KILKENNY HURLING TEAM trainer Michael Dempsey doesn’t believe that hurling is going down the ultra-defensive Gaelic Football route.
The Laois native boasts an impressive football background but he has been a key cog in the Kilkenny hurling wheel for over a decade.
From Ballyadams, and a winner of eight Laois senior football crowns with St Joseph’s, Dempsey went on to manage both the Laois U21 and seniors teams.
He moved to Kilkenny in 2002 and after guiding St Martin’s to a county intermediate hurling title, he served as an U21 selectors alongside Martin Fogarty, winning All-Ireland titles in 2003 and 2004.
That track record saw him enter Brian Cody’s radar and both Dempsey and Fogarty were brought on board with the Kilkenny senior set-up after the 2004 All-Ireland final defeat against Cork.
Since then, Dempsey has noted the evolving trends in hurling and particularly this summer’s hot topic – the sweeper.
“I don’t see any major change in hurling, I don’t think sweepers have come off the planet Mars in the last few months.
“Teams have been playing sweepers for a long time.
“You’ve got to analyse the opposition, you’ve got to look at your own team and playing one extra player back is not rocket science, I think.”
And Dempsey hinted that he’s hoping Waterford adopt a defensive strategy in Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park, as Kilkenny have players who can pop the ball over the bar from distance.
“It couldn’t work because you have players who can put the ball over the bar from 50 yards. I would love if a team decided to do that!
“It would be great. I’ve a Gaelic Football background but sometimes I even say what a load of baloney comparing Gaelic Football and hurling.
“They’re two entirely different games. They’re played on the same pitch with the same number of players, same number of officials but that’s where the similarities end.
“There were sweepers played way back. I read something recently where Waterford IT had a certain style maybe 20 years ago and where Cyril Farrell had tactical elements…I don’t really think there’s anything major about it.
“You will always have very good players, instinctive players who love to express themselves, who went off and were independent of team and did their own thing during matches.
“You could say that’s tactics or not. It’s a bit more organised and streamlined.”
Dempsey also insisted that the spare man or sweeper simply cannot “dictate the terms of engagement” in intercounty hurling.
“I don’t think putting one player back dictates the terms of engagement,” he said.
“Obviously it’s up to your own team if they’re using the ball well. It’s a slower build up in football and they’re dropping more players back but dropping one player back, if the opposition is using the ball well, I’m not so sure…
“It’s never just a simple situation but because of the nature of the game and ability to pick off scores from out the field and ability to pinpoint players, one player can’t get everywhere to sort that out.
“Obviously if you have a player in there and your plan is to hit that player with every ball, one player could make the difference but all teams are more fluid than that now.
“I’m not sure one player can actually dictate. I don’t think hurling you can very prescriptive. Players play on instinct and intuition. They scan the field and make split-second decisions.
“Waterford are a very good example of that. Maurice Shanahan the last day was on the sideline but he was looking around to pick out a player.
“Then he has the skill to plant the ball in a player’s hand from 40 or 50 meters and players have that ability. It’s very difficult to defend that sort of situation.”
