WHEN the 2017 special congress confirmed that every emission in Gaelic football must take place at least 13 meters and outside the 20-meter line, the significant damage it would do to Dublin’s Stephen Claxton.
He was the greatest proponent of short throws. He armed him. If the rule had existed for the All-Ireland final that year, more than half of its restarts would have been declared illegal.
And yet to focus on this – does not take into account the fundamental component of his genius. That day Dublin came out in the middle or debt with eight emissions. They won only two and did not score with either. It was also the year they developed the Con O’Callaghan version.
As Brian Fenton and James McCarthy continued to attract more and more attention and body, O’Callaghan invaded the vacancy and used his abilities.
The fact is that even at that time Dublin used a mixture of both. Varying their release and keeping a long version, it made opponents guess. With each full push there was a risk that Claxton could get around him. When the rules changed, they did what they knew how to do and evolved. In 2018, Dublin passed in the middle / debt with nine, winning seven and scoring 1-2.
In 2019, Kerry held several sessions, perfecting the press on the full court, and won gold early. 11 minutes into the match, Kerry nearly scored. No penalty. It all happened because of Claxton’s short throw.
He continued with the next four and recorded a score of 1-1 in minutes. In total, Dublin went mid / long with eight, resulting in five throws with a score of 1-2.
What a wonderful job @DubGAAOfficial‘s Jack McCaffrey when he ran across the field and scored this goal! Will his skills be as good as they will face the Kingdom again in the All-Ireland rematch? pic.twitter.com/LRy9gatyGP
– GAA (@officialgaa) September 4, 2019
It has long been established that retention rates are often meaningless, and the best barometer is the conversion of scores, but even this has its drawbacks. Prolonged ejection is not just a way to attack faster. It acts like a shot to the nose. A warning that the widespread judicial press could be punished. Even if a team has strong runners and a successful short strike strategy, it still needs to go long from time to time because of what it does for defensive teams. This is a picture of the body of Gaelic football. The probe to make the defenses adjust, sometimes even enough to make opponents fall.
It’s one thing to know you need a long release, it’s another to develop it. In last year’s Connacht final, Galway’s struggle with a restart was obvious. They lost nine of their own emissions. Mayo lost only one of them.
In all, Galway scored 2-33 of their throws last year. Their opposition, by contrast, scored 3-40. A similar trend is observed after they opened two league games in 2022. They scored 0-3 after their own throw. Their opposition played 0-5.
Source: Ben Brady / INPHO
Boil it all, and obviously the Joyce Podry equipment needs to be improved in this department. A modern game is a game in which 37% of the points fall on the team’s own emissions.
They know the problem and are actively looking for a solution. The winner of the 2020 Irish Football Championship in 2020, Conor Flaherty, received the number one T-shirt for his victory over Mitt and Down. Speaking after the last draw, Joyce spoke openly about his ambitions in their league campaign.
“Johnny (McGrath) was delightful. We were caught, Liam Silke had to cry before the match. We got Johnny in the corner and he was fantastic. In fairness, he’s probably 5’5. He is not the tallest guy, but he has a big heart. I thought he was outstanding.
“A wonderful young man. The more playing time we get from these young guys, the better for Galway. We will always try to get them as much as possible.
“We found ourselves in the 2nd division. We are to blame for this. We can’t blame anyone else. This is one of our goals to get out of Division 2. As I said before, if we can win two of our first three games, we end up. Now we have four out of four.
“We can relax, enjoy tonight. Get together next week. Lots of tired bodies, lots of Sigerson games and different things. I hope we will be able to eliminate some injuries in the next few weeks. ”
In these two games, Galway missed 90% of emissions. Most of their scores actually come from revs (2-15). The important thing is that they are hindered by two factors. They live in Division 2 and the Wild, Windy West.
There was a gust of wind in both of their starting games. Mitt didn’t score in the first half. Played 0-2. As a result, the possibilities of stress testing of their emission strategies were severely limited.
Galway was able to press hard, even when Down left two players because they knew the wind would thwart any attempts to get around him.
When there was a rare chance to try a long throw, O’Flaherty demonstrated what he could accomplish.
Galway closed the spot for forward Owen Gallagher to come out of the depths.
The former ace Antrim is well able to set and win marks.
This is the reality of second-tier Gaelic football and the reason Galway needs to be promoted. As they prepare for the championship, it is easier for them to secure turns and their weaknesses are not questioned.
It’s not like the tests they need will also come sooner. Next, Offaly’s win-win trip to Pierce Stadium that weekend, when an orange wind warning was issued for the county.