Cloak and daggers at the ready, it's the Allianz Football League finals.
There’s no need for championship opponents to be sneaking in hedges or climbing trees. They can sit bold as brass in the Hogan Stand and have a wee curry chip at half time. With championship not so much around the corner as straight in front of them, teams naturally are finalising their plans.
In past years, there has arguably been less to learn. Like looking through the shades of grey of a paint catalogue, pretty much every team was playing the same. It was fall back, set up deep and keep possession when attacking - again and again and again.
Not now, the game has some patterns but the biggest one is a lack of predictability. The fact that teams are still very much in the learning phase means there is very little refinement or intricacy yet.
It’s a case of stick to the basics of work hard and basic skills done fast. With that, barring that the curry chips are very good, I can’t imagine the watchful eyes in the Hogan stand will learn very much.
Ironically kickouts, one of the heralded aspects of the new rules are, for me, an area where the game has lost more than it has gained.
I’m hoping that things are in such an early stage of development that we are not yet seeing the potential clever ideas that may emerge and give some variation from the lump it out variety that is the current modus operandi.
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate as much as anyone a good aerial contest in the middle and the art of winning breaking ball, but going from an era where kickouts were the most tactically dynamic aspect of the game, I can’t but feel we have lost something in restricting teams so much in valid options.
But enough about rules, we’ve had a winter and spring full of that.
The issue for the league finals this weekend is that we must accept that we aren’t going to be learning anything new or ground-breaking regarding what teams are doing or the opportunities within the new rules for innovative play.
You can be very sure if there is a manager out there who has figured out a potentially high value, workable play, he’ll not be rolling it out this weekend.
But maybe that’s the whole point. Rather than going to games trying to muster enthusiasm for the tactical battle ahead and the slight nuances of how Team A deploys their blanket versus Team B’s quilt, we can relax and head to a game or turn on the TV and look forward to the brilliant play that we are being treated to on a regular basis at present.
I know we football pundits aren’t exactly too well thought of at the best of times, but come on, going back to the paint company’s ability to describe practically identical shades in a myriad of fanciful terms, so the footballing cliché bingo of 'intriguing’, ‘game of chess’, ‘tactical battle’ etc had to be rolled out ad infinitum.
On commentary, the two comms could literally have a catch-up conversation with each other as they watched the latest ‘attacking’ play going from wing to wing, back the ways and sideways again. The flutter of excitement as we seen a player actually look up, only to realise that those ahead of him had as much space to run into as inside a £1000/mth studio flat in Dublin. Slow, tactical, or poor games will still happen, but for now they are more likely to be the exception than the rule.
This weekend let’s be frank, there isn’t a huge amount riding on the outcomes of the games and we aren’t going to learn a lot about many of the teams.
Even though these are league finals, they will be but an afterthought in a few weeks’ time. Just ask our last Allianz League champions. Yet, I can’t wait to sit and take in the games. To see James Naughton strut his stuff on Croke Park, the young Offaly team and the energy they are playing with, the attacking pace of Monaghan’s half-forward line or the class of the Roscommon forwards. They all are an easy enough sell to the armchair viewer never mind an avid fan.
Even in the worst of times, Kerry and Mayo games always had something about them but the two teams seem to have rediscovered themselves.
For years Mayo seemed to struggle with the need to reign in their natural fondness for chaos and high-octane football. Even in the early stages of this league they seemed fearful of fully embracing the nature of our new game. They might’ve fallen into a league final in some ways, but they have multiple players who appear to have found a new lease of life. As for Kerry, well they are rubbing their hands. Kicking is back and good forwards are again the king makers. Expectation was never exactly low around the green and gold but it'll be even harder to temper now.
Returning to Croke Park, they’ll feel like banishing a few bad recent memories, getting a feel for the place in this new era.
The cup at the top of the Hogan steps is now named after one of their greatest sons, Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh. It was often said that his legendary skills behind the mic could make even the dullest of games seem like a match for the ages.
One could imagine how much he’d have enjoyed the league so far, and like any good Kerry man, he’d never walk away when the trophy is there for the taking.
Kerry, Monaghan, Kildare and Wexford for me. Don’t put your money on it!
Follow the Allianz Football League finals on Saturday and Sunday on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Watch Allianz League Sunday from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Listen to updates on RTÉ Radio 1
