You are correct. The match will be won on the pitch and between the white lines. Because the sides haven’t met before there is a possibility that one team is ten points better than the other and if that is the case then all the talking in the world won’t change that.
In the background, though is the whole myriad on the psychological preparation. In any close game the winning team is the one who gets their preparation spot-on. Fully focussed, if you like. The mindset of the losing team might be off by a mere 5% or so but that would be enough to capsize the ship. Nobody ‘decides’ to give less than 100% but it always happens. Michael Duignan has some interesting things to say in his book when he writes about the 1989 Offaly v Antrim semi-final.
I was anxious to see how Wexford were approaching this match so I had a gander at the
Wexford People on-line, because chances are what they are saying is what people are thinking anyway. I was actually quite shocked at their bullishness. To me, there is a lack of focus in Wexford.
Put it this way, why are there shock results betimes? Because the favourites, perhaps subconsciously, think that no matter what happens they will pull through. Meanwhile the underdogs are of a mindset that they have to fight for every ball as if their life depends on it. The recent Edenderry v Clara football final being a case in point.
Managers and players will go to any lengths to get a psychological leg-up, while going to great lengths to avoid giving the opposition any motivational nuggets. That’s why they talk up the opposition, cover up real injuries and bore us all with made-up tales about injuries.
Put another way, if you’ve got a hobby (playing football or hurling, for example) and I say you’re not good enough, what’s your reaction going to be? Your options are to agree with me or to ram my words down my throat. Of course you’re going to choose the latter – your pride has been hurt.
I recall before the 1989 Leinster hurling final Martin Breheny did an interview with Joachim Kelly in that day’s
Sunday Press. Kelly was great for the motivational stuff and the article finished up with Kelly quoted (I’m paraphrasing) “you put a big heading on your paper with ‘Kilkenny are favourites’ and we’ll go out and prove you wrong” (Kilkenny were unbackable favourites pre-match). So stuff like that IS used.
To finish where I started, maybe Oulart really are ten points better than Coolderry and if they are then fair enough – all the motivational talk in the world isn’t going to help Westmeath hurlers beat Kilkenny.
I could live with Coolderry being given consideration and, after weighing up the pros and cons, let the conclusion be that Oulart will be the likely winners. However, Coolderry have been dismissed as ‘nobodies’ in Wexford. I think Coolderry have been handed some serious motivational material here. If they’re good enough they’ll win it.
bracknaghboy wrote:Plain of the Herbs and Lone Shark (read this this weeks Independent) both think this game will be won and lost because of newspaper articles written by the Wexford press. Coming from two of the most intelligent and insightful posters on here I personally think this is madness! Whats written in the papers will have absolutley zero impact on the outcome of this game. If anybody thinks that Oulart players will decide to give say only 80% effort as opposed to 100% because of a few lines in the local paper then God help us. Its a 50-50 game this so Coolderry have nothing to fear and if they perform even close to the last day they may well provide Offaly hurling with a modest but badly needed shot in the arm.
Pat Donegan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
"Offaly's hurling is exact and abrasive: full of assurance on the ball, devoid of fumbling and slicing and sod-busting". Kevin Cashman RIP (September 1994).
