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This season kick-outs weren't the be-all and end-all, because teams have tactically evolved in the last 12 months to defend better in these scenarios. Interestingly the teams who were perceived to have slightly weaker midfields, actually faired better at the business end of the season. As others are saying, hitting 2 pointers was essential this season and will be every season moving forward. Goals and 2-pointers need to be central to any game plan, because merely 6 attempts can become 13 or 14 points and that can kill a game. We need a better array of 2 point shooters from left, center and right sides, as having a variety of long rang shooters can stretch opposition defenses. Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1922 - 31/07/2026 12:00:27 2688269 Link 1 |
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It will be interesting to see how many county players hit two-pointers in the upcoming club championships. A different level of intensity and pressure than playing at county level I know. Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 10445 - 31/07/2026 13:38:26 2688289 Link 0 |
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I would say most can with no pressure and a wind behind them though maybe don't get too carried away with mayo. It was still only two of their players hit two pointers on Sunday.
Ulsterchamps_32 (Donegal) - Posts: 1045 - 31/07/2026 19:41:11 2688332 Link 0 |
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What were the stats on opposition kickouts.It looks like "own kickouts" were even.Kerry got away a lot of short kickouts but were unable to break through the Mayo press.It would be interesting to see the story with balls that went to the middle of the field.There seems to be a narrative now that winning midfield is not that important but I don't think many managers would agree with that.Naturally managers will prepare for the outcome of losing that battle and maybe they are getting better at that but if you are getting cleaned at midfield you will need to be extremely efficient with the chances you get.That was the case in the first half in Kilarney.
gunman (Donegal) - Posts: 1265 - 01/08/2026 12:51:58 2688377 Link 0 |
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Mayo won 11 of their 25 own kickouts and also claimed 10 of Kerry's 25. Kerry's figures were the reverse, winning 14 of their own and 15 of Mayo's. Overall, Kerry won 29 of the 50 kickouts (58%), while Mayo won 21 (42%). On the face of it, those numbers should have been more than enough for Kerry to win the game. That said, your point about Kerry's short kickout is very valid. Mayo applied intense pressure whenever Kerry went short, and overall it probably wasn't worth it for them. Too often Kerry ended up under immediate pressure, which played right into Mayo's hands. It's also interesting to consider how different things might have looked if Kerry had someone like Rory Beggan. He has the range to drive kickouts over the press into the forward line, forcing the opposition to defend deeper. Shane Murphy simply doesn't have that distance, so Mayo were able to push right up on Kerry's kickouts without really fearing a ball going over the top. Ulsterchamps_32 (Donegal) - Posts: 1045 - 01/08/2026 15:49:32 2688394 Link 0 |
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Oh for sure, I'm not advocating that we go totally gung-ho, and start attempting them wildly. Like Commodore mentioned though, we are definitely lacking a citeog or two to keep teams honest. Ciaran Thompson has a hammer of a left foot, and everyone knew the damage Paddy could do coming on the loop. We badly missed those options last year. Daire O'Baoíll is another great two pointer option. He was motoring very well but his injury disrupted his progress and he never seemed to get back to full steam. Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 10445 - 01/08/2026 18:45:05 2688408 Link 0 |