DeBURCA BAN OPENS DOOR FOR LEESIDERS
Cork’s sharp-shooting forwards hold the key to overcoming the dismal sweeper system and continue their summer revival
BEFORE getting stuck into today’s All-Ireland semi-final, it’s worth reflecting on the titanic battle between Galway and Tipperary. Why was it such a thrilling, edge-of-seat encounter? Because of the great man-on-man battles going on all over the field.
Gearóid McInerney put in an heroic second half, dominating a serious centre-forward in Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher. That’s what sport is all about. What hurling has been about. Those one-on-one battles have defined the game, and its players, over gen
That’s the point I’ve been trying to make in all the headlines generated by my consistent opposition to the sweeper system in hurling, of which Waterford are the ultimate exponent.
Just take a few statistics from the county’s first Championship victory over Kilkenny since 1959, the last year they won the All-Ireland.
Designated sweeper Tadhg de Búrca had 31 possessions. Thirty-one possessions! But full-back Barry Coughlan had five.
What do you read from that? Does that mean De Búrca is a brilliant player? And Coughlan isn’t? The whole thing has to be filtered through the ‘system’ and a set-up that is designed to get one player on the ball as often as needed − and ensure the fullback has so much cover that he doesn’t need to strike the ball.
But now De Búrca is suspended after the protracted appeal process went against him in the early hours of Friday. I thought the red card for helmet interference against Wexford’s Harry Kehoe was unjustified at the time and it has compounded the injustice that he found out so late that it is not going to be overturned.
Darragh Fives is the obvious replacement in the role but the onus was on the GAA to sort this in speedier fashion.
When Derek McGrath took over Waterford, I understood completely what he was doing. Waterford had previously taken a massive hiding from Tipperary in a Munster final. Then Cork beat them out the gate by double scores in Munster. So he decided to rebuild with defence in mind.
But there’s a bigger picture.
This isn’t about Derek McGrath or Davy Fitzgerald’s set-up in Wexford. I just feel that if hurling goes down this route, it’s in trouble.
Cork came out last year with a sweeper and got annihilated by Tipperary. And look how they have turned things around with a brilliant brand of hurling.
I would argue that Waterford have more experienced and better players than Cork – just look at the manner in which they won last year’s Under 21 All-Ireland – but haven’t given them that level of trust. You have to mark your man, win your battle, put confidence in the art of defending.
I love Waterford and what the county traditionally brings to the game. A first win since 1959 should be good for the game. But will it?
If a team wins like that, I actually think it would be bad for the game as a whole because it will justify a sweeper system that is already filtering through to teams at Under 12, Under 14, or minor level, never mind senior club and county. At inter-county level, the top teams will find a way of beating it. If Waterford beat Cork, a team like Galway has the capacity to pick points from distance and hit the 30-point mark. Offaly went with a double sweeper against Galway and got the biggest hammering in their history. At underage level it can be very effective because teams haven’t been coached against it. But we have a responsibility to the game. I don’t want hurling to turn into a mad defensive game that is a load of rubbish to watch and that spectators won’t want to support. To a certain extent, that’s what happened with football when other teams produced a poor imitation of what Donegal were doing.
The attendance figures for hurling are way up this summer so the game is in a good place.
But I don’t think Waterford will ultimately win if they stay playing the same way.
Cork are too pacy, will use the ball smartly out the field. The likes of Mark Ellis and Mark Coleman are too mobile and too fit to just puck it away.
One question I’d like to ask is − is the system really getting the most out of players when the Shane Bennetts of this world are completely marginalised? Or Patrick Curran, such a star at Under 21 level last year? Or Colin Dunford? Are players going to stay happy being asked to go out and sacrifice themselves for the good of the team?
If Waterford win one, it won’t matter to Derek McGrath what way. But in the bigger picture it matters.
They have the raw talent to put up a winning score.
To me, the set-up though represents a double whammy. It’s not what happens at the back, it’s bringing two out from the full-forward line. They crowded out the defence against Wexford but then hit an awful lot of aimless ball up to Wexford’s sweeper Shaun Murphy.
I think they have the players to do serious damage if they keep more men in the inside line. They have three or four top class forwards in the likes of Austin Gleeson, Pauric Mahony, the Bennett brothers Stephen and Shane, and then a warrior and warhorse like Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh.
Gleeson was completely out of the game however in the Munster semifinal against Cork. He didn’t look confident in his role. Started cornerforward, drifted out, then taken off.
I didn’t agree with his substitution – then or now. Same with Joe Canning. I had people saying that to me at half-time last Sunday – ‘Take him off!’ How can you take off a player of his ability?
People forget that Gleeson, too, is so young. He’s only learning his trade. How he plays, where he plays is going to be crucial. I watched him hit six from play against Offaly, drifting from centre-forward. He is capable of a similar return.
Waterford’s plan is keep it tight
Attendance figures are way up this summer so hurling is in a good place
Cork have two or three players in the form of their lives
for 50 minutes, win their frees, then with 20 to go, exploit the spaces with pace and fresh legs off the bench, whether Maurice Shanahan, Tommy Ryan, Brian O’Halloran, Colin Dunford – and go more on the attack as the game stretches.
That’s an improvement in terms of attacking strategy. It will be interesting to see how it pans out.
Waterford hadn’t played for 11 weeks before they met Cork last time so they will be a lot better. They could easily look to isolate ‘Brick’ on Mark Coleman, and do an important job of putting the brakes on the Cork wing-back. Jamie Barron was very quiet the last day but was brilliant against Kilkenny.
With the pace in the Cork attack, they will look to put pressure on the ball high up the field. It’s likely to be a scrappy enough game in terms of winning possession.
In Cork’s favour is that they have two or three players in the form of their lives up front, in Alan Cadogan, Patrick Horgan and Conor Lehane. At the end of the day, it is class forwards who win games.
I think free-taking could be a big element in this encounter.
Patrick Horgan’s free-taking is outrageous. His ability to nail 95 per cent is so important. Pauric Mahony has been missing an odd one here and there – and that could be big in terms of the final verdict.
With De Búrca missing and based on the greater scoring range of the Cork forwards from play, I fancy the Munster champions to win narrowly.