In Dr Hyde Park, it was clear to see how not heading the group affected Kevin McStay, particularly given past experiences. From previous matches, such as the encounter with Dublin in the preceding year at Croke Park, he understood the consequences of a week’s rest. His team had been leading with just 25 seconds left to play, but Dublin managed to draw level. This left Mayo facing a tough game with Derry, who are seeking redemption, at MacHale Park.
Despite McStay’s advice to his players to reduce aggression and focus on defensive structuring during the kick out, this strategy did not translate onto the pitch. Dublin managed to dismantle Mayo’s defences straight after the kick delivered by Stephen Cluxton, which was caught at peak height by Ciaran Kilkenny.
Despite being surrounded by four Mayo players, Kilkenny expertly executed a timed pass to Jack McCaffrey who overpowered several Mayo defenders. McCaffrey then sped through the gap, connecting with Colm Basquel before setting up Cormac Costello for a goal that levelled the score.
There has been extensive discussion surrounding whether teams should oppose or give concessions during the kickout. Data from Cluxton’s previous 23 kickouts in this game suggests that Mayo should not have received the kick. It is striking to note that out of ten long kicks sent by Cluxton, eight were won by Dublin, and half were then turned into point-scoring opportunities. Given that there were only a few seconds left in the match, this context is crucial.
Dublin turned three of the five points that came from lengthy kickouts into scores in under 25 seconds. Considering that Mayo only managed to secure two of Dublin’s lengthy kicks and didn’t score off either, challenging these kickouts proved to be a costly risk. The fact that Ciaran Kilkenny won two of the three quick Dublin scores further supports the idea that avoiding the kickout could have been a smarter move from Mayo.
Dublin managed to score just 0-3 from 13 won short kickouts, and two of these scores took extraordinarily long to achieve. Had Mayo decided to fall back, it might have forced Dublin to become more daring in their delivery. Although it is easier to suggest this with the benefit of hindsight, top-tier teams with sound game insight would likely have taken this strategy.
The individual who played a critical role in gaining the crucial equalising point was Jack McCaffrey, having been brought onto the pitch in the 50th minute. Shortly after, in the 55th minute, McCaffrey scored a point as he kicked the ball from just outside the 65 line to Paul Mannion. Mannion had joined the field alongside McCaffrey and he progressed forward to take the return around the 13m line and score. Throughout the game, McCaffrey’s efforts were not limited to offensive actions – he interrupted a ball meant for Cillian O’Connor in the 60th minute, thereby contributing to a Dublin score.
Despite his strong performance, McCaffrey was rather unfortunate to concede a 45 when the umpire mistakenly judged him to have been the last player to touch the ball.
Nonetheless, Mayo deserves substantial commendation for their performance. They applied effective attack strategies against individual Dublin defenders, particularly in the first half. Their attempts to penetrate the defensive line were met with some failure as they failed to capitalise fully on the scoreboard.
Mayo moreover demonstrated superb tactics by consistently pressurising the defensive D, drawing fouls with the likes of Tommy Conroy and Aidan O’Shea. The referee for the Uhrster final, Martin McNally, was notoriously known by both Armagh and Donegal teams for his leanings towards attackers in contact situations. This style of refereeing worked to Mayo’s advantage as they gained 0-4 from frees during this course of play, despite Ryan O’Donoghue failing to convert a couple of free attempts. Mayo’s strategy from the onset largely relied on successful breakthroughs, and if not for Brian Fenton’s timely block on O’Donoghue, they might have achieved greater rewards.
Cork’s third place finish in their group will be a source of disappointment, despite their victory over Donegal. Their upcoming away match against Louth could certainly be a worse draw. Central turnovers positively influenced Cork’s performance against Donegal, but ironically, it was the same component of their gameplay that caused them to cede control to Tyrone during their encounter.
In the 43rd minute, a bungled turnover with too many players involved resulted in a long kick aimed at Chris Óg Jones. Niall Morgan intercepted the ball, leading to an ill-advised tackle by Jones and a subsequent black card, along with ten minutes in the penalty box. With the scores levelled at 0-11, Tyrone were able to exploit their one-player advantage to lead by 1-3 vs 0-2 within the next ten minutes. This gap remained unreversed for the rest of the game.
Patterns emerged in Tyrone’s scoring approach during this period. All three points were achieved by attacking down the left-hand side, particularly exploiting defensive weaknesses identified by Cork’s coach Kevin Walsh in his notable book ‘The Invisible Game’. These broad attacks only narrowed once they neared the D-zone where Darragh Canavan twice resulted in scoring. Their strategy remained consistent in the 50th minute as the ball quickly rebounded past the arc to place Morgan in a prime scoring position.
The impact of goalkeepers is often a topic of discussion. Few, however, can match Morgan’s array of abilities. Not only did he intercept Cork’s delivery, earning a foul and black card in the 43rd minute, but also scored a point from play, converted two other free kicks, and helped his Edendork teammate, Conn Kilpatrick, score a point. Furthermore, his touch influenced 1-7 of Tyrone’s total scores. His speed, imagination, and skill on the ball differentiate him from others in the advanced goalkeeper role.
The next game in focus: Galway v Armagh: maintaining the pressure during kick-offs.
Moving from the more peripheral aspects of the goalkeeper’s role to what is the mainstay role for the goalie in the current format of the game. During their weekend match, Galway encountered considerable trouble with their own kickouts as the Armagh team strategically lured Connor Gleeson into dispatching balls into competitive zones prematurely. Armagh succeeded in securing the first three Galway kickouts, but this didn’t translate into points on the scoreboard.
Indeed, they managed to capture four of Galway’s kickouts in the first half, and even took shots from all of them, but failed to log a single point. These missed opportunities led to their disappointing 55% shot accuracy in the first half, despite a favourable strong breeze. Galway eventually regained control of their kickout, only for Armagh to extract 1-2 from Galway’s kickouts in the following half, with two brief misplays in the closing quarter as they increased pressure on Gleeson.
From their kickouts, Galway earned 0-7 and let slip 1-2 – a net gain of two points from the 22 restarts, a figure that does not compare favourably with standout teams like Dublin and Kerry.
Despite being All Ireland contenders (especially if Damien Comer makes a comeback), and having the stingiest defence nationwide, Galway frequently find themselves in precarious situations due to their own kickout errors. This was evident during the Connacht finals against Mayo, who didn’t completely conquer these short mistakes.
This critique doesn’t solely target Gleeson; it’s always a balancing act between defenders who are adept at receiving the ball and others who are skilled at defending, as with the Galway squad.
Contrary to Mayo’s tactics a few hours later, Armagh refrained from intervening in the last Galway kickout to ensure their drawn position and leading spot in the grouping. The eventual outcome implies this was the correct choice, with the statistics also indicating the same, given Galway’s slow and meticulous approach to attacks and being driven to try a dangerous move inside as the timer ran down.
Galway were surely let down by failing to secure a week of rest and one could observe at the full-time whistle how much securing the group leader position meant to the McGeeney’s crew. Regardless, provided they rectify a few areas, Galway are expected to impact this year’s championship significantly.
Paul O’Brien serves as a performance analyst at The Performance Process, which can be located on Twitter at twitter.com/NoPlanBGAA.