Tactics in modern game ensure key skills will be lost

HAVING JUST recovered from the chastening experience that was Croke Park and Thurles a week and a half ago, I am still trying to analyse exactly where Wexford sit in the pecking order of a game that for me needs a serious injection nationally to rediscover some of the magic which was last seen in 2013.

Dealing with the second venue first, I will go back to comments that I made a few years ago about use of tactics in the modern game having a seriously adverse impact on the spectator enjoyment.

In many quarters the modern day experts branded me as outdated with no comprehension of how the current game should be played.

Well, if what I witnessed in Thurles and to a lesser extent in the capital are a window to the future of how the game will be played, the ancient old art is destined for a sad existence with the loss of many of the skills that have enthralled over the years.

Cork created a system of self-paralysis that left a talented forward line a player short playing in a straight line up the middle, with presumably the instruction to break to the wings when ball was delivered.

Unfortunately for them, the Tipp backs adapted the conventional defensive formation which resulted in their wing men being left completely unchallenged as the Cork defenders sprayed balls left and right.

The evening before we persisted for a large part of the game with the unsuccessful strategy of short puck-outs in an attempt to work through the lines (resulting in numerous turnovers) , whilst Dublin were marginally better in that their version of the short ball was to pick out a player around the 65-metre line.

The Dubs succeeded in what they were attempting but it will be interesting to see how the ploy will work out against what I feel is a Kilkenny team in decline (famous last words).

Tipperary were the only team to go the traditional route and ironically were the most impressive, installing themselves as many people’s choice for ultimate honours.

With Waterford and Clare to enter the mix next week, I can’t see much change in approach for 2016. In many ways I can’t blame Derek McGrath and Davy Fitz for introducing their styles as winning is the ultimate goal and they will feel, justifiably, that something needs to be done to change the old order.

The downside lies in the fact that a mere 13,000 spectators attended headquarters last week and I would venture to bet many of the brave 29,000 souls in Thurles would not readily return in the immediate future to witness the farce that was Tipp v. Cork.

Hurling people everywhere be warned: the curse of the hurling sweeper will be hard to counteract and is in serious danger of damaging the game’s overall health.

Back to our own malaises and, having suffered such a comprehensive defeat to the third best team in Leinster (at the time of writing) doesn’t bode well for the immediate future.

The unavailability of many first choice players contributed hugely to our performance as we haven’t as yet the strength in depth within an extremely young panel to cope with the void created by the loss of Chin, Shore, Murphy and co.

The non-participation of Lee Chin has led to much discussion and, whatever the ins and outs of the case, his not taking the field was probably the biggest body blow to a team badly lacking in confidence.

So where does Wexford hurling sit now? I can hear the voices of derision when I state that we have oodles of talent coming through (three Leinster Under-21s, Minors in final etc.) but we have to accept that unless things change dramatically over the next few weeks our championship aspirations will not stretch beyond the qualifiers.

A return of some of the injured players would be critical and, granted, one win can change a season in the fickle world of sport.

For the moment, however, we have to accept where we are and the amount of work ahead if we are to turn our season around.