“There's never a game you won't go into the red; it’s the ability to get out that counts. The less time you spend there, the more effectively you will be able to perform. That’s winning.”
Dan Carter, The Art of Winning.
The blurb on the back of the famed Kiwi outhalf's book claims to provide “timeless lessons for readers from any walk of life”. Chapter 5 entitled 'Pressure is a Privilege', notwithstanding the cliched title, is a must read for coaching enthusiasts. While inter-county management can at times be stressful, having an 18-year-old son sit the Leaving Cert and try to predict what will come up on English Paper 2 is more complex.
Pointing to the quote above, I reminded Fionn that red is when "you are no longer living in the now, you're thinking about something that’s happened or something in the future you can’t control, you’re no longer in control of your mind.”
The scowl suggested I was tipping him into that zone prematurely, so we proceded swiftly to the blue definition. “Calm and clear, a state that allows you make the right decisions and execute your skills effectively."
The winners in this weekend’s finals will find ways out of the red quicker than the others.
AMONG DUBLIN'S 'RIGHT CHANCE' BRIGADE
An early sojourn to the capital this year allowed me take in Dublin’s Walsh Cup game against Westmeath in Parnell Park. It was my first time seeing Brian Hayes and noted his rapid turn of foot. Dublin’s pace was frightening and I remember thinking that if they could negotiate a potentially sticky league that they would progress as the ground got harder.
When Hayes scored his brilliant goal against the Cats three weeks ago, Dublin entered the red zone. The Boys in Blue echoed around Parnell and they looked to the end game while Kilkenny (10 Billy Ryan steps aside) remained in the blue. I have argued consistently that sometimes passion and emotion can propel a team forward and bring a contradictory calm, but in Dublin’s case they lost their focus.
Now the opportunity presents itself again. The “Dublin have a right chance but Kilkenny will probably win” brigade are in full flow this week and I am among them. Perversely, apparent injuries to Mikey Carey and John Donnelly make the Cats an even more dangerous opposition. Lyng will have looked at Dublin’s counter-attacking, running strategy and will ensure, unlike Galway, that the Dubs run into bodies as opposed to grass.
Kilkenny just have this innate habit of underrated or even undercooked players producing in finals. Could Billy Ryan, Cian Kenny or Mossy Keoghan be the sources of inspiration, or might we see Wally come to the fore for the first time this year?
Eoghan O'Donnell’s decision to concentrate on what he is good at, defending, bursting out (when it's on) and hurling with tempo and temper, combined with the brilliant game management of Sean Brennan, has provided Dublin with the tools to initiate attacks while remaining defensively sound.
Micheál O'Donoghue is a winner, a silent assassin if you like, who would have noted the undoubted talent evident within the Dublin 20s set up and the likely transition of players such as Brendan Kenny, Conall O Riain and David Purcell to senior in the coming years. He will know a Leinster Championship, at the very least, is achievable. For now he will have to wait.
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Dalo's Hurling Show: Munster final tactics pod - minding the house and speeding up the restart
LIMERICK PLAN BETTER FOR THE WHAT-IFS
To ensure that Limerick continue to perform on big days, its clear that they train at a level above the actual game. It's also clear that the brilliance of Currid means that psychological handprints are still all over this team. Without question, her interactions with high performance coach Joe O Connor would have involved a detailed handover of all respective psychological profiles, triggers and attitudes to individual and collective pressure and the coping mechanisms necessary to push the boundaries of performance. But also to ensure lads are still enjoying it.
Cathal O'Neill informed us that that the Limerick camp is “just a great place to be”. It points to a very driven environment but a fun one. Watch Tom Morrissey’s body language when scoring or missing a point, observe how Kyle Hayes has dealt with sniping and vitriol from some fans. Have you ever seen a teammate in green go back to another and remind him what he should have done with a particular ball afterwards? Is it a coincidence that Limerick hurlers and Dublin footballers never break before the end of Amhran na bhFiann?
Limerick plan better for the what-ifs than any other team and recognise quicker when a teammate is heading towards the “red”. That's down to probable triggers around individual communication. Often lost when assessing Limerick are the metronomic skill levels.
For years at school, club and county levels, I would spend at least eight minutes doing skill activation before training, working on aspects like dummy handpassing, delayed pick-ups, use of the boot, overhead handpassing, out the side handpassing, and the chop pick-up. I would mention brilliant exponents of these skills and show some footage ranging from John Troy and Brian Phelan to Ballygunner's Philip Mahony and Toomevara's Paddy O Brien. In their last game against Waterford Limerick picked the ball seven times using the 'John Troy' pick up, not because it was flashy or gimmicky but because it was the most apt thing to do at the time. Their brilliance lies in their stickwork as well as their systems.
Most observers have pointed to Limerick's last 10 minutes during the Ennis encounter but it might be more informative to hone in on the first 10 in Cusack Park and the last 10 against Waterford. Better execution and decision making in Ennis and Gillane, instead of having his nearpost league semi final goal against Kilkenny in his head, provides a Shane O'Donnellesque pass to Flanagan and the Treaty lead by six. The metrics around the last 10 against Waterford are even more telling. A 10 to 1 blitz and a step towards cohesive flow for the first time this year.
Will O'Donoghue has added a brilliant ability to win a free, a sidestep, and in O'Donovan's absence has nipped points at crucial stages of games. He will be conscious of his step count when confronted with swarm pressure, but this is something that will have been addressed since the last game.
The likely placing of the taller, rangier Shane O'Brien on Adam Hogan may see Reidy do the wandering and operate that fluid interchange between Cathal O'Neill and Cian Lynch. O'Brien may provide them with a linebreaker instead of an around-the-corner point taker. Against the Déise, Limerick seemed to be back to insuring that at least five bodies were inside their defensive 45. To implement this Gillane and O'Brien will stay deep but the four others will operate as auxiliary midfielders all day.
Clare players would do well not to buy into the narrative that surrounds their previous meetings with the champions. Clare were ahead and in control when their backs were not following their men all over the pitch as opposed to being man-on-man everywhere. Striking a balance between following Limerick down the field and ensuring they are engaged high will be their aim. Unheralded workhorses like Malone, Lohan and Duggan will serve more than a dual purpose.
From the outside, Clare’s need may seem greater. The pain of losing three Munsters in a row, the brilliance of O'Donnell in setting the tone both on and off the pitch provides substance to this argument. However I can’t help thinking that the Clare defensive dam may burst some day and that if Limerick integrate green flags into their expected and targeted 45 odd shots and improve their scoring efficiency, that a comprehensive Treaty win may be on the cards.
CUMMINS UNFAIRLY SWEPT AWAY BY CRITICISM
Judge Taylor's inference in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird that “people generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for” may well reverberate in Brendan Cummins' mind this week.
Although Cummins had, before the 2017 Championship proclaimed that no team can win an All-Ireland playing a sweeper (sorry, a plus-one) he joined previous critics of systematic approaches Eddie Brennan (John Lennon), Henry Shefflin (Cathal Mannion), Liam Cahill (Tadgh de Burca, Shane Bennett, Bryan O' Mara and Ronan Maher) by adopting versions of the very systems they publicly admonished.
Following the U20 final, the week has been dominated with pubstool argument. "How could you win a match playing like that" etc. The reality is that Tipperary’s freescoring and expansive approach to date was largely due to the attacking platform that Ben Currivan provided them with and the excellent man-marking jobs Sam O'Farrell and Adam Daly had done on opposition 11s. Darragh McCarthy's lone ranger role against Cork worked out because the ball stuck or Senan Butler was nearer to him. Cummins and Fintan O Connor's charges played with style, intellect, passion and structure throughout the year. When it broke down the new narrative began.
Listening to the excellent Brecon Kavanagh, Offaly’s brilliant no. 6, interviewed after their victory, he immediately pointed to a similarly systematic approach. “We ve worked incredibly hard on our structure for the last year with Tony (Gleeson). Everyone knows where they should be.” Offaly’s tactical journey has been more than interesting to witness. Almost four years ago I sat in online to a brilliant presentation by Offaly Coaching and Games dealing specifically with shapes, formations, tactical nuances.
Some of the most vocal critics of systematic hurling within their own county clearly deviated, changed their thinking and yet still ensured elements of the Offaly way, an inherent skill and spirit, still remained. The idea of two inside, Ben Miller and Kavanagh often as a double protective defensive layer supplemented by auxiliary half forwards who mix keeping the ball with quick deliveries is something Offaly have now embraced.
The winner takes all the plaudits, the loser the lazy analysis.
