only saw the 2nd half of the louth game
pretty poor alright but worth watching for Louths clever free kick at the end
Super execution wasn’t it? Your man really caught hold of the shot - I’d say he couldn’t believe it when it rocketed wide.
The best part about thefreekick.com by Stanfield was the aftermath. Everyone was just sitting there going ‘what the fook’ and then I looked up at the big screen for a replay. I was in bits laughing after watching it and then next thing an ad for Nivea pops up with a lad rubbing gel in his hair above the slogan: ‘A real nice finish.’ Nice finish indeed.
Belated Wexford player ratings:
Cooper: 6 - Blameless for both goals but farmer might have stopped either/both of them. Has been a great servant but his kicking isn’t the greatest (maybe a Wexford thing?) and he cost us 1 point yesterday. That would be 1 too many against the top sides. Would like to see Masterson in goal. What’s his injury status? Appendage? Anyone?
Malone: 6 - Was a bit naive in the build for the first goal and was a little unsure at times. Did make some important interventions too though it has to be said.
Wallace: 6.5 - Had overcome a sluggish start and had began to get to grips on their full forward before injury forced him off in the second half.
Murphy: 5 - Attracted to the ball carrier (who was being tracked) for the first goal thus leaving his man open to slot home the resulting pass. Lost his man and then gave away the penalty for the second goal. Also gave away a free that was pointed after overcarrying. Not a good day and could be dropped.
Morris: 7 - Put in a solid shift both driving forward and in a defensive role.
Murphy: 7.5 - Thought he had a really good game. Needs to keep up this performance level and really dominate the centre - we need a strong presence there.
Morrissey: n/a - Had settled well before going off relatively early on with a shoulder injury.
Stafford: 6.5 - Not up to the standard of last year and was careless in possession once or twice but overall we comfortably won the midfield battle.
Bradley: 8.5 - Excellent display. 2 points from play, catches in the air, a constant presence all over the park.
Deeley: 6.5 - Definitely more in the tank. Worked pretty hard for limited reward and ended up with only a point from play. Kept foraging away to the end though.
Barry: 6.5 - See Deely.
Flynn: 8 - Thought he was a revelation in the first half. Took 2 nice scores and was clever in his use of possession and set up a lot of chances too. Started the second half well too before he was surprisingly moved back to wing back in the reorganisation following Wallace’s withdrawal and his influence waned thereafter.
Lyng: 7 - Scored 2 cracking points from play in the first half and showed well for the ball. Displayed some good skill and silky touches. Starved of possession in the second half but a good championship debut.
Colfer: 6.5 - Led the line in his usual style. Laid off some nice ball and was a good focal point. Might be better utilised as a utility sub now we’re making a step up in quality against Laois as he struggles for pace.
Forde: 8 - Showed his class throughout. 4 points from play and set up 2 or 3 with clever passes. Kicked over a few frees too but will need to improve his long range dead balls as we progress.
Subs:
Sunderland (Morrissey): 6 - Stood off Stanfield too much and allowed him too much space.
O’Dwyer (Wallace): 3 - Came on at half forward in the rejig when Wallace was injured and had the veritable horror show. Kicked his first possession straight over the sideline and then fisted his next ball over the line too. Not sure any of his passes hit his intended target.
Others not on long enough to be rated.
Jack O’Connor’s column from the Irish Times on the Dublin game from last weekend.
Two important points he makes:
- Shane Ryan is a midfielder. When he is taken out of midfield Dublin suffer. That cost us the Mayo game last year and it shouldn’t be done again. If another half forward is needed then Magee or Whelan should play there.
- Cullen hoovered up loads of ball on Sunday by staying deep and picking off the long balls. That was key to much of Dublin’s second half possession.
Dublin have now moved forward
Jack O’Connor’s column All over the pitch Dublin looked stronger, quicker and much more confident
Dublin are very much alive and kicking this week. Kicking is the appropriate word too. On Sunday they kicked a huge amount of ball into their full-forward line. Previously, they tended to solo the ball too much out the field.
In adversity they may also have solved the free-kicking problem. Therein lies the tale of the two games. In the drawn encounter, Cian Ward shot the lights out. On Sunday, a blond bombshell from Kilmacud was the chief gunslinger.
I saw Mark Vaughan in the flesh in a league game in Killarney last year. He was impressive that day too. His free-kicking technique is such that he can kick over 45s with the nonchalance of a fella tapping a short one in training.
In fact, his minor debut for Dublin was as a sub four years ago and was also against Meath. He came on and kicked two 45s. He has good size and power and a bit of a mad streak, which makes him a threat from play as well.
Contrasting the fortunes of Vaughan and Ward sums up the fickle ways of sport. Two weeks ago Cian Ward sprang from nowhere and in the days afterwards he was hailed as the new Maurice Fitz.
Mark Vaughan wasn’t even picked to start last Sunday. He has had a couple of years kicking around the fringes. Yet, he emerged as the hero. Coming into a game with a low profile has huge benefits.
Vaughan doesn’t seem the type who would enjoy a low profile. I noticed two years ago when Kilmacud were going well that he did a couple of major interviews in newspapers, which surprised me for a young player.
Then again, it’s maybe not so surprising.
I remember he wore a sky-blue Mohawk streak in his bleached hair as a minor. For his own sake and for his team’s benefit the player should take a leaf from Greta Garbo’s book and tell the world now that he wants to be left alone.
I was encouraged by the fact that, for whatever reason, he wasn’t available to accept the “man of the match” award from RT or to do the little TV interview that goes with it on Sunday.
Expectation and hype do cruel things to young players, especially in a city like Dublin.
Cian Ward was under huge pressure on Sunday and perhaps Colm Coyle will reflect that it was a mistake to start him. Ward was being asked to work the oracle again. By the time the game got serious he had exited stage left.
Whether by accident or design Dublin started with a better team than on the first day. Sometimes managers don’t make the hard decisions until the hangman’s rope is spun and they have little time left to pray.
Even if Darren Magee is fit next time Shane Ryan has to start at midfield for Dublin. You should always play your best players in their best positions and in this case three into two won’t go.
Ryan is one of Dublin’s best players and on Sunday he was at home in the engine room. He is a horse of a man who cleans up breaks and causes problems with his mobility.
He doesn’t have the creativity for life on the 40. At midfield he is a perfect foil for Ciarn Whelan, and switching him from there was one of the reasons Dublin didn’t reach last year’s All-Ireland final.
Magee and Whelan are similar players and together don’t give Dublin the right balance. On Sunday, Dublin dominated the middle third and only some squandering up front prevented them from winning pulling up.
As I’ve said before, this might be the script Dublin needed. They have been tested to the limit and have learned a bit about themselves.
Last year they sleepwalked into August and got mugged. They’ll be sharper now.
Meath can be content. They made huge progress. If they approach the qualifiers positively they will frighten the best of them. They have natural scoring forwards and in Stephen Bray they have a point-scoring machine.
Lessons?
On Sunday some of Meath’s kicking, especially late on, was a bit on the ignorant side.
Ideally, the long ball should be bypassing the half-forward line and hitting the inside line. On Sunday, it mainly landed on top of Bryan Cullen in his centre-back spot, and with Kevin Reilly playing so deep (a mistake), Cullen could act as a sweeper. In last year’s semi-final Mayo dragged Cullen out of the centre-back spot and made him mark.
Dublin now have a strong hand. They have power and athleticism everywhere and play at a very high tempo. That creates free-taking chances. If Vaughan can keep kicking them they will take some beating.
Late on last Sunday they held the ball and played it sensibly. The experience of tight games showed at last.
They have shipped plenty of criticism. Used properly that can help foster a siege mentality. Harsh words might not make for as enjoyable a bonding exercise as rock climbing or abseiling, but the togetherness and tightness of a belittled team can be far more lasting.
Dave Billings hinted at this on Sunday with a none-too-subtle swipe at former Dublin players being paid to write columns. Dublin can use the criticism to close ranks and create an “us against the world” mentality.
The northern teams thrived on this for years. The Cork hurlers are another case in point right now.
A lion is dangerous when it is wounded. A team with a cause can be just as scary.