Post by Kingdomson on Mar 2, 2024 12:02:18 GMT
Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Honest talk from Jack should fix Kerry system malfunction
JOHN Fogarty had a great stat in the paper earlier on this week. Remarkably, Jack O’Connor has never lost two regulation league games in a row with Kerry. His expertise in tweaking appropriately and provoking a reaction has been central to that.
What can he do in a week to reverse what Kerry showed up with at Croke Park last Saturday?
Plenty.
He won’t panic though. Post the Dublin defeat, he said: “We won’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
One of the wisecracks doing the rounds in Kerry this week was maybe he should throw the bathwater at the baby.
Rest assured we will see a different Kerry in Killarney on Sunday, both from a structure and attitude point of view. The group will be anxious to get back to winning ways and, furthermore, more or less guarantee their status. Their last game in Killarney was the defeat to Mayo last summer, so I’m sure that will have also focus minds — and the opposition is right.
Tadhg Morley’s role.
Central to Kerry’s 2022 success was Tadhg Morley’s role as a sweeper or a plus one.
The defensive solidity that resulted was the central plank of their All-Ireland run. It wasn’t revolutionary, but it was extremely effective. A previously porous Kerry were solidified and became extremely difficult to beat. They only conceded three goals all year.
As the season progressed, I was surprised teams (especially Dublin) didn’t try to aggressively play with six forwards up to force him to mark someone, or for Kerry to have to drop an extra player back to free up Tadhg.
Either one would have discommoded them. The fact that David Clifford was at the other end of the field meant most teams focused on trying to contain him (which didn’t work) over engaging Tadhg.
Dublin did exactly that last weekend, with Seán Bugler playing centre forward. Tadhg had his hands full with Bugler, and was in no position to offer any cover to his exposed full back line. Hence, Con and co went to town.
Interestingly, this was not the first time this has happened this season.
Monaghan also created a plethora of goal chances (only taking one) in the first half of the Round 2 game, in Clones. I expect to see more protection for the Kerry full back line in Killarney.
Morley or one of the other Kerry backs will sit in front of Darren McCurry and Darragh Canavan, who scored 1-12 between them against Mayo last weekend.
That dynamic duo will take minding.
Tyrone will also keep at least one body in place at the far end, so it should be easily arranged. The last time Tyrone were in Killarney, they won with McCurry. He mined 1-7 that day, including the game-defining goal in the second half, after an exquisite pass from Canavan. Jack will be determined to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Doubly so, because of the open, loose display at Croke Park. Expect Kerry to be tight and stingy at the back once more.
Kickouts.
Jack also referenced the kickouts post-match in Croke Park and, again, this is something that will have been addressed.
They will look to improve their own one first of all, and I will be interested to see what they come up with.
Shane Ryan has continued his season-on-season development this year. He always could kick off the ground with his left foot, but he has taken it on a level in 2024.
This makes him much harder to read and press.
The opposition can’t cheat across from the No 2 corner and react and shift if he goes to open his body to kick to that slot.
They have to account for it as they know he can now hit that two pocket comfortably with his left.
Meantime, Dublin have rumbled Kerry’s go-to short kickout, and Derry also really squeezed it the first night out in Austin Stack Park.
For the last few seasons, Kerry were excellent at bringing everyone outside the 45m line and getting some of their pacy defenders to break into open country to get a short one.
Think of Brian Ó Beaglaoich at the end of the 2022 semi-final, when he presented himself for Ryan’s restart that eventually led to Seánie O’Shea’s booming match-winner.
Going back as far as last year’s All-Ireland, opposition teams now zone inside the 45m line and react to the Kerry runners as they enter their space.
It is making it a lot harder for Ryan to get those short ones away. They also struggled with Dublin’s 4-4-4 press last Saturday, where Brian Fenton was able to pick off kicks forced long.
To really ask questions of that zone, should Kerry bring five players into the full back line for the restart?
One in the two position, one in the four position, a player each side of the ‘D’ on the 20m line and one at the top of the ‘D’.
If the opposition are willing to push five forward to deal with the press, it creates massive pockets of space further out to allow Ryan place his kick there.
They will also look to work on their approach to the opposition kickout.
Last weekend Dublin, had the best of all worlds. They were coming into a narrow spine down the middle of the field and allowing huge space at each side to break into. David O’Hanlon repeatedly picked them out and, just as importantly, further up the spine other players broke to accept the second kick pass. Within two kicks, Dublin were bearing down on the Kerry goal.
Kerry tried to zone on the outside of the Dublin players and react to their runs.
They weren’t able to match the Dublin runners but, because the zone was so narrow, it wasn’t taking away any pockets for O’Hanlon either. It was a system malfunction.
Following their video session and some honest talk, I expect Kerry to be much better here. They will probably mix their approach and give up the Tyrone kickout at times, but they will be especially focused on not being as exposed as they were against the Dubs.
Recently, Niall Morgan tends to go short with a lot of his kickouts, but he does have a big boomer over the top that he uses on occasion.
It was one of these that led to the aforementioned McCurry goal in Fitzgerald Stadium two years ago. I will be surprised to see a repeat this weekend.
When attacking with 15.
I feel this is something Kerry are still developing. It needs improving and will be tested against Tyrone.
There are times when the opposition drop everyone back inside their 45 and Kerry can struggle to score. In my mind, this is especially down to a lack of depth. Derry have been showing us how to do this for a few seasons now.
And, like many things, it looks easier to execute than it is. Derry are extremely disciplined at picking up their positions and sticking to the movement patterns that open up defences.
When Kerry try to attack with 15, the inside forwards tend to drift out from their positions. This robs them of depth and clutters the area between the 20m and 45m lines. It does leave space in behind that backs like Gavin White, Tom, and Graham O’Sullivan are good at getting into. While goals can come off this, these roles are flipped incorrectly. The inside forwards should be the players operating in that area closest to the endline and allow those strike runners like Tom O’Sullivan, Paudie Clifford, and White in particular to come from deep.
David Clifford needs to have the freedom to go where he senses that he can cause most problems, but Kerry ought to have other forwards willing to hold inside the 20m line At a minimum, three players should be in that area. They will have to be marked in there, creating space and one-on-ones further out the pitch and engaging any sweepers.
This creates the scenario which allows Clifford to thrive in those pockets of space, and to enable the strike runners come late at pace. Should the move break down, the lines are still reasonably well intact to allow them get back and defend.
Conversely, when the backs have gone all the way inside to augment attacks, it is a long way back to their own side of the field.
Kerry look to be working on it, and it will be interesting to see if they have progressed it further. Any of the games Tyrone have beaten them in over the last three years have involved turning over Kerry and breaking at pace. They flipped that on its head for last year’s quarter-final game. Attacking appropriately with 15 players may make it even harder for Tyrone.
JOHN Fogarty had a great stat in the paper earlier on this week. Remarkably, Jack O’Connor has never lost two regulation league games in a row with Kerry. His expertise in tweaking appropriately and provoking a reaction has been central to that.
What can he do in a week to reverse what Kerry showed up with at Croke Park last Saturday?
Plenty.
He won’t panic though. Post the Dublin defeat, he said: “We won’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
One of the wisecracks doing the rounds in Kerry this week was maybe he should throw the bathwater at the baby.
Rest assured we will see a different Kerry in Killarney on Sunday, both from a structure and attitude point of view. The group will be anxious to get back to winning ways and, furthermore, more or less guarantee their status. Their last game in Killarney was the defeat to Mayo last summer, so I’m sure that will have also focus minds — and the opposition is right.
Tadhg Morley’s role.
Central to Kerry’s 2022 success was Tadhg Morley’s role as a sweeper or a plus one.
The defensive solidity that resulted was the central plank of their All-Ireland run. It wasn’t revolutionary, but it was extremely effective. A previously porous Kerry were solidified and became extremely difficult to beat. They only conceded three goals all year.
As the season progressed, I was surprised teams (especially Dublin) didn’t try to aggressively play with six forwards up to force him to mark someone, or for Kerry to have to drop an extra player back to free up Tadhg.
Either one would have discommoded them. The fact that David Clifford was at the other end of the field meant most teams focused on trying to contain him (which didn’t work) over engaging Tadhg.
Dublin did exactly that last weekend, with Seán Bugler playing centre forward. Tadhg had his hands full with Bugler, and was in no position to offer any cover to his exposed full back line. Hence, Con and co went to town.
Interestingly, this was not the first time this has happened this season.
Monaghan also created a plethora of goal chances (only taking one) in the first half of the Round 2 game, in Clones. I expect to see more protection for the Kerry full back line in Killarney.
Morley or one of the other Kerry backs will sit in front of Darren McCurry and Darragh Canavan, who scored 1-12 between them against Mayo last weekend.
That dynamic duo will take minding.
Tyrone will also keep at least one body in place at the far end, so it should be easily arranged. The last time Tyrone were in Killarney, they won with McCurry. He mined 1-7 that day, including the game-defining goal in the second half, after an exquisite pass from Canavan. Jack will be determined to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Doubly so, because of the open, loose display at Croke Park. Expect Kerry to be tight and stingy at the back once more.
Kickouts.
Jack also referenced the kickouts post-match in Croke Park and, again, this is something that will have been addressed.
They will look to improve their own one first of all, and I will be interested to see what they come up with.
Shane Ryan has continued his season-on-season development this year. He always could kick off the ground with his left foot, but he has taken it on a level in 2024.
This makes him much harder to read and press.
The opposition can’t cheat across from the No 2 corner and react and shift if he goes to open his body to kick to that slot.
They have to account for it as they know he can now hit that two pocket comfortably with his left.
Meantime, Dublin have rumbled Kerry’s go-to short kickout, and Derry also really squeezed it the first night out in Austin Stack Park.
For the last few seasons, Kerry were excellent at bringing everyone outside the 45m line and getting some of their pacy defenders to break into open country to get a short one.
Think of Brian Ó Beaglaoich at the end of the 2022 semi-final, when he presented himself for Ryan’s restart that eventually led to Seánie O’Shea’s booming match-winner.
Going back as far as last year’s All-Ireland, opposition teams now zone inside the 45m line and react to the Kerry runners as they enter their space.
It is making it a lot harder for Ryan to get those short ones away. They also struggled with Dublin’s 4-4-4 press last Saturday, where Brian Fenton was able to pick off kicks forced long.
To really ask questions of that zone, should Kerry bring five players into the full back line for the restart?
One in the two position, one in the four position, a player each side of the ‘D’ on the 20m line and one at the top of the ‘D’.
If the opposition are willing to push five forward to deal with the press, it creates massive pockets of space further out to allow Ryan place his kick there.
They will also look to work on their approach to the opposition kickout.
Last weekend Dublin, had the best of all worlds. They were coming into a narrow spine down the middle of the field and allowing huge space at each side to break into. David O’Hanlon repeatedly picked them out and, just as importantly, further up the spine other players broke to accept the second kick pass. Within two kicks, Dublin were bearing down on the Kerry goal.
Kerry tried to zone on the outside of the Dublin players and react to their runs.
They weren’t able to match the Dublin runners but, because the zone was so narrow, it wasn’t taking away any pockets for O’Hanlon either. It was a system malfunction.
Following their video session and some honest talk, I expect Kerry to be much better here. They will probably mix their approach and give up the Tyrone kickout at times, but they will be especially focused on not being as exposed as they were against the Dubs.
Recently, Niall Morgan tends to go short with a lot of his kickouts, but he does have a big boomer over the top that he uses on occasion.
It was one of these that led to the aforementioned McCurry goal in Fitzgerald Stadium two years ago. I will be surprised to see a repeat this weekend.
When attacking with 15.
I feel this is something Kerry are still developing. It needs improving and will be tested against Tyrone.
There are times when the opposition drop everyone back inside their 45 and Kerry can struggle to score. In my mind, this is especially down to a lack of depth. Derry have been showing us how to do this for a few seasons now.
And, like many things, it looks easier to execute than it is. Derry are extremely disciplined at picking up their positions and sticking to the movement patterns that open up defences.
When Kerry try to attack with 15, the inside forwards tend to drift out from their positions. This robs them of depth and clutters the area between the 20m and 45m lines. It does leave space in behind that backs like Gavin White, Tom, and Graham O’Sullivan are good at getting into. While goals can come off this, these roles are flipped incorrectly. The inside forwards should be the players operating in that area closest to the endline and allow those strike runners like Tom O’Sullivan, Paudie Clifford, and White in particular to come from deep.
David Clifford needs to have the freedom to go where he senses that he can cause most problems, but Kerry ought to have other forwards willing to hold inside the 20m line At a minimum, three players should be in that area. They will have to be marked in there, creating space and one-on-ones further out the pitch and engaging any sweepers.
This creates the scenario which allows Clifford to thrive in those pockets of space, and to enable the strike runners come late at pace. Should the move break down, the lines are still reasonably well intact to allow them get back and defend.
Conversely, when the backs have gone all the way inside to augment attacks, it is a long way back to their own side of the field.
Kerry look to be working on it, and it will be interesting to see if they have progressed it further. Any of the games Tyrone have beaten them in over the last three years have involved turning over Kerry and breaking at pace. They flipped that on its head for last year’s quarter-final game. Attacking appropriately with 15 players may make it even harder for Tyrone.