Inside the role of a video analyst in Mayo GAA and Connacht Rugby

We hear the term ‘video analyst’ a lot these days, but what does the term actually mean?

Evan Gannon is the video analyst for the Connacht Rugby senior women's and U-18 team. After filling the role last year, Gannon has been re-signed for the upcoming season.

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The Ballinrobe native was also video analyst with the Mayo senior football team from 2019 until Kevin McStay's backroom team was let go. The Mayo News sat down with Evan to learn more.

DAVID RISCHKE: As a video analyst, what technology do you actually use?

EVAN GANNON: “A lot of my job is actually gathering footage. Our season is quite condensed, our four games are in the month of August. We say two-thirds of the season is actually training and getting ready for those games.

"So for a training session, I have a sideline camera and a camera mat, so I always set that up on the sideline, at the halfway line, it's a bit of height. That way we get the typical side-on camera angle for the training session.”

DR: Would that be enough to record a full session or do you use other devices as well?

EG: “The big thing for me is using drones. I've been working with drones for about eight years.  Whenever it's dry enough to put the drone in the air, it's a brilliant bit of technology with regards to shape and spacing on the pitch.

"The drone overhead is my favourite angle to use.”

DR: “What additional benefit does the drone footage bring for your analysis purposes?”

EG: “It's brilliant for the coaches and the players to get an understanding of pitch awareness. The big thing, obviously, is spacing. You need to avoid being bunched to one side. So when you have that kind of bird's-eye view, that offers a difference to maybe the usual side-on camera.

"You can't see what's going on on the other end of the pitch with that side-line camera as well.” 

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DR: “Would you restrict yourself to record the drills and practice matches or would you record audio as well?”

EG: “So when I got involved last year, we started to record all the sessions, especially for the U-18 team. But when you're in Galway and it's rain and wind, you actually can't hear the coaches, what they're saying.

"So I put in a request just to get a microphone. We have wireless mics for the coaches now, so at least when I'm recording it, I can hear exactly what coaches are trying to say to players.” 

DR: "Obviously recording the sessions and matches is one thing, using the right technology and all that. But how do you work with the footage afterwards?”

EG: “To help the players, we upload that to Hudl, our video analysis software. All the players would have access to that. And it makes learning a massive thing.

"When the player logged on in the past, they probably were only hearing the wind in Galway. But now with the microphones, if it's plays or if it's scrums and lineups, the players can actually go on and listen to what the coaches have said through that session.

"We also use a GoPro, with a chest harness, for another perspective.

DR: “That would all make sense to benefit the players in their learning process. But how do you work with the coaches to improve performance?”
EG: “For the coaches, I break the recordings down. I'll use sports code, so that's the analysis software. And that can be uploaded to Hudl as well, so that would be most of the technology we use.

"I'd always speak to the coaches before the year, if there's something specific they want to look at, I can change my code and window and analyse that in a bit more detail if they want.”

DR: And to be more precise: We all know, set plays are very important in rugby. Wouldn't all the technology you use come in handy to analyse those?

EG: “Absolutely. Every team from international to club level have their set moves in the back, their set line out calls. So, we have our playbook and last year we went through it and actually recorded all the plays.

"We were able to use them for learning. But if they needed tweaking, we just recorded them again. The biggest thing for analysis is not the actual statistics.

"People think that it's just all stats-based but what we want to do, is to provide a platform for learning. 

DR: “One would indeed assume, it's all very much numbers driven. But that seems to be a misperception.”

EG: “The numbers only paint a certain picture. If you're only looking at the numbers, you don't get the context of the game, you don't get the score, you don't get the environment.

"We often get analysis reports from the IRFU, it was an agreement that came in last year, they're brilliant, they're so in-depth. But that cannot be our be-all and end-all. You have to go and watch, or review that analysis, or review those statistics with the video.

"I had a chat with one of the coaches last week, only then do you get a real picture of what happened in the game."

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DR: “It seems that all ties in with  several cameras and microphones being used, you try to paint a broad picture.”

EG: “That's exactly why we always try to get as many angles as possible because you have to go and watch back the game. The stats are only like the surface. They give us a great idea of where we were statistically, but when you're doing your review or you want to improve, you have to kind of compare that with the video.”

DR: “Do you give your insights to the coaches or do they watch the footage themselves, how does that work?

EG: “The coaches I've been involved with in both U-18s and the seniors, they like to do their own analysis as well, because it's not one person watching the game and saying this is what went well and what went bad.

"When everyone is kind of in tune, it makes the whole environment a lot easier because now it's more of a discussion between us all.“

DR: “What would be your busiest period during the week?”

EG: “Most of my day on Monday could be sorting out the footage, because with the four provinces, we all help each other out. We take different angles on match day and then we share them, and all the games are shared amongst each other just to give everyone the same opportunity to watch the opposition and learn from the opposition and also from themselves.

"We have a WhatsApp group. It's just it's a level playing field for all four of us.”