Steven Poacher – Defensive styles aren’t for everyone

Waterford are one of the teams who have been criticised for adopting a defensive system

The modern game of Gaelic Football is constantly being scrutinised and criticised for being overly defensive.

Steven Poacher, in his column in this week’s Gaelic Life, suggests that teams are blindly copying inter county team’s defensive styles, without taking into account their own strengths and weaknesses.

“Unfortunately in the modern game, club and county, coaches and managers seem to be consumed by the defensive style,” Poacher says.

“The biggest problem for most coaches may be that they’re trying to make their team fit a certain system and style of play instead of using a system or style which fits their team.

“Systems which are perfected at county level, for example the Tyrone model in 2003, the Kerry direct game in 2008 and more recently Donegal’s counter attacking game and the current Dublin teams high octane attacking game, take months to perfect and are not easily transferable to club sides.”

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