COUNTER-ATTACKING TACTICS are the only way to avoid being steamrolled by Dublin, Tom Cribbin said.
After a valiant first half, defensive Westmeath were put to the sword in Croke Park as the Dubs clinched their fifth straight Leinster football title.
Cribbin’s side managed to limit Dublin to just eight points in the first half, and 2-13 overall — one of their lowest championship totals under Jim Gavin.
The Westmeath boss believes that their partial success will inspire Donegal and others who are hoping to derail the red-hot All-Ireland favourites later this summer.
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He said: “All the teams playing in Division 1 haven’t gone back and put this system together, including Armagh, they haven’t gone back for no specific reason.
You have no choice but to do it against Dublin. They have so much collective pace and power.
“Even their young players, they’re just very composed on the ball and very, very quick. They have natural pace everywhere. It’s not just fitness or size.
“They have an awful lot of natural pace and for most smaller counties, you can work the game structure right. I thought our lads done it very well in the first half.
“We weren’t counter-attacking at the pace I wanted, (with) the same level of intensity that we were putting into the tackling. I thought we would get forward a little bit more.”
It was Dublin’s 10th Leinster title in 11 seasons but Cribbin was adamant that Dublin’s stranglehold on the province won’t last forever.
Can I see another Leinster team winning a Leinster? Without a doubt. Without a doubt.
“Like, Kildare are after winning a couple of (underage) Leinsters in the last two years. They’re after winning another (minor) today.
“That’s where you have to start. I know they’re doing huge work in underage and we’re already setting up structures in Westmeath to start doing that.
“There’s support to make sure our underage teams are going on the right path and that’s the start.
“There’s no quick-fix to get up to that level. It takes a bit of time and hard work.”
'Dublin have so much pace and power, you've no choice but to play defensively'
COUNTER-ATTACKING TACTICS are the only way to avoid being steamrolled by Dublin, Tom Cribbin said.
After a valiant first half, defensive Westmeath were put to the sword in Croke Park as the Dubs clinched their fifth straight Leinster football title.
Cribbin’s side managed to limit Dublin to just eight points in the first half, and 2-13 overall — one of their lowest championship totals under Jim Gavin.
The Westmeath boss believes that their partial success will inspire Donegal and others who are hoping to derail the red-hot All-Ireland favourites later this summer.
He said: “All the teams playing in Division 1 haven’t gone back and put this system together, including Armagh, they haven’t gone back for no specific reason.
“Even their young players, they’re just very composed on the ball and very, very quick. They have natural pace everywhere. It’s not just fitness or size.
“They have an awful lot of natural pace and for most smaller counties, you can work the game structure right. I thought our lads done it very well in the first half.
“We weren’t counter-attacking at the pace I wanted, (with) the same level of intensity that we were putting into the tackling. I thought we would get forward a little bit more.”
It was Dublin’s 10th Leinster title in 11 seasons but Cribbin was adamant that Dublin’s stranglehold on the province won’t last forever.
“Like, Kildare are after winning a couple of (underage) Leinsters in the last two years. They’re after winning another (minor) today.
“That’s where you have to start. I know they’re doing huge work in underage and we’re already setting up structures in Westmeath to start doing that.
“There’s support to make sure our underage teams are going on the right path and that’s the start.
“There’s no quick-fix to get up to that level. It takes a bit of time and hard work.”
– First published 11.01
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GAA GAA 2015 Post-mortem Dublin Westmeath