“If they spent more time out of the gym, there’s no reason why you have to have as many players back”

Michael Corry

Oh, the blanket defence. What have you done to our beautiful game?

Over the past number of seasons, Gaelic football has become a lesser spectacle. The game has gone uber defensive which has made for ultra boring match-ups, as highlighted by Tomas Corrigan on Monday’s episode of the GAA Hour.

To add insult to injury, the Hurling championship has gone from strength to strength, with supporters and players alike losing track on the number of memorable games.

The worst thing about it all is that teams are choosing to play this way. The obvious tactic in the modern game is to keep the score down, as opposed to increasing your own score tally.

Super 8s ❌
Average 8s ✅@FermanaghGAA's Tomás Corrigan is brilliantly honest on the state of football

You don't get this sort of frankness from many players today 👏
https://t.co/UKdsm07ngb @paddypower

— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) July 17, 2018

Kerry appeared to hatch into their a defensive shell last weekend against Galway – something completely alien to them, and Cian Ward hit out at them for not playing with their own natural style.

He feels that had they worked on a defensive game plan to cope with the Galway threat from earlier on in the year, that they could indeed have still held that danger we associate with them in attack.

“There’s no reason why a properly drilled defensive unit cannot keep a team out. There’s absolutely no reason why they cannot do that. These teams are training, how many months are they spending on the training field? If they spent a little more time getting out of the gym and actually coaching their players positions to pick up and all that stuff, there’s no reason why you have to have as many players back if you do it right.”

The team were discussing Kerry’s lacklustre performance last week against Galway and their perceived decision to move away from the high octane style of play that has been very rewarding for them down the years.

Ward continued, “I’m just saying that on occasions in a game, you have to stick to your own principles. If that’s the best players you have at your disposal and you want to play a certain way, then bloody stick to it and coach to that system. It’s frustrating to look at. There is no guarantee of success at any stage, but at least go, this is how we play, we are Kerry this is how we play. This is our style of play and we won’t compromise.”

Kerry failed to perform last weekend and in truth, the 3 point margin at the end flattered them. The pressure is now firmly on as they head to Clones to take on a Monaghan side who will be full of confidence given their astonishing home record.

You can have a listen to the chat here from Monday’s GAA Hour.