Skill and GAA

[liihb]

Theres a great article on football365 about the demise of the winger. When reading it I couldn't help think that he could have been talking about GAA wing forwards especially this part

Speed is everything now. Athleticism seems to matter more than creativity. But to me, and to millions of others who grew up in watching top-notch players waltz through a defence and back-heel one in, this is to the overall detriment of the game.

Athleticism isn't as important as entertainment. All the speed of the modern game has done is to, apparently, exhaust players quicker, make them injured more often, reduce the number of flair players and dribblers in the game and replaced them with unimaginative, rather boring box-to-box grindcore footballers who play percentage football, do the job but don't excite the soul or mind

Anyone agree? Is the day of the skilful wingforward beating his man inside out and sticking one over gone or at least on the way out?

[johnneycool]

Theres a great article on football365 about the demise of the winger. When reading it I couldn't help think that he could have been talking about GAA wing forwards especially this part

Speed is everything now. Athleticism seems to matter more than creativity. But to me, and to millions of others who grew up in watching top-notch players waltz through a defence and back-heel one in, this is to the overall detriment of the game.

Athleticism isn't as important as entertainment. All the speed of the modern game has done is to, apparently, exhaust players quicker, make them injured more often, reduce the number of flair players and dribblers in the game and replaced them with unimaginative, rather boring box-to-box grindcore footballers who play percentage football, do the job but don't excite the soul or mind

Anyone agree? Is the day of the skilful wingforward beating his man inside out and sticking one over gone or at least on the way out?

There's still a few about yet, Eoin Kelly and Shefflin wouldn't be world beaters in terms of athletism but the skill they have gives them that edge that athletism will never compensate for.

[liihb]

Good point, I was referring to football though, in fairness you can't accuse too many hurlers playing at the top level of a lack of skill.

[The Claw]

Would agree to a certain degree. the working half forwards like Dooher and Galvin arent really blessed with skill but I have to say to solo the ball at full pace with a man after you is a skill, Billy Sheehan and Sean O Sullivan are very good at it. not as many free scoring wing forwards anymore, McConville probably being the present one that comes to mind.

[Uladh]

McConville hasn't played wing forward for armagh for years

[thewobbler]

I don't know if things really are much different now than they ever were. Players capable of beating men inside out have always been more commonly found in the full-forward line, where there is less chance of them running into traffic.

FYI, the All-Ireland winning wing-forwards of the past 20 years:

1987 - David Beggy, PJ Gillic
1988 - David Beggy, PJ Gillic
1989 - Dave Barry, Barry Coffey
1990 - Dave Barry, Teddy McCarthy
1991 - Ross Carr, Gary Mason
1992 - Joyce McMullan, James McHugh
1993 - Damien Cassidy, Dermot Heaney
1994 - Ross Carr, James McCartan
1995 - Paul Clarke, Jim Gavin
1996 - Jim McGuinness, Graham Geraghty
1997 - Pa Laide, Denis O'Dwyer
1998 - Michael Donnellan, Shay Walsh
1999 - Nigel Nestor, Donal Curtis
2000 - Aodhan MacGearailt, Noel Kennelly
2001 - Paul Clancy, Joe Bergin
2002 - Paddy McKeever, Oisin McConville
2003 - Brian Dooher, Ger Cavlan
2004 - Paul Galvin, Liam Hassett
2005 - Brian Dooher, Ryan Mellon
2006 - Paul Galvin, Sean O'Sullivan

There are some fabulous players on that list, but I reckon the only one who would genuinely relished taking on a defender one-on-one through pure skill is James McCartan, who played most of his football at corner-forward anyway. It would suggest that top-level wing-forwards over this era have tended to be more into creativity and athleticism than into skilful running with the ball.

Maybe pre-1987 the game was full of dashing wing-forwards, but from what I've seen on TG4's match replays, I wouldn't think so.

[oneillcup2007]

the only freescoring Mc Conville done from the wing was free - scoring.  I take it you mean a Donnellan style character. Tyrone have actually done away with that type of player for a harder working defensive half... and it works..

[lynchbhoy]

I don't know if things really are much different now than they ever were. Players capable of beating men inside out have always been more commonly found in the full-forward line, where there is less chance of them running into traffic.


There are some fabulous players on that list, but I reckon the only one who would genuinely relished taking on a defender one-on-one through pure skill is James McCartan, who played most of his football at corner-forward anyway. It would suggest that top-level wing-forwards over this era have tended to be more into creativity and athleticism than into skilful running with the ball.

Maybe pre-1987 the game was full of dashing wing-forwards, but from what I've seen on TG4's match replays, I wouldn't think so.

David Beggy, Jim gavin, Graham Geraghty, Michael Donnellan, Aodhan MacGearailt, Brian Dooher,
Paul Galvin & Sean O'sullivan would all be at least decent or certainly Good for taking on opponents successfully
Imo their teams playing styles might not have allowed them to
Plus their teams moved the ball more quickly which means players are not required to take on men
McCartan wouldnt be the best at this by a long way..

[Rossi]

Was watching a bit of Meath V Cork 87 ,Beggy got the ball out near the 50 yard line went by at least 3 Cork lads taking hits as he did so and finished by putting the ball over the bar.As it is nowadays if you get by one player you can be sure the next lad will haul ya  to the ground.Football has got too cynical to allow good players to play,as often heard called out at games "don't let him by ya a second time".

[tayto]

I'd agree with his opinions about soccer. For me Soccer was way more entertaining in the 80s when skillful players had space and time to do their thing, in a sport thats only real entertainment value is skill i really think soccer has gone downhill as a result of everyone being fitter and faster and where no one has any time or space.

Agree with Rossi's post above, when you watch old matches i dont think the skill levels have got that much worse since but you'll often see passages of play where five or six minutes go by without a free. i think something needs to be done to stop teams fouling all the time. That's my biggest gripe with football and to a lesser extent hurling We made a balls of the sin bin but it could work if it was done properly.