Issue link: http://digitaleditions.uberflip.com/i/1391459
14 | SUMMER 2021 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie STATS 26 mins 54 mins 58 mins 42 mins 60 mins 64 mins 51 mins 39 mins 58 mins 34 mins 55 mins 58 mins 49 mins 17 mins 23 mins 16 mins 7 mins 21 mins ?? mins 14 15 12 14 14 15 26 8 2 15 8 12 7 14 Wide / Short Goal / Point 44 mins 39 mins 62 mins 41 mins 47 mins 36 mins 53 mins 29mins 32 mins 52 mins 5 mins 13 mins 27 mins 30 mins 4 mins 28 mins 25 mins 31 mins 15 mins 7 mins 3 mins 10 mins 54 mins 57 mins 48 mins 8 7 7 10 28 28 14 28 3 9 14 9 9 12 8 9 9 5 5 9 Kickout won by Kerry Kickout won by Meath Number inside circle = Player that won possession 11 mins 8 mins 23 mins 21 mins 9 mins 17 mins 20 mins 54 mins 58 mins 40 mins 34 mins 42 mins 49 mins 55 mins 16 mins 4 4 30 5 6 2 3 3 6 4 17 1 Kickout won by Kerry Kickout won by Meath Number inside circle = Player that won possession 33 mins 4 mins 27 mins 13 mins 31 mins 15 mins 10 mins 28 mins 24 mins 28 mins 3 mins 30 mins 40 mins 47 mins 43 mins 51 mins 45 mins 47 mins 33 mins 57 mins 53 mins ?? mins 44 mins 38 mins 45 mins 11 8 15 15 17 9 5 15 2 14 28 12 11 11 8 8 14 8 14 14 28 8 Wide / Short Goal / Point WHAT DO THE NUMBERS SAY? The better team won in the Division 2 final as Meath were dominant from the first throw-in. They attacked with purpose and defended resolutely throughout the game. Kerry, on the other hand, were wasteful both in possession (20 possessions lost) and in front of goal (42% shot conversion from play) and as a result they never came within less than three points of Meath. Meath Variations A key strength for Meath was their transition from defence to attack. Strong running from deep by Megan Thynne, Máire O'Shaughnessy and Emma Troy was really effective at drawing Kerry players towards the ball to open space for shooters such as Stacey Grimes and Vikki Wall. Meath also showed great variability in attack by targeting both wings as well as the central area of the pitch. This never allowed the Kerry backs to get in a rhythm as Niamh O'Sullivan's runs came from deep towards either sideline. Kerry Attack Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh is a high- quality corner forward but Meath dealt with the Kerry attack well. Kerry attacked mainly in central areas and down the right sideline, Meath defending intelligently by putting players behind the ball, clogging up the centre of the pitch and cutting off passing routes to key Kerry players. Adding other players into their attack such as Hannah O'Donoghue or Anna Galvin more often would have enhanced the Kerry attacking threat and made their attacks less predictable. Kerry Kickouts 60% kickout retention will make things difficult for any team. Kerry stuck to a long ball strategy to Lorraine Scanlon or Niamh Carmody and it didn't provide a consistent platform for them. It will be interesting to see if they maintain this style for Championship. 25 20 15 10 5 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 0 Points per minute (Scoreable frees + shots from play) Game time (minutes) Points Kerry Meath Points per minute (Scorable frees + shots from play) KERRY MEATH LOUISE GALVIN, KERRY IN ACTION AGAINST AOIBHEANN LEAHY, MEATH