Missing Links In Maastricht

Usual script to explain why we fell short.

1. Bad start i.e. lost first game
2. Missed too many frees
3. Concession of sloppy goals
4. Concession of too many scorable fress

How did we fair in these areas?

We beat Amsterdam in our first game. Paddy kicked 100% of frees kicking off both left and right foot. We conceded one shot on goal in the group games (which was saved). There were frees conceded which could have been prevented but nothing detrimental.

So where did it all go wrong?

1. Our game plan requires a lot of energy, to defend and attack in numbers. Both Championship and Shield panels were wafer thin and we soldiered through most of the day with the bare 11. It wasn't sustainable.

2. Defensive set-up. We tried a different way of going about it. It was quite effective in the first game but was heavily reliant on communication. Bodies tired, voices went quiet and by the time the crucial third group game against Lux came about, we had lost out way.

3. Attacking play. I went to watch Tyrone and Kerry last week and was amazed by the gap between Tyrone's two man full forward line and the rest of their team. They couldn't transfer the ball up the field because of the size of the gap. There was no middle men to move the ball through. We had the same problem on Saturday.

4. Fitness and form. Some of us are off the pace, simple as. I'd very much include myself in that. Small decisions, getting on the ball, nailing the pass. Things were a little bit off.

5. X factor forward. We simply don't have one to bail us out. A'dam's success has been heavily linked to a new forward they got and he has been key to their two tournament wins. Hague had one on Saturday which kept them from being rolled over. Lux were in a similar place to us but their x-factor came from midfield and created a lot of problems. For now, we are a sum of the parts team hence we need to develop a game plan which is kind to the situation. That gets back to point 1. We can be successful playing the way we do, but only with 14 guys at the same level.

With all that said, we missed out on the final on points difference. Amsterdam beat Lux in the final but I definitely fancied us to take them if had got the chance. They had big holes in their team on Saturday and I think we had a better balance. We didn't do enough though and they were the ones who left with the trophy.

We finished 3rd after beating The Hague in a tame enough playoff game and with that, the curtain game down on the Benelux Championship for us.

The timing of the games meant that I did not see any of the Shield games but by all accounts (their accounts) they should have/could have done better. The first game against Amsterdam was one they could have won and a draw against Dusseldorf/Maastricht left them relying on Amsterdam winning their final group game. That didn't happen and the chance to win the inaugural Benelux Shield disappeared.

So that concludes the first part of the season and now we head off for a two week break. Plenty to think about in the coming weeks.

Backs To The Wall

It seems like this has been the same story since the last Benelux Rd of 2011.

In our home tournament a month ago we had over forty players. On Saturday we travel to Maastricht having scrapped two teams of players together – around twenty three players.

The latest blow is the loss of Enda today. With both keepers missing, he was the next in line. Filling the two keeper spots remains our challenge between now and Saturday.

Up to this year, there was no talking to me the week of a tournament. The amount of stress myself and Collie B took on to make sure preparation was perfect was crazy. Two things have changed lately.

We are slowly preparing to step away from the football set-up, at least in training/administration roles. The chasing of players this week was done mainly by the captains, Timmy and Johnny. The training in recent weeks has been led by Cormac and Ross.

Training has been excellent. Our numbers are down but Cormac has showed everyone the level of intensity which we should be training at. Even when he hasn’t been there, we’ve slowly being going up a notch.

Training on Monday night was particularly feisty. Late tackles, stray arms, poking and prodding. Johnny P took a nice shiner away with him. Tonight, Karl headed for a few stitches in his chin. The signs are good.

What we have this year, is a bunch of dogs. The one thing we can be sure of on Saturday is that everyone will back each other up and no-one will be hiding, minding themselves. The atmosphere in the camp is excellent and the core is as close as it has ever been.

However, the biggest question mark that has always hung over us is whether our big players can pull it out when the chips are down. Other teams have won tournaments from that position but too often we haven’t drained every drop of potential out of our guys.

Doing just that is the goal for our two teams on Saturday.

Trip To Tipp

The Huring season concludes in Thurles this weekend with the final round of the European Championship.

This is the second time Euro finals have returned to the mainland (or left the mainland depending on your view). Last year's football competition concluded in Limerick.

I'm still sceptical about who wins out of these moves. Hurling isn't exactly booming in most clubs. The expense and journey time to go to Thurles is something which could be avoided and the players would surely welcome the cost savings. Lux, Holland and Belgium are the most consistent attendees so if you were catering for the majority you would look to a Benelux venue.

Also, like Limerick, Thurles isn't particularly well serviced by flights so it adds more hassle for players. In fairness, the Euro County Board have gone to great efforts to reduce the cost of the weekend, arranging subsidy for trains and also sponsorship for the lunch and evening meal on the tournament day.

The most attractive thing about playing at home for most people is being able to link about with friends and family. It was nice for them to be able to come to Limerick and see what it’s all about. Also, there are a good few non-Irish players playing hurling and they value the opportunity to come and play in Ireland.

The season is coming to an end at a slightly unfortunate time for us as we have recruited one or two new guys and there are a couple more on their way. That's the luck of the draw though. Numbers haven't been huge this year but in the last couple of months especially, training numbers have picked up and the quality of the sessions have naturally followed suit.

I won't be joining the trip, not in protest about it being in Thurles, more out of a need to preserve the body. So far this year, I've managed to play one football tournament outfield and 1.5 hurling ones! The root cause for each missed training and tournament has been hurling. The motions of striking and picking drive everything from my back down crazy.
I had the flights booked and I have no ailment today that would prevent me playing. However, that’s mainly due to having had a five week break from hurling, with only two football sessions in that time. I drew a line under it for the year to try and get something out of the rest of the football season.

One would expect Holland to be strong again but beyond them, the next best could come from anywhere in the field. A strong performance from our lads would secure second place in the overall standings. Whilst no-one would target second at the start of the year, we’d take it now considering the visible gap between Holland and the rest.
Fingers crossed for a successful day.