Sunday's Munster Final is Conor Counihan's big test as Cork Manager. Sure, people might point to last year's All-Ireland championship win and the challenges overcome, but there was a certain air of inevitabilty about the whole thing once Down disposed of Kerry and cleared a path for the almost reluctant Rebels to stagger across the line.
Early in his managerial career, Counihan was outhought and outmanoeuvred by Jack O'Connor in the chastening and still-painful All-Ireland final of 2009. Tadhg Keneally led Graham Canty on a merry dance around Croke Park and created an acre of space for Colm Cooper to dart into.
Questionable decisions were made both in terms of team selection and defensive matchups.
Kerry's blanket defence was not anticipated and there was no change in tactics to counter it.
Two years on, and two years wiser, Sunday's game is Counihan's and Cork's to lose.
Comparing the present day Kerry team to that of 2009, it is blatantly weaker:
Ivan Drago and the Lord of the Dance are a fortnight ahead of us in Home and Away.
Dara Ó Sé and Diarmuid Murphy have retired.
Tomás Ó Sé and Paul Galvin miss through suspension and injury.
Their relplacements, respectfully, are not of the same calibre.
Cork, on the other hand, are arguably stronger in every area besides perhaps the corner back position, where Athony Lynch has had mixed fortunes with Colm Cooper over the years.
So, in many ways, the game is Cork's to lose, but there is that lingering suspicion in the back of Cork supporters' minds, a sense of slight mistrust, a fear that Cork have to dig a hole for themselves before reacting and getting into gear, both on the field and on the sideline.
Disappointed more so than shocked would be a Corkman's reaction if Michael Shields started on Kieran Donaghy, if Ray Carey started on Cooper, or indeed if Ray Carey started ahead of Eoin Cadogan. Half expected. 'Sure we'll change things after 20 minutes if they aren't working out.'
The same couldn't be said of Kerry expectations, or of Jack O'Connor. He will conjure and connive his way to getting the maximum from his 20 players, but it shouldn't be enough.
Time for Conor Counihan to step up to the plate. If he does, I can only see this game going one way.
Wednesday 29 June 2011
Sunday 26 June 2011
Galway vs Mayo, Dublin vs Kildare
Galway vs Mayo
13:30 Here we go! Day two of the first bumper weekend of championship 2011 begins. Joining us on the couch today is a tub of Snickers ice cream and various leftovers from last night’s pizza eating marathon.
Our analysts are Pat Spillane who is on the double shift this weekend, and Colm O’Rourke, who is worried about looking uglier in HD. Not at all Colm.
Unfortunately, before today’s main event we have a match that no-one cares about in a land that time forgot, Galway vs Mayo in the Connaught championship.
13:51 There is a Sky Sports style interview with Galway manager Tomás Ó Flahairte sitting uncomfortably close to the camera, piano tinkling in the background, as he lays his soul bare to a faceless reporter whose questions are edited out. Classic filler.
Mayo manager James Nallon’s interview is a much less formal affair and appears to be taking place outside the Mayo dressing room. Nallon answers like he’s in an awful hurry to go in and give the pre-match teamtalk.
13:52 Our commentary team is introduced, Ger Canning (GC) and Connaught football expert/sadist, Martin Carney (MC).
GC runs through the teams and as usual tells us how many championship matches various players have played. Only slightly less predictable than a programmable robot.
13:56 Spillane gives a hesitant vote to Mayo, Colm goes for Galway.
13:57 An appalling sean-nós style rendition of the National Anthem passes without comment from GC, but it takes forever to finish and hasn’t exactly fired up the crowd.
13:59 GC fills us in on the strength of the wind in a concerned tone, as if at any moment a player might be swept up by a gust and disappear forever.
14:00 Game on!
GC: ‘It’s a wet day here in Connaught and Mayo are playing into the rain in the first half’.
14:02 Mayo full forward Alan Freeman doesn’t seem to bend at the waist and makes an awful hash of trying to pick up a low ball. He eventually trips over himself and sort of boots it out over the line.
Maybe he was right not to bend over as MC informs us that the ball is like a bar of soap.
14:03 MC on a roll now: ‘The one thing we weren’t expecting today was rain’.
14:07 The commentary team is running out of complimentary adjectives for Padraig Joyce as he kicks his second bad wide. They eventually settle on wily and canny.
14:15 This is an awful, awful game. Alan Freeman again fails to pick the ball up. I assume he has played football before.
Galway 0-2
Mayo 0-1
14:23 Mayo’s top scorer is now their goalkeeper, and he is by no means an accurate freetaker.
Mayo’s midfielder Aidan O’Shea might be the most overhyped young player in the country. His handling and kicking have been very poor thus far.
14:32 Goal for Galway! Conroy finishes to the net after a long ball from midfield catches out the Mayo full back line. With the wind, the long ball is the way to go.
Galway 1-05
Mayo 0-4
Galway have played for about 5 minutes and lead by 4 points.
14:36 Mark Hehir takes a punch in the side of the head from Keith Higgins, Linesman has seen it, has to be a red card…
Yellow. Cop out by the referee.
Half time: Galway 1-05
Mayo 0-4
14:50 Can’t wait for this game to be over.
14:53 18 seconds into the 2nd half and Mayo register their 10th wide of the game.
14:56 The poor standard of place kicking today leads GC to ponder:
‘Can you coach a player to take 45s, or is it something they’re born with?’
MC, I assume, is too amazed to answer.
15:02 Scores level, Mayo have stepped up the intensity and are winning everything at midfield.
MC: ‘The handbrake is off now’.
15:15 Goal for cumbersome Mayo full forward Alan Freeman. He finishes it well and Mayo now lead by 3.
Galway 1-09
Mayo 1-06
15:21 Nearly over now thank God. Galway are awful.
Ronan McGarrity kicks an outlandish point and waves to the crowd like he’s won an All-Ireland.
15:25 Another wide for the ever-classy Padraig Joyce.
15:30 Full time Galway 1-06
Mayo 1-12
I’m going to lay it all on the line here and say that neither of these teams will win the All-Ireland in 2011.
Dublin vs Kildare
Right, the main event. An intriguing game in prospect for us here- Can Kildare continue to create 40 scoring chances and miss half of them?
Can Bernard Brogan’s supporting cast help him out?
Has Eoghan O’Gara practiced soloing and kicking the ball in the last 9 months?
All will be revealed.
15:48 Spillane gets his weekly dig at Cork out of the way early by saying they had it handy in the qualifiers last year. He then gets a bit muddled up in complicated thoughts and finishes by declaring that it’s down to the luck of the draw.
15:55 Our commentary team for this one is Marty Morrissey and Kevin McStay.
16:02 Cracking atmosphere in Croke Park, the crowd is 58,000 as the ball is thrown in.
O’Gara is fouled and Brogan converts.
16:06 Dublin are looking very impressive defensively, the full back line especially look assured and confident.
I would worry about Diarmuid Connolly’s mental strength however, he does crazy things at times despite his obvious talent.
16:14 Fantastic score by Eoin Flaherty created at the other end by solid defending by Mick Foley on Connolly.
Kildare 0-2
Dublin 0-2
16:16 John Doyle may be an oddly shaped man but he’s a great footballer.
16:18 The accuracy of Cluxton’s kickouts are amazing, an example to every other keeper in the country.
16:23 Fine point by Alan Brogan taking a pass from Bernard. AB is getting far too much time and space on the ball and is punishing Kildare.
16:24 Goal for Dublin! The otherwise excellent Kildare full back line go walkabout and Paul Flynn wins the footrace to slot the ball home.
At the other end, Rory O’Carroll is having a storming game at full back.
16:25 Nobody shoots under pressure better than Bernard Brogan. Brilliant score.
Kildare 0-3
Dublin 1-5
Marty is positively gushing in his praise of Cluxton’s hands after he makes a routine catch at the edge of the small square.
16:31 McLoughlin is on for Kildare to pick up Alan Brogan. A change was needed.
16:36 I doubt Eoghan O’Gara will be on much longer. There is no discernable improvement in his decision making. Connolly struggling too. Brogan ploughing a lone furrow in the full forward line as usual.
The Kildare full back line has been excellent apart from the Dublin goal.
16:38 I have been wondering for a while how long it would be before BB began getting the Gooch treatment from referees. Well, it appears to have started as his marker picks up a yellow card seemingly for contesting a 50-50 ball. In my book not even a free.
(The Gooch treatment works thusly: the ref pays an inordinate amount of attention to what is going on between the star player and his marker. Every minor indiscretion, both on and off the ball, is punished by awarding frees to the star. The marker then picks up an early booking and is in trouble for the rest of the game.
The Gooch treatment was taken to new levels in 2009, when Cooper realised that any coming-together off the ball would result in a free to Kerry, and started throwing himself around like an epileptic ragdoll.)
Half time Kildare 0-4
Dublin 1-7
The game looks to be ideally set up for the second half. Serial bottlers Dublin have a healthy lead to squander and Kildare have plenty of ground to make up through their customary Lazarus act.
Kildare will need to attack Dublin down the middle to have any joy in the second half, all through the first half they have been too peripheral..
Spillane’s half time analysis is based on patting himself on the back for his pre-match predictions.
Colm goes on a tirade about the standard of refereeing and soft frees/bookings.
I agree mostly, but do think that players have to be punished for persistent fouling.
Maybe after committing 4 fouls a yellow card should automatically be issued.
Persistent fouling needs to be clearly defined – anything needlessly left to the discretion of the referee is going to cause trouble.
16:56 2nd half begins.
17:01 Suicidal from O’Gara. Already on a yellow, he clotheslines the man in possession to the ground. Red card. Gilroy should really have subbed him at half time.
Is this the start of the Dublin collapse?!
17:03 Brilliant score from O’Flaherty. He rode two heavy tackles and kicked a lovely score.
Kildare 0-6
Dublin 1-7
17:04 End to end stuff – Alan Brogan’s goalbound effort is scrambled clear and O’Callaghan scores from the resultant attack. That’s a killer for any team.
Kildare 0-7
Dublin 1-7
17:06 O’Callaghan is hitting his stride now, a neat pass to Rob Kelly for another point.
17:07 Marty Morrissey interprets everything incorrectly given the option. This time he accuses Ronan Sweeney of throwing a punch when the slow motion replay clearly shows him shoving his man.
17:09 The signs of strain are showing on the Dublin players. Alan Brogan’s play is becoming a little headless.
17:11 For some reason John Doyle is now playing as a sweeper in front of BB.
Marty lauds this as a stroke of tactical genius by McGeeney. I disagree somewhat.
17:14 Another Gooch free for Brogan. Very very soft.
17:15 Fine score by Emmet Bolton coming up from wing back. One of the players of the championship so far.
Kildare 0-10
Dublin 1-9
Diarmuid Connolly off, Kevin McMenamin on.
Both teams wasteful in the last few minutes.
17:29 Dublin’s blanket defence is allowing nothing through. No way back now for Kildare.
Kildare 0-10
Dublin 1-11
17:31 Hang on a second! A cracking goal by O’Callaghan brings Kildare right back into it. He sidestepped two men and absolutely belted it into the bottom corner from fully 20 metres out. I make it about 4 minutes left. Game on!
Kildare 1-10
Dublin 1-11
17:33 This is amazing stuff. Kildare win the kickout and a long hopeful ball finds its way to O’Callaghan again. He dummies and kicks over on his left and the game is level.
17:34 Ah referee! The Gooch treatment continues for BB. The referee’s eagle eyes spot something off the ball and Dublin have a free in 30 yards from goal. Unbelievably harsh.
Brogan slots it and the game is over. Poor Kildare, they really deserved a draw.
Final Score
Kildare 1-12
Dublin 1-11
What have we learnt from today’s game?
- Dublin still have no help for Bernard Brogan in the full forward line
- Centre forward might suit Alan Brogan but it remains to be seen if he will ever get so much time and space again.
- Dublin’s full back line looks formidable – their discipline in the tackle is much improved.
- Kildare need to find a position for John Doyle where he can get himself on the scoreboard. Centre forward? Today they dropped 7 shots short into Cluxton’s chest and kicked 10 wides. Doyle is deadly accurate but is not getting any scoring opportunities.
- Kildare might think about showing up for the first half from now on, they couldn’t quite manage to dig themselves out of the hole today.
Saturday 25 June 2011
Meath vs Louth
18:45 Welcome to the GAA championship diary. Joining us on the couch for today’s match is a large packet of Tesco cashew nuts and a couple of cans of discount Polish beer. Perfect.
18:48 Must resist temptation to make ‘wascally wabbit’ joke during Peter Fitzpatrick’s pre-match interview.
Seamus McEneaney, a man not unaccustomed to playing players out of position, announces that Shane O’Rourke will play at midfield.
18:52 Michael Lyster is looking dapper today in some kind of ‘70s throwback blue suit. The same, however, cannot be said of touchline reporter Marty Morrisey, dressed in a style I would describe as ‘Priest casual’. He also has a face like a boxer being punched in super-slow motion, but that can’t be helped.
18:55 Pat Spillane slyly hints that emigrated Kerrymen were a big factor in London’s historic win over Fermanagh today. Selfless as always.
18:56 Some of Louth’s players look knackered after running out onto the pitch. This does not bode well.
18:57 Canning (GC) announces purposefully that this is ‘Louth vs Meath, the sequel’.
19:00 GC hurriedly tries to tell us that Caoimhin King is a late change for Meath but cannot avoid talking over the start of the National Anthem. I love it when that happens.
Anthony Davis (AD) starts what I assume will be another nonsense filled co-commentary slot by telling us that modern players can play anywhere.
19:02 Peter Fitzpatrick is a TD. Is there anyone in Louth who didn’t vote for him in sympathy after last year’s Leinster final robbery? I bet he couldn’t believe his luck.
19:06 GC tells us that Peter Fitzpatrick will try to make hay as best he can on a blustery night. This confuses me the more I think about it.
Meath 0-0
Louth 0-3
19:07 Louth have started well and are on top in midfield in the opening minutes.
19:09 Meath forwards seem to be unaware of the one point option in Gaelic Games.
Going for goal at every opportunity and forcing it a bit.
Midfield might suit Shane O’Rourke, he’s getting a lot of time on the ball and is a quality footballer. He can even solo with his bad leg when nobody’s near him.
19:12 Graham Reilly looks like a poor man’s Paul Galvin. I wonder does he rock up to the dressing room wearing stuff that is soooo last year?
19:15 Taking advantage of what looked like a heart attack for the Louth full back, Cian Ward coolly finishes to the back of the net.
Meath 1-1
Louth 0-3
19:17 Meath’s rotund backroom team would not look out of place having their selectors meeting outside Satriani’s chomping on cigars.
19:20 Louth’s Adrian Reid shoots 30 yards wide from a terrible angle.
GC: ‘He didn’t allow for the breeze’.
19:21 Lovely score by Shane O’Rourke, selling the dummy and slotting.
19:22 Joe Sheridan runs like a man hindered by a heavy pair of Wellingtons.
19:23 A mini game of soccer breaks out in the Louth half back line. There is always someone who keeps this going one touch too long instead of picking the ball up. Soccer is contagious.
19:24 Another beaut from AD: ‘Anyone who came here expecting a bloodbath will be disapppointed’. Just you then Tony.
Meath 1-2
Louth 0-4
19:25 Meath’s play at the moment is fairly predictable – Joe Sheridan lumps it vaguely goalward, the ball breaks to a Meath player who goes for goal when a point is the better option.
19:28 Goal for Louth! A long ball into the Meath full back line causes all sorts of problems and Clarke finishes well. More of this please. Full backs don’t get put under half enough pressure in the modern game. Fast direct ball exposes them before they can get the protection of the collapsing half back line.
19:29 Joe Sheridan steps outside his 20 metre shooting range and blazes wide.
19:30 Another goal for Cian Ward, beautifully executed but the Louth corner back is so slow he can’t even get close enough to try and foul him.
19:33 Said corner back is taken off by Peter Fitzpatrick. GC seems genuinely shocked.
Meath 2-4
Louth 1-4
19:34 GC has mentioned the wind five times in the last two minutes like it’s some kind of natural disaster that we’ve never heard of before. Ireland is a fairly windy country Ger, we’re used to it.
19:35 GC tells us that Meath’s Shane McInerney is built like a ton. (Actually he didn’t specify metric or imperial, but the point stands)
Half time
Meath 2-4
Louth 1-4
The star of the first half, the wind, gets a quick mention before the break.
Pat Spillane ‘Louth will have an uphill struggle against the wind’
That hardly seems fair.
Kevin McStay is a decent enough analyst really as long as he’s kept away from doing Kerry games.
The Gooch/Donaghy lovefest can be a little overwhelming to the uninitiated.
The Gooch/Donaghy lovefest can be a little overwhelming to the uninitiated.
19:55 Second half begins. Louth have very very little pace in their forwards.
20:00 Cian Ward foolishly goes for a point from 40 yards out. The goal was on.
Shane O’Rourke is quietly dominating this game from the middle of the field.
Where is Paddy Keenan?
20:04 Why does the ref need to stop the game and run over to the linesman for a chat?
What is the point of those fancy headsets? Part-time call centre job?
20:05 AD tells us that Ward has frightening pace. This is contrary to Spillane’s assertion at half time that he has no pace at all. I wonder is he as slow as Francie Bellew? (sorry, couldn’t resist.)
20:12 Another aimless pass from Joe Sheridan. I make that 6.
20:13 Seriously, how many players in recent memory have been consistently accurate shooting with the outside of the foot? I’m going to go with:
- Maurice Fitz
- Ciaran McDonald
- Brian Dooher
And that’s about it. Shot selection is crucial in Gaelic Football. Look at Donncha O’Connor –at some point last year he realised the left-footed curler from the sideline was a bad option and immediately became a better player.
20:14 Another goal for Ward! He was almost celebrating before he took the pass.
20:17 Goal number 4 for Ward, lovely finish, great set-up from O’Rourke, pulling the strings at midfield. Ward immediately goes down with cramp. In fairness it is probably his 10th attempt on goal today.
Meath 4-07
Louth 1-05
20:18 For those unfamiliar with how the championship works, GC informs us for the umpteenth time tonight that ‘the winner takes all in this match’.
58 minutes in, Paddy Keenan gets his second touch of the game.
GC: ‘He’ll never give up’.
20:24 Professor Anthony Davis: ‘sometimes they have pedometers on players to see how far they run, I’d say he’s after running miles and miles and miles’
20:27 Rapidly losing interest in this one. Ward goes off with 4-3 to his name. Probably worth his place in the previous round against Kildare but I’m sure Banty knows what he’s doing…
20:33 Meath manage another quick goal before the final whistle.
Final Score
Meath 5-08
Louth 2-08.
GC just has time to tell us that Meath’s worst player on the night, Joe Sheridan, ‘played well throughout’.
Meath wouldn’t trouble Cork or Kerry but would give most other teams a right good rattle. Midfield seems like the ideal position for Shane O’Rourke and the more Meath can get him on the ball the better.
I think the top teams are a level above them in terms of conditioning and athleticism but they are a goalscoring threat and dangerous on their day.
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