As it has been in previous years, the sweeper system has been much maligned in 2017.
Last weekend, Michael Duignan raised the ire of Davy Fitzgerald - a manager who has used the sweeper in various inter-county jobs - by saying that it should be outlawed.
It seems Jackie Tyrrell is not a major fan of the system either. In his Irish Times column on Friday, the nine-time All-Ireland winner mourned the passing of the old school fullback. The Brian Lohan and Diarmuid O'Sullivan types are rarely seen in today's game.
The changing game, part of it down to the introduction of the sweeper, has been the malaise which caused the demise of the type of fullback he grew up watching.
Tyrrell does have a cure though. He believes counties should ensure the skills and knowledge accumulated by the likes of Noel Hickey and Ger Cushe should not be allowed fade from memory.
I feel counties need to invest time in getting great former full backs back into their coaching systems and educate the kids in development squads, passing on those valuable instincts that full backs need. The position is too valuable not to invest that time and work into it.
Tyrrell feels that if the traditional full back is allowed to prosper once again, fewer teams will employ a sweeper system.
But I do think that when it comes to full back, it’s the one position that you can’t turn a player into overnight or even over a number of games. It takes time, coaching and a strong mindset to get a player to a point where he will be able to survive in that high-pressured position. In that sense, I’m not surprised that some teams feel they need sweepers.
I’d imagine that more full backs that are grown and nurtured, the fewer sweepers you will see over time.
Picture credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach / SPORTSFILE
