Hurling tactics: Hunting for the small margins that could land the biggest prize

Reaching for the extra inch: Limerick's David Reidy with Johnny Coen of Galway. Pic: INPHO/Evan Treacy

The past fortnight will have been tough weeks for Ian Costigan and Sean O'Donnell who work as performance analysts for Kilkenny and Limerick respectively. It began with an intense review of their team’s semi-final performances for the coaching team and players and then they were straight into a deep review of the opposition awaiting them on Sunday. The main question any coaching team needs to know from their analysts is “What do I need to know?”. 

There are reems of “stats” available, hours of clips highlighting players and tactics, but a coaching staff with two weeks to prepare need only know the essential information that shapes their final preparation. The role of the analyst tends to be one of a filter mechanism – reducing the information to clear tactical points for the decision makers.