Crossmaglen won’t forget the ball moves faster than the man

Before gaelic football became gaelic fistball, under-age coaches used to continually inform their young charges that “the ball moves faster than the man”.

I remember one of my managers ramming the message home by setting up a race. The fastest sprinter in the team was challenged to beat a ball that was kicked between two players. Inevitably, the O’Neills size five won and the speed merchant lost. The lesson was crystal clear: the ball moves much, much faster than the man.In those days, the long, quick, kick pass was considered the most effective way of turning defence into attack. Solo-running was frowned upon. It slowed the play, gave defenders valuable time, and forced forwards to make repeated runs. But in today’s game, that thinking no longer holds much currency.

Nowadays, it’s all about playing the percentages. When teams win possession in defence, they move up the field by running the ball.