Tipperary Hurler of the Year nominee for the past two seasons Séamus Callanan has become the latest player to weigh in on the debate about the deployment of sweepers and defensive systems.
He was speaking at Thursday’s launch of the Elverys Intersport nationwide #BringTheColour campaign.
On Sunday Callanan was faced with Cork’s attempt to play a sweeper when they dropped back William Egan to screen the Tipperary full forward whose scoring exploits have yielded 14 goals in the past two championships.
The strategy mightn’t have secured the result that Cork wanted and Callanan, with 0-8, four from play, wasn’t exactly kept quiet. But for the first time since the 1900 championship, the counties didn’t manage to score a goal between them.
Asked did the current emphasis on defence diminish the experience of playing, he agreed.
Obvious answer
“The obvious answer to that is hurling isn’t as enjoyable. Everyone knows that. . . . It spoils open hurling but sure whatever it takes teams to win, let them do it. We don’t play that way and never will.
“To be honest I don’t think about it. I think about how we play, which is 15 on 15. Any other sort of structure that any other county wants to use, they can use it . . .”
Earlier this week Galway’s David Collins said on the same subject: “It’s very unattractive to watch. It’s not a professional game and I think that it should be more open and we should have a real shot at goal. It’s killing the beautiful element of it where a lad gets a chance, runs straight through the middle and roofs it.”
Coincidentally when Galway played Tipperary in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final they won without using an extra defender but Callanan scored 3-4 from play.
Callanan hopes Tipperary never adopt the utilisation of the sweeper system.
“When people take players out of their forward line, I wouldn’t think that’s a positive route. Absolutely I hope Tipperary don’t [go that route] anyway. I wouldn’t be approving of it if they did – not that it’s my say or anything. I think just in Tipperary, we have a belief in that system. We try and be positive in what we do. So that’s the way we like to play, so why should we change?”
After Sunday’s Munster championship match in Thurles recently retired Kilkenny All-Ireland winner Richie Power, posted on Twitter:
“Surely the GAA have to do something about this sweeper system. It’s destroying our game #pathetic.”
Liam Sheedy, who managed the 2010 Tipperary All-Ireland winning team, said after the drawn league final between Clare and Waterford – the game’s most practised exponents of defensive systems – that he feared for the impact of such tactics on attendances.
Callanan was reluctant to discuss other teams’ tactical set-ups.
“Look, the drawn league final was actually a great game; it finished a great game. But I can’t talk for anyone else whether they go to a match or not. Some people enjoy it. Maybe it’s making some other teams more competitive than if they played a different brand of hurling. Each to their own. It’s not my favourite style. It’s not the style I’d like to play but it is what it is.”
