Alan Connolly’s prowess in Cork’s recent league game on Saturday transcended his three successful goals and two near goals, revealing his ambitious spirit. Despite being located 30 metres from Wexford’s goalpost and notably surrounded by defenders, Connolly didn’t opt for an easy point shot or searching for a teammate to pass. It was evident from his movements that he was avid for a goal, even when it seemed improbable.
The past two league games witnessed Connolly orchestrating six goals, yet context is necessary. The performance of Offaly against Cork was the poorest so far in their season and Wexford revealed similar struggles on Saturday. Additionally, Wexford’s defence was notably weak due to the absence of crucial player Liam Ryan, an outstanding number three of the past decade; Conor Doyle also stumbled in his form. Despite the defensive weaknesses of Wexford, Connolly’s goal scoring prowess stands out as unique in contemporary games.
More than just a goal scorer, Connolly perceives the value of a goal significantly higher than a point, reminiscent of the initial GAA scoring formats. This attitude aligns him with John Fitzgibbon, another exceptional Cork footballer, from over three decades back.
Christy O’Connor’s tallies divulge that Connolly has achieved a stunning 15 goals in 21 league and championship games, although he only started in 11 of them. In the 2022 Munster championship matches, Connolly scored at least one goal in three of Cork’s games, including two critical ones against Waterford at Walsh Park when Cork’s season was in jeopardy. Unfortunately, he had to sit out the previous year due to injury, which was a significant blow to Cork’s attack.
The initial impression of this year seems to indicate that Connolly has returned as a transformed player. As Cork celebrated their victory in the delayed 2020 All-Ireland Under-20 final, Connolly stood out as the principal full-forward, with Pat Ryan holding the reins as manager. Despite leading by a mere four points, Connolly was substituted 11 minutes before game’s end during the finals against Dublin, due to his unsatisfactory work ethics on the pitch. On that day, his yield was merely two successful frees.
People were cognisant of Connolly’s potential ability, yet what Cork’s senior team definitely didn’t require was an additional player unable to put in sufficient efforts when not in possession of the ball. Connolly’s output and game strategies needed revamping to make him beneficial for Cork. While discussing Saturday’s game in his post-match commentary, Ryan seized the opportunity to focus on Connolly’s goal scoring ability despite the invitation to revel in them.
Ryan remarked, “Indeed, he could have scored more goals. We know what Alan is capable of. However, we’re extremely pleased with his effort levels, especially in his endeavours to regain ball possession.” He also praised the supportive role the other team members play in providing Connolly with good passes. Ryan also appreciated Patrick Horgan’s contribution that keeps the player away from opposing attention.
It will be intriguing to observe how Connolly’s partnership with Horgan evolves. In conventional games, you would usually find at least two finishers within the full-forward line, but in modern formations, typically, a single player is positioned closest to the goal, acting as the team’s spearhead.
Both Horgan and Connolly are finishers. With the ball in their possession, any thought of passing is secondary. While Horgan was acknowledged for assisting Connolly’s two goals from Saturdays play, a closer look at the replays may suggest that Horgan’s pass across the Wexford goal area could have been accidental. Similarly, Eoin Downey’s long pass that winged off Horgan into Connolly’s path, resulting in the second goal, might also have been unintentional.
Considering the semantics of football, is it feasible having two players in the number nine position? Back in the 1985-86 first division, West Ham claimed third position with thanks to the impressive 26 goals by Frank McAvennie and another 20 by Tony Cottee. Instances like theirs are scarce, but it’s the similar player bond that Cork aims to foster, replicating the rapport evidenced between Cottee and McAvennie.
The hurling scene today is lacking in avid goal scorers. With Liam Cahill and Mikey Bevans at the helm, known to focus on maximising goals, Jake Morris has gained recognition as a prominent goal scorer. The previous year’s league saw Tipp secure the position of top goal scorers, with a total of 12, five of which were down to Morris. Occupying a place in the current season’s goal count with four to his name, Morris achieved this even after missing Tipp’s sweeping victory over Westmeath.
For any team harbouring aspirations to surpass Limerick, their strategy needs to major on goals. Limerick holds the record for the most points scored in the history of hurling, attempting to compete on this front would simply be insanity.
Limerick’s approach to scoring goals, however, is more nonchalant, which could potentially provide an opportunity for others. In the 37 championship games since claiming their first All-Ireland title in 2018, Limerick has held a lower goal count than their rivals in 10 matches. The resulting trends for Limerick in these matches were win, stalemate, win, loss, win, win, win, win, win, win.
We’re not asserting that this is an infallible tactic. But it’s worth a thought.