Australia 47 - Ireland 40: Tohill has to be Accountable

Anthony Tohill has some explaining to do. He needs to explain to the 30,000 plus in attendance at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. He needs to explain to the audience watching at home on TG4. He needs to explain to the Australian side who travelled to the other side of the globe for the match. What was Tohill thinking? The Irish strategy going into the match was dreadful until Bernard Brogan's goal inspired and ignited the team to...dare I say it...
play Gaelic football - something this panel can do pretty damn well but Tohill clearly has decided to ignore.

Ball on the Ground
The Aussies have sent a lightning fast squad this time. That much was clear right away. Manager Mick Malthouse has made a risky and cunning decision here. Gone are the bruisers we all loved to hate led by my favourite International Rules goon - Barry Hall. In their place are fast, relatively skilled players who move the ball rapidly and move extremely well without the ball. They mark as though they are glued to their man's hip.

Tohill decided to counter this speed by encouraging our lads to play soccer. Yes, rather than risk being tackled while picking up the ball, the lads were encouraged to dodge contact and kick it on. This had a dreadful effect. It concedes defeat in the physical aspect of the game. The Irish were left single touching the ball on when trailed closely by an Aussie. We looked scared. A tremendous number of possessions were lost to this foolishness. Tohill admitted this after the match the strategy had not worked.

Why on Earth would it have worked. Blind square-balls are not the answer to anything! It only served to move the problem on to another lad all the while the Aussies were given time to retreat. The tactic destroyed transition opportunities and allowed the Aussie wolfpack to gather for the hunt and dominate the midfield.

The Mark
In fact, the Aussies dominated the midfield for a number of reasons. A big reason was their pace, movement, and support. In addition, their use of the mark was superb compared to our lads. Numerous times the Aussies moved the ball through the middle third of the field with ease using the mark just as they have in previous years. They passed the ball up a sideline while the Irish retreated, searching for a man to mark. This means while the Irish were toe-tapping and avoiding tackles, the Aussies were moving the ball with ease during their possessions.

High Ball to Tommy Walsh
Tommy Walsh had a bad game. He was unable to secure possession in any of the numerous chances he was given in the first half. In the third quarter he was moved from full-forward to midfield. He was clearly discouraged and didn't seem to put in the full effort.

That said, how many times was Tohill willing to go to a dry well to check for water? For far too long the team forced the ball into a one-on-one battle that Walsh was clearly not winning. 

Accuracy
Our accuracy let us down - plain and simple. At one point both sides had 12 scores each. The difference was the Aussies had 10 overs and 2 behinds while the Irish had 5 overs and 7 behinds. The crowd did get a laugh at some of the dreadful shots taken by the Aussies but it was the Irish who finished the match with 10 behinds to the Aussie side's 5 behinds. Awful stuff from a side who was clearly uncomfortable and off-balance.

The Last Five Minutes
Brogan's inspiring goal saved the series. The score was 47-29. After his brilliant strike to cut the Aussie lead to 12, the crowd and the team came alive. Everything changed because Brogan and lads started playing Gaelic Football. The team's near obsession with earning a mark melted away in favour of scoring from play. A pass became a pass again instead of a final destination.

I like our chances shooting from reasonable distance rather than floating the ball within 15 metres of the bar and hoping for a mark and an easy over. Our forwards are skilled enough that the mark should not be our sole focus in the attacking third of the pitch. The Aussies need the mark, we don't. I'll tell you what we do need - we need a strategy that plays to our strengths and now we also need to win in Croke Park by 8 points.