Donegal v Meath R4 NFL Mac Cumhaill Park, Ballyboyey 9/3/2014 @ 2:00pm

[agorm]

Getting this thread rolling.

Hard to see beyond a routine win for Donegal considering that they had too much for Monaghan who annihilated Meath in the 2nd round. Added to that Meath managed to lose against a beatable Armagh side in navan and have picked up a few injuries.

As they say in betting circles you could put your house on Donegal. In the past Meath have had poor performances in the league that were rescued by some of the big guns like Colm O'Rourke, Giles, Geraghty etc but we have no players on the team that could be regarded as a leader or a player other counties look up to.

Not sure whether I will go, have a season ticket but the last two games have tested the loyalty and have a few things on next weekend.

As I wrote on the other thread we have serious problems all over the field but I feel that Mick O'Dowd needs to supplement the backroom team and rapidly develop a defensive strategy or the perceived developments will be lost.

Regarding Donegal, a win here will power them further towards promotion exactly where they want to at this stage of the year.

Can anyone see beyond a home win by 5 plus points?

[Jinxy]

No.
We still have not bought into the physical, mental and tactical requirements of modern inter-county football.
If things go well, we don't know why.
If things go badly, we don't know why.
We are cannon fodder for teams that actually think about the game and how to play it.

[Ard-Rí]

No.
We still have not bought into the physical, mental and tactical requirements of modern inter-county football.
If things go well, we don't know why.
If things go badly, we don't know why.
We are cannon fodder for teams that actually think about the game and how to play it.

Sin go díreach é. Surely our consistently appalling league campaigns will teach us something.
The remarkable thing is not that we do so badly in the league, but that in relative terms, we do so well in the championship.

[agorm]

I am not sure who will partner Shane O'Rourke in midfield. As far as I recall Conor Sheridan from Simonstown wasn't even on the panel on Saturday. Perhaps Menton. Menton hasn't exactly been setting the world alight at CHB. Maybe Kevin Reilly with Menton at FB and Harnan or Harrington at CHB.

I think that Meath should try a different approach on Sunday. We will probably lose no matter what strategy and I think we should try bringing a wing forward back into defence. I haven't seen the guys in training but I would pick Sheamus Kenny as a wing forward with an instruction to play in the space around half back and midfield to work on getting breaking balls.

Also the priority of the half forwards must be as a first line of defence so I would pick half forwards with that in mind.

Also, I would instruct Wallace to try and punch points if he comes close to goal.

[Jinxy]

For the amount of goal chances we create our conversion rate is pathetic.
Whatever happened to just putting her low and hard either side of the keeper?

[seafoid]

For the amount of goal chances we create our conversion rate is pathetic.
Whatever happened to just putting her low and hard either side of the keeper?

Health and Safety

[armaghniac]

For the amount of goal chances we create our conversion rate is pathetic.
Whatever happened to just putting her low and hard either side of the keeper?

Sure you got a flukey goal against Armagh that wasn't a goal chance at all.

[seafoid]

No.
We still have not bought into the physical, mental and tactical requirements of modern inter-county football.
If things go well, we don't know why.
If things go badly, we don't know why.
We are cannon fodder for teams that actually think about the game and how to play it.

Interesting, Jinxy. Do you think the people around the Meath football team don't want to adapt to the way the game is played now?
If you don't have any consistency it's hard for players to develop confidence. I think that's one of the problems Galway have.
But maybe they just aren't arsed.

[Hardy]

No.
We still have not bought into the physical, mental and tactical requirements of modern inter-county football.
If things go well, we don't know why.
If things go badly, we don't know why.
We are cannon fodder for teams that actually think about the game and how to play it.

Interesting, Jinxy. Do you think the people around the Meath football team don't want to adapt to the way the game is played now?
If you don't have any consistency it's hard for players to develop confidence. I think that's one of the problems Galway have.
But maybe they just aren't arsed.

I do think the management are trying to develop a style of its own for the team that relies on pace and accuracy. I think it's too soon to write it off as a failure. But some regard has to be had to the new contact-free regime that's been imposed by the Tsars of "free-flowing football" and a strategy to defend in that context has to be developed.

I don't see anything other than bodies in defence being effective. If you can't touch anybody, all you can hope to do is to give them so little room that they have nobody in space to pass to. Combine that with a strategy of breaking at pace and you might have a workable formula.

[Jinxy]

If we have our first 15 available we can physically compete with most teams come championship.
However, there is a massive drop-off in terms of conditioning when you look at the fringe players.
I watched the highlights of Dublin vs. Cork and Kildare vs. Tyrone.
All the subs coming on were strong, fast and of a particular body type.
We have lads coming on with their jersey billowing in the wind.
In all the serious football powers now, any club player worth his salt knows what he has to do to get into his county squad.
He has to walk the walk basically.
We somehow manage to carry players that exhibit no discernible physical development despite being on the panel for a couple of years.
In my opinion, that's largely down to the players themselves.
And before anyone starts going on about gym monkeys, Dublin have the best footballers AND the best athletes.
It's not a zero sum game.

[babarino]

We still have not bought into the physical, mental and tactical requirements of modern inter-county football.

Bring back Banty.

He certainly ticks two of the three requirements.

[AZOffaly]

No.
We still have not bought into the physical, mental and tactical requirements of modern inter-county football.
If things go well, we don't know why.
If things go badly, we don't know why.
We are cannon fodder for teams that actually think about the game and how to play it.

Interesting, Jinxy. Do you think the people around the Meath football team don't want to adapt to the way the game is played now?
If you don't have any consistency it's hard for players to develop confidence. I think that's one of the problems Galway have.
But maybe they just aren't arsed.

I do think the management are trying to develop a style of its own for the team that relies on pace and accuracy. I think it's too soon to write it off as a failure. But some regard has to be had to the new contact-free regime that's been imposed by the Tsars of "free-flowing football" and a strategy to defend in that context has to be developed.

I don't see anything other than bodies in defence being effective. If you can't touch anybody, all you can hope to do is to give them so little room that they have nobody in space to pass to. Combine that with a strategy of breaking at pace and you might have a workable formula.

A strategy to defend would be to block kicks, get a hand in to dispossess, a fair shoulder, etc. In my experience Meath lads were fairly good at all of the above. It wasn't all cut throat razors and hand grenades. That was just Mick Lyons.

[Hardy]

That'd be fine, AZ if the hand in, the fair shoulder, etc. were not penalised more than half the time. The new rules are not being reffed any better than the old ones, as far as I can see, which simply confirms what we knew - the problem was not the rules but the refereeing. In fact, I think there's a new drive to be hard on defenders, with everyone, referees included, caught up in the enthusiasm for "free-flowing football" that's coming from all the hoo-ha about the new rules.

I haven't checked the numbers (but I will) but it seems clear already that scoring rates have soared in the league, with some ridiculous totals being run up. Most people actually seem to think that's a good thing. This has a self-reinforcing effect, in that it will be pointed to as proof that the new rules are working. Well, for me, defending is as integral a part of football as attacking. I'd be willing to bet, though, that the rate of frees being awarded is probably twice as high against defenders as against attackers in this new set-up.

Do we want to make our game even more like basketball than before? In that game, nearly every attack results in a score. The Harlem Globetrotters attract huge crowds wherever they go, with their brand of high scoring mixed with fancy tricks. In their shows, the defenders are only there to be the straight-men in the comedy routine. It's an exaggeration for effect, but I get the feeling our legislators have as little feel for the essence of Gaelic football as a Harlem Globetrotters audience has for sport.

[AZOffaly]

Well put it like this. I'm a coach, and I'll be coaching my players, from #2 to #15,  in the art of defending the ball. Near hand in, getting down on a lads foot to block, staying goalside when the attacker has the ball, anticipation and reading the game. All what I would call old school defending. In my mind this bolloxology of grabbing lads and dragging them down is not manly, and is not something that should be hankered after as some sort of golden age of defending. What it did was erode actual good defending technique, because it became easier to be a pure spoiler and lads basically fouled with impugnity out the field, and often took the lazy way out.

I think eliminating that from the game is a good thing. And if our defenders are suddenly unable to defend fairly, then it shows how much they were relying on the shitehawkery.

I don't think eliminating the drag down, the trip or the off the ball body check is reducing the manliness in the game. I think it is forcing you to play like a real man.

[thejuice]

Only one thing left to say........
........take it away Doris http://youtu.be/yVuEC3r7a-o