The focus is already shifting – as, of course, it should – to the start of the league this coming weekend but before we bid farewell to our successful 2012 FBD campaign, it’s worth having a quick look at some stats on this year’s pre-season competition.
The first table (double-click on it to see a higher res version) provides details on the number of players we used during the campaign. In all 31 different players were used over the course of the four matches, which includes substitute appearances (three players – Alan Feeney, Conor Campbell and Cillian O’Connor – only appeared as subs).
Of that total, a few were appearing for the county at senior level – from what I can see Shane McHale, Danny Kirby, Darren Coen, Michael Walsh, Conor O’Shea, Evan Regan and Conor Campbell all come into this category. Others – notably Davitts’ pair Colm Boyle and Michael Conroy – were back on the county panel after an absence of a few years.
As you can see from the table, only one player – David Clarke – appeared in the same position for us over the four games although three other players – Lee Keegan, Barry Moran and Kevin McLoughlin – started all four games. After the desperate run Barry has had with injuries down the years, it makes a welcome change for him, I’m sure, to be counted among the ‘ever present’ fraternity on this occasion.
Two other players – Seamus O’Shea and Conor Mortimer – featured in all four games, with the former coming on as sub twice (both times replacing a member of his family) and the latter once.
The second table contains details of our scorers over the campaign and as may be seen we had a good spread in this area over the four games. In all, seventeen different players (that’s 55% of all the players used) found the target, including David Clarke who added his name to the expanding cohort of ’50-converting ‘keepers by booming one over against the Rossies.
While I’m sure Four-Goal Danny Kirby is the first name that would be likely to pop into most people’s heads when thinking about who might top this year’s FBD scorers’ charts, pride of place here goes instead to Conor Mortimer whose 0-19 total outguns the 4-2 clocked up by the Mitchels’ tyro. It’s been a while since Conor topped the scorers’ chart in any campaign but that nineteen-point haul edges him (and his socks) that bit close to Joe Corcoran’s all-time scoring record for the county.
In all, we racked up 4-49 (61 points, with an average of 15.25 points per game) and conceded 1-30 (33 points or 8.25 points per game) over the course of our January campaign.
Does anyone know what the story is with Facetheball and the predictions lark? I can’t see anything on their website for the football or hurling leagues.
Are you waiting for this before you think of setting up your own mini league WJ? I have a consistently shite mid-table position of obscurity to protect you know….
Am i the only one here who thinks this “keeper coming up to take a 50” thing is a bit of a shambles, ok its great telly watching cluxton or hennelly doing it but surely we have an outfield player who can swing one of these over and resume his position easier than a goal-keeper can ?
Well done on the well presented stats Willie Joe & yes Rogermilla it’s scandalous that an inter county forward can’t take frees / 45’s…I presume C.O’C will be knocking them over when September road starts
Dan, the lads at facetheball sent a mail out last week saying they are not doing it any more by themselves but gave the link to a formal one (with much better prizes!) on the Allianz site…
Was thinking the same dan, i’m aiming for two in a row! 🙂
stick up the link there mayoman
Link here; https://www.allianzleaguespredictions.ie/
WJ, are you setting up a mini league this year?
Mick and all re the mini-league: apologies, I should have posted something on this over but will do so later or tomorrow. facetheball.com is teaming up with Allianz and is running the prediction competition via their site but it’s still possible to do a mini-league so I think we should go ahead with one. The one difference is that when you go to register on the Allianz site they say that they’ll show on their tables your name (as in your real name) not the names under which we’ve all come to know and love each other here. I think the way round this would be to put your chosen moniker in as your first name and then if everyone put Mayo GAA (or something similar) as the surname but let me look at this further later on and I’ll post an update then.
Thanks for the statistics WJ. As for keepers coming up to take 45’s and frees, I’m not so sure it’s that big a deal. As long as the ball goes over that’s all that matters. But you’re right Enda, I’d expect CO’C to take more of them when the weather warms a bit.
Cheers lads.
As for keepers taking 45’s, if he’s the most accurate kicker, then shouldn’t he be taking them? Keppers probably work harder on their place kicking accuracy than any other player, so I’d imagine this practice will only continue. Unless maybe one of them falls on his arse and ends up conceding a goal.
I doubt we would even have to witness this carry on if it wasn’t for that ridiculous rule to allow frees to be taken from the hand.
Have registered with them and have used mayo mick as my first and last name. You can allways go into your profile and change it again.
The only problem I have with keepers taking frees (I know I am upsetting someone somewhere who thinks I only see doom and gloom) is this. Michael TSTWMC Collins pulled Cillian O Connor up for taking too long over a free in The Connacht final. I never saw it before, we were two minutes into second half and we were trailing. He gave a throw up. Next free to Roscommon was timed longer but only cillian was punished. fast forward to All Ireland final and Cluxton easily surpassed Cillians length at addressing the kick but it was allowed. One law for Mayo men and one law for the rest or was the brave Michael letting the “authorities” know he wasn’t afraid to make the hard calls. Not a moan, a wet blanket or negative…in the words of the great Benitez just a fact!
Great Stas. If David Clarke can score fifties let him at it .
Free taking from the ground is more accurate than free taking from the hands. I have yet to understand why so many people choose to take them from the hands – if anyone has any theories I’d love to hear them :p
Speaking from experience its much easier to pick up a ball and hit frees out of your hands when you are young, you get into the habit and don’t change as an adult because that is what you’ve become used to.
More of art & takes more talent to score a free from the ground.
Cil takes most frees from the hand-does’nt lack talent.I think it depends what each player is comfortable with.
i think due to the rule change that there is no emphasis in training for kicking off the ground, thus the only man who practises it constantly is the goalkeeper but that is no reason why it should not be practised, i think those training our youth need to start emphasising it again.
Bryan Sheehan scored a point against us in last years AI Semi from just inside of 50 metres. He took it off the ground and he got such power into it that he had another couple of metres to spare when it went over the crossbar.
I don’t know of anyone playing in Gaelic who can kick as far out from off the hands and from a standing position.
So if you can get a longer free over the bar from off the ground shouldn’t that be where it should be practiced.
i dont think its a matter of who takes it as long as they can put them over. My concern is tat we don’t score enough from open play wit the amount chances we create.Are we over reliant on frees 2 beat teams. Speaking of Bryan Sheehan as a midfielder how many scores did our midfield contribute to the score board last season. not many if i can remember
Has there been a squad named for the league or can any amount of players be used?
Agree that we need our midfielders to score more and our forwards need to be more prolific from play.
Bod – on the squad issue, I’m not sure if we’re going to name a squad for the league. As far as I can recall, I don’t think that James named a squad for the NFL last year either. I think there’ll be an overall number he’ll have to work within but I don’t think there’s any rule about having to name an exact squad at the start of the league and I don’t think we’ll be doing this.