Not enough time for Meath to master mass defence system

Going into yesterday’s Leinster decider in Croke Park, much of the build up centred on how Meath were going to approach their task against a heavily favoured, high-scoring Dublin team.

Meath had set themselves up in a traditional six backs, two midfield, six forwards approach all year and looked to move the ball direct by foot where possible. This style helped them overcome Wexford in the semi-final but was a recipe for disaster for Kildare when they tried the same tactics against Dublin.

That day Dublin created 13 clear-cut goal chances, eventually scored 4-16 in a game that was finished 10 minutes into the second half.

Everyone, outside the Meath team and their fans, thought the Royals would suffer a similar fate if they attempted the same tactics.

They had only two weeks to implement a new defensive system that everyone understood to give them a realistic chance of collecting the Delaney Cup.

There is a perception that a system means having at least 12 bodies behind the ball at all times and flooding the defensive area to limit space for opposition forwards. While this game plan can be effective, it automatically puts a huge restriction on a team’s attacking game where they leave one or two forwards isolated and often heavily outnumbered. It means teams can limit a high scoring opposition but rarely create enough of their own opportunities to win the game.

Donegal in 2011 are the obvious example and originators of this strategy but they also had some exceptional forwards like Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden who are capable of winning their own possession under duress and kick scores or win frees. They have also made huge developments to their attacking game since the famous semi-final against Dublin and it was these amendments, along with their defensive system, that brought them All-Ireland success.

No matter what defensive scheme a team tries to implement, the most important factor for it to work and limit teams with top-class forwards is communication. There is nothing better as a forward when you know defenders are unsure, especially when they are in three minds on whether to contest a ball coming in, stay tight to the man or try to cover the space.

Defenders need to have worked on their system and develop their understanding and ability to communicate sometimes with only a glance or a look because on big days in Croke Park, like yesterday with over 50,000, there is no way to hear a call from a team-mate in the stadium. Forwards can operate easier on instinct and on movement; defenders will need to understand where the highest point of danger is coming from and whether he has cover coming to help him.

For me, trying to implement a mass defence with an ability to attack in a two-week window wasn’t a realistic option.

Meath needed to look at alternatives and they came up with a game plan that frustrated this Dublin forward line more than any other team has this year and limited them to just 1-4 in the first 35 minutes.

They opted to use their half-back line, Padraic Harnan in particular, to sit in front of their full-back line and not follow their men out the field. By filling this space they were challenging Dublin to beat them with long-range shooting and deter them from delivering long, direct ball into Bernard Brogan, Eoghan O’Gara and Paul Mannion.

Several times in the first half Dublin players looked to find their inside forwards but found the spaces filled with Meath bodies. Paul Mannion was the only one who could win some ball, and that was out towards the Cusack Stand, as Brogan and O’Gara couldn’t get into the game.

As the game wore on Dublin adapted to Meath’s tactics by playing more ball through Harnan’s man, Ciarán Kilkenny. The young Castleknock man made himself available all afternoon and continuously made good decisions when in possession.

This is where the lack of practice of their game plan let Meath down. By stopping one aspect of Dublin’s attack they opened up areas for others to exploit. On a day which looked perfect for football, there was an awkward swirling breeze that made shooting into the Hill 16 goal difficult. You could see the difference in Dublin’s long-range shooting in the second half, with the excellent Kilkenny picking off some wonderful scores.

In the end Dublin’s power and superior quality told but they understand they will need to be even more adaptable when teams are better equipped to last 70 minutes with a defensive game plan.

Meath will be disappointed with the outcome but should take a lot of positives from their performance.