Simple tactics pay rich reward

TRUST Johnny Pilkington to encapsulate it. As precise, accurate and succinct with words as he is with the ball, the veteran Birr midfielder afterwards summed up the old-fashioned ground hurling style with which his side had just demolished fancied Athenry thus: “It’s lazy hurling, get rid of the ball, less work to do, isn’t that it?”

Of course, it's far more than that. It's the essence of hurling, a simple game that can be made most complicated by players who insist on garnishing, who will pick and run and elaborate, slow everything down, when a quick snappy stroke is all that's required.

"We said we'd play ground hurling, and that's what we did", Pilkington added. "No point in sending high balls in there (to their forwards)."

There was a small gale blowing in Cusack Park yesterday, a most difficult wind, diagonally downfield. Didn't affect Birr a whit, because for most of the hour, they kept that ball under the wind, utilising a perfect sod and dry day to greatest effect. Beautiful it was, master tactics encouraged by that old fox, team manager Padjoe Whelahan.

"The wind was never going to affect us, in fact I knew we'd be better suited to the second half, against it," he said. "They were more dangerous in the first half when they isolated Cloonan inside. In the second half, they had six forwards, which suited us more."

Canny Padjoe had also played ducks and drakes with the previously announced selection, a plethora of changes, spike the Athenry guns, make the most of his own. The half-back line especially showed changes, no-one playing in their announced spots, and it worked to perfection, Birr holding Athenry to six points.

"The team wasn't known until this morning, but we picked it accordingly (to cancel Athenry)," he said. "Claffey had a brilliant game, Donal Franks played well also, Brian too, considering the injury he had, Joe Errity brilliant all the backs. I called the six of them together the other night, so they knew what they had to do, and they did their homework, they had it worked out. I don't think Rabbitte caught a ball today, did he?"

Caught one, but couldn't get off the shot. Full-back Errity deflected much of the praise for his curtailment of Eugene Cloonan: "The lads prevented them from getting the kind of quality ball he likes in there, our midfield, half-backs, half-forwards, kept the ball moving, didn't give them any time to get settled on the ball. That made our job inside that bit easier."

Centre-back Brian Whelahan, whose participation wasn't announced until the last minute, another tactical ploy, revealed that his appearance was never in doubt: "Even this morning, I was very sore, but I was always going to hurl, no matter what. When it happened (injured back), I wasn't able to move, wasn't able to get up off the ground where I fell. The doctor came up and gave me a jab, I was able to loosen it out, and over the next few days I got a lot of physio.

I had a jab today as well, before I went out and, if it held up, it held up, but if it didn't, at least we wouldn't be wasting a sub."

Waste a sub?

Yesterday, Birr didn't waste a ball, didn't waste a breath of air, as they crushed the life out of Athenry.

Simply magnificent.