All Ireland Gaelic Football Final 2014 Kerry v Donegal

[bcarrier]

The Jinxy Rule will not apply to teams playing against Dublin.

sorted

[magpie seanie]

I meant to comment on that earlier. That takes some faith in your technique. To come from a cold start and nail that one was huge for Sheehan. I was happy for him too, (sorry lads) because I remember him missing a kickable one v Tyrone back in 2008 I think which would have been a big score for Kerry too.

Outstanding piece of skill. Sheehan had one versus Mayo in first semi too which fell short.

For a man who says that managers role is made too much off Fitzmaurice made some outstanding calls in relation to match ups.

Whether Lacey got the block on O'Briens first ball in or not ( McStay seems to be source of that ?) they had a preplannned tactic to get Paul Geaney in there against a smaller man. Donaghy's idea apparently.
Paul Murphy was made for Ryan McHugh but would I think struggle against a more physical player. McBrearty was gave him plenty to think about when he came on and the Enright introduction helped close him down. Fitzmaurice knows his squads strengths and weaknesses and was very quick to act.

No doubt he remembered the time the pre-match hype was about whether Mayo would put David Brady or someone in to mark himself and Kerry proceeded to land high ball on top of Gooch and Dermot Geraghty which Gooch made hay off.

Fitzmaurice schooled Jimmy on Sunday. Jimmy probably had the full hand shown in the Dublin game but by God Fitzmaurice and Kerry made sure every angle was covered. Allowing them to take the short kickouts and work the ball up the field, playing the ball over and back when no avenue of attack was open - these wore Donegal down and left them a bit flat. Why Donegal didn't at least try a % of long kickouts just baffled me (especially if you'd seen the balls Durkan made of several short kickouts in the warmup).

[AZOffaly]

They did though Seanie. I remember a few long kickouts by Durcan. The thing is Kerry won the majority of them either cleanly or from the break.

[magpie seanie]

Very few AZ, especially in comparison to the Dublin game where hey won quite a few. I'd like to see some stats on it.

[bcarrier]

Very few AZ, especially in comparison to the Dublin game where hey won quite a few. I'd like to see some stats on it.

A few stats here https://twitter.com/gaaapps/media maybe someone can do that picture link thing.

The Irish Times had stats on Moran Vs Gallagher in the paper Monday but cant see them online. They had virtually identical games in terms of possessions and tackles.

[imtommygunn]

They did though Seanie. I remember a few long kickouts by Durcan. The thing is Kerry won the majority of them either cleanly or from the break.

Carney even commented that after the Donaghy goal Durcan was constantly going long. He went long a lot and in the last 10 they won very few kickouts hence kerry's ability to hold on to possession and frustrate donegal.

[Jell 0 Biafra]

Gaelic football badly needs a resurgent Meath team, and possibly a resurgent Down team, to lift all our spirits with their traditional style and panache.

And Offaly. We'd sort out this nonsense. Get the ball, kick it 60 yards, box a lad in the stomach and stick it in the onion bag. Stop for a fag, and plan your night's porter with the lad your marking, then get in a scrap. Catch the ball again, kick it another 60 yards.

If only Kerry had had a spy on your camp to suss those tactics, they'd have had that five in a row.

[Jinxy]

Very few AZ, especially in comparison to the Dublin game where hey won quite a few. I'd like to see some stats on it.

Dublin don't have any traditional 'big men' in the middle though.
It made perfect sense for Durcan to go long against them.
Gallagher had two men either as big or bigger than him to deal with on Sunday.

[magpie seanie]

There is something intrinsically wrong with a corner back standing at the junction of the sideline and 20 metre line, receiving a kickout. I'll need to watch the game again but my perception from being there was Donegal overdid the short kickouts and hey presto - paid for it.

You win very few games where you cannot get any ball around the middle.

[bcarrier]

Interesting stat on Kerry In Croke park at odds against ( lifted from betfair)

2014 Kerry at odds against beat Donegal. Kerry at odds against not beaten by Mayo
2013 Kerry odds against beaten by Dub
2012 Kerry favs beaten by Donegal
2011 Kerry favs beaten by Dubs
2010 Kerry favs beaten by Down
2009 Kerry not beaten.  Kerry at Odds against beat Dublin
2008 Kerry favs beaten by Tyrone
2007 Kerry not beaten
2006 Kerry not beaten
2005 Kerry favs beaten by Tyrone
2004 Kerry not beaten
2003 Kerry favs beaten by Tyrone
2002 Kerry favs beaten by Armagh. Kerry at odds against beat Galway
2001 Kerry favs beaten by Meath
2000 Kerry not beaten
1999 Kerry not in Croke park
1998 Kerry favs beaten by Kildare
1997 Kerry at odds against beat Mayo
1996 Kerry favs beaten by Mayo
1995 Kerry not in Croke park
1994 Kerry not in Croke Park
1993 Kerry not in Croke Park
1992 Kerry not in Croke Park
1991 Kerry favs beaten by Down
1990 Kerry not in Croke Park
1989 Kerry not in Croke Park
1988 Kerry not in Croke Park
1987 Kerry not in Croke Park
1986 Kerry not beaten
1985 Kerry not beaten
1984 Kerry not beaten
1983 Kerry not in Croke Park
1982 Kerry favs beaten by Offaly
1981 Kerry not beaten
1980 Kerry not beaten
1979 Kerry not beaten
1978 Kerry not beaten. Kerry at odds against beat Dublin
1977 Kerry odds against beaten by Dublin

[Jinxy]

Yeah, that was a weird tactic alright.
The ball hung in the air for ages as well, which isn't really what you want from a short kick-out.

[bcarrier]

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/football/kerrys-adaptability-the-secret-of-success-288228.html

In school, we were taught one of the fundamental truths that it is not the strongest species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.

Since 2000, the game of Gaelic Football has changed irrevocably.

In that period, Kerry have won six All-Irelands. Whether they know it or not, they have lived the Darwinian model. On Sunday, their adaptability once again sustained them, and left them as last team standing in September.

Was there an element of luck about Sunday's win? Being realistic, yes. Stephen O'Brien's shot in the opening minute wasn't meant to be half-blocked but Paul Geaney was exactly where he was told to be, one-on-one with the diminutive Paddy McGrath.

The next shot from Johnny Buckley wasn't meant to hit the post but a clever tap down from Geaney to Donaghy allowed him to clip a point with his left foot. Donegal keeper Paul Durcan certainly didn't mean to pass the ball to Donaghy in the 52nd minute and if he hadn't, there was no guarantee Kerry would have won. But by that stage Kerry had done what they had done in every game this year. They had adapted and ensured they were in front after the famous third quarter. It was the prerequisite that had to be delivered against such a systematic Donegal machine. Fortune favoured the brave and Durcan mis-kicked. The winners wrote the script.

Before Sunday's decider, Joe Brolly questioned whether Kerry would have enough time to develop a game plan to defeat Donegal. Brolly referred to the Donegal players' slavish adherence to their system and its robotic efficiency, four years in the making. He reasoned that Kerry would have had 11 days or a maximum of four training sessions to prepare and fully concentrate on the unforeseen opposition, especially after their own marathon replay with Mayo.

He was right insofar as the final was the most awkward tactical challenge on Kerry's journey. But Kerry don't revamp for anyone, they adapt within the context of their own abilities. What Brolly could not have appreciated was that it is Kerry's fundamentals that are so strong and dynamic with well-rounded footballers. Whatever adaptations are required thereafter can be absorbed far easier by non-robots. That system trumps all.

This season, the most significant adaptation Kerry actually made was after losing by ten points to Cork in the final round of the national league. At that point, the Kerry management realised they needed more protection at the back. Full-forwards were getting too good and their full-back line was getting too weak. It was hatched behind closed doors in Portugal and kept under wraps until the Munster final. Logically, we predicted something defensive coming, but the execution was excellent. Both wing-forwards were now dropping deep while Declan O'Sullivan dictated play as a sweeper. Their comfort in possession and kicking skills restricted Cork's time on the ball, another very clever way of lowering the opposition's attacks.

In the Cork game, they went 25 minutes without giving a pass away. That's as good a defensive system as you can have. They won the Munster final and by doing so, they were, essentially in with an 50/50 chance of making the All-Ireland final.

Since then, Kerry have only had to tweak their model to suit the opposition or indeed the occasion. Galway provided scrutiny with some penetration without ever really threatening to beat them. In this game, Kerry went 31 minutes without giving away a pass. It was enough to get them through, but lessons were learned. They didn't allow victory mask the issues. Peter Crowley had been loose with his fouling up to that point in the season but the risk-reward was now worth it. He was brought in to shore up the centre of their defence. The Declan O'Sullivan role was now open to analysis by opposition and like his knees, it was waning in effectiveness. The fresher legs of Stephen O'Brien, back from injury, were required for Mayo. Bryan Sheehan's injury looked to be disastrous given his Munster final display but David Moran was ready to step into his shoes. Adapt. Move on.

Against Mayo, they were nearly overtaken twice on the home straight but in the drawn game they threw Kieran Donaghy at the problem and so had to be given credit for solving it. The replay focused completely on his renaissance as a target man, a tactic which they discovered was Mayo's ultimate weakness. Different game, different adaptation.

On Sunday, they out-Donegaled Donegal. Unlike the cavalier approach of Dublin's half-back line and midfield, Kerry logically pulled the reins on their own half-backs. They played the game on their terms and Donegal's limitations were exposed. Against Dublin, Anthony Thompson, Paddy McGrath, Karl Lacey had scarpered into open country beyond an absent Dublin half-back line while Ryan McHugh ghosted in on second phase. Watching Donegal's warm-up, an incredible amount was dedicated towards replicating such moves as each Donegal player soloed in succession, hard down the centre of the field from the halfway line. In the game itself, Peter Crowley and Killian Young were back there, holding fast, waiting for these runners while Paul Murphy was detailed on McHugh and did a bit of scarpering himself in the open channels out wide. Adapt or Die. They kept moving forward.

The adaptability of this Kerry team has been grounded not in brilliant individuals but in the fact that their fundamentals are so strong. The strength and conditioning, the ball work, the honesty of effort and the belief has been the foundation of every performance. A reflection of their manager. No ego, just hard work on top of quality. Ironically, it was the Roy Keane/Jim McGuiness conversation that coined it: "Good players, very focused training at a very high intensity level is the magic formula".

The tactics become flexible, not pre-ordained. Post this 2014 All-Ireland win, no one's opinion is more valid than Declan O'Sullivan's. In the aftermath of Sunday's victory, he identified this high quality intensity in training as the primary difference for Kerry in 2014. The icing in the cake has been the development of a modern defensive approach that marries with their fluid style of football. The cherry on the top are the tweaks in tactics as Eamonn Fitzmaurice refers to them, bespoke to the opposition team in question.

Legendary ice hockey coach Scott Bowman is famous for acknowledging early in his career that in order to win games, he had better be ready to adapt. Darwin wasn't far wrong either. For Kerry, 11 days and four sessions was more than enough.

— Statistics courtesy of dontfoul (shining a light onto GAA stats). www. dontfoul.wordpress.com.

[orangeman]

Small margins lads. Small margins.

Had O'Connors goal bound shot went in maybe a different outcome ?

Kerry were gone first semi final day.

Had Brogan scored a first half goal in the semi, Donegal could have been gone too.

Inches.

[Mike Sheehy]

I read that the Rathmore club have provided 4 All-Ireland man of the match winners. Paul Murphy, Tom O'Sullivan , Aidan O'Mahony and DJ Crowley (1969) .
Some achievement for one club. East Kerry Abu!

[HiMucker]

Small margins lads. Small margins.

Had O'Connors goal bound shot went in maybe a different outcome ?

Kerry were gone first semi final day.

Had Brogan scored a first half goal in the semi, Donegal could have been gone too.

Inches.

Never mind that.  If the all officials didn't pass up two opportunities to give a 45 from that shot (GK saved it, defender then kicked it over the line) the result could have been different.  Murphy probably would have tapped it over and Donegal would have went in a point up.  Like you say the margins are so small, and its poor that multiple officials miss the glaringly obvious.