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Clare defending Cork's puckout yesterday

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Was at the game yesterday & am still baffled by what the Clare Management did with Shane O'Donnell from the Cork puckout. The ball would go to one of the full back line. SOD would sprint with the hurley over his shoulder to try to make a tackle & time after time he didn't. One of the best hurlers around to get a ball on a straight burst & go for goal and that was how he was deployed. Still scratching my head about it. slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 10/07/2017 11:54:20 2013880 Link
Replying To slayer: "Was at the game yesterday & am still baffled by what the Clare Management did with Shane O'Donnell from the Cork puckout. The ball would go to one of the full back line. SOD would sprint with the hurley over his shoulder to try to make a tackle & time after time he didn't. One of the best hurlers around to get a ball on a straight burst & go for goal and that was how he was deployed. Still scratching my head about it." Probably Donal Og Cusack sabotaging the Clare effort....after all he is a Corkman. They were so terrified of Nash's puckouts to Conor Lehane, that they allowed Damien Cahalane to take them.Overall a very tactical and defensive Clare setup, more worried about Cork's attack than their own abilities. Again, I was very impressed with Cahalane. massive solo run at a crucial juncture, resulting in a point which lifted the Clare siege. Clare and Tipp will be a cracker...Clare have many gifted hurlers....management need to have more confidence and play an attacking game. Rockies (Cork) - Posts: 947 - 10/07/2017 14:17:35 2014086 Link
Best moment of the game for me was in the second half, Clare had got back to three points and Mark Coleman got a ball in the left wing back position and sent a brilliant pass into the right wing forward position. The ball was at the perfect height for Patrick Horgan to collect & put it over. Great distribution. slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 10/07/2017 14:36:30 2014107 Link
It was pointless because the Cork full back line was delivering such good ball in, that their forwards made hay with it. I could not understand why they didn't eventually push up on it. Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 10/07/2017 15:15:50 2014166 Link
I thought Clare were going to cut out the tactical tomfoolery under this management ? They played as if Davy was still in charge yesterday . Barnowl94 (Galway) - Posts: 3150 - 10/07/2017 17:29:08 2014312 Link
Replying To Barnowl94: "I thought Clare were going to cut out the tactical tomfoolery under this management ? They played as if Davy was still in charge yesterday ." It looked silly and was totally pointless. What did you think of Horgan's head-high tackle on a Clare back. I thought that was by far the worst tackle in any of the week-end games and deserved a red card. neverright (Roscommon) - Posts: 1648 - 10/07/2017 17:45:52 2014325 Link
Hindsight is a fantastic. If their tactic worked it would be all about how Cork were naive. Seems to be a recurring narrative now after a team loses (hurling and football) that they should've been let play their natural game, they're over-thinking it etc. As if the winning team didn't use any tactics whatsoever and just went out and played. Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12116 - 10/07/2017 17:57:36 2014333 Link
It was mind-boggling that they persisted with it when it was clearly causing so much damage. It was a major factor in their defeat. Gaillimh_Abu (Galway) - Posts: 996 - 10/07/2017 17:58:14 2014334 Link
Replying To Breffni39: "Hindsight is a fantastic. If their tactic worked it would be all about how Cork were naive. Seems to be a recurring narrative now after a team loses (hurling and football) that they should've been let play their natural game, they're over-thinking it etc. As if the winning team didn't use any tactics whatsoever and just went out and played." It's not so much about hindsight though when the tactic made very little sense in the first place and when it's clearly not working you persist with it. The cork tactic was always going to be get the ball in as early and as quickly as possible to their full forward line as they are lethal in there and for me the Clare tactic actually enabled them to do that and made it easier for them. tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1333 - 10/07/2017 18:34:46 2014364 Link
As I posted in the Cork-Clare thread, it was similar to Kilkenny's tactic against Cork in the 06 final and maybe the memory of that final was in Donal óg's mind, but the difference being that in 06, after initially letting Cusack puck the ball out short to Pat Mulcahy in particular the Kilkenny forwards immediately descended on him knowing that he did not want to be in possession of the ball in the corner-back position, whereupon he was forced to send aimless balls up the field, and not as far or as accurate as Cusack would have been able to puck it, and the Kilkenny half-back line was able to clean up. Yesterday, Clare gave the Cork full-back line the freedom of Semple Stadium to tie a ribbon on the ball before delivering it in. O'Donnell was running around like a headless chicken trying to close down three men. No wonder Cahalane left him for dead on that solo run in the second half, poor chap was probably shattered. Allowing short puck-outs as a deliberate strategy works best in my opinion if you just leave one corner back free, ideally the one you've identified as the worst striker of the ball on the opposition fb line. Let the goalie puck-it out short to him, then descend on him - he'll be only too happy to get rid of it in a panic. ballydalane (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1246 - 10/07/2017 19:33:16 2014418 Link
Replying To neverright: "It looked silly and was totally pointless. What did you think of Horgan's head-high tackle on a Clare back. I thought that was by far the worst tackle in any of the week-end games and deserved a red card." Ah here lad it was no more a red card than I'm a Kerry man. Strong word and yellow was required that's what was given, when you even here john Mullane saying it's a yellow then take it from me it's a yellow.now let's have no more of these shenanigans blackrockeddie (Cork) - Posts: 160 - 10/07/2017 23:34:49 2014616 Link