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Sad to see journalists linking playing success with the number of possessions. True enough, Ciaran Kilkenny, with his 50+, merited MOTM, but some hacks are using it as a principal measure of success. How do we measure the contribution of the corner back who simply ensures his opponent is rarely an option for a pass or the forward who continually creates space for the man 'in possession'?

Surely University of Ulster will win the SIGERSON at a canter. Such an array of stars, a panel with more depth than the North Sea and a backroom team bigger than Man City and with more experience.
Put your money on UU now when the odds are good. They may not have taken the honours since 2008 but they are destined to do so in 2016. They're that good my granny (God rest her) could still coach them to the title.

May I begin by acknowledging the fact that lads love playing soccer and are usually happy to combine it and gaelic football from week to week. May I also say that their parents are happy to support them doing do, as any form of sporting participation is always better than xbox!
My gripe this time is not with the fixture clashes or the injury risks or the way soccer teams use the GAA to get their players fit.
I'm more concerned nowadays with the habits players develop through regular exposure to soccer and how this leads to a 'one step forward, one step back' situation for Gaelic football coaches.
Let me give some examples:
We need forwards to attack the ball - soccer asks them to cushion the pass.
We need the ball kept out of the corners - soccer puts it there.
We need space left up front - soccer promotes packing the box for crosses.
We promote driving forward to break tackles - soccer teaches them to check back in possession and pass laterally .
We see the virtue of a strong kick pass - soccer is an instep pass with a lighter ball.
We need defenders to mark opponents - soccer promotes zonal marking.

So, week in week out, we promote a set of skills while soccer offers them a different set. A few of best can separate both and use them appropriately. The average Gaelic footballer, the weaker one and many of those with promise, cannot.
And so we make much less progress than hoped. Our squad of 24 has 17 who play both sports. Most are taking one step forward and one step back.

"Coaches, before you commit to taking a juvenile team, check not the ability of your players but the sanity of their parents."

Does the typical GAA man get wiser with age or does he simply become more set in his ways? Consider the age profile of those we send off to Croke Park as reps for our counties. It may be getting younger but it is still dominated by the elder statesmen who are given the role as a reward for remaining in post for years and years.
Is this chapter of canons likely to embrace change? Are its members likely to be open to using ideas from other sports to settle on field disputes in big games?
I doubt it very much. Conservatism rules.
We need a TMO (Television Match Official) or, as a few may rename it this week, a Tyrone Match Official...to whom the referee may go for a final decision on something that will be game changing. Black cards and red cards would top the list. A TMO would not only help with accuracy of calls, his deliberation would also allow for some excitement and debate for a minute or so....and perhaps a quick bet among friends.

A FRESH START
National league fixtures for 7 weeks in a row Feb and March. No finals.
Finishing positions for Div 1 and 2 teams determine 16 seeds to play for Sam Maguire in the first part of the competition i.e.  Two rounds of SEEDED DRAWS (as set out below) leaving 4 teams.
These games to be played from mid April through May.

1v16
9v8
...............
12v5
13v4
..............
14v3
11v6
.............
10v7
15v2

Competition then put on hold at that point while Provincial Championships are run in June and July.
If any of the four winners of the provincial championships are not already in the last 4 of Sam they get a Wild Card place, so there could be 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 in the second part of Sam...the OPEN DRAWS

So, if the 4 provincial winners are different from the 4 left in Sam, they all get Wild Cards and we have a quarter final draw for Sam (unlikely).
If 2 of the provincial winners are different from the 4 left in Sam, they get Wild Card spots and we have a draw involving 6 counties ( first two out will play, next two out will play, next one out gets a semi spot, final one out gets a semi spot) Work out the permutations for 5 and 7 yourselves.

Sam then resumes and is completed in August. Croke Park only used for semi finals (over one weekend) and final

This gives credibility to the National League, keeps a narrower base of top teams and keeps the provinces happy.

The same happens with Div 3 and 4 teams with a tweak or two to involve New York and London. They play for the Paudi O'Se.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, all club leagues are set up with no relegation or promotion. Clubs can opt to play at a grade (within reason) and get plenty of game time for non-county players. Underage leagues work well enough without relegation or promotion so why not adult ones?

Club championships to be played in September and October with no interruption.

Good morning all:
I am currently working on a project about scoring percentages and how they may be improved. There are many different ways to classify attacks and opportunities to score. I have based my data on clean possession in the opposition half of the pitch and the what happens thereafter. Most teams, other than those that are completely swamped throughout a game, will have clean possession in the opposing half between 40 and 50 times in a game and the % of these which are turned into scores is my focus.
Based on data from some 120 games over the past three years (male club and county, minor and senior) I have found that winning teams generally convert 28-45% of these into points, with 33% being the norm - and I count a goal as 3 scores / points.
To illustrate the balance of attacks and imbalance of scores, may I use the data from a recent club senior game.

Team A          46 attacks / 6 points / 7 shots (4 wide and 3 dropped short) / 33 turnovers = 13% score return
Team B          49 attacks / 17 points (3-8) / 11 shots ( 9 wide and 2 dropped short ) / 21 turnovers = 35% score return

I'm also looking at the % of unsuccessful attacks which finished with a shot that went wide or dropped short and at those attacks which were thwarted and the ball turned over before a shot was taken.

So, what am I asking? I would be very grateful if you could tag (record the same stats) for one game that you attend before the end of the season. You may have to become a loner for the duration of the game, standing in isolation and appearing to be a journalist, losing friends as a result. If you manage to get the figures please post them on this thread, complete with names of teams involved and playing level.

I usually tag the game in real time and collate them at the end of the game. Below is an example of how I began to tag a game between team R and team L.


R / T
R / W
L /PT
R/PT
L/S
L/W
R/GL
L/T
R/W
R/T
R/T

T for turnover, S for shot dropped short, W for wide, PT for point, GL for goal.

Thanks in anticipation of any help you can give.

With quite a few sports using performance coaches to work with individuals to further develop their skills and correct faults, is there a future for the same in GAA?

Time for a chat about player development I think. One of the biggest challenges faced by county and club managers at senior level is that we, the supporters, believe in what may be a myth. Player development is not what we think it is. Let me give you examples from some different areas. If you train as an Irish dancer you will try to perfect different steps with increasing fluency and at a variety of speeds. They must become second nature to you and you must work at them every day to become the best. You will be required to become fitter and stronger but you must work at your technique more than anything. If you are an American footballer you must work to become stronger and fitter but you must also learn your specific role for as many as 50 plays and stick to that role. If you are a top basketballer you must become fitter and stronger (and taller) but up to 80% of a top player's time is spent perfecting new skills to fit different situations.
So, what am I getting at? We may think that the same attention to technical and tactical detail is given by managers and players in Gaelic football. It is not!! Development is mostly centred improving fitness and strength for we have allowed a culture to grow among our younger players of letting them play as they see fit.
Therefore, by the time a senior club or county manager gets his hands on them, he has very often got the player who, technically and as a decision-maker is where he is and will continue to be. There are exceptions, but they prove the rule. Think about it - if you take on a player whose first instinct is to solo rather than look up and pass, that's what you will get. If you take on a player whose first instinct is to mark from behind, that's what you will get. If you take on a player who tends to rush into a tackle and get his balance all wrong, that what you will get. If you take on a player who tends to ball watch rather than be aware of his opponent, that's what you will get. There are countless more examples. My point is that, as a senior manager you are restricted in your choice by the culture of Gaelic football from the youngest up; you will inherit the blueprint and you will be restricted in most cases to getting him fitter and stronger (which will mask some deficiencies until the sh** hits the fan). You will, from time to time, hit on a few gems; but they will have grown naturally, like oysters; they will not be the product of brilliant work done before they reached you!! By the way, watch this weekend's championship games and you will see most players make the same mistakes they did at underage. It's the culture we created. They will never work hard to eliminate faults; they will never learn specific roles and they will never change anything other than their fitness, strength and conditioning levels. Now, debate that!