dubaigaa2022
Full Member
Get rid of the forward mark!!!
Posts: 63
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Post by dubaigaa2022 on May 5, 2022 15:33:15 GMT
When is the team being named?
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horsebox77
Fanatical Member
Our trees & mountains are silent ghosts, they hold wisdom and knowledge mankind has long forgotten.
Posts: 2,051
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Post by horsebox77 on May 5, 2022 17:15:04 GMT
When is the team being named? I envisage 8pm tmw night as per the norm during the league
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mike70
Senior Member
Posts: 774
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Post by mike70 on May 5, 2022 17:32:03 GMT
ED, 04 MAY, 2022 - 16:10 Cork v Kerry: Injuries a constant issue for Cork football teams ' DEREK DALY WHEN watching the Cork U20s recent loss to Kerry in Tralee one could not help but think we were witnessing something we would see repeated when the seniors locked horns. There had only been a point in it as late as the 53rd minute only for the home bench to grab a hold of proceedings to rattle off the last six points, to seal what was in the end a deserved 1-11 to 0-7 victory. But, one can’t help thinking that it could have been different had the Cork U20s not suffered from the same type of crippling injury list that the senior team seems to have permanently on the go. This U20 side should have been the minor crew from the brilliant 2019 minor All-Ireland victory over Galway, but for one reason or another only four of the starting fifteen from that All-Ireland Final featured against Kerry, with Clonakilty’s Dan Peet, Ballinora centre-back Neil Lordan, Carbery Rangers midfielder Keelan Scannell and Éire Óg’s Hugh Murphy being the four. That is a staggering drop-off in the space of three years. Sure, Patrick Campbell’s fledgling professional rugby career meant that he was never going to be an option, and Jack Cahalane was concentrating on hurling only at the grade this year, but that still leaves a lot of players unavailable due to injury. Not for the first time, the question has to be asked as to why so many of Cork’s talented young footballers are breaking down at such an early age? It does seem to happen on far higher a frequency than in other counties, and until an answer is found to this then Cork will not be emerging as a force in the game anytime soon. As well as the aforementioned two, the Cork attack in Tralee was also down Michael O’Neill, Conor Corbett and Hugh O’Connor. Combine all those with the likes of Ryan O’Donovan and Colin Walsh and you would have a tasty looking forward line at this grade, but it was not to be. The middle eight options would have been further bolstered by the availability of Jack Lawton, Ciaran O’Sullivan and Eoghan Nash, while Daniel Lenihan and Cian O’Leary in defence were badly missed too. And the reason why we have referenced the recent Munster U20 decider reversal is because it will probably mirror what is about to occur at senior level this weekend when Kerry visit Páirc Uí Rinn for the much-publicised Munster Championship clash. Cork may have won the battle to have the game at their secondary ground, but the real war starts now, and they must do so in the knowledge that they are nowhere near full strength. Being without the likes of Sean Meehan, Sean Powter (who is thankfully due back this Saturday) and Ian Maguire mean the core of the side has been ripped out and given the respective spring form of both sides, it would appear to be a mismatch on paper. Cork retained their Division 2 status by the skin of their teeth with a narrow win over Offaly while Kerry sauntered to a bloodless league 1 triumph over Mayo in Croke Park. The form guide was not helped by Offaly’s subsequent championship defeat to Division 4 outfit Wexford. The two teams would appear to be at different levels at present. MISSING A whole bunch of Cork players are attempting to rush back from their own injuries in order to bolster the ranks for the weekend. These include Maurice Shanley, Paul Walsh, Killian O’Hanlon, Brian Hartnett, Brian Hayes and Damien Gore, who all have had either restricted or no campaign to date. It is a lot to ask for them to come in with little or no prep and perform at this level. You would imagine that last July’s 4-22 to 1-19 Munster Final defeat in Killarney will occupy a considerable amount of Cork’s thoughts in the build-up and will likely define how Cork approach the game. Like the U20s in Tralee Cork are likely to try and get plenty of players behind the ball in an attempt to restrict Kerry’s scoring opportunities. The obvious trade-off in taking such an approach is that this would scupper your own attacking ambitions. Cork will be looking to make this a dogfight. Of course, if Kerry were to build an early lead the fear would be that this Cork team currently does not have the ammunition to dominate enough around the middle to mount a fightback. Cork have been accused of having no fight by one of Kerry’s most famous sons. Even without their main leaders, they will have to show plenty of it this weekend. Mickmack. Ironically enough that Cork minor team of 2019 were beaten twice by Kerry. In munster final by 3pts and Kerry beat them easily in first round too. I often argued that our Kerry minors 5 in a row winners were very lucky on a few occasions v Cork but we were unlucky in 2019 v Galway in semi. At least Cork won an under 20.We got nothing out of our minor teams although we ve got some fab players from them. Hopefully we can finally win under 20 this year and of course the senior I have a sneaky feeling it might be Kildare for the U20 title, in a kerry v Kildare final.
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Post by thepromisedland on May 5, 2022 22:44:43 GMT
Hopefully, both results will go the right way at the weekend. We so badly need progression in reaching the Amber Nectar in the U20 football. 2008 is a ridiculously long time ago, the start of the financial crash, and by God, the world has changed a lot since. The glittering prizes of All Ireland successes need to change for us too. Ciarraí Abú!
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Post by Mickmack on May 6, 2022 7:30:07 GMT
Cork may not test it, but Kingdom’s mental strength is a concern
Ciarán Whelan
Jack is back in the Kingdom with just one job to do – bring the Sam Maguire back to Kerry. No pressure then.
Maybe it’s a bit unfair, but you get the sense that O’Connor was biding his time before his third coming as Kerry senior manager – getting the timing right, and then delivering the goodies.
Kerry have been league champions for the past three renewals, sharing the honours with Dublin in 2021, and have won five All-Ireland MFC titles in a row in recent times (2014-’18), so the raw material is there, particularly in attack. However, they have suffered a number of ‘close but no cigar’ years with Sam proving an elusive target.
This season the serious intent has been obvious. I distinctly recall the first weekend of this year and flicking through the phone to find GAA results.
Kerry were one of the first teams in action on January 5, against Limerick in the McGrath Cup. The result spoke for itself – Kerry won 2-23 to 0-6. It was not really the scoreline that stuck out that day, it was the team selection.
Here we were on the first weekend of the new season in an unimportant competition and O’Connor had put out close to his strongest selection. Kerry were on a mission.
We all know that in Kerry it is all about the Celtic Crosses. Nothing else matters. Aside from Éamonn Fitzmaurice steering Kerry to All-Ireland glory in 2014, it has been a long time, by their standards, since the dominant days of the noughties.
The feeling is that if Kerry can deliver with the current young crop, then it could open the doorway to a period of dominance.
Learn more
Peter Keane, after delivering minor All-Ireland titles, looked primed to be the man to bring Sam back to the Kingdom. However, he ended up ‘under the bus’ after losing to Dublin in 2019, collapsing against Cork in 2020 and falling into the Tyrone trap last year.
When the Kerry job was advertised last winter, there were probably very few managers who would have refused to take up the role.
O’Connor was quickly out of the blocks – and with his reputation of delivering All-Irelands, the job was always going to be his.
After a successful league campaign, Kerry now enter the championship as most people’s strong favourites.
The biggest question mark is how they cope with the weight of expectation and the mental pressure that brings.
When you evaluate Kerry’s squad, they look the strongest in the country. But the demons from the last few years remain unanswered. Dealing with that will make or break them.
It is clear from O’Connor’s reign to date where he is trying to alter his team. Naturally, some of their players have developed physically and are now more experienced at this level, so they continue to improve.
Not unlike Dublin in the past, they have worked on a defensive system, where Tadhg Morley drops off to protect the scoring zone – and he has played this role effectively in the league.
In some ways Kerry’s greatest asset, their forward unit – with their lead actor David Clifford supported by the likes of his brother Paudie, Paul Geaney and Seán O’Shea – have allowed them to work on a defensive structure.
I don’t think there is any team who will take Kerry on man-to-man in the space of Croke Park.
Just ask Mayo manager James Horan after what happened in this year’s league decider.
With the danger that younger Clifford and Co bring to the table, every team is likely to play an extra defender and drop their wing-forwards in to close down the space.
In return, this offers the option of deploying Morley as their free man, to sit deep and do what he does best.
This has given extra confidence to their full-backs, who now look more willing to play on the front foot.
Jason Foley has thrived in the full-back line throughout the spring, but are Kerry fully road-tested?
Any assessment of Kerry may be somewhat skewed by the league final, when Mayo were extremely poor.
So questions linger.
If Kerry lose the battle for possession off long kick-outs, can their defence still be exposed? Have they settled on a goalkeeper?
Midfield is still a work in progress – Diarmuid O’Connor continues to develop but will need to be more consistent. Is Jack Barry the ideal partner or does his selection depend on what opposition Kerry are facing? Will David Moran be an impact sub with limited game-time under his belt?
Will David Clifford hold his discipline when he is targeted later in the year?
I do not expect Kerry to have to answer too many of these questions tomorrow, when they face Cork in Páirc Uí Rinn.
What used to be a massive game in the GAA calendar is no longer, owing to the current status of Cork football. It is very hard to see anything close to an upset.
I felt Cork should have travelled to Killarney, which would have offered them two years in row in Páirc Uí Chaoimh when they should be at a better stage of their development.
Don’t get me wrong, Páirc Uí Rinn is worth a few points to the Rebels. But this is different – whatever extra few points of an advantage the venue might afford Cork could be wiped out in the opening 10 minutes.
I watched Cork a few times during this year’s league – and while there were signs of some improvement, they continued to be very exposed in defence.
It is hard to see how they can curtail the power, movement and scoring potency of this Kerry forward line.
The injuries to Ian Maguire and Seán Meehan, and lack of quality game-time for Seán Powter, take away some of their core leadership and experience, and there is little hope that Cork can make this a decent contest.
Bigger days lie ahead for Kerry, when they might just illustrate that they’ve found answers to the lingering questions.
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Post by Deise Exile on May 6, 2022 8:38:11 GMT
Cork may not test it, but Kingdom’s mental strength is a concern Ciarán Whelan Jack is back in the Kingdom with just one job to do – bring the Sam Maguire back to Kerry. No pressure then. Maybe it’s a bit unfair, but you get the sense that O’Connor was biding his time before his third coming as Kerry senior manager – getting the timing right, and then delivering the goodies. Kerry have been league champions for the past three renewals, sharing the honours with Dublin in 2021, and have won five All-Ireland MFC titles in a row in recent times (2014-’18), so the raw material is there, particularly in attack. However, they have suffered a number of ‘close but no cigar’ years with Sam proving an elusive target. This season the serious intent has been obvious. I distinctly recall the first weekend of this year and flicking through the phone to find GAA results. Kerry were one of the first teams in action on January 5, against Limerick in the McGrath Cup. The result spoke for itself – Kerry won 2-23 to 0-6. It was not really the scoreline that stuck out that day, it was the team selection. Here we were on the first weekend of the new season in an unimportant competition and O’Connor had put out close to his strongest selection. Kerry were on a mission. We all know that in Kerry it is all about the Celtic Crosses. Nothing else matters. Aside from Éamonn Fitzmaurice steering Kerry to All-Ireland glory in 2014, it has been a long time, by their standards, since the dominant days of the noughties. The feeling is that if Kerry can deliver with the current young crop, then it could open the doorway to a period of dominance. Learn more Peter Keane, after delivering minor All-Ireland titles, looked primed to be the man to bring Sam back to the Kingdom. However, he ended up ‘under the bus’ after losing to Dublin in 2019, collapsing against Cork in 2020 and falling into the Tyrone trap last year. When the Kerry job was advertised last winter, there were probably very few managers who would have refused to take up the role. O’Connor was quickly out of the blocks – and with his reputation of delivering All-Irelands, the job was always going to be his. After a successful league campaign, Kerry now enter the championship as most people’s strong favourites. The biggest question mark is how they cope with the weight of expectation and the mental pressure that brings. When you evaluate Kerry’s squad, they look the strongest in the country. But the demons from the last few years remain unanswered. Dealing with that will make or break them. It is clear from O’Connor’s reign to date where he is trying to alter his team. Naturally, some of their players have developed physically and are now more experienced at this level, so they continue to improve. Not unlike Dublin in the past, they have worked on a defensive system, where Tadhg Morley drops off to protect the scoring zone – and he has played this role effectively in the league. In some ways Kerry’s greatest asset, their forward unit – with their lead actor David Clifford supported by the likes of his brother Paudie, Paul Geaney and Seán O’Shea – have allowed them to work on a defensive structure. I don’t think there is any team who will take Kerry on man-to-man in the space of Croke Park. Just ask Mayo manager James Horan after what happened in this year’s league decider. With the danger that younger Clifford and Co bring to the table, every team is likely to play an extra defender and drop their wing-forwards in to close down the space. In return, this offers the option of deploying Morley as their free man, to sit deep and do what he does best. This has given extra confidence to their full-backs, who now look more willing to play on the front foot. Jason Foley has thrived in the full-back line throughout the spring, but are Kerry fully road-tested? Any assessment of Kerry may be somewhat skewed by the league final, when Mayo were extremely poor. So questions linger. If Kerry lose the battle for possession off long kick-outs, can their defence still be exposed? Have they settled on a goalkeeper? Midfield is still a work in progress – Diarmuid O’Connor continues to develop but will need to be more consistent. Is Jack Barry the ideal partner or does his selection depend on what opposition Kerry are facing? Will David Moran be an impact sub with limited game-time under his belt? Will David Clifford hold his discipline when he is targeted later in the year? I do not expect Kerry to have to answer too many of these questions tomorrow, when they face Cork in Páirc Uí Rinn. What used to be a massive game in the GAA calendar is no longer, owing to the current status of Cork football. It is very hard to see anything close to an upset. I felt Cork should have travelled to Killarney, which would have offered them two years in row in Páirc Uí Chaoimh when they should be at a better stage of their development. Don’t get me wrong, Páirc Uí Rinn is worth a few points to the Rebels. But this is different – whatever extra few points of an advantage the venue might afford Cork could be wiped out in the opening 10 minutes. I watched Cork a few times during this year’s league – and while there were signs of some improvement, they continued to be very exposed in defence. It is hard to see how they can curtail the power, movement and scoring potency of this Kerry forward line. The injuries to Ian Maguire and Seán Meehan, and lack of quality game-time for Seán Powter, take away some of their core leadership and experience, and there is little hope that Cork can make this a decent contest. Bigger days lie ahead for Kerry, when they might just illustrate that they’ve found answers to the lingering questions. Very accurate piece. Kerry still have it all to prove at the business end. I'm very hopeful rather than very confident that we can do it. Ability certainly there. Need our leaders to step up now
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tpo
Senior Member
Posts: 508
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Post by tpo on May 6, 2022 9:46:51 GMT
Tickets are on general sale now
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Post by Mickmack on May 6, 2022 9:52:41 GMT
FRI, 06 MAY, 2022 - 07:40 EOGHAN CORMICAN
The case for the defence that Cork makes tomorrow evening in Páirc Uí Rinn needs to be worlds apart from that put forward during the league.
As was highlighted upon the league’s conclusion, no team across the four divisions conceded more than Cork.
From seven outings in Division 2, the team leaked 9-111, an average of roughly 1-17 per game.
Outside of the Round 6 game at home to Down, where Cork’s success in holding the Mournemen to 1-12 was rooted in their ability to get a plus one guarding the middle channel each time Down pressed forward, Cork were without shape or structure at the back. Moreover, the closing down of space didn’t seem a priority, as was particularly evident when Galway ran through them for 3-22 on home soil in Round 4.
To be fair to those operating in defence, there were mitigating factors, namely the amount of newcomers being thrown into the team week after week and the loss of so much experience through injury (Seán Powter and Seán Meehan) and panel withdrawals (Seán White, Daniel O’Mahony, and Billy Hennessy).
This level of disruption contributed to four different players holding down the number three shirt and six different players getting a go at centre-back, such chopping and changing hardly conducive to building a settled defence.
Beyond personnel though, interim Cork manager John Cleary accepts there was a level of naivety to Cork’s defending in the league that simply cannot be repeated when coming face to face with a Kerry forward unit that boasted the highest scoring average — 2-13 per game — in the league’s top tier.
As well as Cork’s greenness at the back, selector Des Cullinane saw another problem in how Cork defended as individuals, rather than as a collective or in a “systematic way”.
And the same as the naivety mentioned by Cleary, Cork will be punished severely if their rearguard effort isn’t a joined-up one tomorrow.
“Maybe at the beginning of the season, we were a bit naive in that from our point of view, we got into trying to win games on shootouts, but the way the modern game has gone now, you have to have a very good defensive structure and you have to set up more defensively,” said caretaker boss Cleary.
“As the league and season went on, we learned and the players learned we can’t be conceding those types of scores and you must act a bit more defensively. And I think at the end of the league, we were better defensively-minded than we were at the beginning of the season.”
In attempting to stop the Cliffords, Paul Geaney, and Séan O’Shea, Cleary knows Cork have to do more than simply park a large red bus along the 45-metre line.
“You could put 15 behind the ball the next day and while we might not concede a whole amount, we are not going to score an awful lot either.
“Our aim is to get the balance right and that is what we are working on. Whether we have got it right, you’ll see the first sign of it here next Saturday.
“We want to win the game on Saturday, there are no other ifs, buts, or maybes. Whatever you do, you can’t be happy with second best.
“We think we’ve prepared well. Okay, we are missing guys through injuries, but the guys that will be putting on the red jerseys, our big hope is that they really go for it, put their shoulder to the wheel, and if we are good enough, the result will take care of itself.”
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Post by Mickmack on May 6, 2022 9:54:08 GMT
THU, 05 MAY, 2022 - 22:03 JOHN FOGARTY
Jim McGuinness believes Kerry’s “very traditional” restarts makes them vulnerable despite them being favourites to lift the Sam Maguire Cup for the first time since 2014.
McGuinness also highlighted the uncertainty surrounding the identity of the first choice Kerry goalkeeper is an area opponents will be able to target. Speaking on Sky Sports who are televising the Cork-Kerry game in Páirc Uí Rinn Saturday evening, the 2012 All-Ireland SFC winning manager believes not fixing on Shane Murphy or Ryan could be an issue for Jack O’Connor.
Each goalkeeper started four games in the league, Murphy in the opening two rounds and Ryan starting the Division 1 final win over Mayo having manned the nets for the last three championship games last year after recovering from injury.
“There's question marks at the back potentially, because they haven't really been fully tested," said McGuinness. "I do know the structure is better than last year. But in terms of the overall package, I'm not sure if it's 100% there yet. Then the goalkeeping situation is not 100% clear down there. And the goalkeeping strategy is very traditional.
“Last year when the pressure went on, it (was under pressure). Teams are very switched on to things like that. If they can get a high press going on them, and force it long, then there's a good possibility that they know where it's going. Then you're starting to get your midfielders, half-backs to attack that really aggressively, breaking ball.”
Meanwhile, interest in the Cork-Kerry Munster SFC semi-final appears to be smaller than expected. After initially being made available to season ticket holders and via clubs, a limited number of tickets were released to the general public early on Thursday. However, as of 9pm Thursday night it was possible to purchase several of them. Páirc Uí Rinn’s capacity for the game is over 11,500.
Elsewhere, Donegal’s other All-Ireland SFC-winning boss Brian McEniff has questioned the worth of the team’s recent Ulster quarter-final victory over Armagh in Ballybofey.
In his Donegal Live column, McEniff questions just how strong Kieran McGeeney’s team were and is wary of the challenge presented by Cavan in Sunday’s semi-final against Cavan in Clones. “It's a game we just can't take for granted. We were made to pay the last time. I know that Cavan were operating in Division 4 this year, but they blew Antrim away in the quarter-final, winning very, very easily. They have a lot of experienced players and they will have no fear of Donegal. That is the make-up of Cavan people.
“In saying that, we have team enough to take us through, provided we step up to the plate. We produced a very good second half against Armagh, but in hindsight, how really good were Armagh? They were back training ahead of everyone else and had a great start to the league. But when it was put up to them in MacCumhaill Park, they were not fit to respond.”
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Post by Mickmack on May 6, 2022 9:55:31 GMT
Christy O'Connor: How Kerry have adapted to Gaelic football's New World order
FRI, 06 MAY, 2022 - 07:00 CHRISTY O’CONNOR The standout moment of the league final was David Clifford’s goal. The execution was a beautiful fusion of Clifford’s brilliance: the balance, class, skill, power, and finish all conjured in a streak of magic to provide more confirmation of his genius.
No other player in the game at the moment would have been able to engineer a goal from his starting position, from that distance and angle, inside seven seconds. Clifford is the most dangerous weapon in football, but Kerry would have been just as pleased with the launchpad of the score long before Clifford pulled the trigger.
Mayo were on the attack when a long ball from Kevin McLoughlin intended for Cillian O’Connor was cut out by Tadhg Morley. O’Connor was being closely marked by Jason Foley but McLoughlin’s ball never had a chance of getting near him; Kerry had three players inside the D, excluding Foley; they had four more players coming back either just about to enter the D, or within a handful of metres of it.
After making two quick link-passes out of defence, Tony Brosnan picked out Clifford, who was one of just four players on the field within 55 metres of the Mayo goal at that exact moment. Mayo had four players sprinting back but Padraig O’Hora wasn’t able to slow Clifford down before the chasing cavalry got anywhere near him.
The build-up to Kerry’s third goal was also highly instructive as to the new creed Kerry now abide by. As Mayo launched one final desperate attack, out of pride than any attempt to rescue a long lost cause, all of Kerry’s 15 players were within five metres of the D.
Only two of the 15 – Clifford and Brosnan – weren’t inside the D or the 20-metre line. When Conor Loftus tried to work his way through the roadblocks, it was inevitable he would be turned back. As soon as Gavin Crowley forced the turnover, Morley was on the 13-metre line, while Foley was inside the Kerry square.
Once the counter-attack began, Morley and Foley took off. Once Kerry got close to the 45 metre line, Morley was available to take the offload from Micheál Burns before passing to Brosnan. He shot for goal but the rocket was parried by Conor O’Shea before landing in Foley’s lap just outside the square.
It was just a tap-in for Foley but the real beauty was in the timing, speed, desire, intent and construction of the score; from when Kerry forced the turnover to when the ball hit the net at the other end, just 21 seconds had elapsed. Kerry effectively ran the ball the length of the field into the net.
In any debate or analysis about Kerry’s new defensive set-up or parsimony, the key point missed in that debate during the league were some of the scorelines Kerry were racking up.
Kerry scored 13 goals. As a comparison, Tyrone, Mayo and Dublin, last year’s other All-Ireland semi-finalists, scored 13 goals between them. Nobody took any notice because that is what Kerry do. But they’ve never done so before in such high numbers by conceding so little at the other end.
Kerry only conceded an average of 0-13. They only coughed up an average of 21.5 shots per game, with just an average of 13 from inside 30 metres. The opposition only managed an average of 0.6 goals shots per game. Mean. Very mean.
Everything is connected in the modern game because the quality and slickness of the top teams is governed by how they marry transition play with defensive stability.
Kerry have always had brilliant footballers. They want to play attacking football, to win with style, but adapting to that New World Order has been a constant challenge. Jack O’Connor improvised in his first coming as Kerry manager and has done so again now in his third coming.
Kerry will always look to dominate possession but Kerry were seen as a team often set up to be turned over, and ruthlessly punished on the counter-attack. The team’s structural organisation has rectified that risk but it’s also given them a licence to dominate possession even more.
In the league final, Kerry dominated on kick-outs. They only turned over the ball 17 times. Yet three of those turnovers were shots, while five occurred in the last quarter when the game was long over. In basic maths terms, more Kerry possession means less possession for the opposition, and less opportunity for them to inflict more damage on the scoreboard.
Getting huge numbers behind the ball may seem anathema to the Kerry creed, but they couldn’t continue to talk about the need to become harder to beat unless they were structurally set up to do so.
Any team can get 13 men behind the ball but a team with Kerry’s attacking threat can only consistently have that many players inside their own 45 if the team in possession have been sufficiently slowed down to enable those barriers to be erected.
Kerry may have wished to implement those principles in the past but they can’t be enforced without complete buy-in from the forwards. As well as denying that easy out-ball in the middle third, that consistent wave of bodies filtering back enables more players in the middle third to drop off and back into more of a protective shield. And once the ball is turned over, Kerry have the pace and kicking ability to shred teams on the counter-attack.
Going down this route was more practical for Kerry anyway when they had seen teams with inferior players to them, but a more cohesive system, consistently and routinely punish them in that manner. In last year’s All-Ireland semi-final, Kerry turned over the ball 35 times, but 30 of those turnovers were in Kerry’s attacking third. Tyrone bagged 2-9 from that possession. Massive.
What has changed? Paddy Tally’s arrival seems like the obvious answer. To date, all the key tenets of Tally’s philosophy are smeared across Kerry’s new style; defenders never being isolated one-on-one; always retreating into shape when the opposition are on the attack; rapid transition and counter-attack.
Tally has enjoyed various levels of success with the teams he has coached for 20 years but his greatest achievement was guiding St Mary’s to a first Sigerson Cup title in 28 years in 2017 with an abrasive counter-attacking system.
If Tally could guide a team picked from less than 200 male students to that title against all the hugely populated and highly resourced universities and IT’s, trying to adopt a similar system with a team of Kerry’s depth and talent was the most attractive proposition in the country for him.
O’Connor and Tally have been friendly for years. The word was that Tally was going to Kildare with O’Connor before he departed to take the Kerry job last October. As soon as he did, O’Connor declared his intent for Kerry to be better defensively set up by announcing that Tally was coming on board.
O’Connor has never been afraid to learn from the Ulster way, which he openly admitted doing after the 2005 All-Ireland final defeat to Tyrone. He courted Ulster opinion. O’Connor found tackling drills on the Ulster Council website and rigorously applied them to Kerry training, which was a radical cultural shift for a Kerry coach or manager.
O’Connor hasn’t been slow to return to Ulster again for the answers after another big defeat in Croke Park to Tyrone, albeit not on his watch. Yet it is also too easy to say that a new coach and an altered philosophy has turned Kerry into the mean machine they have become.
A year older and wiser, the team has also got physically stronger and better conditioned, as any top team does with so many players still under 25.
Jason Foley is a prime example. He was always a good footballer with searing pace but Foley was physically broken up with cramp in extra-time of last year’s All-Ireland semi-final. Foley looks stronger now, but, with such protection in front of him too, he doesn’t have to expend so much energy chasing forwards one-on-one and has plenty fuel in reserve to join the counter-attack.
There is a meaner edge to Kerry all over the field, especially in the tackle and in contact, but there is also a greater tactical awareness of the system on the hoof. Against Mayo, Jack Barry spent the first 15 minutes as a plus-one before Paudie Clifford took over that role from centre-forward.
Kerry often had two players in that protective role, but rotating their plus-one gives Kerry more flexibility, fluidity and unpredictability within the system. A player goes into that plus-one position when he is in that place and it is the right thing to do.
Having such pace and athleticism in their defence now also increases the licence players have to get forward when Kerry force the turnover. Conversely, when Kerry are turned over on their own counter-attack, they have the pace and power to slow down the opposition’s counter-attack and get into their default position of having 13 behind the ball inside their own 45.
A lot of that trench work in the league final was done by Adrian Spillane, who was immense in slowing down Mayo when in possession. Spillane has been a revelation. So has Morley - who didn’t start any championship game last year - since being redeployed to centre-back. Kerry are working much harder together as a unit now where their selflessness all over the field are ensuring they are abiding by the modern defensive code of facing, not chasing.
It may have only been the league but all of the numbers are turning in Kerry’s favour. In the final against Mayo, Kerry mined 3-9 from turnovers, with all three of their goals originating from turnovers inside the Mayo D. Kerry also could have had another two goals.
They also look to have settled on their goalkeeper during the league final in Shane Ryan. Shane Murphy is an excellent ‘keeper, but his kicking game came under pressure at stages, and he didn’t have the same physical presence under high balls as Ryan during the league. That was obvious in the number of high balls Murphy punched away. That stuff leads to turnovers, and Kerry don’t turn the ball over as often anymore.
The league final wasn’t an accurate gauge because Mayo were so poor. The real tests will come down the line, especially if Kerry are put on the backfoot towards their own goal. But the system is designed to firewall those risks now.
The new creed is the new code.
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Post by thehermit on May 6, 2022 10:03:05 GMT
Tickets are on general sale now FFS after using up a good source for an All Ireland ticket to get two for this one
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Post by glengael on May 6, 2022 11:47:54 GMT
Tickets are on general sale now FFS after using up a good source for an All Ireland ticket to get two for this one Via Ticketmaster only? or does anyone know if they are for sale in 'selected' Centra/Supervalue stores?
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horsebox77
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Our trees & mountains are silent ghosts, they hold wisdom and knowledge mankind has long forgotten.
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Post by horsebox77 on May 6, 2022 12:20:56 GMT
Jez, normally at this juncture we would be discussing lineouts, best game plans and probable player match up to would would be best tailored to mark certain players on the opposition to nullify or expose... have Cork fallen that much or just an unknown quantity.
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Post by buck02 on May 6, 2022 13:17:02 GMT
Jez, normally at this juncture we would be discussing lineouts, best game plans and probable player match up to would would be best tailored to mark certain players on the opposition to nullify or expose... have Cork fallen that much or just an unknown quantity. League games against the likes of Mayo, Dublin and Tyrone provide more excitement to me than the prospects of a Munster Championship campaign at the moment.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2022 13:56:08 GMT
League games against the likes of Mayo, Dublin and Tyrone provide more excitement to me than the prospects of a Munster Championship campaign at the moment. Throw in the factor of a backdoor and it dampens the mood. Also the league went so well, it means that there is little debate re team selection or tactics. One bad performance will change that pretty quickly.
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Post by dodgyknees on May 6, 2022 15:31:27 GMT
The only way to keep this match interesting is to throw a few pound on kerry beating the handicap (12 points)
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horsebox77
Fanatical Member
Our trees & mountains are silent ghosts, they hold wisdom and knowledge mankind has long forgotten.
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Post by horsebox77 on May 6, 2022 17:13:32 GMT
I usually back first goal or MOTM, although Clifford is crazy odds on for both
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Post by taggert on May 6, 2022 17:51:53 GMT
Was just listening to both Marc ó Sé and Martin Carney on Matt Cooper radio show. Both said Cork were spineless with Marc referring to his brother Darragh s article also. Talking about Kerry s landslide victory last year. 2019 in Cork we won by 3 points and 2020 we lost. Last year we were at home. Yes we should win but pundits giving Cork nó respect whatsoever. Marc is a bit of a buffer too I think. He said John Cleary gas come in and is doing a great job. Cork have nt played a game under Cleary yet😂 Absolute spoofer. Marc and Darragh are from a bygone era - happily selling their wares on the newspaper and radio punditry gravy train. Great players but clueless on what it takes to manage, motivate and enable the modern county player to excel.
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Post by Kerryman Randy Savage on May 6, 2022 18:05:08 GMT
Was just listening to both Marc ó Sé and Martin Carney on Matt Cooper radio show. Both said Cork were spineless with Marc referring to his brother Darragh s article also. Talking about Kerry s landslide victory last year. 2019 in Cork we won by 3 points and 2020 we lost. Last year we were at home. Yes we should win but pundits giving Cork nó respect whatsoever. Marc is a bit of a buffer too I think. He said John Cleary gas come in and is doing a great job. Cork have nt played a game under Cleary yet😂 I'm fairly sure that Keith was absent for the last two games. Someone can correct but he missed at least one. Cleary took over so Marc is correct in some respect. www.echolive.ie/corksport/arid-40833146.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitterThe two league wins were under Cleary so it might be an indicator of what type of Cork is playing tomorrow
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Post by dc84 on May 6, 2022 18:17:01 GMT
I usually back first goal or MOTM, although Clifford is crazy odds on for both Geaney a great shout for first goal (if he starts ) serious amount of goals vs vork
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Post by Annascaultilidie on May 6, 2022 18:20:20 GMT
I hate invoking soccer but muintir Ó Sé are like Roy Keane. They didn't need any manager and don't understand they were special in that regard.
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Post by taggert on May 6, 2022 18:20:58 GMT
I'm not disputing any of that - Cleary stepping in already. Just think neither Darragh nor Marc have made any great headway in the management game and I've yet to read or hear any meaningful, cutting edge analysis from either. Its the usual banal musings, often pockmarked with "back in my day" - the type of palaver that went out with the flood.
Like I said in an earlier post this week, they wouldnt be too put out to see Jack fall flat on his face.
Tomas, I will say, is really worth listening to - lest people think I'm anti the O'Se clan. Great players all.
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Post by taggert on May 6, 2022 18:22:42 GMT
I hate invoking soccer but muintir Ó Sé are like Roy Keane. They didn't need any manager and don't understand they were special in that regard. Agree entirely.
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kerryexile
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Whether you believe that you can, or that you can't, you are right anyway.
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Post by kerryexile on May 6, 2022 18:51:11 GMT
Regarding the Whelan article, I got the impression that his main objective was to sow the seeds of doubt. He planted it in there a few times.
If I was a betting man I would take a chance on there being two O'Connors named at midfield.
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Post by thehermit on May 6, 2022 19:01:14 GMT
Team: Shane Ryan Seán Ó Riain Rathmore 2 Graham O’Sullivan Graeme Ó Súilleabháin Piarsaigh na Dromoda 3 Jason Foley Jason Ó Foghlú Ballydonoghue 4 Tom O’Sullivan Tomas Ó Súilleabháin Dingle 5 Brian Ó Beaglaíoch Brian Ó Beaglaoich An Ghaeltacht 6 Tadhg Morley Tadhg Ó Muraile Templenoe 7 Gavin White Gaibhin De Faoite Dr Crokes 8 Diarmuid O’Connor Diarmuid Ó Conchúir Na Gaeil 9 Jack Barry Jeaic De Barra Na Gaeil 10 Stephen O’Brien Stiofán Ó Bríain Kenmare Shamrocks 11 Seán O’Shea Seán Ó Sé Kenmare Shamrocks 12 Adrian Spillane Adrian Ó Spealáin Templenoe 13 Tony Brosnan Antóin Ó Brosnacháin Dr Crokes 14 David Clifford Dáithí Ó Clumháin Fossa 15 Paudie Clifford Pádraig Ó Clumháin Fossa 16 GK Shane Murphy Seán Ó Murchú Dr Crokes 17 Paul Geaney Pól Ó Géibheannaigh Dingle 18 Paul Murphy Pól Ó Murchú Rathmore 19 Dylan Casey Dylan Ó Cathasaigh Austin Stacks 20 Micheál Burns Micheál Ó Braoin Dr Crokes 21 David Moran Dáithí Ó Moráin Kerins O Rahillys 22 Jack Savage Jeaic Sabhaois Kerins O Rahillys 23 Joe O’Connor Seosamh Ó Conchúir Austin Stacks 24 Killian Spillane Cillian Ó Spealáin Templenoe 25 Gavin Crowley Gaibhin Ó Cruadhloich Templenoe 26 Stefan Okunbor Stefan Okunbor Na Gaeil
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Post by thehermit on May 6, 2022 19:06:59 GMT
O'Sullivan a bit of a surprise in the backs?
Great to see Crowley and Okunbor making the bench
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2022 19:08:57 GMT
Dara Moynihan injured I assume.
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Post by taggert on May 6, 2022 19:23:39 GMT
Dara Moynihan injured I assume. Disappointing if so - happening far too regularly....
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Post by Annascaultilidie on May 6, 2022 19:25:01 GMT
O'Sullivan a bit of a surprise in the backs? Great to see Crowley and Okunbor making the bench Did Graham OS not start the league final? And Crowley been on the bench all league, no?
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Post by brucewayne on May 6, 2022 19:25:56 GMT
Regarding the Whelan article, I got the impression that his main objective was to sow the seeds of doubt. He planted it in there a few times. If I was a betting man I would take a chance on there being two O'Connors named at midfield. Would agree with that, Keane thrown 'under a bus', 'close but no cigar', and other such ráiméis. He's poor enough at being a cute hoor.
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