s and 1980s. They are generally cursed by playing in teams that are somewhere in the 2-4 bracket in their sport, good teams but just that little bit behind the dominant team, and that psychologically plays into them trying to be the hero.
Steven Gerrard was the archetypal âheroâ player who came after his time. Gerrard was not a tactically aware player and played the game like he was the star player on an under-16 team, popping up all over the pitch, trying to do everything. But you canât do that at senior level, you have to fit into a systemic framework and have tactical discipline, you have to realise you have limitations. Hero players frequently produce outstanding moments of brilliance, and are one the main reasons to watch sport, because they are exhilarating to watch, they are always the âRolls Royceâ type of player, but too often they fail when it came to the real crunch because they try to do too much, other players allow them to try to do too much, and thus these players end up doing less or leaving gaps that get exposed, or making wrong decisions when the red mist descends.
Ken McGrath was a hero player - he never curbed his instincts. Tony Kelly and Joe Canning had a bit of that too. Canning only won an All-Ireland when he was no longer the central figure through which everything had to flow. Ciaran Whelan, Aidan OâShea and Colm Boyle were/are hero players. Without the tactical discipline of Jim McGuinness, Michael Murphy has turned into a hero player. Brian Howard is turning into one. Bryan Robson was one. So is Paul Pogba. Pogba won a World Cup because in those seven matches he was able to discipline and curb his natural hero instincts, which he cannot do over a longer period in club football under poor coaches. He couldnât do it in the Euros and despite playing far more spectacularly than he did in the World Cup, Franceâs overall discipline fell apart. Diarmuid Connolly would have been one without the arrival of Pat Gilroy and Jim Gavin at the key point in his career. Patrick Mahomes is turning into one.
These players can be a curse for coaches because they can be so brilliant it seems counterintuitive to want to curb them into something less spectacular but more functional. But if you donât function as a part of a whole, you will likely fail when it comes to the crunch.
I think Waterford will beat Cork by 4-6 points without Gleeson, if they want to. Gleeson can definitely win an All-Ireland, especially with Waterfordâs panel strength expanding all the time and under a smart coach like Cahill, but he will have to play a functional, less spectacular role.
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I wouldnât isolate that win as solely being down to nullifying Lynch. Kk blitzed Lk/Lk malfunctioned in the opening 20 mins. Lk were the better team for the final 50 mins but the damage was done.
That also was the day i felt the hype about Lk filtered through to the players. I think they ever so slightly took their eye off the ball and KK exploited. There was such confidence/arrogance off the Lk crowd that day around Croke park. Reminded me of the Cork crowd for the semi in 2014.
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Since Cahill took over, I think Gleeson has taken on a more functional role, and is generally making more consistent contributions (realistically, he was very very poor when Waterford were poor in 2018 & 2019). By and large, his performances in the last two seasons have been excellent, if not quite as good as Barronâs.
Cahill & Bevans are excellent in fairness.
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I suspect Gleesonâs sending off might prove to be something that happened at the right time. Youâd imagine heâs been the subject of a serious bollocking behind the scenes from a manager who isnât afraid to give him one.
Very good points.
I was meaning to post on the thread earlier but I got sidetracked by a bit of chocolate biscuit cake. I was going to say that Gleeson, to me, has outstanding individual moments where he displays complete genius. Lynch, on the other hand, is the fulcrum of the team and makes those around him better.
I watched the league semi final back the other morning and (it was only Wexford etc etc) but I think Gleeson only touched the ball 5 or 6 times in open play. Now he scored 2-1 from play so that was more than enough but there have been bigger games where heâs been anonymous, where that big moment hasnât come for whatever reason.
Gleeson is an archetype of what we used to traditionally call a gloryhunter or a selfer. You can see it in his greatest scores, particularly the goal against Cork in 2017. By far the smart play there was to give a simple handpass to the man outside him who was free as a birdie in on goal. But he didnât give it and instead shimmied past Mark Coleman, leaving him on his arse. It was utterly spectacular and glorious but not the percentage play at all. A more seasoned defender than Coleman would have just barged into him no questions asked and given away the free and the goal chance would have been lost.
Lynch has total awareness, like Maradona.
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Was overconfidence or plain arrogance a key factor in Limerick not retaining the League?
Hard to see otherwise.
I often ask myself if he didnât get that goal in 17, what the ramifications would have been for him. It was a moment of pure genius and pure stupidity all at the same time
Youre trying to hard skin. Go down to the cashel palace and treat yourself to a scone and a coffee
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Iâll take an answer from a Neutral unbiased or just plain educated opinion Mike so donât worry your little head
Best thing that ever happened us
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I dont.
What year?
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A combination of everything that day. Including absolute procrastination on the line in the first 20 minutes. The reluctance to take off Hannon was the crux of it. Still though Limerick created enough chances to win it. That controversy over the 65 in the end was a load of shite. Limerick should have been 6/7 up at that stage. Completely their own fault
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Some of the wides that day were brutal
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I donât think Limerick would be the team they are now (or were last year at least) without losing that game. Kilkenny exposed a weakness that was quickly covered up
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