I agree securing your own kickout in any way possible gives you a chance but it’s a bit too simplistic to think bringing 12 men back into our own half for kickouts and running the ball up the pitch is sustainable because it’s not. Also we will end up turned over more in our own half to costly effect as we get tired and Dublin press harder.Great post. Agree on setting up defensively, particularly on Dublin’s kick-outs.
On our kick-outs, I think we’ll be in big trouble if we start hitting 50-50 high balls on top of the Dublin midfield. Dublin’s biggest strength is their kick-out press and they’ve cleaned out teams with better midfields than Cork.
We need Dublin to play on our terms and not vice versa. We’ve generally done well when we’ve been able to win the short kick-outs, so unless Dublin are willing to commit 11/12 players into the Cork half, we should be going short all game. Bring 12 Cork players into the Cork half if needs be. If the Dublin players are willing to follow them back, then there should be plenty of space in the Dublin half-back/midfield line for kick-outs, and we might be able to find mismatches with Hayes or O’Callaghan having plenty of space in front of them. We should be trying to penalize Dublin with goals, when they get too aggressive on their kick-out press.
If we get the kick-outs right, then I genuinely think we have a chance of an upset. We were only a point behind Kerry with 20 minutes left in the Munster semi-final, despite not having any real kick-out strategy.
Variation is the key. Against Kerry we went long in 50/50 fashion way too much. That’s the other side of the coin. We didn’t secure any possession as such. We need to secure short ball a lot but kick over the press when the chance arises to keep Dublin honest and try be direct as possible.
I’m realistic here. I think a defeat in similar fashion to the Kerry game wouldn’t be damaging for the growth of this team and at this moment in time that would be a decent outcome. We just aren’t on their level currently. No shame in that.