Football is in dire need of a third way
In 2002, Armagh got the country practising long, diagonal balls. A year later, the sale of tackle bags rocketed as Tyrone highlighted the effectiveness of ‘the swarm’.
As ever, Kerry were the first to ‘adapt’. In his autobiography Keys to the Kingdom, Jack O’Connor revealed how he recruited the services of a coach from Ulster. Jack wanted Kerry to tackle like Tyrone so he got the northerner (who we understand was from Tyrone) to show him the tackling drills that Kerry weren’t doing.
Kerry aren’t just copy and paste merchants. Now and again, they come up with something fairly original. In 2006, O’Connor reinvented the wheel when he put Kieran Donaghy on the edge of the square. All of a sudden, the biggest man in every parish was being squeezed into a No.14 jersey.
But these are strange times we are living in. The All-Ireland champions no longer set the trend. For obvious reasons, nobody copied Cork in 2010. But Dublin provide a much bigger puzzle. En route to their victory last year, Dublin produced an epic semi-final performance against Kerry. It was one of the most glorious games of football every played.
Bold, adventurous and swashbuckling: the style of Dublin’s victory over Kerry received universal praise — and rightly so. Dublin’s attacks were unrelenting. It was football without fear. No matter what Kerry threw at the Dubs, they sucked it up and came back with more of their own. It was like Ali versus Fraser.
That game last August truly inspired people. But while Dublin were festooned with praise, it was notable that they didn’t spawn any imitators.
And if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, surely that tells us something? When club and county managers studied Jim Gavin’s game plan, they reached the eminently sensible decision that it just wasn’t feasible to copy the Dubs.
With six scoring forwards and more sitting on the bench, Jim Gavin had reason to believe that he could outscore any opposition. But very few squads are blessed with that type of talent. Most teams have one, maybe two quality scoring forwards. When county managers analysed their options, they concluded that the wisest move was to copy Donegal’s defensive system. It was as if Dublin were viewed in isolation.
Even after their thrashing by Mayo last year, Donegal’s All-Ireland victory in 2012 still left a long and lasting impression. When Jim McGuinness’s legacy was assessed last week, it was widely noted how he gave hope to other counties. In 2010, Donegal were nowhere. Two years later, Michael Murphy was walking up the steps of the Hogan Stand. Most counties could identify with Donegal. They were not given a special exemption. By coping Donegal’s practices and structures, counties believed they were following the road map to success.
But by the time Donegal reached this year’s All-Ireland final, they were no longer the same source of inspiration that they were in 2012. Two years ago, Donegal’s victory was accredited to great management, superb tactics and incredible fitness. There was a different narrative this year. To pursue their All-Ireland dream, Donegal postponed their entire club championship. During the National League, they went to Portugal for a warm weather training camp. That foreign venture cost €53,000. Before they played Derry in the Championship, Donegal spent several days at the four-star Johnston House Hotel. It is a venue they have used repeatedly. There were other visits to Mullingar and the Lough Erne Golf Resort in Fermanagh.
If Donegal were regarded as a beacon of hope for the standard county, some of that status has been eroded. If winning an All-Ireland title requires the suspension of the club championship, and tens of thousands of pounds for training camps, then most counties would have to declare that they are incapable of following that blueprint.
So when Kerry beat Donegal in this year’s final, I initially had a perverse notion that the victory would generate more hope for those counties seeking to make the breakthrough.
While Eamon Fitzmaurice’s team spent a week at the Amendoeira Golf Resort in Portugal, there were no reports of week-long training camps. None of the Kerry players were being ferried to training sessions in a helicopter. Eamon Fitzmaurice proved that counties don’t need millionaire benefactors in London pumping huge money into the training fund.
However, having had time to mull over Kerry’s victory, I have reached the conclusion (not for the first time in my life) that I was completely wrong. Like Dublin’s victory, Kerry’s recent success will have minimal impact. Kerry is also regarded as a state apart.
To reach the last 12 in next year’s All-Ireland Championship, Kerry have to beat Waterford or Tipperary. To reach the same stage, Donegal have to beat Tyrone. Then they have to beat Armagh. Then they have to beat Derry or Down. By the time Kerry entered this year’s Championship against Clare, Tyrone had played three games against Down (two) and Monaghan.
No wonder Kerry can play club games during the summer. Their Championship doesn’t start until the end of June.
The usual rules don’t apply to Kerry.
For the counties in Division One and Division Two who are dreaming of September glory, they just can’t identify with Dublin’s vast resources. With 37 All-Ireland titles, and a two-game provincial Championship, Kerry also inhabit a different universe.
And that has to be a concern for the GAA. As All-Ireland champions, Dublin and Kerry will be admired. But when it comes to choosing a model for success, teams will believe that their best chance lies with copying Donegal. That means suspended club championships and a financial investment programme that is impossible to sustain.
That spells trouble. Football is in dire need of a third way.
