Cork-Clare 2013 All Ireland Final clashes.

Amprodude

I see a thread here about Kerry v Dublin in Football so I decided I introduce what I thought was the game of the year. Exciting stuff both games, Clare better team but they had to work hard for their win.

I thought both games were better than anything else I saw all year IMO.

Clareman

I'm probably going to open a war here, but I think skill wise the second game was 1 of the best games of hurling I've ever seen, let alone the game of the season, some of the touches on both sides, some of the touches were amazing. For physicality/passion the Tipp/KK game has to be up there, but that game seems to have been at a slower pace, I know I've just seen highlights on DVDs so I can't be sure.

All in all though it was a great year for hurling, can't remember a year as good as it, at least 6 games that went down to the wire and the losing team could easily have won.

toxicity234

both games were great to watch but the defending was shocking in both game.
mcgarth goal in the second game was awesome and unstoppable. All other goals in the finals were just bad defending. While team and players make mistakes. they was just way too many for any team.
the Cork defense was .... well did cork have a defense. the Clare defense gave away free after free.
While some of the skill were excellent. The Time and space the forward line got was very disappointing, While some of this was good management some was just poor defending.
Its funny that i think that the forwards in both team were far better defender than the the player playing in defense.

Clareman

toxicity234 wrote: »

both games were great to watch but the defending was shocking in both game.
mcgarth goal in the second game was awesome and unstoppable. All other goals in the finals were just bad defending. While team and players make mistakes. they was just way too many for any team.
the Cork defense was .... well did cork have a defense. the Clare defense gave away free after free.
While some of the skill were excellent. The Time and space the forward line got was very disappointing, While some of this was good management some was just poor defending.
Its funny that i think that the forwards in both team were far better defender than the the player playing in defense.

I think the way both teams lined out had a lot to do with the performances of the defences, there was space in around the full forward line because both teams wanted to cut out the points from long range. I'd also challenge anyone to get a score from any sport that couldn't have been stopped with better defending.

Saying that, I thought the half back lines on both teams on both days were poor enough.

randd1

toxicity234 wrote: »

both games were great to watch but the defending was shocking in both game.
mcgarth goal in the second game was awesome and unstoppable. All other goals in the finals were just bad defending. While team and players make mistakes. they was just way too many for any team.
the Cork defense was .... well did cork have a defense. the Clare defense gave away free after free.
While some of the skill were excellent. The Time and space the forward line got was very disappointing, While some of this was good management some was just poor defending.
Its funny that i think that the forwards in both team were far better defender than the the player playing in defense.

While I would agree with your general sentiment (and in fact I would say the defending at times was junior standard), but the simple fact remains the forward play was so good they were hard to stop anyway and that it seemed to me the defenders were more about setting up attacks than actually defending, which is why the games seemed like a good old fashioned shootout.

As for the bit in bold, I would disagree, it was very easily stoppable. First of all the Cork defender (think it was Joyce) should not have let him rise the ball, as he should have watched the ball not the player. Secondly, Shane O'Neill's positioning for his shot was absolutely terrible, he should have been not been so far left of centre of the goal, thus opening his whole right for the shot. He should also have ran out to meet McGrath 4/5 seconds earlier, and I know O'Donnell was inside but a natural FB would not have stood off and would have gone out to meet McGrath and force him wider and let the keeper cover the pass. It was fairly poor defending all round.

That said they were two very cracking games, they were a fittingly entertaining end to a supremely entertaining inter-county year, and in the end the right result came about in both games based on the performances.

Kristopherus

For me, the 2 All-Ireland games were by far the best games of the year and arguably the 2 best games ever. Also 2013 was easily the best hurling year.

n32

Clareman wrote: »

I think the way both teams lined out had a lot to do with the performances of the defences, there was space in around the full forward line because both teams wanted to cut out the points from long range. I'd also challenge anyone to get a score from any sport that couldn't have been stopped with better defending.

Saying that, I thought the half back lines on both teams on both days were poor enough.

I thought the Clare HB line were exceptional the first day and dominated again the 2nd day. In the drawn game Ryan and Bugler were winning every ball that came their way

whupdedo

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