THE GREAT TEAMS DO WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO
IT was the most nakedly cynical act since ‘Conor with a g’ opted to try and steal the partner of ‘Little Conor’ on Love Island, without at least giving him a heads up.
A lesson in the art of the tactical foul, with Fede Valverde playing the role of modern Picasso. It’s only a couple of weekends ago that the Real Madrid defender went viral with a hack down that had those of a certain vintage looking for the Spanish translation of Chopper Harris.
It was in the second period of extra time in the Spanish Super Cup final when Atletico Madrid look set to pounce for the first and surely defining goal of a typically fractious and frantic derby. A defence-splitting pass released Alvaro Morata clear on goal and Valverde understood it was a moment when the law of the jungle applied. Instinctively, he weighed up the situation before completing a scything tacklecum-takedown of Morata that if it was being judged in an Olympic arena for cynicism, would have prompted a string of perfect 10s.
No wonder it immediately echoed around the world, drawing a wave of admiration as much as any high-minded disgust. That Real got to the end of normal time at 0-0 and won the penalty shoot-out 4-1 only compounded the significance of Valverde’s act, straight red card or not.
Being named as the official man of the match provided the glorious punchline.
It’s hard to understand the sense of surprise and almost faux outrage then at the cynicism on show at Croke Park on Sunday towards the end of regulation time in the All-Ireland club football final between Corofin and Kilcoo. Particularly with the stakes so high: the former chasing history in the quest to become the first club in either code to win three consecutive national senior titles; the latter chasing their first Andy Merrigan Cup.
Corofin romped home in the previous two finals against football royalty such as Nemo Rangers of Cork and Kerry’s Dr Crokes by a combined winning margin of 27 points. So, it was no surprise that first-time Ulster champions Kilcoo came with a defensiveminded, counter-attacking set-up that prompted much online dread from those who tuned in expecting at least some glimpse of Corofin’s Total Football.
They didn’t think they would witness substitute Darragh Silke, shamelessly pulling Daryl Branagan to the ground to prevent him getting within sight of an equaliser in added time. The Corofin man picked up a deserved black card for his troubles.
It was a case of job done, until something was said by a teammate, resulting in referee Conor Lane bringing the ball forward for dissent and causing those watching to wonder if the markings on the pitch were wrong – instead of the ball being brought forward 13 metres, it was moved up about 20 metres from where the foul occurred — or certainly more than the regulation distance. When Paul Devlin blew out his cheeks and kicked a gutsy equaliser to force extra-time, he was actually nearing the edge of the ‘D’ when he struck the ball.
Then came the sight of Corofin captain Micheál Lundy giving a Kilcoo player a dunt in the tunnel as the teams went in to prepare for extra time — it was deserving of a medal of bravery, given the entire opposition panel were galloping behind him into view.
That one supporter — from Corofin presumably — was captured on camera vaulting from his seat and joining the fray under the tunnel only added to the sense of disorder.
Add in the sight of consummate ball player Michael Farragher stopping a Kilcoo counter-attack in the 67th minute and being sent off for his troubles on a second yellow and it showed that the greatest football team in the history of the competition – they confirmed that status with a blitz of Kilcoo in the first period of added time – had no problem resorting to the game’s dark arts when necessary.
In that respect, there should be no surprise.
This isn’t Go Games. It’s elite level sport. Great teams do as they must.
This is the same venue where a Footballer of the Year from Mayo, a player on any team of the decade just gone, threw a GPS tracking unit at Dublin free-taker Dean Rock as he strode up to hit the winner from a placed ball in the 2017 All-Ireland final. In Lee Keegan, Valverde has a twin soul.
In the same game, Dublin’s Cormac Costello threw away the kicking tee of Mayo goalkeeper David Clarke while the Dubs’ Ciarán Kilkenny was also blackcarded for preventing Keegan from showing for the kick-out.
In last year’s All-Ireland hurling final, Tipperary adopted a thoushalt-not-pass approach early on before romping home after the straight red card shown to Richie Hogan — out of Kilkenny’s first nine attacks, in which they carried the ball within 30 metres of the Tipperary posts, seven were thwarted by fouls.
Pep Guardiola’s vision for the game has underpinned the Barcelona success story and the Manchester City revolution but the Premier League holders have had to battle against the persistent claims of tactical fouling when the opposition escape the net of a high press.
The best teams — even those at the very top of the tree who have a reputation for an all-singing, all-dancing style of play — know that they also have to be streetwise when necessary.
That’s not to condone cynical play but to understand the long history in elite sport of players, and teams, doing what it takes late on to secure a result or a trophy.
In adopting the black card, the GAA made a bold stab at trying to punish various acts of cynical play.
Perhaps referee Lane inadvertently stumbled upon the answer by bringing the ball so far forward. If the ball is brought forward double the distance for a cynical or black card foul, 26 metres instead of 13, it would certainly be a greater deterrent.
This weekend, the first round of the Allianz Football League commences. For the 2020 season, the sin bin will be in place, where a black-carded player won’t be dismissed from the game only to be replaced by a team-mate. Instead, his team will be down a man for a 10 minute period.
It’s another worthy attempt to limit professional fouling, particularly in the latter stages of the game.
Human nature being as it is, expect players and teams to try to find another way.