Ladies Gaelic Football

10 | SPRING 2022 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie MATCH STATS Donegal vs Meath Lidl NFL Division 1 Final Tadhg Dornan @rocksolidanalytics Overall stats Overall Stats 45 56 9 17 17 14 61% 63% Total Tackles Frees Conceeded Possession Lost Total Kickouts Won Scores From Frees 4 1 Scores From Play 6 9 Total Shot Conversion 37% 55% Total Shots 27 20 Attacks 39 28 Donegal Meath ANALYSIS OF GAME: Sometimes the stats from a game of football will not truly reflect the scoreboard. Instead, they will underline the missed opportunities had by the losing team. This was very much the case in the 2022 Lidl NFL Division 1 Final between Donegal and Meath. Donegal showed a great attacking threat on the day but their accuracy in front of goal and errors in possession cost them vital scores. This attacking threat is reflected in Donegal's number of attacks (39) and total shots (27) compared to Meath's totals of 28 attacks and 20 shots. If we examine the locations of Donegal's shots, we can see how many scores they left out on the field, with six shots missing the target from in and around the 'D. As a result, Donegal ended the game with a shot conversion of 37%. To put this into context, Dublin in the 2021 All-Ireland Final against Meath had a similar problem as they recorded 36 attacks and ended the game with a shot conversion of 45%. In contrast to Donegal, Meath were slightly more clinical in front of goal and, crucially, took both of their goal opportunities. They may not have been able to achieve their 91% shot conversion of the All-Ireland Final but a 55% shot conversion with 9/10 scores coming from play was enough to overcome Donegal. Another crucial statistic which underpinned the Meath performance and allowed them to stay in the game even during the sinbinning of Mary-Kate Lynch was their tackle count. Meath ended the game with 56 contacts compared to Donegal's 45 and the tackles/scores per minute graph illustrates how the increased work rate/ shot conversion rate of the Meath team kept the sides apart at crucial stages in the game. "WE CAN SEE HOW MANY SCORES THEY LEFT OUT ON THE FIELD WITH 6 SHOTS MISSING THE TARGET FROM IN AND AROUND THE 'D'."

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