I read his comments today re the Tyrone game, and am interested in hearing opinions of others.

there are 2 ideas on this and its origins, the first being that it is a strategy to stop the opposition playing as ulster teams are not capable of playing the game 'the way it should be played'.
The second view is one that it emerged from ulster because ulster by its nature is highly competitive and to have any aspirations of a run in the championship and the ulster championship, you are going to have to dig a few trenches.

Are there any other theories out there on the blanket defense?

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 19/02/2015 19:11:41    1695105

Donegalman,
Not so sure that it has proved successful if its the case but perhaps some of the less well blessed with strong scoring forward teams have gone with this option also in an effort to give themselves some chance of competing with the bigger scoring teams.
Inevitably, the stronger teams win out in most cases and its the team that can best adapt a balance that have the best chance.
Indeed your own county probably got the most from the system over the past few seasons

Dubh_linn (Dublin) - Posts: 2312 - 19/02/2015 19:43:44    1695120

Mayo did everything other than sit on the ball against Dublin in 2012 semi final so he has not much of leg to stand on.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 19/02/2015 19:54:43    1695128

hurlingdub
County: Dublin
Posts: 6897

1695128 Mayo did everything other than sit on the ball against Dublin in 2012 semi final so he has not much of leg to stand on.
__________________________
+1
"There are none so blind as those who will not see"

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 19/02/2015 20:00:44    1695132

hurlingdub
County: Dublin
Posts: 6897

1695128
Mayo did everything other than sit on the ball against Dublin in 2012 semi final so he has not much of leg to stand on.

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Good point HD. Donegal posters on this forum have claimed that they play the blanket as they don't have the players to play the game the 'way it should be played'. IMO this is nonsense when you look at the calibre of player in that squad and with all-stars all over the pitch. I think the best people to answer the question of why do teams play the blanket are the managers and players of teams who play the blanket. Armagh had success with it and I believe that other Ulster teams adopted it because Armagh were successful with it. Non-Ulster teams adopted it when Ulster teams started to have success with it outside of Ulster. I don't buy the Ulster is very competitive so we have to park the bus argument either. Maybe somebody could elaborate on what this means exactly. If you are in a competitive match you can only win by putting your whole team inside your 45 and once you get the ball hand pass it until you get within kicking distance of the other goal?? I don't buy that either.

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 19/02/2015 20:12:57    1695139

Lads the 2012 semi final is hardly an example of Mayo playing a blanket defence. They scored 19 points that day. They used all out defence tactics towards the end of the game. For what it's worth I have no problem with teams employing a blanket defence, once they do it right. Some teams are half arsed trying it which looks terrible and it doesn't work, especially at club level.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 7885 - 20/02/2015 10:20:18    1695229

Hurlingdub - you should learn a few things about Irish History. There is a few good books of Red Hugh O'Donnell in Easons re: your uneducated post on another forum in relation to certain counties 'not fighting' lol.

Joxer - I think back to the early 00s; we had a fairly decent side. Got to a few Ulster finals , drew with yous boys in 02 ( suberb match if you remember ? ) We also got to a semi final in 03 ( Armagh ) The problem was though that we couldnt beat Armagh because they tactically always hammered us. I don't believe that they were that much superior however their tactics got it right. I do not say this with with any fervour but unfortunately defensive sides usually defeat attacking sides however the former still neeeds excellent players. No offence to a lot of counties who are trying it but they do not have a hope of winning anything. We play it but can play it because we have the right players. Ironically if we didnt play it now , we would be beaten .

TheRightStuff (Donegal) - Posts: 1688 - 20/02/2015 10:58:57    1695236

Did Donal not say he has no problem with Blanket defenses and it is up to to teams to work out their own way around it. What is so amazing about that?

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11227 - 20/02/2015 11:07:43    1695240

Agree with some posts, disagree with others.

Vaughan did in fact say that he had no difficulty in the blanket defense, I put him in the frame because he drew attention to the blanket defense the other day.

I think also that while we in donegal have good footballers, and always did have, we lacked a coherence on the pitch that seemed to come naturally to other teams and counties. I think that we are always a short par 3 away from chaos to be honest, and wonder when the next quarter final display of 2013 will reshow itself. (hopefully never). Although that was with the system, we used to get hockied at least once a year playing an open game. So i dont have any difficulty saying that we use a system to keep shape and mental discipline.

I also think that if you look at teams who have won ulster over the past 15 years (since the back door began), you do see a trend of teams getting to finals and winning them using a system. We were in 3 finals in the 00s, and it wasnt until 2011 that we won with a system of defense. Even when monaghan beat us in 2013 in their final win, they used our template.
Teams that comes to mind that have not won ulster and are very open in their style would be Down. I think it is a fair add for what happens if you go out and try to play sexy stuff on the pitch. In fairness, the only team who has not won ulster that would be categorized as defensive would be Derry, but they may not be that far away this year.

The real test of blanket defenses and their effectiveness as a tactic may come out in the wash, not in clones this summer, but in fields further down the country, that involve games without ulster teams, and involving the main players. Mayo v Dublin would be one interesting fixture. Mayo v Kerry likewise. Dublin v Kerry would be the ultimate test of system v tradition. I am not saying for sure that it is going to happen, but if it does, it would vindicate a lot of things about using blanket defenses as opposed to not using them.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 20/02/2015 12:56:19    1695289

The game has simply become a lot more tactically aware in the last decade or two. Managers have began thinking outside the box and instead of lining out in the traditional format systems are now very much part of the game as is the case with other sports. Gaelic football and indeed hurling is evolving and will continue to evole and when a team finds a degree of success others will replicate and then someone else will come up with a way to overcome that etc etc. You do not have to look any further than last years All Ireland winners to see a team who traditionally 'play the game the right way' become All Ireland Champions by not 'playing the game the right way'.

Naysayer (Antrim) - Posts: 2071 - 20/02/2015 13:20:25    1695298

Playing to a system will soon be a thing of the past. Playing to systemS is the future.
Just a few years ago Donegal were classed by some as "unbeatable". This was ofcourse a stupid idea as all teams are beatable and it was just that no-one had found a solution. The solution soon became evident in the Ulster Final of 2013 when Monaghan played like for like and won.
The future of successful teams will be their ability to adapt. The best GAA players are the ones with that ability and therefore the team with the best players and goof manager will outplay any team with a singular system. Kerry showed last year that they can play attack, ala the Cork game or defensively in the All Ireland Final. Dublin showed in the league game v Donegal that they are developing the same mindset.
Soon County squads will include players to play different types of systems, like American Football, and will utilise these players as a game progresses to either close out, catch up or finish a game.

Tir Conaill Abu (Donegal) - Posts: 1671 - 20/02/2015 13:46:53    1695311

ir Conaill Abu
County: Donegal
Posts: 1020

1695311
Playing to a system will soon be a thing of the past. Playing to systemS is the future.
Just a few years ago Donegal were classed by some as "unbeatable". This was ofcourse a stupid idea as all teams are beatable and it was just that no-one had found a solution. The solution soon became evident in the Ulster Final of 2013 when Monaghan played like for like and won.
The future of successful teams will be their ability to adapt. The best GAA players are the ones with that ability and therefore the team with the best players and goof manager will outplay any team with a singular system. Kerry showed last year that they can play attack, ala the Cork game or defensively in the All Ireland Final. Dublin showed in the league game v Donegal that they are developing the same mindset.
Soon County squads will include players to play different types of systems, like American Football, and will utilise these players as a game progresses to either close out, catch up or finish a game.

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I agree with you Tir Conaill Abu. Dublin were found out with their offensive system in last year's semi, Donegal were found out with their defensive system in the final. Kerry tried to play somewhere in between and edged it. But I agree totally. It will be all about adaptability from here on in with teams abandoning their principals, coming out of their shell more in some cases and going into more in others. It will certainly make things more interesting and that can only be a good thing.

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 20/02/2015 15:24:22    1695344