Forward Play - First Time Football

[AbbeySider]

Another article in The Coach Corner by Liam Horan in the Galway Independent regarding forward play and playing the ball first time into the forwards.
I have heard the boast by Kerry lads that they pioneered this tactic by having Donaughy in at Full Forward and hitting it first time into him from way out.
But a lot of clubs play a similar style. In Mayo Crossmolina rarely take a solo and its all first time football. Great to watch the early runs and long passing perfected. Its hard to defend against it.

The Coach 25th June 2008     

Forward thinking beats blanket defending

A senior club coach writes: "Our best forward is getting marked out of a lot of games. Opponents always put their best defender on him and often they double up. What can we do to get him more into the game?"

We put your question to a man who knows this predicament well, two-time All Star winner and iconic Tipperary forward, Declan Browne. Only 30 but retired from the inter-county scene for a year, Browne has given a few forwards' sessions to Matty Forde and co in Wexford recently as well as taking charge of the Under-14 team at his club Moyle Rovers.

He's thinking of getting into inter-county management "maybe in five to ten years", but is still focused on playing at club level. Unfortunately Tipp's most famous ever footballer is sidelined with a cruciate injury and will be out until at least early 2009. It's a long road back but he has trademark determination on his side, and drew encouragement from the rehabilitation of the man who many would see as his hurling equivalent, Henry Shefflin.

"First of all, coping with the best defenders is part and parcel of the game," he said. "As a forward you're depending on your outside men to get the right ball in to you. Then it's easy to make space for yourself. Otherwise it's 50/50 and most good defenders will win the majority of 50/50s. You need to weight it 60/40 in favour of the forward."

And the right ball is? "First-time ball every time. No soloing. The forward needs to be isolated and as soon as he makes the run the ball must be played in to him, then it's up to the forward to do his job."

As we discussed last week, the ability to kick off both sides is essential to a forward. "Training my juvenile team I practice that more than anything else: it gets you out of so much trouble," said Browne, continuing: "And as regards getting double-teamed, I try to stay out of the game as much as possible then – drag the markers out to the sideline because if I do that then someone else has to be left free.

"It can be frustrating not to be in the game as much when that happens but it's a team game and you have to put the team ahead of yourself."

[orangeman]

Is this for the attention of Paddy Crozier by any chance ? 

[AZOffaly]

It's so simple, and so true.

You must reward your inside forward lines for making runs, or else they'll stop making them and you'll see what we saw in Tullamore a few weeks ago.

From playing together, you know the runs a forward likes to make, and any good forward will make diagonal or horizontal runs. So, when you get the ball, you know the forward will run. Kick it to where he will run to (don't try and kick it TO him) and that will counter most of the sweeper types as well.


Low and hard, like a Terrier's tool.

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

I have heard the boast by Kerry lads that they pioneered this tactic by having Donaughy in at Full Forward and hitting it first time into him from way out.

Wouldn't say pioneered as this tactic has been about for decades but, as has been pointed out on here, Kerry's recent style minics the way in which Armagh have gotten the ball in long to Clarke and McDonnell in recent years.

[AZOffaly]

Kerry use the long high ball, but they certainly didn't pioneer it with Kieran Donaghy. They just gave it a rebirth. They themselves used that ploy with the bomber years ago, and many other teams did as well. In fact the 'big ball into the full forward' was written off as being old fashioned back in the early 90s when Down, Donegal and Kildare started really emphasising possession football.

However, and this is a personal gripe of mine as an ex corner forward, most people equate 'early ball' or 'long ball' with 'high ball'. Generally speaking high ball into corner forwards is a back's ball. It's a lot easier to 'break it' than to catch it, and try and score.

However, it's perfectly possible to play a long, early ball in, but at chest height or lower. That way when the forward is in front, he has the chance of doing something with it. That's the perfect ball for most forwards, apart from the big lummoxes standing on the edge of the square

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

However, it's perfectly possible to play a long, early ball in, but at chest height or lower. That way when the forward is in front, he has the chance of doing something with it. That's the perfect ball for most forwards, apart from the big lummoxes standing on the edge of the square Cheesy

AZ, any half decent corner forward should be alert to the break ball off the big lummoxes. Youse friggin corner forwards are an awful shower of moaners, always leave it to the man in the middle to do the hard work.

[screenexile]

Yeah when playing an open game this tactic no doubt works... ESPECIALLY if a forward knows that as soon as a man out the field his first instinct is to kick the ball into space in front of a forward line it can be deadly and a good forward will thrive in it.

Against Fermanagh that tactic for Derry would have been useless! With 3 men on P. Bradley it sisn't matter how people played ball into him he wouldn't win it. This is where that tactic of pulling forwards the other way works so well but it needs to be communicated and worked on in order to be effective.

The only reason this tactic works for Kerry is the fact that Donaghy is so good in the air and difficult to break ball against which negates the players standing in front of him.

I think the best method of beating the blanket is composed short handpassing that probes for an opening. A bit like the way Munster play in rugby if footballers pass the ball around enough spaces do occur the only problem is it is not used enough in our game and invariably with a long passage of handpassing play people start to think they should be kicking it and referees make an overcarrying call when there isn't one.

Basically there are a few ways to break the blanket defence but it must come from management and must be practised and discussed at length on the training field so that everyone is of the one mind and pulling in the same direction! From what I can make of the match last Saturday, Fermanagh have discussed the way they will play in great length whereas Derry did not and becasue of this it looked like Derry weren't able to function as a team!

[AZOffaly]

Ah yeah, that's a given. That's how we used to play in the club actually. It's the handiest of all for a corner forward. You don't even get a belt. That's my favourite

I mean that when you are trying to give it to your corners, play the ball into space where they are running. It's easier for the passer that trying to hit the man, and it's effective.

Worst case is over soloing or handpassing (like we did against Westmeath) instead of delivering the ball, because the defender has had a chance to pick up the forward's run and react to it. You normally (as a forward) expect to make at least one dummy run anyway, but if you end up making 2 or 3, the ball is too slow coming in.

Second Worse case is just bombing it in on a lads head.

[AZOffaly]

With regard to the Paddy Bradley situation, I'd have thought it would become incumbent on the other forwards to be the targets for the passes. If 3 lads were indeed playing Paddy out of it, then the other 2 full forwards should have been the targetmen, and Paddy should have been a decoy.

In my opinion fast, accurate delivery into space ahead of a moving corner forward is very hard to combat. It's not as easy as it sounds though, becuase the lads have to be on the same wavelength. Also you need men running in at pace to take the ball off the corner forward, or to at least give him an option if he doesn't want to turn and shoot himself.

The secret, though, is to play it into space, and not into the man. It's a lot easier to blanket sweep in front if the corner forward is relatively static, or the balls are aimed at him, rather than where he is going to run.

[the Deel Rover]

However, it's perfectly possible to play a long, early ball in, but at chest height or lower. That way when the forward is in front, he has the chance of doing something with it. That's the perfect ball for most forwards, apart from the big lummoxes standing on the edge of the square Cheesy

AZ, any half decent corner forward should be alert to the break ball off the big lummoxes. Youse friggin corner forwards are an awful shower of moaners, always leave it to the man in the middle to do the hard work.

Have to agree with Az here, TAM most of the men in the middle think the Corner Forwards are 6ft 2 or 3 like themselves and think a good ball into the corner is a skyscraper of a kick into the fullforward line ye boys need to spend more time kicking quality ball into the forwards and if ye did it wouldn't be coming out as fast as it is going in, therefore leaving you with less work to do

[AZOffaly]

However, it's perfectly possible to play a long, early ball in, but at chest height or lower. That way when the forward is in front, he has the chance of doing something with it. That's the perfect ball for most forwards, apart from the big lummoxes standing on the edge of the square Cheesy

AZ, any half decent corner forward should be alert to the break ball off the big lummoxes. Youse friggin corner forwards are an awful shower of moaners, always leave it to the man in the middle to do the hard work.

Have to agree with Az here, TAM most of the men in the middle think the Corner Forwards are 6ft 2 or 3 like themselves and think a good ball into the corner is a skyscraper of a kick into the fullforward line ye boys need to spend more time kicking quality ball into the forwards and if ye did it wouldn't be coming out as fast as it is going in, therefore leaving you with less work to do

Well, I'm actually 6'1'' or a bit over it, so it's not a height thing. It's really just that it's very easy for a back to break a ball that's dropping, whereas a forward wants to win it and do something constructive, especially corner forwards. Full forwards are used to trying to break ball for others.

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

Have to agree with Az here, TAM most of the men in the middle think the Corner Forwards are 6ft 2 or 3 like themselves and think a good ball into the corner is a skyscraper of a kick into the fullforward line ye boys need to spend more time kicking quality ball into the forwards and if ye did it wouldn't be coming out as fast as it is going in, therefore leaving you with less work to do Wink Cheesy

I agree Deel but was just sticking for full forwards as a former student of the position!

[Blue Island]

Yeah when playing an open game this tactic no doubt works... ESPECIALLY if a forward knows that as soon as a man out the field his first instinct is to kick the ball into space in front of a forward line it can be deadly and a good forward will thrive in it.

Against Germana that tactic for Derry would have been useless! With 3 men on P. Bradley it sisn't matter how people played ball into him he wouldn't win it. This is where that tactic of pulling forwards the other way works so well but it needs to be communicated and worked on in order to be effective.

The only reason this tactic works for Kerry is the fact that Donaghy is so good in the air and difficult to break ball against which negates the players standing in front of him.

I think the best method of beating the blanket is composed short handpassing that probes for an opening. A bit like the way Munster play in rugby if footballers pass the ball around enough spaces do occur the only problem is it is not used enough in our game and invariably with a long passage of handpassing play people start to think they should be kicking it and referees make an overcarrying call when there isn't one.




Basically there are a few ways to break the blanket defence but it must come from management and must be practised and discussed at length on the training field so that everyone is of the one mind and pulling in the same direction! From what I can make of the match last Saturday, Fermanagh have discussed the way they will play in great length whereas Derry did not and becasue of this it looked like Derry weren't able to function as a team!

I don't believe passing it around via hand pass probing for opening is the answer to breaking down the blanket defence. The best way to beat the blanket defence is by attacking the opposition as quickly as possible before they are allowed to form the blanket.

That is done one of two ways, either the direct footpass into space, or, if the opposition have two many 'sweepers' back then a hand pass should be utilised but only with men willing to run directly onto the ball at pace. Lateral probing hand passes will get no where. What Kerry are good at and what Tyrone are past masters at, are fisting the ball in front of a colleague who is coming onto the ball at speed and eating up the yards. The common denominator of the quick kickpass and the fist pass forward onto running men is the ball is always going forward as quickly as possible to deny the defenders time to get back. Tyrone at their height were seriously quick on the break and whilst the blanket defence surely played it's part, for me the real secret of their saucess was their ability to attack more directly and quicker than other teams.

[AbbeySider]

Regarding kicking the ball into the full forward line, I wouldnt be in favour of kicking the ball into the corner at all because it takes at least two passes to get the ball out of the corner and into a scoring position.
Corner forwards should be running into the middle ground perhaps cris-crossing or run towards a target man to get a break, or start their run from the corner and run into space out the wing. Also making diagonal and horizontal runs as previously mentioned buy I think kicking or playing the ball into corners can be a disaster.

[rrhf]

Kerry have as much right to claim to be the originators of long ball, glorious route one football 2 years ago as they have of being labelled the founders of rampant indiscipline and rag losing in the face of referees.  I definitely seen both these thing happening before Kerry reinvented football 2 years ago.   What I would say is that eac h team capable of winning all ireland knows how to mix it, fist it, kick i