Terry Reilly
Antrim football boss Liam Bradley told us all week Donegal would put on a show of “puke football” at Ballybofey yesterday and we ended up struggling to stay awake in front of the box.
It wasn't anything new. Pat Spillane has been labelling the block defence style in that manner since Armagh came on the scene in 2002. But what option do you have anymore? If you want to get ahead (or even just along) with the big boys come summer you have to have a sound defence and you won't reach the latter stages by playing total football. No-one has been that naive for a long time.
Unfortunately it's a strategy which will turn us all off the game we love. At times RTÉ looked like it was trying to portray a hurling propaganda video showing all the ills of the 'other' game in town. Rain pouring in. Bored supporters. Little action. A lot of pulling a dragging. It's something we've become accustomed to but how long will we suffer it.
Puke football is lazy term. To create a team capable of playing an effective mass defence is a skilled job. You can't just throw bodies behind the ball and hope they'll stop everything. Tyrone's defensive performances against Kerry at their height were things of beauty to anyone.
But Tyrone, Cork and Kerry managed to play in that style while keeping it entertaining for viewers because they're a step above the rest.
It's become the quick-fix. Ulster became the birthing grounds for it. Leinster followed. Galway tried and failed. If you want to succeed get organised in defence, get a good freetaker and a nippy forward and you're on the way.
But when everyone outside the top three play the men-behind-the-ball tactic it's nauseating. They just don't have the forwards capable of getting through that much work and breaking down the oppositions' defence as well.
It's infiltrated the entire game. Just look at club matches as a neutral now and try to stay awake.
But there doesn't seem to be another way to play the game under the current rules. And that's the big issue. While we remain in a world where the tackle is defined by a referee's understanding of the rule and assessors force the game down a soccer route you have to protect your defence.
So here's three rules to change and keep the future of the game alive.
1. You can't have more than nine players inside your half at any stage.
2. Only two players are allowed to tackle the player in possession at any one time.
3. Give two points for shots over the bar from outside the 45 to encourage players to shoot and defences to come out.
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/J4iam5PHsvg/post.aspx
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