Today’s Question: Is a red card a death sentence in modern hurling?
The Leesiders have played three games in which a player has been sent off, so one would assume that in the event of a red card being flashed, they’ll be better prepared, but there’s a wider question here.
Why is it 14 men seem to find it harder now to win games than ever before?
In past years, it wasn’t unusual to see teams playing with one man fewer overcome championship opponents with a full complement — Cork did it in 2008 when Donal Óg Cusack was red carded against Galway in an All-Ireland qualifier in Semple Stadium, and going back further, Wexford famously overcame Limerick following Eamon Scallan’s dismissal in the 1996 All-Ireland final.
Yet this year there’s been a near-fatalistic acceptance among defeated managers that their hopes were dashed as soon as their player went for an early bath.
Cork against Limerick (Patrick Horgan), Kilkenny against Cork (Henry Shefflin) and Dublin against Cork (Ryan O’Dwyer) all found the extra man too much to cope with.
Why? Start with the obvious. What’s been notable, if season-specific, has been the timing of those red cards. Horgan and Shefflin were sent off just before half-time, while O’Dwyer got the line early enough in the second half (49 minutes in) for his departure to have an impact on his team’s fitness towards the end of the game.
As Cork manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy pointed out after those games, teams are so well conditioned now that there’s very little between them in terms of fitness. Having a spare pair of hands on the other side thus makes it hugely challenging for 14 men to come to terms with their disadvantage. In the above examples, two teams were forced to play for almost 40 minutes without one player, while the third, Dublin, still had almost 25 minutes to play with 14 men.
Furthermore, the emphasis placed on possession means that teams are comfortable passing the ball from man to man and retaining the sliotar, rather than taking chances on lengthy 50-50 deliveries. Taking that element of chance out of the game benefits the 15 men, not the 14. It has the dual effect of not only exploiting the advantage of an extra man, it tires out opponents who are already short-handed.
On a related matter, this season there’s been a relative dearth of goals in the latter stages of the championship, and it’s hardly surprising given there have been so many sendings off. Invariably the spare man is stationed in defence, usually near the goal, and is thus placed to make goals very difficult to score. Yet, in a catch 22, the only option that appears viable for many 14-men teams is to try for goals late on when the game is slipping away: hence attacks are aimed specifically where their opponents are strongest.
Also, the spare man has been particularly good for the winning team in games we’ve mentioned. Limerick boss John Allen revealed after the Munster final he and his selectors had to persuade full back Richie McCarthy to play the free role, but McCarthy was excellent in the second half that day. Likewise Conor O’Sullivan’s calmness and purpose for Cork has meant the men in red have exploited that advantage in the two games where they’ve had opponents sent off. For those reasons, if your team has a man sent off next Sunday, you might want to make alternative plans for the homecoming...
