Looks pretty non-contact for Ballygunner. Sars can't lay a glove on them.
Yeah, this is what I mean as well. Ballygunner have the better players, as did Na Fianna, but that extra space doesn’t come from having better hurlers. It comes from tactics and workrate. At one point there were 50 metres of space in front of the Ballygunner full-forward with a one on one.
Look at the difference between Tipp in the league final against Cork versus the All-Ireland final. In one game they went man-on-man all over the pitch; in the other they played with four in the full-back line, and their half-forward line was practically playing inside their own half-back line.
This impacts every part of the game. Tipp were able to work the ball out far easier in the All-Ireland final because they could use the overload with the extra men. Cork then pushed up on them, which left huge space for the Tipp forwards — turning puck-outs into footraces between quick forwards and slow backs, instead of 50-50 high balls against Downey.
There are only two ways to counter a team willing to play 13 players in their own half.
- Drop your own half-forward line back and let your half-backs mark zonal space (the Limerick approach), trying to score from distance and force the opposition to come out. It’s not great to watch when both teams play this way but it’s definitely the most consistent approach and a way to keep you in a game.
- Push up man-on-man all over the pitch and hope the referee allows a physical game and your touch is perfect (the Kilkenny approach). If your touch is off, or the ref isn’t letting anything go, you’ve absolutely no chance. You’re effectively asking your slower backs to win footraces against quicker forwards, and your quicker forwards to win arm-wrestles against three or four of the opposition’s biggest, strongest players.
I really like the Sars coaches, but it makes no sense to have three in the full-back line on two Ballygunner full-forwards and go man-on-man everywhere else. It’s the worst of both approaches, as it’s far too easy for an attacking team to negate that sweeper when there’s 30–40 metres of space in front of the full-back line.
