Strangest of tactics at the final hurdle in Naas vs Clane Senior Football Championship Final

It was wet, it was windy, it was miserable, yet County Final Day 2022 saw a great crowd in situ to witness a senior game between current champions Naas, and the new kids on the block, Clane.

Add in a minor final between Raheens, first time in a decider at this level for 50 years, and Naas, adding to the success of yet another remarkable year for the team from the county town.

Both games were expected to provide top class fare, top class entertainment and top class football.

Maybe the weather affected what transpired.

As the minor clash got under way the rain lashed down, the wind howled, the under foot conditions were challenging but within two minutes Fionn Cooke had the ball in the Naas net and Raheens were on their way.

They added another goal and a third before the break and the dye was cast.

Raheens crowned minor champions, a team that has not been beaten since defeating the same opposition in the Féile final back in 2018 and since then have recorded victories over the same opposition at U15, U16, U17 and now minor.

Some record and an excellent performance from Shane Cooke's side.

And so it was on to the big one.

The senior decider.

Naas, the champs, versus Clane, the challengers.

Joe Murphy versus Tom Cribbin.

So much was expected.

So much anticipation.

Could the favs prevail?

Or would the challengers take their first title since 1997?

To say it was a slow burner would be a bit of an understatement.

In fact it would be a major understatement.

On a scale of 1 to 10 this was a lot closer to 1 than it was to 10.

Naas dominated early on.

Clane stayed back, minding the house, with just one, or the odd time, two forward.

What's going on here I say to myself?

Where is the free-flowing, sleight of foot, free-scoring Clane that we have come to love this season.

Pre-match interviews led us to believe, not that we needed much convincing, this was a game between two attack-minded sides.

Both managers more or less confirmed such in their pre-final chats.

Players, especially from Clane, emphasised the fact that they try to get the ball in as quickly as possible “it's an attractive style and people obviously like looking at it.”

Unfortunately that was not the way things worked out.

That was not the way Clane lined-up on Sunday.

In fact the game plan that Clane adapted was similar to the one a recent Kildare v Dublin clash in Croke Park under Jack O'Connor (and Tom Cribbin) panned out.

Everyone behind the ball, don't stray too far forward, give up the kick-outs.

To all intents and purposes it looked on Sunday last, especially in the opening half, the number 1 priority being to prevent the opposition from scoring, or as some cynics might say, if you are going to get beaten make sure it is not a big beating.

A strange strategy by any yardstick.

Naas, at times well able to have the numbers back when required but the difference being they had the wherewithal when in possession to push forward and while the champions can probably play a lot better than what we witnessed last Sunday, nevertheless they controlled the game, they were in command of the game, or as their manager Joe Murphy, said they 'managed' the game.

Still and in fairness, Clane while only scoring one point in that opening half, were still in the game, trailing by a mere four points.

But to put that in context they (Clane) had been playing with a near gale-force wind on their backs, a situation that was to be reversed on the resumption.

Strange game.

Strange tactics.

Disappointing at times.

Boring at times.

But in the end.

Well won by Naas!