How Cats raise the physical stakes

It’s a word used by everybody in sport, it seems, but what does physicality actually mean? Donal O’Grady gives his perspective

Physicality is a term that’s bandied about liberally, but there’s no real definition of the word in hurling terms.

A few years ago, it merely meant physical contact that would have been defined as 50-50 contests under the high ball, tussles for the ball on the ground, and shouldering opponents off the ball.

For the most part, though, shouldering is now a dying art; it’s been legislated out of the game. In eliminating dangerous frontal tackles — a good move by the GAA rules committees — the shoulder has been too rigidly defined: the tackle must be totally side to side and crucially, shoulder to shoulder.

This is difficult to accomplish unless one player is static at the time and if mistimed, it can result in a yellow card or — if the tackle is high — a red.

The result is that the traditional “shoulder” is not attempted, and you could count on one hand the number of side-to-side hits made this season.

Winning high ball comes down to advantages in height and strength over opponents, as little attempt is made to pull overhead or even to bat the ball these days; the emphasis is now on overhead catching.

The term physicality is used by many regarding the Kilkenny team’s tackling in recent years. Their free hand engages in regular body hold and let go tactics. The ref gives the advantage and the opponent keeps going but eventually loses possession and the play continues.

This isn’t reserved for inter-county games, it also exists in their club games. Kilkenny added the swarm tackling, borrowed from Ulster football, with the addition of Michael Dempsey and Martin Fogarty to Brian Cody’s managerial set-up in 2005.

Kilkenny win 50-50 physical battles because: (1) they’re big and strong — seven of their first 15 are 6ft 2ins or more, averaging more than fourteen stone (90kg), while five players are 6ft in height, averaging 13 stone (83kg). Tommy Walsh is “small” at only 5ft 10ins.

(2) critically, they have excellent tussling technique on the ground. Added to timing, athletic and technical ability in the air — all honed at club level — is great acceleration, fierce pace, superb natural skill and their overall flexibility up front.

While most teams possess out-and-out half-forwards or full-forwards, Kilkenny’s forwards can and do play in any of six positions as the need arises.

Henry Shefflin, Eoin Larkin and Richie Power are always placed to do maximum damage, depending on the opponents perceived weaknesses. Aidan Fogarty, previously an opportunistic corner-forward has made a huge impression at wing-forward this year while TJ Reid slots seamlessly across the half-forward line for portions of the game.

Their platform for victory has always been goals coming from pace, acceleration and the intensity of their outfield play forcing defensive mistakes rather than physicality.

There’s nothing to stop the opposition from using similar tactics, but it’s natural to the Cats from club activity while it must be practised by opponents: it was obvious in the Leinster final that Galway had been practicing.

Take the animal kingdom as a metaphor: Kilkenny is the alpha-male. When the alpha-male’s position is threatened, he does what he needs to do to stay on top using cunning and experience. Galway is the up and coming rival: victors earlier in the season, they have Joe Canning, David Burke, Cyril Donnellan and Damien Hayes up front, excellent hurlers who can hurt Kilkenny, as Cody knows.

He saw how they took on Kilkenny’s main enforcer Jackie Tyrell with a swarm tackle early in the Leinster final and turned him over. That intensity and know-how from Galway all over the field — not the goals they scored — would have worried Cody. In an attempt to gain an advantage, or at least not to lose any, refereeing is brought into the equation. Refereeing decisions always have a bearing in tight games. Both managers know this.

The Leinster final (where Galway’s intensity trumped the Cats) was refereed liberally but consistently and once rules are consistently applied, most players and management are happy.

Of course players, fans and management are happiest when they win, and if that’s with the help dubious refereeing decisions, a team won’t really worry if the Liam MacCarthy Cup is in their dressing room.

Since 2006 Kilkenny have lost only one final, in 2010, and that couldn’t be attributed to poor refereeing decisions, whereas they benefited from some in the previous year’s final.

Kilkenny will do what it takes to win but I admire their attitude when beaten. There are no recriminations, no excuses, no criticisms of officials — just an acknowledgement of not being good enough on the day.