No case for defence as forwards’ job is to score
After the game the boys were allowed a half-hour down town to get some refreshments. Fr Jim and I went for a cup of tea in the Central Hotel. We were joined by a great and wise judge of football, Tralee man Fr Tom Pierce. As we chatted a few students came in and joined the debate. One young lad was telling us about the great football he was playing for his club. He played wing-forward and he described how he ran up and down the field, picked up breaks, linked up with other players, carried the ball toe to hand etc, etc. We listened with interest until he had finished and then Fr. Pierce asked the question, “Tell me, John”, he said, “did you ever score?”.
“I did,” replied the young lad with enthusiasm. “I scored a point against Kenmare once.”
“Very good,” said Fr. Tom.
“Remember its important for forwards to score. Scores win matches,” he added.
I often think of that day in Macroom, when I watch matches both at inter-county and club level. You see, I see half-forwards who run and run, pass and pass, kick and kick but rarely do they score. This is a relatively new phenomenon.
You could describe this modern species as the defending half-forward. You have often heard of the attacking half-back. The late Michael O’Hehir loved the species and may well have invented the phrase.
Men like Tom Prendergast, ‘Red’ Collier, Liam Currams, Kevin Moran were special favourites as they broke from the back and set up attacks. O’Hehir’s enthusiasm may well have spawned a whole new approach to half-back play as to this day the attacking half-back is very much the norm. Just look at some of the attacks set up and scores got by Tomas O Sé, John Miskella and Davy Harte to name but three in this year’s championship.
But the defending half-forward is a different kettle of fish altogether. In fact, you could call them the disappearing half-forwards as they rarely score and when the ball breaks from the full-forward line, they are rarely there to pick up the break.
Instead they are on safari somewhere between the half-back line and midfield. Oh, they’ll get plenty of the ball alright, but invariably it’s hand-passed to some colleague running on or behind them. To me, it’s the biggest weakness in gaelic football at present. A forward’s first duty is to score himself or to makes scores. Any good forward would certainly be in a position to kick a few scores in every match. If he doesn’t there is something wrong. And there is certainly something wrong when half-backs score more than half-forwards.
Certainly if I were an inter-county manager, I would expect them to score reasonably regularly and any forward who failed to score in two successive games should be dropped. It might focus forwards on their primary duty. Some can combine both defensive and attacking roles. Pat Spillane was, perhaps, the original of the species, but Spillane never neglected his primary role of kicking points. Indeed, in the 1986 All-Ireland when Kevin McCabe drove the penalty over the bar for Tyrone, it was Spillane who popped up at the far end shortly afterwards to fly through the air and deflect the ball to the net. Kerry coasted to victory thereafter.
So the next time you go to a match keep an eye on the half-forwards. If they spend their time galloping around the field, making themselves available for passes and then passing it off again ask yourself – is that what forwards are for? And if by chance you happen to meet one in a hostelry afterwards you might ask them the question Fr Tom Pierce put to our wily student all those years ago: “Tell me, did you ever score.”
