An intensely strategic game unfolded in Ulster, where both sides exhibited impressive displays of tactical genius and blunders, and adopted adjustment strategies as the game proceeded. We won’t delve into the significance of pressing kickouts or surrendering them, though it played a significant part in the game. Instead, we’ll focus on some minor yet captivating elements of the match.
Rian O’Neill from Armagh was singled out by the Donegal team who aimed to keep him as far away from their goal as they could and thus minimise his creativity in the Armagh attack. He was constrained into retreating to the edge of the Armagh square in the first half, which required him to cover vast distances to even join in possession. This issue was especially notable from the viewpoint of the Clones stand, though the frames only display some examples. His deep defensive duties were rescinded at half-time, but his kicking skills might have been useful in further challenging Donegal in the first half when the match was less tense, and Armagh was counter-attacking rapidly.
Though it may have been a clever strategy of Donegal in possession to diminish the offensive prowess of the Crossmaglen player, it somewhat hindered their own attack. In the first half, Donegal lost possession eight times in Armagh’s defensive third. Did O’Neill’s engagement compromise Donegal’s offensive strategy? Armagh did an excellent job of doubling and tripling up on men when they entered the D area without falling for redundant Donegal attacks. Both Donegal and Armagh displayed exceptional shooting efficiency in the first half, yielding 82% (9/11) and 77% (10/13) scoring rates respectively; however, there were no opportunities for scoring goals during the match.
In the 49th minute, O’Neill marked under the main stand in Clones and smoothly kicked the ball between the posts. This short execution of marking to the edge of the shooting zones was certainly a part of Armagh’s attacking strategy. However, in the second half, they repeated this same type of pass four more times, missing twice and opting to circulate the ball instead of shooting for the posts on two occasions. The mistake could possibly lie in the receiver of the mark.
Armagh found it difficult to press Donegal towards their goal. If the marks had been secured just five metres nearer to the goal, Armagh may have been able to score the two missed kicks or chosen to take a shot from the two they had in hand. This is in stark contrast to Donegal’s extra time drawing score by Odhran Doherty, who rejected the mark option, instead choosing to make a few extra metres towards the goal before making his score.
The level of skill demonstrated in shooting was remarkable at times, however, the defensive discipline exhibited by both teams was arguably even more commendable. Over the course of 90 minutes, Armagh only gave away three frees inside their 45, while Donegal conceded just one scoreable free, shrewdly secured by Jarly Óg Burns in extra time. This may demonstrate a lack of threat towards the goal, but considering the crowd of players in this zone, the evident attacking brilliance and the tense atmosphere of the match, such discipline from both sides is astonishing.
In terms of anticipated match-ups, the match day programme predicted Brendan McCole would square off against Conor Turbitt, but he initially went head to head with Andrew Murnin. This could be seen as an oversight by McGuinness as Turbitt came into the game energetically, logging 0-3 within the first 23 minutes before McCole was reassigned to him. Interestingly, the standout man-marking performance came from Oisín Conaty, who effectively neutralised the offensive danger of Ryan McHugh. This meant that McHugh didn’t score or assist at all, while Conaty still managed to contribute 0-2 at the opposite end. However, this allowed Peadar Mogan and Shane O’Donnell to exploit more gaps than usual, thus increasing their score involvement due to the focus being on McHugh.
The text could end with a headline such as: ‘Triple Challenge meets Triple Glory’.
The stark differences between the attacking threats of Galway and Mayo highlighted a glimpse into the Connacht final results. Ryan O’Donoghue of Mayo, despite his prior impressive form, struggled in the game. He was dispossessed twice and didn’t convert five attempts at the goal from play. He only managed to score once – a 17% shot conversion rate which isn’t acceptable when the competition is this close. Jack Glynn showed great efficiency in restricting O’Donoghue, a clear strategy by the Galway defence, which applied to Tommy Conroy as well.
Conroy also experienced dispossession twice, including a one-on-one duel, which he generally thrives on, and succumbed to missing a shot under stress. Additionally, Aidan O’Shea’s contributions were barely noticeable due to Sean Fitzgerald’s close marking before he was offloaded after 53 minutes without any score.
Contrastingly, Damien Comer and Rob Finnerty, Galway’s duo attackers, stood out. Almost all of Galway’s successful plays involved them. Comer contributed four points from frees, assisted once, and scored twice from live play. Finnerty, on the other hand, set up a point, converted five scores from frees, and scored thrice from live play. Both players played a critical role in creating two strong goal opportunities for Galway.
A crucial element during the first half was Galway’s attacking strategy. They kept their men back instead of sending them forward, which would overcrowd the field. Because Mayo played in a man-on-man style, plenty of space was left open for Comer and Finnerty to exploit.
Towards halftime, Galway introduced Shane Walsh to the game which only increased the defensive difficulties for Mayo. Walsh obtained a converted free, scored a free himself, and added two more from open play. Eventually, the game’s final score was achieved by Conor Gleeson before Galway scored a point that didn’t involve this attacking triumvirate directly.
The fine line between being hailed as a hero or condemned as a villain was on full display at Pearse stadium. Galway’s goalie, Conor Gleeson exited the match as a saviour. However, had Mayo taken advantage of opportunities presented to them earlier in the game, the narrative could have been entirely different. Mayo dominated the early stages but failed to score from two short Galway kickouts inside the 45, despite having the goal at their disposal. They could have increased pressure, but missed out. Later in the game, a turnover on Gleeson in the 44th minute ended with Matthew Ruane’s point, with Galway’s swift defence on the turnover neutralising any potential goal threats. Indeed, margins are fine.
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