Patrick Kelly warns defensive walls must come down

The pain in Patrick Kelly’s calf became unbearable as the Derry game wore on last Sunday, and the Cork forward eventually had to come off injured.

He misses tomorrow’s NFL semi-final against Donegal after a week of rehab, but long experience has taught him patience when it comes to returning to action.

“It’s a slow thing, frustrating, but that’s the way it goes.

“With a muscle injury you’ve got to be careful, you can try to come back too soon but there’s a long summer there, club championships and maybe a league final in a few weeks’ time.”

Cork have taken a lot from the league already. Kelly’s seen how a series of narrow wins have reinforced belief in the newcomers, for instance.

“We’d have a good few players who came on stream last year, but even now they’re still settling in. It can be a bit nerve-wracking to play for Cork, to get the start, so it’s great for them to battle through for the win.

“Tomorrow’s the perfect opportunity for lads to get a taste of a big day in Croke Park. It’s a pitch that can play pretty big, and you probably won’t have a huge crowd at the first game anyway, so it can seem massive altogether. It can seem that you’re doing a lot more running because of that, even though physically you’re not covering more ground.

“And obviously the fact that you’re playing Donegal, a top team, gives you the ideal test on top of all that.”

If you haven’t seen much of Kelly recently, blame a serious hip injury and, on a happier note, a first county senior football title with his club Ballincollig.

And on a happier note again ...

“I suppose I got an extended break with the club’s progress, and getting married, so I didn’t get back in for the early league games. I got in for the Donegal game but hurt myself before we played Kerry, so I stayed at home and played a club game.”

Spring could have been better, though. Ballincollig lost in Munster to eventual provincial champions Austin Stacks.

“Looking back now it was probably an opportunity lost, you’d probably say the standard in Munster wasn’t exceptional and a provincial title wasn’t out of the question for us.

“Stacks were better than us on the day and coming off such a huge win for us, a first senior county title for the club, it was always going to be difficult to go again. We’re a dual club and there’s no guarantee we’ll be back there again.

“Because it went on so long I got an extra break from Cork, but we’re looking ahead already now to the championship against the ‘Barrs.”

Recent weeks haven’t provided great advertisements for Gaelic football, with Dublin-Derry a particular turn-off. Kelly acknowledges the game is now different.

“Definitely it is. I didn’t see a lot of Dublin-Derry, but it was hard viewing. If Derry went up and played open football against Dublin, though, they might be blown away by 10-plus points.

“Dublin, then, learned last year to their cost that if an attacking system comes up against a defensive system then the defensive system will probably come out on top. They found that out against Donegal — well as Dublin played, Donegal’s defensive system wore them down.

“The situation now is that if a team is worried that the opposition will be defensive then they — Dublin and ourselves and a few more — don’t want to be seen as naive and fall into the trap by attacking. You’re probably going to see a lot of games with a defensive system against a defensive system, like last year’s All-Ireland final.

“Kerry did what they had to do and they won a fantastic All-Ireland, but as a neutral watching it wasn’t the best shop window for the game. And you’re getting to a stage where it’s a worrying enough trend, particularly at the elite level.

“Teams have enough time to prepare to get those defensive systems down to a tee, and you might end up with the best teams using the blanket defence against each other. It can end up with teams trying to hit points from outside the 45 because their opponents have 14 men on that line.”

He acknowledges that legislation may be needed: “It’s not pretty, and it’s not the game we grew up with, and if it continues they’ll have to look at rules to change it - keeping a certain number of players in the opposing half or something.

“It’s not a matter of 11 behind the ball, but 13 or 14, and counter-attacking. You’d wonder if there’s a breaking point, will the natural cycle bring about change, but it’s not the most enjoyable to play in and it’s not the most enjoyable to watch. Still, needs must at this level.”

Kelly’s been in that position, looking upfield at a wall of opposition jerseys.

“The big thing people are working on is kick-outs, because if you win your kick-out most teams will have pushed up so there could be an opportunity there.

“In general play, though, it’s either a Donegal or Tyrone system with fourteen at or behind the 45 or a Kerry template where there’s pressure put on in midfield with good numbers behind that.

“You’ve got to have patience, recycle the ball and pick a hole, but it’s very close to rugby league - in to try to break the line, if you fail then you recycle and try to break it somewhere else. It’s hard to watch, certainly.”

He’s equally acute on the attractions of the league.

“It’s funny, everyone tries to play down the league and say the main thing is avoiding relegation, but it can be very useful.

“Because of the tactics being used, everyone tries to learn during the league - what works tactically, what doesn’t - and while training is good, nothing is a substitute for a competitive game to really road-test your tactics.

“I think our management have probably learned a lot in terms of their approach and having a different plan going into the summer. You need more than one plan, because if you just have one and it doesn’t work, you’re in trouble, so the league gives you the chance to try out those plans in a competitive setting.

“And the league would be great to win on its own terms. The team that wins it is usually there or thereabouts when it comes to the championship, and it’s a great boost heading into the summer.

“But it’s first things first, and that means tomorrow’s game.”