This game was a carbon copy of the Ulster final. Eeerily similar. Same style of play from us and the opponent, same black card incident, penalties and same outcome. I don't think it's a coincidence or bad luck that we've found ourselves in two penalty situations this year, and one last year. We haven't been able to finish the job in normal time. I've found the lack of goals very frustrating. We created goal chances on Saturday but again couldn't take one. Monaghan didn't create any, unless you count the one half chance that blazed over the bar. In these kinds of matches, we take one of those chances and it's probably enough to get the win. We just are lacking that level of certainty and decision making in front of goal. It shows itself in the option to take a fisted point rather than throw a dummy and side step the keeper. We see it too when the ball is laid off to another forward who inevitably gets smothered by the keeper and gets blocked, or has to take the fisted point. It's hurt us badly this year and last. I haven't heard this mentioned much in all the post match analysis this year and last. The area that the Sunday game focused on, and all the podcasts will too probably, is the sitting deep tactic. We just don't do it very well. Sitting deep is fine in itself if it leads to turnovers and counters. But looking at the Derry and Monaghan games, we got very few turnovers, and of the ones we do, we tend not to translate them into counters that lead to scores because we can't counter quickly enough or have an out ball for us up the pitch. We don't get turnovers because we sit off too much. In the games I've been at this year, Derry, Westmeath and Monaghan all had the time to pretty much do what they pleased with their possession building out from the back and when getting into our half. If they wanted to keep the ball for 2, 3.4 minutes and then decide to take a shot, they could, and we were relying on them kicking it wide by that stage. Sitting deep keeps out the goals, but it doesn't prevent the other side kicking points. It's a tactic that's not working for us as we've been beaten (Derry/Monaghan) or been very close to losing (Westmeath). Gaelic football is about intensity and passion or as it used to be called, getting stuck in. Standing off isn't an option. Looking at Kerry against Tyrone, they sat deep, but they made bloody sure they were breathing down their necks, getting a hand or foot in to get the ball away and making life very uncomfortable for the Tyrone forwards who were playing with their back to goal and not able to get turned. Contrast that to us sitting, 2 or more yards off and letting them play in front of us. The other thing I thought hurt us badly against Monaghan was just not enough movement from our forwards when we were trying to break them down. There were times when we needed somebody to break away from their marker and try a run in behind into space for a quick ball over the top of the defender. It just wasn't happening enough.
All in all a very frustrating feel to the season and a sense that we've let key matches slip through our fingers. A lot of unknowns now looking forward to next year. Unfortunately unless you're a Kerry or Dublin most seasons end in pain for their supporters. Our's is at the higher end of the pain spectrum because of the nature of the defeats and the feeling that there is an Ulster in this team. I don't think Derry and Monaghan are particularly great (in terms of AI potential) or any better than us, and the semi finals will be as far as they can go. But the nagging feeling will be that we could and should have beaten both of them this year.
