Meath vs Kildare 1st July 12 Croke Park

[Hardy]

Very good, Emmet. There's one phrase in there I don't understand. What's a line break?

[Croí na hÉireann]

For Hardy

[Hardy]

Excellent, Croi.

[emmetryan]

Essentially it's when a player in possession runs through a defensive line into open space. Kildare had previously been rather good at stopping these but were at sea on Sunday.

[AZOffaly]

That's one of Hardy's pet peeves emmet. He knows exactly what you mean, but he is railing against it entering the GAA vernacular because it is a term taken from Rugby. Unfortunately it is now apporopriate in a lot of our games, but in fairness I didn't think Sunday's game was overly defensive and so 'line break' might be stretching it a bit.

[Hardy]

Ah shag it. I had a half page typed and  lost it. I haven't  time to repeat it.

AZ – the reason  asked the question is not because I knew what it meant, but the opposite. I suspected it was claptrap imported from rugby. I still suspect that, notwithstanding Emmet's explanation.  Can someone tell me where this line is, the breaking of which is so significant? Or are we just talking about breaking tackles?

[camanchero]

Ah shag it. I had a half page typed and  lost it. I haven't  time to repeat it.

AZ – the reason  asked the question is not because I knew what it meant, but the opposite. I suspected it was claptrap imported from rugby. I still suspect that, notwithstanding Emmet's explanation.  Can someone tell me where this line is, the breaking of which is so significant? Or are we just talking about breaking tackles?

its something to do with snaffling, offloading, gain lines and blind sides.
fcuk all to do withGaelic football - but then again we have a few weird 'phrases' of our own - breaking ball, square ball,third man tackle, shemozzle etc etc

[applemad]

Meath won because the team meath fielded on Sunday were 100%behind Banty and the management. The dissenters were either injured or of the panel. For Meath its now onwards and upwards and good luck to them.

[AZOffaly]

I agree hardy, it's a rubbish term imported from Rugby which has defensive lines strung across the pitch. Thus any break through that line, WWI style over the top, is a 'line break'. Another good one is the gain line. Another rugby term, the gain line is an imaginary line across the width of the pitch where the ball was last stationary, ruck, scrum, whatever. If you carry it past that point, you've broken the gain line.

People are applying these terms to gaelic where it's not really appropriate except in the most extreme examples of the blanket defence, and lads running straight into the tackle to try and get behind a line of lads strung out.

I don't think the Kildare-Meath game had any such defensive barriers really, and its seldom so pronounced that you can call it a gain line, or a line break.

Mind you I did see Westmeath and Offaly play a horror show, bastardised attempt at aping these systems a few years ago, and that was as close as you can get to these terms being applicable in our game. Westmeath strung at least 7 lads in a straight line along their half back line, and Offaly, to counter it, did EXACTLY the same. It was bizarre. Offaly would get it, pass sideways, and run into the line like a poor man's Crimean War charge of the light brigade. Into the valley of death soloed the 4 half forwards.

They'd be dispossessed, and Westmeath would run at Offaly in precisely the same way, normally with the same result. Westmeath had a bit of Class with Dessie on the day that made the difference, but other than that it was like these battle re-enactment societies doing a multicoloured staging of the Battle of the Somme. Over the top lads!!! peeeeeeep!!!

[Hardy]

Good stuff, AZ.  Well described. A few good laughs here today. You'd nearly forget it was still Winter.

[rrhf]

Meath won because the team meath fielded on Sunday were 100%behind Banty and the management. The dissenters were either injured or of the panel. For Meath its now onwards and upwards and good luck to them.

Is that a dig at Mc Geeneys management, Hardy and the dissenting Meath folk, or a totally genuine belief that Banty and the management was the key factor in Meath V Kildare Leinster semi final.  The 3rd is surely the least likely from an assumedly sensible man.....   

[AQMP]

Good stuff, AZ.  Well described. A few good laughs here today. You'd nearly forget it was still Winter.

How long before someone describes farting about handpassing in midfield as making "the hard yards"

[applemad]

Meath won because the team meath fielded on Sunday were 100%behind Banty and the management. The dissenters were either injured or of the panel. For Meath its now onwards and upwards and good luck to them.

Is that a dig at Mc Geeneys management, Hardy and the dissenting Meath folk, or a totally genuine belief that Banty and the management was the key factor in Meath V Kildare Leinster semi final.  The 3rd is surely the least likely from an assumedly sensible man.....   

No rrhf, It isnt a dig at anyone. I do know that 4/5 players were making life unbearable for Banty and were anti him from early days. Mr me John Evans will undoubtedly be held as the man who changed all, but I take my hat of to Banty and his background team. Well done. Meath are a proud county and this last few years hasnt been kind to them. They came North a good few years ago and played at the opening of our pitch . Along with Sean Boylan they were excellent ambassadors for the Royal county. Ever since that I have had a soft spot for them. I will travel to Dublin to see them in the final. Its not a dig at Hardy or any other Meath supporters. I do think though that a few around Navan might not have been so happy.

[emmetryan]

Ah shag it. I had a half page typed and  lost it. I haven't  time to repeat it.

AZ – the reason  asked the question is not because I knew what it meant, but the opposite. I suspected it was claptrap imported from rugby. I still suspect that, notwithstanding Emmet's explanation.  Can someone tell me where this line is, the breaking of which is so significant? Or are we just talking about breaking tackles?

Well I don't see it the same as Rugby to be honest the near similarity in terms of action would actually be soccer, although they'd call it banks there rather than lines but 'line break' as a term seems like a reasonable brief way of describing what's going on.

As far as importing terms in general goes, I've nothing terribly against it. My day job involves covering a broad range of sports for a betting firm (not a well known one and I'm not naming it here but if you really need to know PM me) and I tend to use terms from all sports over and back depending on where I find a good fit. I do know my Rugby friends get well annoyed when I start using American Football terms in talking about it!

[demusicman]

For Hardy




BEAN AN TI