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The GAA World Reacts To Eamonn Fitzmaurice's Tactical Defeat To Mayo

The GAA World Reacts To Eamonn Fitzmaurice's Tactical Defeat To Mayo
Gavin Cooney
By Gavin Cooney
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Eamon Fitzmaurice ultimately changed everything defensively bar what he needed to. In response to Andy Moran and Cillian O'Connor's taking Kerry's full back line to the cleaners, Kerry played a sweeper. To extend the metaphor, it was a messy end for the Kingdom.

Fitzmaurice dropped James O'Donoghue and played Paul Murphy as a sweeper, which left Kerry bereft of attackers: Paul Geaney and Kieran Donaghy were virtually the only Kerry attackers, with Aidan O'Shea frequently taking Donaghy for a wander down the field, leaving the brilliant Geaney ploughing the loneliest of furrows.

That led to a bitterly disappointing first half for Kerry, kicking just 0-06.

Sweepers are generally anathema to the people of Kerry who don't have to worry about how to win an All-Ireland semi-final, with Ambrose O'Donovan saying on Radio Kerry that "sweepers are for keeping chimneys".

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Tadhg Kennelly among those who believe that Fitzmaurice should have played a  more traditional style of play:

Pat Spillane made the characteristic call to "throw the shackles off" at half time. James O'Donoghue came on for Kerry at half time and kicked an electric score, but for Andy Moran to respond with the critical score of the game: winning the ball ahead of Shane Enright and finishing after a lovely exchange with Cillian O'Connor.

Enright was hooked after that, which ended more than a game-and-a-half of torment against Moran.

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Ultimately, Eamon Fitzmaurice will face a long, tough winter after such a strangely inhibited performance.

Ultimately, with all the pre-game focus on Stephen Rochford's tactical decisions, he made none for this game, sticking with the plan he had designed for this tie. Fitzmaurice, however, threw out his entire gameplan, and changed his entire defensive system.

If you needed Rochford's victory encapsulated, it came late on. Kieran Donaghy struck Aidan O'Shea in frustration. That battle was won by Mayo. As was virtually every other one.

Not bad for a management team of donkeys...

 

 

 

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