Hurling being reduced to ping-pong, warns Ger O’Loughlin
Davy Fitzgerald’s predecessor is praying there is no repeat of the first half of Clare and Waterford’s drawn Division 1 final, when they clash in Sunday’s Munster semi-final. He anticipates both teams will adopt a sweeper system but senses supporters have become frustrated with the tactic.
“It will only take another of those type of games where there is no hurling or skill in it and the punter will be scratching his head wondering what hurling is coming to. Nobody wants that. There will be tactics on Sunday but I’m hoping hurling gets back to the way it should be played. Clare and Waterford need a certain type of plan and sweeper to complement the hurling they play but I’m definitely not a follower of the stuff we’ve seen where it’s completely negative and just a game of ping-pong from one side of the pitch to the other.
“If you want to win a game 12 points to 11, that’s fair enough but in the long term it will have a detrimental effect on people following the game. Hurling is such a beautiful game that it would be a pity to see too much of these tactics. I’m not knocking Clare and Waterford — they have to play this system to complement the players they have. They do it to counteract the one-on-ones they would otherwise find themselves in against Kilkenny and Tipperary. They’re looking at different ways of playing.
“But we’re now seeing games like Cork against Tipp, where there was no belief in the type of system they’re playing. Watching that, it does nothing for the game. Hurling is already a smaller pool without the possibility of Cork dropping away. We’ve already seen the demise of Laois, Offaly, and Wexford. We need them contesting. Otherwise, it could be back to Tipp, Kilkenny, and maybe Galway and the rest is irrelevant.”
O’Loughlin, though, accepts Clare are playing with a sense of freedom as Fitzgerald has moved away from the criticism that saw their former colleague Brian Lohan, backed by Ger Loughnane, call for an independent review of the team’s 2015 season.
“They seem to have turned the corner. They went through a very bad run over two seasons and justifiably people were getting anxious about results and the vibes coming out of the camp weren’t positive. An injection of new people and some other changes have seen an improvement in performances.”
O’Loughlin and Fitzgerald’s ex-team-mate Liam Doyle has also noticed how the criticism from certain quarters has quelled in the wake of Clare’s rich vein of form this season.
“There hasn’t been much talk. You couldn’t have asked for anything better since the start of the year. The fact Clare are unbeaten can’t be ignored. Obviously, a lot of work has gone in and all aspects have been covered. Like anything, coming from the high of winning an All-Ireland to not achieving, there had been a lot of critical talk going on but it’s quietened now.”
Doyle believes the use of a sweeper has taken some enjoyment from the game. “It’s now a case of whatever management teams have to do. The enjoyment seems to have gone out of it and it’s become more of a results-driven game. Managers will do whatever they can to get one over on the opposition.”
Bodyke man Doyle fancies Clare may have the edge on Waterford in terms of what they have in reserve. “I’ve a slight fancy for our own fellas. We feel we might have more to come off the bench.”
O’Loughlin also expects Clare to win, albeit by a small margin. “Clare have had injuries but their replacements have done well. I’ve said all along that this is the game of the season for both teams. It’s almost too tight to call and I wouldn’t be surprised if they have to go again but Clare have 23 or 24 lads who can all do a job.” Although. O’Loughlin has questioned the importance of the Munster SHC to Clare, notwithstanding the fact they’re 18 years without a provincial honour. “The Munster title is a bit like the league — it will be forgotten about quickly. Clare haven’t got a Munster title in quite some time and it’s prestigious for them but it’s not the be-all and end-all. It’s all about who is contesting the All-Ireland final.”
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