JIM GAVIN HAS brushed off claims that Dublin have abandoned their expansive style and are following the pack towards a blanket defence.
The tactical reality, he insists, is much more complex.
Gavin’s Dubs share part-responsibility for the worst game of the Allianz National Football League, a mind-numbingly dull 0-8 to 0-4 win against Derry.
It was heralded as ‘the death of Gaelic football’ but Gavin believes simplistic criticism is undermining the art of organised defending and smart counter-attacking.
Advertisement
“First and foremost, defence is a part of every team’s game,” he said.
“Teams have different philosophies and different cultures, and we like to play a particular way, but defence is a part of our game and always has been.
“I think we have been defensively strong and we do an awful lot of work technically on the art of defending, but also tactically. That’s the first thing, it is an area that we really really go hard after.
The term ‘blanket defence,’ the devil is in the detail and doesn’t do justice to how intricate some of the defensive systems are.
The challenge for Dublin — and for all teams — is in finding a way around the clash of cultures to win the game, Gavin continued.
“Going as far back as 2011, when Donegal came up, I did say that I was surprised at the comments that were made about the Donegal system. I thought it was inventive. It took a lot of hard work for them to play it that way.
It’s not just a blanket – that word doesn’t explain it all. There’s players going man-to-man, there’s players going zonal, it’s a combination of both.
“And obviously they’re playing a counter-attacking style of play. So, some teams set themselves up to play a counter-attacking style of play and some other teams want to play a more expansive game.
“And the challenge for both of us – whatever system you play – is you’re trying to break the other system down. So I think, from a coaching perspective, it’s a challenge and it’s certainly one that we’re embracing in the Dublin camp.”
“I can’t influence what people write about us,” he added.
Of course there are going to be patches in play where you have men behind the ball. In a moment in time that will always happen, because players don’t want to concede points and for whatever reason they’re covering off space.
“But I think you need to look at the tactical formation of the defensive structure and where does that start and what’s the philosophy of the team, and that will tell you more about what way they’ll play.”
Jim Gavin explains why the phrase 'blanket defence' is doing GAA tactics a disservice
JIM GAVIN HAS brushed off claims that Dublin have abandoned their expansive style and are following the pack towards a blanket defence.
The tactical reality, he insists, is much more complex.
Gavin’s Dubs share part-responsibility for the worst game of the Allianz National Football League, a mind-numbingly dull 0-8 to 0-4 win against Derry.
It was heralded as ‘the death of Gaelic football’ but Gavin believes simplistic criticism is undermining the art of organised defending and smart counter-attacking.
“First and foremost, defence is a part of every team’s game,” he said.
“Teams have different philosophies and different cultures, and we like to play a particular way, but defence is a part of our game and always has been.
“I think we have been defensively strong and we do an awful lot of work technically on the art of defending, but also tactically. That’s the first thing, it is an area that we really really go hard after.
The challenge for Dublin — and for all teams — is in finding a way around the clash of cultures to win the game, Gavin continued.
“Going as far back as 2011, when Donegal came up, I did say that I was surprised at the comments that were made about the Donegal system. I thought it was inventive. It took a lot of hard work for them to play it that way.
“And obviously they’re playing a counter-attacking style of play. So, some teams set themselves up to play a counter-attacking style of play and some other teams want to play a more expansive game.
“And the challenge for both of us – whatever system you play – is you’re trying to break the other system down. So I think, from a coaching perspective, it’s a challenge and it’s certainly one that we’re embracing in the Dublin camp.”
“I can’t influence what people write about us,” he added.
“But I think you need to look at the tactical formation of the defensive structure and where does that start and what’s the philosophy of the team, and that will tell you more about what way they’ll play.”
New report on ‘overwhelmed’ student GAA players makes for concerning reading
DCU and UL lead the way in the Sigerson and Fitzgibbon Teams of the Year
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Comfort Blanket comp:Allianz Football League Division 1 (Gaelic Football 42) Jim Gavin Dublin