O'Mahony juggles deck to best effect

The governing tactic in yesterday's final was Galway's direct game. It is the style which best suits the collection of players at John O'Mahony's disposal. Based on their close control and pace, it requires early ball into the attack before the opposition can crowd out the areas of maximum threat.

This year's All-Ireland was decided by the Connacht champions' ability to impose and, crucially, re-impose this pattern on the match. In achieving this, the early second-half comeback was vital because it meant they could lie back, absorb pressure and hit quickly on the break.

From the very start, the two management teams had very different tasks and John O'Mahony admits that his was easier. As someone who expressed the desire, after the unheralded semi-final defeat of Derry, that Galway might win the All-Ireland before anyone noticed, the atmosphere in the respective counties was a blessing.

There is no reason to believe that Mick O'Dwyer and his selectors under-estimated Galway but the state of public expectation in the county, after the defeats of Kerry, Meath and Dublin plus the first Leinster title in 42 years, was stratospheric. In such an environment, it is very difficult to insulate even the most focused players.

In Galway, there were no such problems. Since 1971, the county has lost 11 All-Ireland finals between football and hurling, winning only three hurling in return. Winning Connacht and reaching the All-Ireland final meant very little and observers were surprised at how low-key the public response was outside of the footballing heartland of north Galway, particularly Tuam. He arranged an open-house media night 11 days before the final and ensured the presence of all his players except the Dublin-based Niall Finnegan. The occasion was relaxed and cleared the media commitment in one night.

Kildare made no specific provision for a media night and instead invited reporters to drop in after training on either the Tuesday or Thursday of the same week. Whereas the players were generally available and co-operative, it was a case of catch-what-you-can and O'Dywer was privately unhappy at the re-appearance of media on the second night.

Injuries were to haunt Kildare up to the match day, although O'Dwyer made a point of not referring to them after the match. Brian Lacey, who had subdued a star cast of corner forwards this summer, was carrying a hamstring tweak which appeared to limit his mobility.

Glen Ryan, the team's captain and inspiration, had his thigh heavily strapped and after a solid first half, had no answer when Ja Fallon opened up in the second half.

Quinn failed his fitness test and the decision was made to bring in Sos Dowling as replacement. There had been speculation that Lacey might switch from the corner to mark Padraig Joyce and allow Dowling into his customary corner back position.

Instead Lacey, inhibited by injury, was kept where he was - on the slowest of Galway's forwards. However, with the speedometer down where he likes it, Niall Finnegan utilised all his cuteness and awareness to have a great match.

John Finn, originally a full back but who had enjoyed an excellent season on the wing, reverted to his old role. Galway believed this was because Finn's half-back familiarity would suit marking Joyce who tends to drift out anyway.

Questions remain, however, about Kildare's tactical response. Their starting line-up placed veteran Dowling - dropped originally because fears about his mobility on Derek Savage in the corner - on the wing marking the fastest ball-carrier in the country, Michael Donnellan. Only after early damage did Dowling switch with Anthony Rainbow.

In the second half, when Fallon began to run Ryan ragged, there was again no response. It may be that there was no obvious alternative, but Ryan's whole-hearted attempts to rouse the team as the clock ran down would surely have been enhanced if he wasn't under such enormous defensive pressure.

The central positions caused Kildare the biggest problem in the decisive second half. Kevin Walsh, in particular, and Sean O Domhnaill started to outfield Kildare and the trend had been set by the time Dermot Earley, Kildare's best fielder, was redeployed.

At centre forward, Declan Kerrigan's game of hoovering the breaks - which had been going fine in the first half - foundered on the display of Galway's centrefield. In his absence, Kerrigan's marker John Divilly had a field day taking ball in the gap and kicking great, long ball into his rampant forwards.

The experience of the Connacht final showed that Divilly would be better occupied by a bigger centre forward and perhaps Niall Buckley, who was moved to the wing, might have given the Galway pivot more to think about.