Kingdom’s keys waiting on wings

Get the ball up the field fast. Shoot accurately from long range. These are the traditional and clichéd answers to the blanket defence. They have had their merits on different days but both are now limited in effectiveness. Donegal’s mass defence system is an evolved one and can deal with both.

Getting the ball up the field fast is pointless if Donegal players are back there waiting for you. Shooting accurately from long range is unsustainable over 70 minutes.

In a way, it’s disappointing the tactical evolvement of Gaelic football has not yet extended itself beyond these worn-out maxims. The blaming of individual players on the losing side and the crediting of other players on the victorious side is far easier. It’s simpler to digest. The system which won the battle is given far less credit.