David Clifford feels that Gaelic football has changed in recent seasons, going away from 'purists' type of football.'
There were certain moments and games in the 2024 inter-county season where things opened up but blanket-style defending and indeed attacking was predominant.
Speaking on The Sunday Game after this year's All-Ireland final between Armagh and Galway, both Enda McGinley and Cora Staunton mentioned how difficult it is for forwards to stand out in that type of game.
"It hasn't been a vintage year for star forwards," McGinley said.
"Usually it's all about them, and there's names (of forwards) jumping off pages for the All-Star team.
"Maybe it reflects the nature of the game and the tactics that are the mainstay of the game at the minute. It's very tough for star forwards."
28 July 2024; A dejected Damien Comer of Galway after the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Armagh and Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by John Sheridan/Sportsfile
Cora Staunton agreed and welcomed the introduction of new rules from the Football Review Committee. She has sympathy for forwards who generally have a number of players surrounding them when they get the ball.
"It's very difficult now to be an inside forward. You watch Damien Comer today, he's in there, two men beside him, getting frustrated and the ball isn't coming in. The game has changed.
"I hope the whole forward style of play changes."
David Clifford was speaking to the Kerryman at opening of a new MRI service at the Alliance Medical Diagnostics facility when he spoke briefly about the trend, admitting that in defending deep, forwards are 'just doing what's required for the team.'
“Of course the game has changed over the past couple of seasons," the Fossa club-man said.
"It wouldn’t be the purists’ type of football, but you’re just doing what is required for the team."
“Obviously a full-forward wants to stay in the full-forward line, but that’s not always possible.
"That’s just the way it is at the moment. That’s all I can say," he concluded.
This changing of the game is reflected in the fact that none of the front-runners for Footballer of the Year were forwards.
Before the All-Ireland semi-finals, wing backs Dylan McHugh and Peadar Mogan were vying it out along with Rian O'Neill who, nowadays, is more of a middle-third-player than an inside forward.
Wing back Barry McCambridge is now odds on for the top gong, on the back of the All-Ireland final, with midfielder Paul Conroy his closest rival.
Fellow 'middle third' players John Maher, Aidan Forker and Ben Crealey are also in the betting while from a forwards perspective, there is very little representation during a year when the likes of Clifford, Comer, Walsh and Sean O'Shea never really caught fire.
Lee Costello pointed out a couple of weeks ago how the top scorer list tells you all you need to know about Gaelic football. Ryan O'Donoghue was this year's top scorer even though he and Mayo went out in the quarter finals.
"It goes to show that high scoring forwards are not necessarily an essential attribute for a team if they want to win the All-Ireland title," wrote Costello.
Is that an anomaly or is it due to the fact that there is generally so little room for them to manoeuvre, with so many defenders blocking up space?
