Pa Ranahan | “Anything is possible when you put the team ahead of yourself”

For the first time since 1997, the University of Limerick have made it to the Sigerson Cup Final.

While David Clifford is the undoubted headline grabber, the Limerick college have plenty local involvement. Adare’s Paul Maher is captain, with Ronan McElligott of Mungret and St Kieran’s John Hayes also part of the panel. Declan Brouder of Newcastlewest manages the side, while Stephen and David Lavin are coaching the students. And an honorary Limerick man at this stage, DJ Collins is a selector.

The last time UL appeared in the final of the showpiece third level competition, Tralee IT were their opponents. On this occasion, Maurice Sheridan’s NUIG provide the opposition. And it was something that Matthew Tierney said in the aftermath of their extra time win over Tralee that spiked my interest.

When Jerome Quinn asked the Galway attacker how they were able to kick on having let a five-point lead slip, his answer was simple. “Maurice is always saying structure beats chaos…. just stick to our gameplan.”

Roll on then to the All-Ireland Club finals that took place last weekend. As the clock in both games ticked to its conclusion, you had a situation where the two teams who were chasing their maiden club All Ireland victories were losing.

It would have been so easy in that scenario to move away from their gameplan. For players in those teams to feel the need to ad lib. Go on their own. But to their credit, they stuck to what had got them there. And it paid off.

In his post-match interview, Ballygunner’s Dessie Hutchinson mentioned that infamous word “process.” When the Waterford side forced the turnover inside their own half as time was about to elapse, they didn’t panic.

How many teams would you have seen in that instance launch the ball long, in the hope that the sliothar would fall kindly for them. A Hail Mary. And how many times out of a hundred would that work. I would guess it would be in the low single digits.

No, they stuck to their system. A couple of quick short passes. A runner into space. And Harry Ruddle etching his name into their history books.

The process delivered. Just a couple of hours later, the current kings of controlled football – Kilcoo – gave another example of how structure beats chaos. With Kilmacud two points to the good in injury time at the end of extra time, they had possession.

But they invited chaos into their ranks. And an errant clearance found its way to Kilcoo hands.

Again, it wasn’t lumped into the square in hope. That would have been almost understandable at that stage with the goalkeeper out of position.

No. That didn’t get them to that stage. And they weren’t going to abandon the gameplan. A clever ball from Shealin Johnston to his brother Ryan created the initial chance. And when that was saved, Jerome Johnston was there to provide the finish.

The only chaos that ensued for the team in black and white came after the final whistle went.

Don’t get me wrong. Structure and the “process” does not always deliver the desired result. And you could easily argue that in both those games, if players had been a bit more cynical then both winning goals could have been prevented. The narrative afterwards would surely have been very different.

And we have all been on teams where a moment of off script brilliance has won us the game. A maverick play which went against everything that the team had planned. There is no doubt that chaos results in better entertainment for the supporter or viewer also. The unpredictability of it all is captivating. But if you are talking about teams achieving something, chaos has a short shelf life.

Structure delivers results over a longer term. Terms like “structure” and “process” are not greeted with open arms in the GAA. Why I do not know. But people are slow to embrace them fully.

The ideal scenario would be that player or players who can have a foot in both worlds. A Cian Lynch. Someone who can operate as part of a gameplan, yet within that structure produce moments of artistry and flair.

There is certainly room for that within systems. In the right hands. Or at the right feet. Hopefully that will be the case for UL and Limerick footballers this week. Both have the player to perform and get the desired results.

As last weekend showed, anything is possible. Especially when you put the team ahead of yourself.