Nobody is expecting Laois to beat Dublin in this weekend's Leinster final but there are definitely some aspects we think will be well worth watching out for. In particular, the kickout strategy of both teams promises to make this match a unique contest. There is a possibility that barely any kickouts will cross either 45m line.
For Laois, goalkeeper Graham Brody has been one of the most talked about players so far in this year's football championship. He is now virtually playing as a sweeper keeper, constantly getting involved in open play and offering himself as a spare man for passes. When it comes to kickouts, Brody almost never goes long. In fact, he often doesn't even use a tee. He quickly places the ball down, kicks short to a defender and then goes looking for the return.
Of course this strategy is all well and good against the likes of Carlow, who set up more defensively, but we'll have to see on Sunday if he'll be afforded the same opportunities when faced with the might of a Dublin high press. At the other end of the field, Stephen Cluxton's kickout prowess has been long lauded. On this week's So-Called Weaker Podcast we took a deep dive into just how successful the Dubs' kickouts have been, thanks to a host of stats brought to us by Sure, Official Statistics Partner of the GAA.
If Laois can manage to win more than 50% of Dublin's kickouts they will be the first team to do so since 2011 - a frankly incredible record.
Many wondered if the rule changes brought in this season - whereby a kickout must travel beyond the 21m line - would help in curtailing Dublin's dominance but this has certainly not been the case in their opening two championship matches. Against Wicklow they won 84% of their own kickouts, while in the Leinster semi-final the only kickout they lost was one which was blown for not traveling the required distance. The rule change doesn't seem to have changed their approach in slightest. In fact, if anything, they are opting for a short kickout even more often.
On average two out of every three kickouts they've taken over the last few seasons didn't cross their own 45m line. When they faced Wicklow last month this stat rose to 79%. Against Longford it was 90%. Perhaps the most interesting thing to take from those two games, however, is what happened when they did go long. Dublin kicked four kickouts past the 45m line against Wicklow and lost three of them.
Graphic brought to us by Sure, Official Statistics Partner of the GAA
So there you have it Laois. Force Dublin into long kickouts and you may have a chance becoming the first team in nearly seven years to win the kickout battle. Easier said than done.
Listen to the full discussion on this week's podcast below.
All stats discussed in the article come via GaelicStats.com. Sure is the official statistics partner of the GAA
