The initial stages of the All Ireland football series were not particularly exhilarating, largely owing to predictable match outcomes. Certain teams demonstrated progress in their attacking game, while others have a considerable amount of ground to cover.
Kerry is making notable strides to expand its attack beyond Sean O’Shea and the Clifford brothers, with many wondering how they would achieve a diverse attack. Tom O’Sullivan has been a consistent contributor to Kerry’s offensive efforts, and his performance against Monaghan was bolstered by Paul Murphy’s input.
Conventionally, corner backs are tasked with defending and safe ball play. However, O’Sullivan demonstrated effective offensive play. He scored an early point against Monaghan from a sprint trail and showcased a sublime score that he initiated and concluded. He flawlessly executed a 50m pass to David Clifford, pursued it with an 80m run and finally completed a hand pass over the bar, leaving Monaghan’s defence in the dust due to his unexpected move.
He went on to assist in an attacking play during the 46th minute, which saw him hand pass to Dara Moynihan and then conclude the move with his third point, this time from his right foot. He ended the second half by assisting a Paul Geaney point.
In the game, O’Sullivan also assisted Kerry corner back, Paul Murphy, in the first half, mocking up a self-score of 0-3 and 0-2 in assists. Murphy then went on to score a second point using a trail run much like O’Sullivan’s first. This tactic used by Kerry’s corner backs is a strategic attack plan and proves difficult for rival teams to guard against during initial phase plays before setting their defence.
Mayo is recognised for its attacking tactic which involves looping from inside to out — a movement that has been efficiently executed by Ryan O’Donoghue and Cillian O’Connor. They attempted this strategy against Cavan multiple times, resulting in a score of 0-6.
Despite delivering a commendable performance with proper setup, there were instances where they failed to promise returns. They spoiled two perfect opportunities to score by missing shots, and forfeited another due to hesitancy, which resulted in an ill-advised solo attempt. The other error involved a too obvious third-man tackle following the loop; to resolve this, it’s essential to adopt a subtler screen against the defender. In upcoming games, they’ll be up against highly strategic defences, necessitating a more diversified attacking approach than what was showcased against Cavan.
Exposing a lack of tactical approach, Meath suffered a championship loss to Louth, an occurrence unseen for the past 49 years. Productivity is gauged by the successful possessions and the successful scores for every block of 10 team possessions. Unfortunately, Meath’s performance in the initial round of qualifiers showed the least productivity among all teams. They could only procure 0-9 from 37 team possessions, resulting in a dismal 2.43 points for every 10 possessions.
Comparing this to stalwart teams heightens manager Colm O’Rourke’s concerns. Dublin held a 6.76 against Roscommon, while Donegal scored 5.68 against Tyrone. Meath had a tough time counteracting Louth’s comprehensive defence and the absence of Shane Walsh added to their problems. No player was successful in scoring more than once.
On the contrary, Louth found the Meath defence to be rather invitational, allowing them to score three goals in the first half. This sturdy lead permitted Louth to fortify their defence. Intriguingly, from an attack standpoint, Louth maintained an effective approach with rapid attacks and didn’t let any stale long possessions deter them. The Leinster’s final against Dublin earned them praises, where they completely surrendered Dublin’s kickouts and formed a profound blockade. They demonstrated a similar approach for all Meath’s kickouts as well, only charging on two kickouts following scoreable frees. This paid off as they seized both mid-field contests, one of which allowed Sam Mulroy to hit their first goal in the 13th minute. Unfortunately, Roscommon remained predictable.
The face-off between Roscommon and Dublin at Croke Park over the weekend saw Dublin having the upper hand in numerous aspects. John Small of Dublin demonstrated stellar defensive play against All Star Enda Smith, securing three turnovers against the Boyle native. By focusing on neutralising Roscommon’s primary asset, the odds were heavily tilted in favour of Dublin.
Despite this, Roscommon were only trailing by a point at the half-time break, thanks to an impressive shot efficiency rate of 90%. The opening half saw Diarmuid Murtagh, Daire Cregg, and Conor Cox dominate their respective one-on-one battles. Roscommon showcased their offensive strategies well, successfully scoring 0-3 with their double wraparound manoeuvres in the first half. However, Dublin seemed to have deciphered Roscommon’s tactics in the second half, leading to a drop in Roscommon’s scoring prowess. They failed to score any double wraparounds and managed just 0-4 from 14 team possessions, with no score beyond the 53rd minute.
Roscommon’s Coach Dave Burke might have felt content being only two points behind Dublin, but disappointment followed as they conceded 2-4, failing to clock up their own scores. The limited level of team possessions made it possible for Roscommon to remain in the game. But when they tried to be more aggressive to clinch the game, Dublin capitalised on it by striking two brisk offensive goals.
The kickout combat was another challenge for Roscommon as they struggled to secure a single restart from Stephen Cluxton. Their attempts to push up were nullified effortlessly. On the flip side, Dublin managed to win 57% (8 out of 14) kickouts steered to the middle third by Conor Carroll, indicating a foreseeable kickout strategy.
Given the competitive framework, it’s crystal clear that we’re yet to witness the full potential of some contending teams who are strategically keeping their tactics close to their chest.
Performance analyst Paul O’Brien of The Performance Process shared his insights on the game via his Twitter handle: @NoPlanBGAA.