2020 league

Throwball

Well-Known Member
Someone attending the match has just told me that their number 9 punched Oisin O'Neill in the stomach, did anyone else see this incident?

Yep 100%. The number 17 also punched both Grimley and McElroy off the ball. Number 8 also pushed an Armagh player - cant remember who - with an open palm in an upward movement on the chin.
 

Throwball

Well-Known Member
On a side note anyone else checked their season ticket account records. I was sitting beside a chap today who mentioned his wasnt updated for the laois game. 2 of us just checked and we are the same. Happened me before and was told tough shit when emailed them so checking if more impacted?

I checked mine on Saturday and it hadn't been updated. Sent them an email. Bad enough watching that night without being acknowledged that you were there !!
 

Throwball

Well-Known Member
Much criticism of Armagh tackling and management. Two quick points:
1. Referees in Armagh seem to blow less frees than inter county.
2. Many of these players have been playing with their clubs for 15 years or more. If they cannot tackle there are a lot more people to blame than the current county management.
 

PutTheHighBallInLow

Active Member
I think anyone will agree we have problems at the centre of our defence and our tackling is very poor. However, defence starts from corner forward, if defenders are bombing forward others should drop back to fill the holes they have left. No full back in my opinion should be playing in the oppositions half. I might be old school but that it is what I believe, the centre of the defence should never be left exposed.
I remember being at a level one coaching course some years ago and Peter MC Donnell took a work shop on tackling, he must have forgotten all that advice and tutoring he gave us
 

Patrick-Armagh

Well-Known Member
I wasn't at the game yesterday, so can't comment on the action itself and what the referee did. However, to draw a game like this when you're so far in front, collapse and need a late goal to equalise is unforgivable. There's no doubt in my mind that Armagh under McGeeney have developed in their attacking game and we have a forward line that is the envy of teams outside of the top four or five. However, defensively we are a shambles at times. It's almost like we've sacrificed the defensive side of things to just outscore teams and then hope to hold on. Maybe we just don't have enough players that are defensively good enough? It's rare that you will dominate a game from start to finish and you always expect the opposition to get on a bit of a run and reduce the score, but to overturn that sort of score speaks to a team that is defensively naive and can switch off mentally when they think the game is won. This is something that we've seen time and time again in McGeeney's time in charge. In the first few years it could be put down to a young team finding their way at this level. At this point though, they are all, bar one or two, experienced county players and should know how to see out games. But they don't and as long as they don't, it's what will hold this team back.

Yesterday should have seen us taking a big step towards promotion. Now we are one of a number of teams that are in with a shout and if we continue to switch off like this, we don't deserve to get promoted.
 

ShiftYa

Well-Known Member
As far as the tackling thing goes, I know for a fact from talking to current players on the team, while performing drills and playing games in training Mcgeeney has a policy of not blowing the whistle to call fouls for bad tackling, using a Play on, Play on approach to his training. I know many clubs around the county use this approach to due to how games are refereed at club level but surely the county management and coaches need to cop on and coach tackling so it’s not an issue every game we play.
 

JIMMY MAC

Member
As far as the tackling thing goes, I know for a fact from talking to current players on the team, while performing drills and playing games in training Mcgeeney has a policy of not blowing the whistle to call fouls for bad tackling, using a Play on, Play on approach to his training. I know many clubs around the county use this approach to due to how games are refereed at club level but surely the county management and coaches need to cop on and coach tackling so it’s not an issue every game we play.

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Big Jim

Well-Known Member
Yep 100%. The number 17 also punched both Grimley and McElroy off the ball. Number 8 also pushed an Armagh player - cant remember who - with an open palm in an upward movement on the chin.
Ah so there you have at least described why it was ok. It was an upward movement. Had it been downward, sideways, forward or back, it would have resulted in a free and maybe even a card. In actual fact, in that case the Armagh player (I'm nearly sure it was Aidan Forker) should have been carded for making contact with the opposition player's palm.
 

JoeH

Well-Known Member
As far as the tackling thing goes, I know for a fact from talking to current players on the team, while performing drills and playing games in training Mcgeeney has a policy of not blowing the whistle to call fouls for bad tackling, using a Play on, Play on approach to his training. I know many clubs around the county use this approach to due to how games are refereed at club level but surely the county management and coaches need to cop on and coach tackling so it’s not an issue every game we play.
Can anyone actually define the tackle?
Problem is one ref goes one way, one another
If had a hurling game at the weekend that was reffed properly resulting in 50+ frees, 13 yellows and all you hear is - using the bullshit translator - we want the game flowing so ignore the rules

The tackle should be simple - one person allowed to tackle the ball carrier. If 2 or more its a free.
 

Big Jim

Well-Known Member
@JoeH the tackle is clearly defined in the rules. It is only allowed on the ball with no physical contact between players is permitted. Tackle is only allowed with one hand and not the swinging arms like a demented boxer we sometimes see - often described as using the near hand with the other one held out to demonstrate it's not being used, again making the player look like a skater learning to stand up. The only exception is the shoulder check, which must be shoulder to shoulder on a player in possession and both players travelling in the same direction with at least one foot on the ground. You often see players remonstrating that they used the shoulder which is mostly technically correct, except they didn't make contact with the shoulder. You also can't touch a player bending down to pick up the ball once they are committed to it

As a nipper a coach we had always tried to teach us to run alongside an opposition player and when they hopped or soloed the ball we had to "nudge" them. I was always too clumsy or slow and they ended up in a different county completely when I tried it. Worked really well just once and the ref came out of the coma after 3 weeks and made a full recovery!!
 

Peter grimes

Well-Known Member
As far as the tackling thing goes, I know for a fact from talking to current players on the team, while performing drills and playing games in training Mcgeeney has a policy of not blowing the whistle to call fouls for bad tackling, using a Play on, Play on approach to his training. I know many clubs around the county use this approach to due to how games are refereed at club level but surely the county management and coaches need to cop on and coach tackling so it’s not an issue every game we play.
I’m going to say that is not happening. Not because I know that it’s not happening but that it’s impossible to believe that it’s true
 

PatMustard

Well-Known Member
As a nipper a coach we had always tried to teach us to run alongside an opposition player and when they hopped or soloed the ball we had to "nudge" them. I was always too clumsy or slow and they ended up in a different county completely when I tried it. Worked really well just once and the ref came out of the coma after 3 weeks and made a full recovery!!

You’re an awful eejit, James. Did he book you when he woke up? :D

In all seriousness though, running along side, we were always told to anticipate when the ball is in the air from a toe-tap or bounce. This was always the best time to get to the ball without fouling.

Nowadays though, I think tackling has been abandoned, due to the continental quilt defending. It was needed more when it was man to man.
 

Peter grimes

Well-Known Member
RTE not giving us any airtime at all today. Only highlights from one non division one game. They’re a shower
Did you expect more division 2 football on a football & hurling weekend? RTE budget is very limited. Fans of every sport have had to adjust their expectations. Too simplistic to label them a shower
 

niall1980

Well-Known Member
The problem is different refs apply the tackling rules differently. Even in the same games. I’ve seen high profile teams get away with stuff the likes of Morgan and McCabe get blown up for regularly. I do feel our reputation goes ahead of us. That said we do have a problem tackling.
 

gael_force_orchard

Well-Known Member
Right there are 3 rounds of fixtures left. And by league positions the following teams have the following fixtures, Cavan play Clare, Kildare and Roscommon (id expect them to win 2 of the 3 and finish on 10 points). We play Fermanagh, Roscommon and Clare (I wont stipulated how i think we will do). Roscommon play Westmeath, ourselves an Cavan (on paper Roscommon have the toughest run in) Westmeath play Roscommon, Laois Kildare. And Laois play Kildare, Westmeath and Fermanagh. There could be a team on 10 points and potentially 3 teams on 9 points. We need one more win for safety. I genuinely don't think we are ready for Division 1 and would be happy if we beat Fermanagh and secured safety. They are typically a team we struggle against and id be looking for a serious response after yesterday and a bit more tactical nous. I wont be expecting an exciting game, it will be tense and it will be a ware of attrition. But we need to learn. And we need to learn quickly.
 

Berfaboy77

Active Member
I disagree, We need a year in Div 1 to really bring this team on. Don’t get me wrong, I think we’d seriously struggle (like Meath) and would probably go back down, but playing the Dubs, Kerry, Galway etc is worth 3 years in Div2. At least the lads will see what level they need to get to. Even though Meath have struggled you can see them improving in Div 1 and they have Kerry plenty to think about at the weekend
 

Peter grimes

Well-Known Member
How naive! Your right it’s impossible training games aren’t officiated in the same manner as the actual games.

My point is that the management of a team persistently called out for fouling would definitely be addressing that in training and doing their utmost to replicate inter county refereeing standards as opposed to local club practice or worse still no practice. It’s just not believable that wouldn’t be happening
 
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