Over the last few seasons there has been plenty of discussion about the state of the game of Gaelic Football and what the future holds for the game.
How teams are setting themselves up has sparked much of the debate. With each passing season most teams are becoming more and more ultra defensive, the sight of two or even three sweepers in a teams setup have become the norm.
It has led to what can only be described as games bereft of any entertainment or excitement for the paying supporters and games a now more akin to a game of basketball than Gaelic FOOTball.
This was no more evident than last Sunday’s Galway v Roscommon Connacht Final where both teams did their best to set a new record for hand passes in a game and the only use for their feet was standing on.
Many fear for the future of the game and believe that this ultra defensive, possession based, safety first approach is the wrong way to play the game.
But Dublin manager Jim Gavin speaking to the Irish Times suggests there is “no right or wrong way” to play the game, but Dublin’s attacking style is in their DNA and there is a lot of emphasis on foot passing in their playing style.
“All of our training sessions are skill passed, and I can’t remember the time we did a session without the ball. It’s a long, long time. Pre-season.
Foot passing is a key element of our game plan, and we’ll keep on after it.
“Most of the teams we play against have 13 players behind the ball, for most of the game. Our inherent game, in our DNA, is attack-based football, and you see that in club games too.
But there is no right or wrong way to play football, and it would be unfair for me to say there is.”
