Mike Quirke: A shout out for the lads in the trenches

When I watch rugby games on television, I loathe when the commentator talks about the huge amount of ‘unseen work’ being done by certain players. 

Of course, what the man with the microphone is really telling us is; the work being done is in plain view, but we’re just too uneducated on the game to understand what he’s doing out there and too ignorant about the intricacies of the battle to truly appreciate the different roles on the team.

Maybe he’s right – it’s was always easy for a rugby novice like myself to appreciate the sniper-like accuracy of O’Gara’s kicking, or the majesty of Paul O’Connell’s fielding, but far more difficult to properly acknowledge the importance of the muck-savagery involved in John Hayes’ war in the trenches.

I’m not trying to send any similar such subliminal messages here, but with the advent of a more structured game of Gaelic football we’ve definitely seen an upsurge in the use of the term ‘under-rated footballer’ by commentators to describe some of our more heralded ‘unseen’ workers.

It’s not rocket science, but some roles have become more difficult to clearly quantify because of the way the game is now played. For every Diarmuid Connolly, there is a Denis Bastick. For every Aidan O’Shea, there’s a Kevin McLoughlin. For every Gooch there is a Donnchadh Walsh… For every artist who gets praised for his work, there is a guy who mixes the paint and creates the beautiful colours to put on the canvas.

There are many other of course… players who you will not see much of on the highlight package on a Sunday night, but are vital cogs in the smooth operating of their machine. Last Sunday in Croke Park, Kerry ruthlessly dismantled a Kildare side who rolled over far too tamely and allowed themselves to be dominated all over the field.

Kerry had lost their captain and the focal point of their attack three days prior to the game when Kieran Donaghy aggravated a groin injury and was pulled as a precaution. Then they had further disruption when James O’Donoghue went down late in the first- half with a recurrence of a shoulder injury that has placed a large doubt over his participation in the semi-final.

It should have been a perfect chance for Kildare to make it a very uncomfortable afternoon, but instead, they were lifeless - unable to raise a gallop. Despite the adversity of losing two key attackers, Kerry made no excuses, and the next man up did his job. Once they found their rhythm, Kerry didn’t skip a beat and punished the Lilies all the way to the 72nd minute by emptying the bench with men each with their own point to prove.

Despite the lack of a challenge from Kildare, and after a sluggish opening, Kerry began to look pacy and penetrative in attack and rock solid defensively. A good combination for any aspiring All Ireland champion.

Colm Cooper and David Moran led the way, and grabbed all the Monday morning headlines. They were the Ronan O’Gara and Paul O’Connell – easy to appreciate their brilliance on a day that was all one way traffic. But, for several years now, and like this year’s Munster final replay; quiet leaders like Anthony Maher and Donnchadh Walsh remain the under-appreciated heartbeat of Kerry football. They are the ‘unseen’. The guys who live in the trenches like the ‘Bull’ Hayes, rucking and mauling and doing all the little things to nudge their team closer to victory.

For the second game in a row, Maher put on an exhibition of midfield play and that was right up there with what Moran produced. We know he’s an excellent kick passer off both feet, he’s a good ball winner, has good wheels, a huge work rate and likes to kick a score. But they are all the obvious things. He never gets credit for the amount of times he uses his body so intelligently to legally hold off midfield traffic and allow Moran to swoop in uninhibited to fetch ball.

Watch for it next time, he sacrifices himself to allow somebody else get the credit. Or the amount of instances he rises for a kick-out and instead of making the highlight reel catch, he taps the ball constructively to team-mate to release them on the attack quicker, effectively taking stats from his own column and giving them to somebody else. He’s a cog. An unselfish, unaffected sidekick who is happy to be Robin and allow others to be Batman.

Donnchadh Walsh is another member of that invisible workforce whose importance to Kerry is far more appreciated inside the walls of the dressing room than outside. He, like Maher, is a glue guy. He links play and is a big part of their transition from defence to attack. He offers you the sneaky scoring, the breaking ball, the tackling and the incessant running that would break your heart if you were marking him.

Think back to Paul Geaney’s goal that clinched the Munster final replay in Killarney… Donnacha sprinted from 40 yards behind where the free was awarded to 40 yards ahead of it on the off chance he might get the ball. That was his fifth time making a similar hard run at goal in that game, but it was the only time he got the ball. That unselfish running forces help defenders to become attracted to him in the attacking third, thus creating a sliver more time and space for the blue chip finishers to exploit.

Again, you won’t find that on any stat sheet, but his team-mates recognise it and his manager values it. He and Maher constantly leave their own man to chase down somebody else’s — no ego, just honesty.

I know every good team has members of the ‘unseen’, quietly plying their trade in the shadows of greatness. Mayo and Donegal have their guys too, and they will need to extract every last ounce out of them at the weekend if they are to advance. On Saturday, we’ll see the two best full forwards in the game right now going head to head, but I have a feeling this game might just be decided by the supporting casts.

From Mayo’s perspective, I love the positioning of Aidan O’Shea at 14. He looks like a senior footballer who doctored his birth cert and snuck into the minor championship such is the ease with which he throws grown men out of his way with ball in hand. His power and directness will make Cillian O’Connor and Mayo an even greater threat inside.

The question is, will Seamie O’Shea, Tom Parsons and Barry Moran at some stage get enough ball inside to allow their new strike force to flourish. I believe they will. Donegal finished strongly last weekend and looked to find a better groove with Michael Murphy on the edge of the square.

For me, it’s the only place to play him, such is his quality close to goal. But, unlike Mayo with Aidan O’Shea, I’m not sure if Donegal can afford the luxury of leaving him in there for the whole game. Mayo’s ‘unseen’ men around the middle are the key here and wont fear the ominous challenge that Donegal present, having dealt with them so handily back in 2013.

McLoughlin, Doherty and O’Shea and the rest are capable of dominating the trenches for Mayo. If they can get a stranglehold around the middle and force Michael Murphy away from goal, it will present them with their best opportunity of getting the win and advancing to the last four.

Watch out for the little things next weekend… big games are more often than not won by the foot soldiers - even if it’s the generals who determine by how much.