Right, the votes are in and counted and the result is a clear one. With 27% support in the poll, you’ve selected Aidan O’Shea as our Man of the Match from yesterday’s victory over Kerry in Killarney. The Breaffy clubman also collected the MOTM award on GAAGO yesterday.
Aidan’s clubmate Matthew Ruane also saw his huge shift yesterday acknowledged in the poll, as he garnered 22% of the vote. Other prominent performers for us at Fitzgerald Stadium also featured strongly in the poll, including Ryan O’Donoghue (7%), James Carr, Jack Carney and Sam Callinan (all 6%), Diarmuid O’Connor (5%) and Colm Reape (4%).
In truth, yesterday’s win was a complete team effort, both on the field and on the sideline. Well done to the lot of them and, in particular, to Aidan O’Shea, our MOTM from yesterday’s game.
For the last 2 years people said he didn’t have 70 minutes in him…….we’ll they were wrong
Aidan was probably our best player but Clifford was so far ahead of anyone else on the field yesterday. Marc O’ Se obviously felt he had to give it to the winning team! Clifford is an absolute phenomenon. By far the best footballer I’ve ever seen. Looking forward to seeing how long he can keep playing at this level.
By the way, Kerry are completely and utterly reliant on him.
Well deserved Aiden
– Well done Aido, you were top drawer yesterday
– Our worse performing sector against Roscommon was our best performing sector yesterday, the midfield diamond is so important
– While Kerry did have nearly all players back defending most of the time they were trying to stop Mayo between the 2 45s with the result that a long kick pass opened them up with Morley having to chase back towards his own goal.
– The Gooch called us “PLUKY’ last year, I think Kerry went into the match complacent and as one Kerry supporter said they did not have the necessary hunger.
– McStays plan to unleash the pacey guys in the second half worked a treat.
– Different plans for different teams, Louth will be a game that the plan for the blanket can be tested as it is one we will need for QFs onwards
– Very small Mayo crowd, we were absolutely outnumbered 9 to 1 I would say.
– Anyway good result, Kerry supporters were very gracious in defeat.
– Dublin’s odds are shortening, Pat Gilroy in the back room team is making a difference.
Well done Aidan. Im sure that was a sweet win for you and ypur family.
Can anyone tell me what happens if two teams finish level on points at the end of group stage? Is it score difference or head to head that seperates teams?
Great stuff from Aido yesterday and I feel there is plenty more to come from him yet.
It can be a great weapon for us if we can get him regularly taking and knocking over marks.
Even more potent is if we can get him 1 on 1 turning and running towards goal.
Great to see Aidan performing so well especially away to Kerry. Keep it up!
Well done to Aido, it didn’t seem to matter who Kerry put on him and the ref likely missed a bit of pulling and dragging as the commentator was mentioning Kerry player up close and very personal.
Clifford at the other end was masterful. His ability to shoot off balance with both feet and over the covering blocks is probably unrivalled in the history of the game. I thought McBrien was moved to mark another man but actually other Mayo players blocked his route to challenging Clifford for the ball on a few of those points. I do think McBrien would be the most adept at putting him under pressure and could have stopped 1 or 2 of those if he was the nearest man. I don’t think McBrien was the nearest man for any of the scores. For goal chances, Kerry overlaps had to be dealt so numbers on backs were not so relevant.
A star is reborn…well done Aidan.
It would be great if leeroy could be coaxed out of retirement….it would be a tragedy if he misses out on an AL medal…
Are you getting a bit carried away there Lahanman ?
Well done Aidan.
On the 70 mins thing it was more he couldn’t play midfield or tracking back. The current tactics allow him mainly stay inside.
James Carr tracks back hard and so does Ryan.
Hence James Carr is always subbed.
I must admit rolling my eyes a bit when I first heard that McStay was going to put Aido in round the square again, but he seems like a man reborn this season, leaner, quicker the ball and sharper. The quality of ball going in to him is also much better this term, a world away from the hopeless hoofing we were serving him up in past seasons.
Aidan has been one of the finds of the league, if one can say that about a player in his early 30s, and was excellent again on Saturday. Long may it continue!
Well done Aidan great performance
I’m sure my dad who passed away recently will be smiling down from heaven since Saturday.
He always said aidan is very much like Liam mchale when he was playing, got plenty of abuse too on and off the field in his day.Glad to see them working together, I’m sure Liam has plenty of advice for him.
I’m sure aidan knows if things are to go wrong he will be the first one people will blame,as they say a slap on the back is only a few inches from a kick in the hole.
Aidan has a big roll to play for us for the rest of the year and no better man to play it.(needs more protection from refs)
Myself I have decided to sit back and enjoy the games this year,if it happens it happens and it will happened sooner rather than later.
UP MAYO.
Aiden deserved Mayo motm. Proving McStay right all year when we get the ball in quick to him & the rest of the inside forwards. However we really need to improve against blanket defences, and on cutting down opposition goal chances.
Please no BS about Mayo for Sam . Listening to Jackie Hurley having a little laugh at us on Sunday Game should remind us all how they love to give us a stick to beat ourselves with. At least wait until we see if we can get back to the final!
Olive, great post there. Great to meet you again at the train station!
Well done Aidan. Some achievement as well to get the MOTM from Marc O’Shea. Don’t like his co commentary btw, too Kerry.
Delighted he got man of the match well deserved !
Kerry people well some of them calling him Childish for mouthing off at kerry players kerry players are no angels themselves. I certainly didn’t see him mouthing off and if he did well it’s the gaa every team does it .
Also exsuces coming out of kerry atm like saying they put all the effort into the clare game is ridiculous they went out to win on Saturday100% no question no excuses ha .
Anyway fair play to him the guys and management we certainly showed everyone were not finished just yet ha!
It’s just so refreshing to see most of our scores coming from forwards these days.
Our style of play for the last 10 years or so just wasn’t sustainable, ie expecting your defenders to come up and kick 50% of your scores, won’t win all Ireland’s like that. I’d be happy enough to have pure stoppers in defence and leave space in front of ff line to kick to.
Well done to AOS, I voted carney and Ruane myself but can’t argue with aidan who looks much lighter and mobile this year.
On another note David Clifford is the greatest player I ever seen, a joy to witness him on Saturday, some of the scores he kicked were simply unstoppable
There are some styles of play I am always confident of beating, kerry will allow a shootout so it becomes a case of who is winning the middle sector. Mayo have loads of power there so would be confident of beating kerry again further down the line for those same reasons.
The question for mayo remains how we would do again a defensive block, and those questions have yet to be answered. We struggled badly to break it down v roscommon for example. If we were to meet someone like derry in the later stages for example would we have the answers for the questions they would ask
Did I miss something on the Sunday Game? Does the GAAGO set up mean that RTE can’t show highlights?
It’s taken mayo selectors 12 years to eventually come to the conclusion that aidan o shea position is at half forward…
I’m not surprised mayo never won sam
Well done Aiden but in all honestly this was a game where most of our players hit an 8 out of 10 plus across the board, a right good team performance. The only thing I was critical off was the execution of the goal chances but as a few posters have said at least we are creating them. Looking forward to the Louth game now and we can also get a good look at them next week when they play Cork. You’d have to think that both Cork/Louth are targeting that game for their path through
One thing on Aidan. Yes, he’s big and strong but by God is he physically brave and tough. Boots flying and he will go down on a ball. Look at Aidan’s face at the end of games. Little welts and grazes from being in the wars for dirty ball.
Catcol – It was covered on the new Saturday Game that RTE have rolled out
Kerry didn’t allow a shootout last year when they had the meanest defence. Even the last day Tadhg Morley was getting in some good interceptions and blocks early on but we neutralised him with our running game and overlaps and Kerry were forced to go orthodox in 2nd half and go one on one vs Jack Carney. David Moran must have been helping their defence as it didn’t look any great shakes once we avoided playing into Morley’s hands. A frustrating thing v Dublin was playing into Cian OS’ hands
Regarding mean defences Dublin themselves found the template which is the patient passing triangles and probing moving back and over until a crack appears. Once one of the 3 in the triangle breaks free the shot is on. Another tactic is when you turn them over before there’s a chance to set up the defence and also use the mark wisely which we’ve certainly utilised well with ROD and Aido. If we can get a 3 or 4 point lead on any of these teams it changes the dynamic a lot. We will avoid these teams bar the QF as no disrespect to Louth I don’t see how they can stop the dam for 70+ and I don’t think Cork set up as defensively as the other teams.
Thanks JKEL – is that available on the Player?
Blanket defence requires best shooters from tight positions playing. I’d suggest Aiden Orme and Cillian o Connor. It means leaving 2 regulars off. Blanket defence didn’t suit Conroy or o Shea Vs Ros.
@Catcol, Saturday game is on the GAA Go website live and playback.
If you have a smart TV I like to access the gaa go direct on the TV internet rather than connecting a phone, tablet or laptop via various methods.
I am really unsure why Kerry have to my non expert eye moved away from last year’s mean defence with numbers back?
Or
Are the numbers actually back but teams are better at picking through it?
One new move from Mayo that has been coached.
Have we noticed this difficult reverse handpass? It’s a handpass back behind you to a receiver done quickly. It’s hard because you are moving forward at pace and need to get the handpass away accurately and without stopping to turn and telegraph the pass. Anything you telegraph or do slowly is pure fuel for a blanket defence.
A perfect example was Enda Hession’s handpass for Aidan’s goal in the league game against Kerry.
100% GBXI and he’s the reason they remain such a threat, even if the rest of the squad doesn’t perform he can win games on his own – see the Tyrone game in 2021 which they would have won only for his injury
Anyhow some very interesting weeks ahead and you really get the sense there are some more twists to come in this round robin stage. What a weekend of shocks in sport across the board – and in the 4 round robin football matches only 1 favourite won
Armagh beating Galway could cause all sorts of chaos in that group, while maybe Donegal could get some impetus after the win on Saturday. Imagine a scenario where Kerry, Galway, Tyrone and Derry are the “2nd seed” All Ireland quarter finalists – its not impossible… A slip up by Dublin in the group would make some job of things altogether also :D. Lest we forget if we took our eyes off the ball against Cork and there was an upset there we would probably be back 2nd seeds and the Kerry result is completely redundant.
We could ideally do with being rattled a bit in one of those games as the All Ireland quarter finals look very far away now, and it could be a long time without a properly competitive game. You could draw a Monaghan in the quarters who would be on the back of a win against Donegal and a preliminary game, and that would be a bit of a leveller.
Against a team using the blanket I think we would have to use the twin towers approach early on. Aido & maybe Jack Carney close to the square occupying at least 3 defenders and pump in good ball. With the runners feeding of breaks if the lads can’t take the mark.
Build up a lead and the blanket will soon be rolled up.
I don’t believe Kerry are as poor as commentators are saying. Given half a chance their forwards are extremely dangerous and and would destroy most teams.It was Mayo’s athleticism and quick movement of the ball that they couldn’t cope with.
Thanks JP, I’ll have a look at that option, though I fear my smart tv is not so smart.
I felt Kerry put on a strong press around the middle and turned us over quite a bit in the first half, and mostly got scores on these breaks, or good scoring chances. And, according to Statsman, they won 88% of their own kick outs versus ours at 84%. Overall we won more turnovers, (53% to 46%), but I’d say that stat might have been the other way in the first half.
Is it really beyond the realms of possibility Roscommon could ambush Dublin?
we saw how a provincial canter did Kerry’s preparations little good, Dublin have only played one team of note all year and that’s a good while ago now. Aside from Derry – Cork, Clare and Kildare all came close to beating them this year so far.
They’re still my marginal All Ireland favourites but this is a far cry from a knockout game later in the summer where I suspect they’ll be fully in business by then. Far better chance they could have their eye off the ball in this one, and Ros have been fully gunning for this match for a while. The likes of James Mc, Fenton, KK, COC have seen it all and done it all now for years on the spin, there must be a part of them that finds it a bit harder to lift themselves in non knockout games
The form of Dublin and Kerry took a knock over the weekend by the Clare / kildare results. I was last week more than happy to make Dublin clear AI favorites based on what I’d seen v louth. I am going to claw back a bit now though and suggest there are 3 / 4 very evenly matched teams.
Well deserved motm for Aiden. I’m sure he would be the first to acknowledge the performance of our middle 8 gave him the platform to make hay inside. When he gets in front, you will not beat him to the ball, a beast of a man. That belt he hit Paudie Clifford shook Carrauntoohil and the whole of Kerry to its foundations. I don’t think Paudie ever recovered from it and was fairly anonymous for the rest of the game. Kerry just could not live with our stamina and pace which was relentless from start to finish. I thought we were starting to flag slightly 10 minutes into the second half where we tried to take the sting out of the game by playing keep ball around our own 65. It didn’t suit us and Kerry started to gain a foothold in the game. The introduction of fresh legs off the bench got us going and we started to break through the Kerry press again. I suppose Kerry did play into our hands a small bit by going man on man but we were moving the ball so fast it was hard for Kerry to get their defence set. One of the great days supporting Mayo. It would be in my top 3 wins of the last 50 years.
By the way Clare, don’t waste your good time and energy reading some of the rubbish from other county forums or social media sites. Stick with us here on this blog, where childish self indulgent claptrap is limited to the odd troll, who will be swiftly booted to moderation purgatory, never to be heard from again.
I thought the only favorite to lose was Kerry?
I don’t see Roscommon ambushing Dublin, it just is rare with Dublin.
For the blanket I think you need to pick up some early marks. You also need to finish with your best team.
The scoreline shouldn’t be all that much after 25 mins so why waste 25mins of legs and talent?
Hold pace and talent in reserve.
I’ve a mad question for ye.
Some might be a ref.
A team leads by 6 points and the ref says only 30 seconds left
You kick the next two kickouts over your own crossbar. What could a ref do?
Love those thoughts on overcoming the blanket, JP. Love the practical and out-of-the-box thinking (and I’m sure we can all come up with little tricks and tactics that we have observed and think might be worth a point or two).
Let’s upend the blanket : )
@ciaran I see your point but Rossies have to prove themselves outside province. I’m not having a go here it’s a genuine question as to when their last big scalp was in Croke Park.
It’ll be interesting to see how Dubs approach Rossies set up…
Is the Louth game sat or sun ?
JP – throw in from 20m line.
Ball must go forward and pass 20m line for it not to be a technical foul.
Nothing to stop kick-out to own player, who then kicks a point.
Saturday June 3rd time to be confirmed
Delighted for Aido.He wont be properly respected by some until he is gone.Have to say i am delighted that the mayo 4 sam brigade are largely made up of people from outside Mayo on social media wishing we were on the hype train.Very big stat i havent seen mentioned is that none of our numbers 1-7 started our quarter final last year and bring no baggage to this series.We have time now to get our tactics correct against 15 men behind the ball.All our opponents are going to play that way with varying levels of skill per team.Kerry resorted to it for long spells in the second half on saturday even when chasing the game.Get ahead stay ahead from now on.Hon Mayo.
I’m in Spain and I was able to see the match on YOUTUBE last night on my phone- not ideal but the best available.
Well done to all.
Funny comment there in scoring own points to run the clock. Reminds me of a story back in the day of when ex county player Sean Maher from Claremorris won a 2nd half throw in (possibly U18 or U21 game for Mayo) and sprinted up field untouched and booted over his own crossbar. I wasn’t there so don’t know if the story was true but maybe someone on the blog does. Guessing Sean might have been a tad fired up to win the throw in.
Clare were actually favourites against Donegal JP. And Kildare, the other favourites, failed to win.
1980 or so I think, Moose
Bit of a free hit in a sense for them this weekend. They can’t have played too many non-knockout games in Croker – maybe a super 8 one?
I don’t think you’re right Darky about Saturday v Louth. GAA website has match ‘between 3rd and 4th. I’d put my money on the 4th, though I have no real basis for saying that, but Louth will be playing a second game inside seven days.
Somewhat confused the bookies still have Kerry as 2nd favourites with us jumping ahead of Galway. In Kerry’s case there’s likely jeopardy of playing a fresh top team in QF with one week’s rest and for me Galway look the most consistent team and maybe should be favourites. They’re not doing panic like last year. All the other teams will now identify Kerry’s midfield as a problem area.
Catcol – I took it from the rte website. They have it down for the 3rd
https://www.rte.ie/sport/results/gaa/2023/6342/fixtures/
Shuffly, I think that was Sean’s late brother Greg…
I certainly didn’t see us winning against Kerry .
I was less convinced when I heard Coen and Paddy were not starting .
Delighted to be proved wrong .
Hats of to the lads and the management team..
Along with the performance, what’s most pleasing for me is that we now have serious competition to make the 26 especially when you add in Plunket , Harrison and others into the mix .
I’m sure the Kerry game is well and truly parked by management and players only to review where they can improve.
Looking forward to seeing the Rossies v Dublin and more so the trip to McHale Park vs Louth.
Great result. No medals handed out so let’s move on with a bounce in the step .
According to wikipedia if provincial champions qualify then it is munster v connacht and ulster v leinster in the semi finals. If Mayo top group 1 do we take the place of Munster champions and therefore play Galway/group 2 winners in the semi final?
That’s right, Ultair – I was at that game, an U21 match against Roscommon in 1984 if I’m not mistaken (which I could well be).
I agree with Catcol – Marc O’Se is far from being impartial -kept saying “from a Kerry point of view” all through – a one-eyed view of the game but he got his answer TG!
I think all round the odds look fair enough – 3/1 still is pretty long for Kerry, but its likely they’ll now get a tough quarter final so that certainly changes things
Hard enough to separate Galway and Mayo really. Yes Mayo beat Kerry but they also lost to Roscommon – that’s a microcosm of Mayo as a whole, they can absolutely beat any team in the country on a given day, but the last 3 seasons now has seen championship losses to 3 different teams outside of the “Top 2” as favourites in each game. Whereas Galway are now at a stage where they are uber reliable beating teams below them but I just don’t see them beating Kerry or Dublin in a knockout game yet.
We’ll need to see the quarter final draw really before we get a good sense of how things are shaping up. After struggling past Derry and Cork in 2017 I’d doubt many gave Mayo a chance, but a generous draw against Ros in the quarters absolutely transformed our season. Maybe Kerry could get a similar “break” and play themselves into form. I can’t see them being easily beaten in a semi or a final
There was a big shift in the odds on Saturday after one match, I’m sure the same will happen plenty of times more in the coming weeks
On another note its actually disappointing imo we can’t get Kerry in the quarters. Surely that’s the optimum time to get them next after they canter through their next few games unchallenged, and are still no surer of where they’re really at. Themselves and Limerick are probably only one big win away from fully clicking again – a quarter final hard fought win could be the big turning point in Kerry’s season
I’m not so sure about Kerry been able to kick in and win Sam . They have a real problem in the middle and I don’t think they have much alternatives in the present panel . Last year they won the all Ireland but they had David Moran , they beat us well on the scoreboard in QF but that game would of been a lot closer if we weren’t as abysmal in the shooting department. We were very good Saturday but we really need to be more clinical in scoring goals . We’d have most teams put to bed with that kind of performance if our taking goal chances improved . I know people have mentioned the side step not been used anymore when one on one but whatever happened the dummy shot too , keeper left on the ground as ya pass him . Kevin mcstay could sell a dummy himself back in the day . I actually remember his brother doing it several times in a league many yrs ago too , was his name Paul if I’m not mistaken.
Anyone here at the game where a new pitch was being opened somewhere…the bishop came to do the blessing and also got to throw up the ball. Big Sean only had eyes on the ball and clattered into the bishop knocking him flat .
Talk about bashing the bishop. Lol
I wasn’t there so maybe it’s just myth.
Would it be too much to ask that the GAA could let us know in advance what dates and time’s the next two Matches are on. not the last minute.
They expect us to get our tickets in advance and all of us need to plan re work ect so surely the least they could do would be give time’s dates.
They know the teams involved.they should know the venues and time’s
It’s so Ridiculous not to give out this information or is it meant to be kept Top Secret.
I’d say ’84 would be a tad early for Greg at u-21 WJ. He was on the minor winning team of ’85.
I played an u14 match against Ardnaree in Ardnaree where the Ardnaree player went the wrong way after half time and scored a point.
It certainly was a very good win on Saturday. There were many positives, but two stand out for me.
The first was the performance of Mattie Ruane. I, and a lot of other people have been saying, that if Mayo were to have any success this year, we would need Mattie back to, or near his best. The signs weren’t great earlier in the year, but that all changed on Saturday where he had his best game in a long while.
The other positive for me, was the strength of the bench. It is not a bad situation to be in, leading the all-Ireland champions halfway through the second half, and be able to bring on players of the calibre of, Hession, Durcan, Coen, McLoughlin and Conroy to see it out. As has been said many times, the strength of the various teams panels could play a crucial role in the destination of this year’s championship.
JP…….that’s a game finishing tactic worth serious consideration !
@Martyk, I love mad left field stuff.
Can you imagine the horror on the opposition faces as they realize what’s happening.
Reality is the ref would add on the time considering it time wasting.
Mad question is right JP. The ball has to travel outside the 20 and D to be a legitimate kickoff. So probably a hop ball and a chance for the opposition to work a goal. Back to the drawing board JP.
Speaking of time wasting, but did anyone notice Sean Hursons interpretation of the advantage rule towards the end of the game?
He seemed to allow the play continue even though there was no scoring advantage. He seemed to be of the opinion that allowing us to use up the time was “playing the advantage”
You’re right, 2 hops, ‘84 would have been too soon for him. I need to dig a bit deeper on this one!
Pleasantly surprised with that result that I did not expect on Saturday. I think we got our match ups and tactics, as well as substitutions spot on – dare I say it that was a Rochford special in that regard.
Aido was immense but I thought it was 50:50 between Matty and himself for MOTM. There were very few that I could have said had an off day, the only blip for anyone perhaps being Reape putting the 45’s wide if I had to be picky, and I’d be really splitting hairs there. As for the goal chances, the players were right to take the shot on goal in the positions they were in and even putting yourself in that position where the keeper is exposed can be as good as a score for the unsettling effect it will have on the opposition. There’s also a point a Dublin man made to me today that if we had trimmed Kerry with 4 goals then they would have additional motivation against us the next time out. Not that they would need it, but no point writing their pre-match speeches for them either.
Our defending of the goal (Roscommon game aside) has really cranked up a notch under new management. In prior years our Goalie would have been left so many times to fend for himself whereas now there’s a doggedness in our defence that even when keeper is beaten there’s someone on the line for extra cover. This is how we have operated in the league this year and it should be no surprise to anyone that we would be doing the same in the championship.
Anyway there’s very little I can write there that hasn’t already been said. There was no silverware being handed out at the weekend and we still have to negotiate Louth and Cork but if we do what we can do, we should be topping the group and guaranteeing ourselves a home quarter final fixture. There can be no complacency in our approach now, that destiny is in our own hands and well within our capabilities.
As a side note – I make that game as only being Ryan O’Donoghue’s 13th in Championship football. It certainly seems like a whole lot more, particularly when you consider his contribution and stature within the team, as he’s scored 2-41 in that time.
Here’s looking forward to the game against Louth, it would be nice to know the day and time at this point too, but that might be spoiling us to have that detail within 2 weeks of a fixture.
Its going to take a strategic masterclass from the Rossies to get a result on Sunday and although Dublin don’t have the panel dept and still reliant on the old dogs, there still an ireland left in that team
Very possibly ’86 WJ. Connaught champs that year.
Aiden, Mattie, Carr on team of the week, almost a mirror image of the Blog MOTM vote !
For goaktaking the Romario approach. We’ve have generations of great strikers but Romario had one childishly simplistic method of shooting early, accurate and low.
Often just bulltoeing the ball a step early when it looks like he’d take another touch.
Stephen McDonnell had a great tip.
He used say “one” in his head, a deliberately simple and short word. At that moment he would then make a decision to kick the goal chance on what he seen in that instance.
So he avoided blasting with no thought.
I recommend ye watch Romario goal highlights. Almost instructive in how clinical he was.
We know stuff, Thedarkyfinn! It’s a mad fifteen, two Kildare players on it after their draw with Sligo and three from Donegal after their titanic tussle with Clare. I’d say Aidan now has a sporting chance of completing that noteworthy double – MOTM on the blog and the GAA’s Player of the Week.
@FDBinashui
I always take great interest in how we Mind our own House and although Clifford had 3 chances on Saturday none of them were what I thought were clear cut. Perhaps the one Callinan headed off the line was the best chance. There were Mayo bodies in front of Reape for the one he saved and the other one would have been out of this world if it had gone in. I would still say our most likely way of conceding a goal looks to be from players running thorough the middle but there are signs that we are improving.
If ever there was any proof that by not conceding goals you can win games then we need look no further than the Galway final and Kerry on Saturday. I would be drumming into the backline an over my dead body siege mentality. No more soft goals.
Some of these young fellas like Coyne, McBrien and Callinan looked like they have played for years. I really thought we were done for after last years Kerry QF and even more so after losing Lee and Oisin.
I really should have known better. Shame on me.
Ha ha JP…..keep that strategising going though……the flip charts and post its !
A question from me…..Is Padraig’s role now as a strategic swap-in defender, come the right time of a game ?……I’m aware it’s definitely 26 v 26 now in this modern game
Not to be pedantic FDB but I assume the quarters are all in Croke Park?
Think the home advantage only comes into the preliminaries.
Agree with everyone on the scheduling madness. Especially at this time of the year when weddings/holidays etc are much more plentiful
I’m delighted that James Carr is coming good. He has the one big thing a forward needs – the ability to kick scores off either foot. He is also a big strong lad and can win his own ball without being horsed about. If he can get a run of games and build his confidence even more then there’s no limit to what he might achieve. Looking at the quality of his points Saturday I just think if he was a Kerry player he would be spoken of in superlatives.
I just have a feeling he could become something special indeed……the kind of marquee forward that wins games.
100% diehard , I didn’t say it cause I’m always bangin on about carr . He’s doing very well to date i his career for games started to scoring ratio . The potential though imho is off the scale in comparison to the common narrative . Tommy , Ryan and himself are the players that will get us over the line if we are ever to do it .What I mean by that is not to dismiss the rest and the importance of the rest of the field but it will always be my opinion not too far removed from the likes of pat Spillanes type of opinion , scoring forwards win you all Irelands .
I thought James Carr would not have the consistency but he’s having his best ever season.
He’s trouble for a defender. When he’s into his stride he really covers the ground.
I think you’re right there Ciaran.
it’s second seed in the play off that gets given home advantage.
It seems the The All-Ireland quarter-finals will be played at neutral venues, barring the obvious exception in terms of neutrality which we know very well at this point favour will be shown in one direction.
@Just a thought: That’s a mistake on the wiki. There’s no predetermined provincial pairings this year. It’s a draw.
“Semi-Finals
15-16.07.2023 (Sat/Sun)
(Two Games)
The four quarter-final winners shall play against each other in the Semi-Final based on a draw, subject to the avoidance of repeat pairings from the championship, where possible.”
https://www.gaa.ie/news/gaa-master-fixtures-for-2023-published/
Interesting post above, that If Mayo and Galway top their groups and win
their quarter finals, they meet in the semis. That would be some game.
Prefer that, than meeting them in a final. I just couldn’t handle that at all.
Imagine losing that final.
Imagine winning that final.
Gaa team of the week pretty much a joke.How the hell Jack Coyne and Sam Callinan are not in it .They held 2 of the best forwards in Ireland Seanie O’Shea and Paudie Clifford to 1 point from play. Maybe the people picking it need a player cam feature that was on Sky sports interactive years ago to appreacite how good there performances were.Heard some Kerry supporters saying that they never seen Seanie O’Shea so quite , but that was down to the defending of Sam Callinan.Should never have been taken off the way he was playing.
Delighted for Eoghan on Saturday. That goal should do his shooting confidence the world of good. His pace is unbelievable. I was right on that move on Saturday, play was building, ball to Ryan, next thing goal. I literally didn’t see it – like a hurling goal. I thought at the time Ryan had scored it. MacLaughlin’s burst on to it wasn’t really captured by the cameras either. That will be some weapon to utilise, Eoghan at the end of a move rather than the beginning.
Well deserved. A guy has taken alot of slack, from inside and outside the county. While he has had tough days in Mayo Jersey. Always willing to put his body on line. And I don’t know too many players, that has his power, and great hands. His fist passes are alway spot on. Great to see him chip in with scores. If he could get 2 points per match this year, we have a better opportunity to win the thing.
good point there Damien McCallig.
I’d wonder why any team would want to get involved with that sort of carry on deliberately mind.
Ye are making me want to watch the game back again now with all the things ye are pointing out : )
A bit like Leeroy, Catcol.
Yes indeed, Swallow.
We play Louth at 2pm, Sunday 4th June per MayoGaa Twitter
https://twitter.com/MayoGAA/status/1660693979275378697?s=20
In the diary now. Thanks FDB
Jaysus lads there is a lot of football to be played before Galway would play Mayo in a final. I was disappointed with our forward play against Tyrone but feel Tyrone may be capable of significant improvement and would be a danger to all in a QF. Kerry always have a chance with Clifford but defence seems back at 2 years ago wide open strange given that they tightened it up last year. Mayo are in a good position now but as McStay said its only 2 points. I would put ye favourites now as Dublins position is due to past results more than current form. The great unknown is what have Derry left in the tank, I dismissed them earlier in year but they appear to have got stronger and less defensive. It will be interesting to see how the Rossies go as its Dublins first test against 3rd team in Div1. Roll on the matches.
M8nd the house.You were not alone in your summation of our All Ireland chances after Lee and Oisin’s departure..Dont think any of us could have predicted the renaissance of O Shea , the new generation playing in positions they seem to have inhabited for years and the tactical savvy on the sideline..
Long may it continue
That’s the spirit, Rock!
Achill75 – I’m fairly sure Sam had emptied the tank by the time he was taken off, which wouldn’t be surprising, given how much ground he’d covered by then. Enda Hession was no shabby replacement either!
2hops – with a tip-off from a friend who saw the debate here, I’ve been able to solve that Greg Maher point issue. It occurred in an U16 Ted Webb match against Sligo in August 1983 at Tubbercurry. That game was played before the U21 fixture between the two counties that evening, which was the reason I was there. The Western People’s match report states: “Sligo looked destined for a heavy defeat but when Mayo midfielder Greg Maher – being confused what direction Mayo were playing in the second half – took on his own defence before landing a great point – for Sligo – the game began to take on a different look.” Mayo had led at half-time by 4-0 to 0-4 but won in the end by just 5-3 to 1-11.
Regina / Mind the House – personally I was always confident we’d be in contention for Sam this year. Even as bad as last year was we reached a league final, Galway only just scraped by us and we were certainly competitive vs Kerry in the QF. They were the 2 All Ireland finalists.
With players returning from injury, an ideal age profile in the squad, coupled with a new manager bounce we were always going to be in a strong position. Even allowing for Lee and Oisín stepping away.
Can’t understand why David Clifford didn’t get a nomination for player of the week? ..Was there a better player in the weekend just gone by? . Anyway Definitely Vote No1 Aiden O Shea..he should reach the quota when we eliminate the other two . Mathew Ruane and James Carr should also have been nominated for player of the week..I’m not in the least bit biased!
James Carr was so very good in the game on Saturday. Those points were a joy to see.
@WJ. Thanks for clarification . Greg did things a bit differently, God rest him.
Any word on Cillian?
Chesneychet – Dubs dismantled Derry in league final. Or Con did. I know they lost Conor Glass, but they were toothless in the second half.
@catcol: They didn’t show up that day. By choice.
Imagine they were already heavy into the Ulster/AI training block. Never hit 60% and were gassed late in the 1st half when they’re normally still going strong deep into +70 minutes.
Plenty of things you can fault them on but if it’s the league final you might as well ignore it.
Well done to all involved in Saturday’s very satisfying result. I was lucky enough to be there but must admit I was one of those who couldn’t quite envisage a Mayo win, and was more hoping for a strong showing that could be built on for the remainder of the campaign. Found it very impressive how Mayo seemed to respond and move through the gears any time it looked like Kerry might reel them in.
Witnessed a ‘Greg’ moment myself a few years back in a county semi final when a girl on the team I was managing took off in the wrong direction after half time. The more everyone roared at her, the faster she got. I didn’t bother shouting as it was plain she couldn’t hear anyone, and I knew she was an out and out defender with a brutally crooked kick pass (despite years of excellent coaching ?). She got to within 20 meters of our goal, dead centre and pulled the trigger. Thankfully she was true to form and almost hit the corner flag. Key moment in a game we went on to win by just a single point.
Weekly highlights freebie pod is now online.
On Sam Callinan substitution – he took a fair whack of a ball to the head only a few minutes before, blocking Clifford’s shot on goal.
You never know how any kind of blow to the head might affect a player. When you’ve the guys we had on the bench, and it’s that kind of time in game, I think it was probably the correct decision to take Sam off
@Regina I always knew we were well in contention for sam after Lees retirement which was always coming I can totally understand why family commitments to 2 young kids don’t want to miss the memories! I’m a nanny of 2 newborns hard work but love it so 100% understand Lee keegan decision.
I knew that we would bounce back after keegan & oisin decisions . we always have younger guys who want to aspire to being the likes of Lee keegan, cillian o Connor, aido.. we always be there abouts end of championship .
But I’m not getting carried away but our guys did us proud on Saturday after everyone writing us off as usual never write off mayo! As you say long may it continue !
We may not cross the line this year but my god do our guys do us proud and management!
Aidan O’Shea has just been confirmed as the latest in a long line of Mayo players (including Aidan himself previously) to complete that notable GAA double – MOTM here on the blog and GAA Player of the Week.
LOL Maolla, Brillant!
Gave Callinan my #1 Vote – thought he was outstanding.
Aido and Matty next though could have easily voted for 5.
Thought our FB line were immense.
Time to park now and move on to the next game…
Been busy this week and I hadn’t a chance to post on here. Went to Killarney last Saturday with a pep in my step as for us this was the first real Championship game we had this year as with the Munster championship our lads didn’t get and real game. Mayo brought the attitude and the artillery to town no doubt, ye ran through us like a dose of salts and the Mayo players stood up and were counted in every position on the field of play.
I thought that this game would be a close one but I expected Kerry to claw their way out of it with a win with the home advantage. Perhaps the Kerry management and team had the same feeling and walked naively onto the tracks of a battle train going at full throttle as we were like rabbits caught in the headlamps. The difference when the ref blew the last whistle was five points but the scoreboard could and should have been a far more humiliating eyesore for the Kerry faithful. Clifford as always shone and could have stolen the game with a little luck on his goal efforts but it would have been as bad as the Brinks robbery if he managed it. Mayo played like champions and Kerry played like chomps simple as and Jack has much to ponder in the wake of a football lesson like the one that broke a twenty seven year record in Fitzgerald Stadium. Ye will top the group now and we’ll done as it will be a well deserved reward for the wonderful football ye played last Saturday. Congrats all