Last Saturday evening, Armagh goalkeeper Blaine Hughes destroyed Kildare in one of the finest performances of the season.
It wasn’t so much a genius kickout strategy as it was a very skillful and composed player capitalising on a bit of naivety on the Lilywhites’ part.
The Leinster men pushed up like nothing normal on the opposition kicks. They pressed right into the Armagh defence and, even when that meant leaving just three outfield players outside of the Orchard 45′, they did it.
But Hughes took great pleasure in just dropping the ball over the top of all of them and finding orange jerseys like clockwork.
Good movement armagh but kildare definitely got caught pressing too high. 11 inside 45 leaves some chance for goals with 3v3? @darshannon13 pic.twitter.com/hWhDcENV9w
— Conor Swaine (@swaine_o) July 30, 2017
Dublin are even more gungho.
In their desire to put teams under the maximum possible pressure, to get the ball back as quickly as they can and not have the game slowed down or have their intensity and sting taken out of it, they push up like crazy, desperate to reclaim possession straight from the opposition kickout.
They don’t allow any short kicks to be taken, they even commit more men in the middle to strangle a hold of that area. It’s a risk but one which they’re capable and confident of deploying.
Dublin playing less defenders than Westmeath attackers for the opposition kickout pic.twitter.com/JPrHdaThg8
— Conán Doherty (@ConanDoherty) June 25, 2017
It’s probably going to come for Monaghan too.
Jim Gavin wants the ball and he wants it high and fast and he wants to keep Dublin on the front foot.
The Farney county can expect that and they can prepare for it. On The GAA Hour, Colm Parkinson offered a clever kickout strategy for the Ulster men to use at Croke Park.
“Here’s my tactical theory on what Monaghan need to do for their own kickout,” Wooly said.
“Dublin have such an aggressive press on everybody’s kickouts now where they’ll actually move two of their defenders further up and just abandon their men – they got this off Kerry.
“So if I was Monaghan, I’d bring my whole half forward line back into my side of the field and Dublin are going to aggressively push up on them. I’d bring all my team inside the 45′ and have them moving all over the place and Dublin moving with them and then I would bang the ball long.
“If you win that ball, you are in the mix. Dublin have pushed up so far.
“If you lose that ball, you have all your team sitting back ready to defend anyway.
“You actually can’t lose in this scenario.
“If you lose that ball, you’re exactly where you want to be with your defence crowded and working off a counter attack.”
If Dublin push up and Rory Beggan goes long, Monaghan will have space and one v ones with a very potent attack. If Dublin push up and Monaghan lose the ball, the Dubs are out of position, they’ve contributed to the blockage in offence and they can’t use their lightning speed like they want to.
Listen to the full preview of Monaghan v Dublin from 46:30 below.
