The most recent time before yesterday that Mayo had played Armagh at the Athletic Grounds was when the two counties clashed there in a Division One tie back in 2012. We won that game by six points and the only survivor from our team from that night who also took place in yesterday’s dramatic draw was Aidan O’Shea.
Aidan fairly imposed himself on proceedings in the match eleven years ago and he did so to extremely good effect again yesterday. He started the game as a late replacement for Diarmuid O’Connor and took on a roving assignment, spending time out around the middle but, to more effect, in the forward line, including as far up top as full-forward.
Once we began to feed Aidan with decent ball, he made productive use of it. He scored two points (one from a mark), he distributed well and he drove us forward in attack for much of the second half. Little wonder he looked gassed as he came off just before the frantic finish had reached its dramatic crescendo.
Aidan’s performance for us yesterday was his best for the county for quite a while. It was so good that you’ve voted him as our MOTM from yesterday’s game.
Aidan wins the award with 29% of the vote. Ryan O’Donoghue, voted our MOTM last weekend against Galway, attracted strong support too, garnering 19% of the vote, followed by Jordan Flynn (14%). Matthew Ruane and Conor Loftus both racked up 6% of the vote.
Well done to them all, but in particular to Aidan, who fairly rolled back the years with yesterday’s barnstorming showing for us.
Delighted for him, he’s had constant analysis of him since day one. Many thought he was done, maybe me included, but he could have a big part to play for Mayo yet.
I think he was probably given too free reign before, and he is benefitting now of narrowing his focus – a target man who can do one of three things – mark it, lay if off, or take a shot.
Comhghairdeas Aidan. What a great servant to the Mayo’s cause since 2009. He was awesome in the second half yesterday and when taken off (he had given it all) Armagh played puck in the last 7 minutes.
Aiden has a huge role to play in McStay,s plans in 2023.
Mile buiochas agus go neiri leath i gconai AOS!
Mhuigeo Abu!
One thing with Aidan, he one of best hand pass I ever seen. It a weapon. They like arrows toward target. Kick passing and kicking for points a weakness. The most berated player ever to play for mayo, from inside and outside the county. If JFK, shot in morning, he’d be blamed for shooting him. I not surprised every manager still plays him, as still a role, to play, maybe not full game, be definitely a half.
A great performance by Aidan yesterday. Hopefully he has a big season this year.
Going to try and break down the game every weekend with three things I liked / saw.
Three things I liked:
1. AOS at full forward, looked like his club championship form, and wasn’t afraid to come out around the middle. Crucially however, he played almost all of the game inside and showed patience to stay inside when it maybe wasn’t working for him. Moved out to 11 when Touhy went off (will get to him) and was like a new sub in around the middle. Armagh don’t have the most natural full back so should still temper expectations but can’t be anything but absolutely delighted with how it went.
2. The press. We bullied Armagh at home physically for nearly all of the second half. Hostile atmosphere, against a team with an edge, and we choked the life out of them.
From the front, ROD, cillian, AOS are tough to kick near, then Touhy, Fionn and Carney are all rangey tall and good fielders. Combine that with Matty and Flynn being potentially the best midfield in the country, with coen, Loftus, and hession sweeping up ball and driving forward on the breaks and you have a serious serious test for the opposition. Now, again, armaghs goalie might not be the best at kickouts but it was striking to see how on top we can be around the middle. Second half against Galway also, the press looked unbelievable by the end.
3. Touhy and McBrien.
You’re only looking for two or maybe three lads to put their hands up in the league and these two have seriously stepped up.
Touhy has it all. 6’5, fast, good fielder, lovely passer, and can really set the press from 11. He takes up so much space with his wingspan around the edge of the D, and keepers will not want to kick near him. He can also funnily enough block the keepers vision due to his size. As we seen with our own lockout, he can bail out our keeper with great fielding from 11. This is high high level stuff. For ruanes point yesterday as well in the second half to level it, touhy gets his head up and like a NBA Point guard plays a brilliant handpass to Jordan Flynn. For a 18/19 year old playing his second league game I am actually astonished with his poise and polish. Can add to his game with kicking scores but I think he’s well able. I thought we lost a lot with him going off the last day.
McBrien has been equally as impressive. Looks like he’s been a full back for years and showed his dynamism with the ball in his hands. He might not be Oisin Mullin but he’s certainly a very very good player who if he can stay fit could potentially be a more natural full back than oisin was. Reminds me of ger cafferky in terms of his tackling and patience, but is more Kevin Keane in physicality and has oisin like pace. I’d love to see him get given Clifford (if he plays) next day out. Only way he’ll get better is reps at this level but I am absolutely delighted by his first two games.
Great post there Retro. Following all this from Italy, so have only sketchy info. Delighted for Aido, but is this good for the long term? I felt last week that Galway were bullying us until he came on, and this week it looks as if Armagh bullied us when he went off. As grounds get harder, he will find it more difficult, and then what will we do?
Aidan is ridiculously under-rated, even in Mayo. It may have been his best performance in a while but he has had many good performances in the past few years. His handling skills are top notch, as good as Donaghy’s were. People saying he’s not a full forward, or only is in tight provincial grounds are wrong. Given good early ball, he is a major threat in there. With any two of Ryan, Cillian, Tommy, Carr, or maybe Towey in there beside him – we have serious full forward line options.
We are also strong in midfield. However, I think we are very weak in defense. Paddy’s return and Eoghan on from the start will help but we are very weak in the full back line in my opinion. Gone are the days on Higgins, Barrett, Keegan, Boyle, Mullen taking the ball of the keeper when we’re under pressure and breaking past an opposition press to relieve pressure. Hession is a wing back. McBrien and Coyne will definitely make it but they don’t have the pace or courage yet to take the ball out of defense from the full back line. Pity Eoin O’Donoghue isn’t available.
McStay and Rochford made a huge mistake taking of Touhy when they did. After two games he looks like he’s been around for years. A talent.
Some people would not have him in the squad ……..because we have many more Aidan O sheas coming through the ranks. He will be appreciated when he is gone . That day is coming sooner than I would like
GBXI agree with you about our defence. It has been stripped of so many top players in the last few years including 2 super players this year. Our management must devise a plan to protect them and Id say they were doing that pretty well til the last 7 or 8 minutes yesterday. I dont agree that they erred in removing Tuohy yesterday. If we need to rely on a young inexperienced lad like that to help us see out the game then it is extremely worrying
Great post Retrocut. Agree that Tuohy looks like he’s been around for years, he has serious self-assuredness. A great find. Can’t wait to see more of McBrien but I was very impressed with him yesterday.
PS is it pronounced McBree-en or McBr-eye-en? Help a girl out …
Ann-Marie
McBree-en for McBrien
McBr-eye-en for McBrian
Anne-Marie – for what it’s worth, on the podcast we’ve gone with McBr-eye-en (or, if you will, McBrian). We took soundings in Ballagh about it and that seemed to be phonetical preference from that quarter. Open to correction on it, though!
Very happy with start to season, our performance v Kerry will tell a lot but the signs are encouraging, excellent 2nd half v Armagh apart from last 10 mins where we visibly tired and Aido was exhausted. Young lads showing serious potential! I’ve been looking forward to seeing McBrien play for Mayo now for a few years, no better man than Boyler who has name checked him a few times!! His word Good enough for me! He knows what’s needed in a Mayo defender playing at the top level. Hopefully he stays injury free. Can somebody confirm whether B Tuohy has player senior Championship for Castlebar last year? Serious potential and is already delivering, great composure for a young lad, I think that’s something that cannot be coached.
Congrats to Aidan, another top class performance on Sunday. Agree with other posters, Aidan has been under rated and over berated for too long from within and elsewhere, and it’s a testament to the man that any of that stuff doesn’t bother him.
Onwards an upwards big man!
Was at Sundays game also (was delighted I was staying only a half an hour away in Forkhill!) and I came away disappointed at not holding out there at the end and dropping a valuable point. Happy enough with plenty of other things – very impressed with Aido, Cillian, Flynn (what a powerhouse he is!) Enda, Rory and especially young Tuohy – some find is Bob.
With some big guns returning, and if we can stay injury free, we’ll have a great year. Bring it on!
Thanks again Willie Joe..
Can anybody tell me why we tired in the last 10 mins, if we’re ahead of everybody in our pre season work?
Aiden O Shea or whoever is full forward should remain at full forward even when the going gets tough. If O Shea had remained in the Armagh square for the last 10 minutes, the Armagh goal keeper and full back and a sweeper would have to stay back and defend leaving them with three less to attack us. It would have given McLaughlin an option to kick the ball into him rather than the shot he took on at the end. Leave the Bear in the Square.
Catcol – I don’t think you can put it down to tiredness, apart from Aidan perhaps. The main reason was Armagh having all the momentum and us not dealing with it very well. Armagh getting a couple of frees for nothing didn’t help either!
Reflecting on the result it is frustrating we didn’t come away with 2 points but if we did it might have just papered over cracks.
We have a lot of work to do but it is only early day`s under our new managements so we will have plenty of up`s and downs while trying out new things. I am overall happy with where we are after our first few competitive games. No losses, no major injury concerns, we won an FBD league, we have 2 league points after 2 games and we have plenty of new blood being tried out.
It is important now we build on our start to the season and try and avoid getting dragged into a relegation battle. Our next block of games is against Kerry and Tyrone (the last 2 all Ireland champions). If we can get at least 2 points out of 4 available it will set us up nicely for the last 3 games.
I also think the squad look refreshed and some of our more experienced players seem to be playing with better form than the 2022 season.
I felt the referee Fergal Kelly was very poor . Not to blame for poor decision making/ shot selection but seemed to buckle under pressure from the Armagh crowd / mentors. Not inter County standard ref .
Well done Aiden … thought our backs did well .
Felt there was opportunities that our forwards could have take on shots from 30 / 40 yards out but hopefully they will move on and learn .
Building a nice panel for championship when all are back .
Kerry will be a massive test and one I’m really looking forward to
Thanks Wideball.
@Tubberman
You’re right with Aido. Concentrate on being a target man. If he can help out elsewhere then all well and good but first and foremost occupy defenders. I we can get him kicking marks then its another weapon that is very difficult to defend. The one he kicked the last day will give him a bit of confidence. The quality of ball in will dictate whether it works or not. Garryowens into the sky will give the defender more of a chance. The diagonal ball in is much harder to defend. Jordan arrowed a diagonal one in the second half that Aido took out out the air. Defender had no option but to foul. Easy free in.
I would say our best kick passers are Jordan, DOC, Paddy Durcan and Ryan. It shouldn’t be our only tactic to launch it but we shouldn’t be shy of using it either. It only needs to work once in a big game for it to be the difference.
We have plenty of options 8-15 if they are fit. Please God they are all fit for the big days.
Plunkett, O Hora, Eoghan Mc, Paddy and Robbie will stiffen up the back lines. It still feels as though we are a bit light there but David McBrien looks assured and the run of games will do him the world of good.
Plenty to look forward to and I wouldn’t be rushing to bet against us if we can avoid injuries to big players.
Agree with Culmore on Aidan staying in the square.
Have been saying for years here that Aidan’s best position is 14 for Mayo. Some agree but loads regularly disagree but that’s cos I don’t think the right ball/system of play was implemented (ie: practised on the training ground and brought to use in a match). A line ive regularly typed here is that if properly utilised O’Shea has the size and technical ability to cause havoc in the opposition full back line which is unsettling for any team. What Aidan doesn’t have is the speed or mobility to compete in midfield against the to teams in Croke Park. He didn’t have it in 2017. He’s hardly going to have it in 2023! In many ways I felt Horan Part Deux never used AOS properly. Kinda midfield, kinda no.11, bit-time 14.
Bobby T getting some praise but remember folks he’s young and new. Let’s not build up too much! Big difference between early league and heat of summer. Different game, expectations and pressure.
Well done Aidan. Great performance. Regards tiring it’s too simplistic to say they tired. Probably a combination of different things but when a team gather momentum and have nothing to lose it can be hard to stop maybe like the 2015 comeback by mayo v dublin where the dubs totally collapsed and let a 7pt lead slip in the last few minutes and if Andy showed a bit of composer after robbing cluxton there wouldn’t have been any 6 in a row. On another issue does anyone have any problem with the lack of gumshields worn because it drives me soft. The last free O’Neill took he was talking to the ref and it was clear to see he wasn’t wearing a gumshield and I was hoping the ref would pull him on it and maybe distract him before taking the free.
One of the greatest footballers ever to wear a Mayo Jersey. He has won so many matches for Mayo over the years. Such an easy target for so called Mayo supporters over the years l never mind the behrudgers outside the county who would love an Aidan O’Shea on their team. Keep it up Aido, plenty left in you still!
Mayo moving along nicely.
Jason Foley will have his hands full on Sat week.
Morley will need to sit right in front of him.
Glad to see Aidan getting praise some of the criticisms he has received had been a disgrace frankly.
You could see Buckleys stamp on the team in terms of tackling and pushing up on opposition kick outs .
Yes Bob Tuohy did play club championship last year, usually came on in midfield, which I think will be his long term position for Mayo eventually, probably with Carney. I still feel we are one player short in midfield as a back up, both Ruane and DOC have had plenty injuries last few years so would be worried if disaster struck there again, Flynn stepping up to the plate has been huge for us though. Would agree with Hession at wing back, in the 2nd half in the last 2 games in particular he has been outstanding. Getting Harrison back would be a huge plus.
Fair play to Aido, I often criticise him but he was excellent on Sunday, he needs to stay in full forward though and stop drifting out the field. Not 100% sold on him at full forward yet given his numerous other games spent in that position over the years, Kerry will for sure have a much better plan for him but agree we should persist with it for a few more games and see how he goes. Was it just me or did Carr and McLaughlin seem to be playing more as wing forwards yesterday rather than their usual positions? Can see the merit in playing McLaughlin there with 20mins to go, have watched him in the Sigerson couple times this season, would hate to see that pace and power running at me if I was a tiring half back.
Reape done reasonably well and I expect him to be 1st choice next season. Both himself and Hennelly are very suspect under the high ball as we’ve found out countless times over the years, Luke Jennings, O’Flaherty and Livingstone are probably the other options in the coming years. Cillian is making a huge impact off the bench, would love to have him as an option with 20mins to go. My full back line listed in the team below is a trio of solid man markers, with Coyne given a bit more license to drive forward, get a few more games into Callinan and he could push for a wing back spot.
With some of the talent coming through I would be very hopeful of getting across the line in the next 3 years, Kerry, Galway, Tyrone and at a push Armagh will be our biggest rivals, expect Dublin to win it this year but that will be the end of McCarthy, Rock, Fitzsimons. Even Fenton, Mannion, Kilkenny, Small, Mcaffrey will be heading into their 30s this year and their underage coming through just doesn’t seem to be cutting the mustard compared to what other counties, including ourselves are blooding, midfield in particular will be an issue for Dublin in the coming years.
Looking at a rough team/panel (in brackets) for championship, I’d be going for this:
Hennelly (Reape)
Coyne-McBrien-McHugh
(Harrison-Brickenden-Plunkett)
Durcan-O’Hora-Hession
(McLaughlin-Callinan)
Ruane-Flynn
(Carney)
D O’Connor-R O Donoghue, Tuohy
(Walsh–McStay-McLoughlin)
Carr-AOS-Conroy
(Towey-Cillian)
R Byrne/Coen/Loftus/McDonagh/Orme/R Keane/Frank Irwin all pushing hard for sub roles.
My Ball – that has always been a Mayo trait over the last few years. Don’t think you can credit it to Buckley.
@Mayonaze, Aidan had one of his best performance at midfield in the 2017 final. But I agree with the point, 14 should be his position bar the odd foray into midfield during the game for a kickout.
Aido is one of the best tacklers in Gaelic football I’ve ever seen actually. His technique is absolutely superb. All young kids should watch it very closely and learn how to dispossess an opponent correctly.
He uses both hands very effectively and legally. I have noticed he often puts the left hand in on the near side if a player is running by him to initially discomfort the opposing player before rotating his right arm in a kind of wrap around singular motion, before scooping the ball out from under the arm of the opposition player.
It’s absolutely brilliant timing and skill and when you combine it with his brute physical power, I struggle to think of many other players in the GAA as good. He may be maligned by some in the national media (unfairly) but have no doubt about this – inside the 4 walls of the top rival intercounty outfits they are fully aware of the perils of soloing around in possession too close to Aidan.
Maybe at some stage someone in the national media might pick up on it. Probably someone smart like Eamon Fitzmaurice.
@wideball .. I would credit Buckley to introducing improvements in tackle and kickout press to Mayo since he got involved years ago , not just thus year .
Very highly spoken of from some of the retired player’s.. eg .. Boyler and Andy
My Ball – players always speak highly of coaches, McDonald and Burke were praised in recent years. Buckley didn’t turn Monaghan into tackling and pressing experts during his time there.
I think it’s down to the type of players we produce. For example, Cillian and Ryan are probably our most talented forwards but both have an aggressive streak in them too which cannot be coached IMO.
Probably nitpicking on my part as there are undoubtedly more positives than negatives 2 rounds on but us anyone else concerned by the fullback line.
Admittedly armagh were one of the better forward lines we will play but It was pandemonium in there any time armagh went long.
Turbitt ran amok and we had no answer to Murnin,if Murnins goal effort in injury time found the top corner the mood would be very different I suspect. Any managers watching on will surely have picked up on the struggles mayo had with that long direct ball
Good article by Kieran Shannon in Examiner today . He writes about the championship like atmosphere in Armagh last Sunday. I liked the accompanying photo which shows eyes of disbelief in 4 mayo players when the ref blew for that last free! Of course it’s a match we should have won but I hope it’s a lesson learnt. Looking forward to the Kerry game. we certainly have the beating of them!
@RP McMurphy, what a great quote “under rated and over berated”.
Like a few others I haven’t posted much in recent times. The AIF v Tyrone sickened me and the tone of a small number of persistently aggressive posters here turned me off.
Thankfully the football has started again and there are many positive developments and the humour among mayo supporters has taken a turn for the better.
I’m delighted for Aidan O Shea and I saw enough on Sunday to suggest that FF is his position from now on. But two things need to happen- first he must accept that role himself and develop it to his own liking and the ball in must be clever. If so he will cause trouble!
He has another weapon in his arsenal that isn’t used enough. He has an amazing and powerful hand pass. What if he were to use it to fist the ball over the bar? He’s capable of doing that from 20m out. There are times it would easier for him than trying to kick it.
I have a feeling we might not be finished yet.
One thing our full back line players need to do better is to block out the opposition forwards when high balls are coming into our square. For that high ball in injury time the Armagh forward got into our small square uncontested. At the other end when we landed high balls into the Armagh square- the Armagh defenders were very good at blocking out our forwards and therefore allowing their goalie catch the ball uncontested.
Very concerned about the full back line, Supermac. They panicked so much in the last 10 minutes.
We left a win behind us because we ignored a tactic within our control, that of course was ball retention in those closing hectic minutes – a cock-up, that we keep repeating. Hopefully the mngt team wise-up to that unused way of skinning the cat – without the ball all opposition teams are impotent.
Congrats to AOS
Lads,
Just a bit of topic bit where would you park for a quick get away after the game.
Heading to Westport.
If we are playing with a new management in place which we are, and playing with a fair spread of young players which we are, then we have to stop complaining about the same old failings. There is an awful lot to admire about how the management and team have started the year.
This team and management deserve to make mistakes starting out, and if they continually make the same mistakes over the next year or two, then we can talk about the same old failings.
Somebody had made a point on a previous thread about this team not been in transition and backed that up by pointing to James Horan having gotten the team to the 2021 AI final.
The 2021 AI final should never be held up as an accomplishment, as it was maybe our worst performance ever, on many levels, in an AI final.
People have commented that K Mcstay looks a bit too happy in his interviews.
Isn’t it refreshing to see a manager so open and honest and optimistic about where this team might go and on how they are performing. To be honest he’s a breath of fresh air.
Early signs are that Mcstay is going to be inventive and that there is a change of playing style taking place.
Without Lee and Oisin and missing some of our regulars I can honestly say I didn’t expect any points from either the Galway or Armagh games. It’s been a very good start to the year and hopefully we’ll see a couple of wins for us in this league campaign before it’s done.
@revelino.agree with almost all you Said. My thoughts exactly except i was confident of getting something from the 2 games. I really don’t think think two 10pt wins would have been any good to the team. Isn’t it great to have two decent /good performances behind us and still things to work on at this stage
Revellino I wouldn’t think the style of play has changed much at all, if anything it’s a slightly slower style of play than was under Horan, likely due with the change of personnel transitioning does not seem as quick.
We may have increased amount of kicking slightly, but if look back at 2015/2017 highlights you will see similar long kicks attempted at similar frequency.
Like in other years when Aidan stayed inside you can see as before he often has no support runner coming off shoulder as we have retreated with a sort of blanket.
@ west Kerry…if you are in town in good time there is a small industrial estate within 100metres of pitch entrance… Albany & a few bathroom/tile shops there. Come out turn right and head for Westport away from most match traffic.
@ 2 hops,
Thank you very much ?
Sorry that was supposed to be a smile not a question mark!
West Kerry..And if you’re running late there’s an estate called the Curragh which is further away from.pitch but on road to.Westport..At least you have a couple of options!
Congrats Aidan..Well deserved..Great to see him.have a cracking game..
Thank you Regina,
Greatly appreciated
Thank you, Revellino. I like your take and I agree with you.
One day we complain that lads play over and back and don’t shoot. Next thing we take a shot that doesn’t work out and it’s a big mistake.
It’s a fairly bright, new start without Lee and Oisín and a few more dogs for the road. I didn’t expect us to win but, I’m from Mayo, I always hoped. A point from Galway and a point from Armagh is not bad… could have been even better.
I like the effort, I like the attitude, I like the youth, I like seeing new stars, I love to see Aiden and the other warriors, giving their heart, sweat and more for Mayo.
Keep it going lads. Fair play to Mayo but we don’t do ordinary. We have shades of the phoenix about us. Just when it seems like the zip is gone, we’re up and at it again. Bring it on. Very proud of the Mayo phoenix. Maigheo abú.
West Kerry, presuming you will be coming into Castlebar from Galway direction. Proceed to roundabout with Cathal Duffy petrol station on your left. Turn left at this roundabout for Westport, you can then turn 1sr left or 2nd left within 100 yards of this roundabout. Plenty of safe parking on both of those roads and you have a fast getaway to Westport after match.
@Gizmobobs.
Even in our pomp, I remember, we were usually in a position where we were trying to play our way back in to games.
How many times in recent years were we trailing and had to try our hardest to get back in to the game.
Just a couple of reminders,The 21 semi final where we trailed Dublin by 6 or 7 points and the same against Roscommon where we were nearly dead and buried and had to battle back for the draw. Mostly in recent years we have had the problem of making life hard on ourselves and struggling to get back within touching distance.
Sunday we got ourselves in to a great position where we were 5 ahead. No small achievement up there in the Armagh patch. We lacked a bit of composure to hang on, but giving up the 5 point lead shouldn’t take away the performance from our lads that got us to 5 in front.
Some of our scores came at the end of very slick moves and passes where we had Armagh at 6’s and 7’s. Aidan o’shea seemed rejuvenated and spent much longer inside than usual and I think it showed that they are putting in time in training to get the best out of him.
The intensity that has been missing over much of the past two seasons in our tackling was back. 3 and 4 tacklers surrounding the man in possession. Unfortunately the ref penalized us on more than one occasion when there didn’t seem to be any foul at all.
All of our previous several years were built on breaking from the half back line at speed. We played a completely different system on Sunday so I would have to conclude that the game plan and style of play for this current Mayo team has changed completely.
Changing the subject I see the following under 20 fixtures coming up. It’ll be interesting to se this years crop as always.
Leo Murphy Cup
Round 1 Saturday 11.02.2023 Group 1 Derry v Donegal Sligo v Mayo Group 2 Meath v Tyrone Antrim v Down
Round 2 Saturday 18.02.2023 Group 1 Mayo v Derry Donegal v Sligo Group 2 Down v Meath Tyrone v Antrim
Round 3 Saturday 04.03.2023 Group 1 Derry v Sligo Mayo v Donegal Group 2 Meath v Antrim Down v Tyrone
Final Saturday 11.03.2023 1 st Placed Team Group 1 v 1st Placed Team group 2
Hi Olive,
Thank you,
I’ll be coming from Dublin side.
@Revellino
It will be interesting when Paddy and Eoghan Mc are back in the half back line. They have the ability to break at speed but will they stay at home instead?
I would much prefer the majority of our scoring is done by numbers 8 to 15 and we keep our shape in the full back and half back lines. Even more so with a relatively inexperienced full back line.
I think we have looked reasonably solid at the back in the Galway and Armagh games. Neither team looked like running through us. The Galway goal came from a high ball and Armagh caused us a few problems late on with the same.
Work to do but far more positives than negatives.
@ West Kerry…the Curragh/chestnut grove. It’s the w’port side of the ground. Take a left out of either estate and you’re sorted
@GBXI sorry i meant since 2017 as in from 2018 onwards.
Maybe revellino, but some of those great moves were from the running from deep of Old like McBrien setting up Flynn’s goal attempt.
Mind the House Galways second goal was their fullback waltzing straight down the heart of the defence.
Mayonaze,
Thank you, Much appreciated.
I don’t want sound to negatives there is lots to be positive, we still a top 4 team if look at bookies.
Flynn has come on excellently, Tuohy for his age has great potential and is showing a cool head, Coyne settling in well etc.
@West Kerry – There is also the option of the train to and from Westport if you are down in good time and want to leave the car at your hotel. There is a train from Westport which arrives to Castlebar around 6.30pm. I think the last one leaves Castlebar around 9.30pm and is less than 10 minutes walking distance from McHale Park.
Its only about 12 minute journey via train between the towns.
There is also a private coach company (Michael Moran i think) who run`s buses every 30 minutes from Castlebar to Westport on a Saturday night, this could be an option if ye wanted to stay around for a few beverages in Castlebar after the game.
If you are happy to drive and have a quick getaway the recommendations above are all good spots to park.
@Gizmobobs
Some Manager I would make! I clean forgot Kelly’s goal for Galway. I still think given the inexperienced back line we haven’t looked as open as I thought we might be.
The next day will tell us more. No bigger test of the defence than from Kerry.
@Mind the house.
I think we will see less of the bombing half backs from now on. Especially if Kevin intends to deliver the long ball in to the likes of Aidan. Backs racing forward in to the forwards space would seem counter productive.
I have always taken stock of the amount of time Kevin broke down the the need to work the ball around until the high percentage shot was on. I wonder will we see a much more deliberate build up before we see shots from now on. The attempt we had towards the end of Sundays game would have stung Mcstay as it was a low percentage shot taken at a time when there were any amount of other options open and there was also a necessity to run down the clock.
We did an awful lot of things right on Sunday and still, any amount of room for improvements. We are lucky fans to have another team ready to race out of the stable.
Revellino,I believe that you are correct,there appears to be a different type of football being tried now,it will take time but I think that it is much more likely to get us over the line,no need talk about three years plan,there is no time like the present,only other thing that I hope does not happen is Aussie rules coming for Bob Touhy
Just watching the game back, the call from the ref with the score 0-12 to 0-17 in Mayo’s favour where he gave Armagh a free after EMCL and Ruane chasing down the Armagh player was nothing short of a disgrace. Absolutely no foul play, just a player who had run out of road.
i am just putting this out there Mayo will learn a lot more about themselves after this draw against Armagh than if they had won , it will keep them focused and level headed for the games ahead in the league and championship.
AOS the only Mayo pplayer to make GAA team of week. Management working well to define his role and sharpen his ‘mark and score’ skill. His ball distribution was excellent.
Coming back into defence only brings his marker into forward play. Stayinv forward it is high risk for opposition to leave him unmarked.
On another note
On Wednesday, the Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup semi-finals between UL and DCU Dóchas Éireann and TU Dublin and UCC will be streamed live on TG4’s YouTube channel.
Running from deep will always be part of the game as long as we have guys who have the speed, strength, wit and accuracy and we have, we will have. Us using a blanket (even) occasionally, will leave it a useful tool.
Keep them guessing.
I don’t disagree with you toohollow.
The more strings you have to your bow the better.
We have started this year with a more deliberate style of getting up the pitch though.
Almost all ball from our backs to the forwards at some point is going through the no. 6.
Conor Loftus is a heads up type of player and I don’t think you’ll see him putting down the head and tearing off with the ball. He will always look to move the ball with a handpass or kickpass.
I don’t think either you can click the fingers and replace Boyle Higgins Keegan and Mullin. Lightening quick and brilliant footballers on top of that.
I just don’t think we are equipped to play the same game that we spent most of the last decade playing. That could be a positive outcome because when you are soloing with the ball at 100mph up the field it’s not easy to always know what to do with the ball once you get there.
A slower march up the field gives time to suss out where the blanket is heaviest and probe in a controlled manner.
We still have the likes of Hession and Mcgloughlin who are well able to sprint the length of the pitch but I’m not so sure they are going to be asked to do that too often.
Interesting, thought-provoking post, Revellino.
The key is many strings to your bow. Be unpredictable in your play…slow deliberate play is fine as long as it ends with a shot on target or wide. Where you get caught out is when the ball drops short into goalkeepers hands or ball turned over.
Talking of goalkeepers, imo, it was lucky for us the Armagh manager didnt decide to bring on sub keeper and throw Rafferty outfield once AOS departed the action
Two draws to date with last years all ireland semifinalists is no mean feat.
UL lead DCU 1-7 to 0-4 at half time.
Looks like Jack Coyne and Eoghan McLaughlin will have another game to play this weekend.
Lovely goal from McLoughlin for UL. He’s playing well
Bullet of a goal by Eoghan McLaughlin for UL. Some people shouldn’t be so quick to criticise him, encouragement is what’s needed for young players like him.
Eoghan set up the 2nd goal with a long hand pass and scored the 3rd goal.
Frank Irwin came off the bench for UL too. Made one great catch from a kickout.
The speed of that run to receive the ball and then blast it into the net was nothing short of explosive. That speed is top drawer , we really need to utilise that in the best way possible .
I agree Seán. He’s improving with every game and the final will have him well tuned up to play against Kerry. UCC are in control in the second game but I think UL will be too good for them in the final
Here’s that Eoghan McLaughlin goal for UL tonight: https://twitter.com/MayoGAA/status/1623411473551597569?s=20&t=91NPE9Ba0nm08qwcp-j_yw.
Great driving run forward by Mclaughlan late in the game to score the clincher for UL. Coyne also played well and Frank Irwin made late appearance. Sigerson final is on a few days before Mayo v Kerry. DCU understrength tonight. Missing the 2 Meath lads that O Rourke was moaning about and Finnerty who Joyce was moaning about. Id say Co managers cant stand the Sigerson and in a way its hard to blame them.
That’s a tidy finish right enough. Fair play to him,he backed himself.
I saw McLouhlin goal so good! Saw a few saying he hasn’t been as sharp since he got his jaw broken by John small in the semi final 21 I disagree I think he is in prime form and that goal just proves it . .
Also when he was brought on against Armagh you could see the change and pace in a way to .
I am going to give mcstay credit only very early days but I love the way he is giving the young guns a great chance and bringing in the experience 2nd half which makes such a difference!
With soo many games this year we need the young ones to get proper tests and experience& a big panel .
I was really dissapointed as where many that we didn’t get the win over Armagh but as many as have said already I think it’s better we didn’t they will learn from it and get more experience also I thought Armagh would wipe the floor with us pre match so fair play!
As others have said we are so lucky in mayo when the changing of the guard happens we always have loads of other talented players waiting to step up as they want to be like their heros in lee keegan cillian o connors and Aido we are not finished yet bring on kerry!
Sorry for the essay ha!
Great pod this evening on Patreon with Boyler and Drake. Good analysis in particular on Cillian and his excellent form right now. Also they discuss Ryan as the playmaking half forward, especially come championship (or sooner) when Tommy returns.
Great to hear Comer avoided an ACL injury. What a player he is in full flow in fairness to him. Mayo could certainly do with another player like him in our forwards.
@Liberal role in the tie
Aido,Tommy and Cillian in the forward line with Ryan just behind would take some defending against. As long we avoid injuries we have some serious options from 8-15. Teams often doubled up on Ryan in the forward line. He would get more space in the half forward line and you would expect him to score just as many playing a bit deeper. I just hope and pray we get a chance to see all our big players on the pitch at the same time.
Early odds for the Kerry game.
Mayo 5/4
Kerry 4/5
Draw 7/1
Those odds are pretty much the same as the Galway and Armagh games. You would expect Kerry to be a bit shorter if they play their best 15.
No guarantee Tommy will be firing like he was before the injury , obviously hope he can but could take till next year to get right after been a year out .
Mind the house.
If Aidan and Cillian are in there, they can’t double up on them all. Surely then Ryan will get more space.
What a goal from McLaughlin, about ten seconds from starting his run to burying it. Fair play to him to have the composure to bury it after running at that pace.
@clare.you have me confused when you say you thought armagh would wipe the floor with us and still you tipped them to win by 1 or 2 before the match.
Them being mayo
Great Pod with Boyler and Drakey. They pretty much went through the whole team line by line and were open and straight with their opinions. Pointing out individuals and what to expect of them was enlightening which doesn’t mean we have to agree with them all. I liked the talk about the forwards in particular the Aido at ff role. Surprised though when they listed our options that young Bob Touhy didn’t get a lengthy talk-up because he has been outstanding in both league outings.
@No doubt that was at half time I thought that ? Strange not sure whats confusing about that.
@No doubt I wasnt far off at the tip either :p
Fair play Enda Varley on twitter for sticking up for Eoghan. Not fair to scapegoat the westport man for that last shot when all of the Mayo team went missing during the last quarter of that match.
@liberal, he wasn’t scapegoating. The tweet was “game management by EMcL”.
I don’t think that’s ott, did you think it was good game management?
Bad game management by the bloody lot of them Tubberman, not just one guy.
I listen a lot to Enda McGearty on Ah Ref and he’s always excellent. I don’t think he meant anything bad by it, I really don’t. Better to point out the entire team collapse, in my opinion. That’s only fair.
Move on. Next match.
https://youtu.be/IbEDZFD-Yz8
Interview with Lee Keegan
TH.
Thanks for posting that. Really enjoyed it. Lee is so honest and interesting.
@ Mind the House, depending on injuries between now an Sat week, I expect those odds to tighten up. With both teams putting out their best, I’d say Mayo will be closer to evens an Kerry marginally better. 7/1 for the draw is value at this stage imo.
McLoughlin, what a player and what a cracker of a goal there! The Westport man is back in form, fair play to him.
Not because he’s from my own club, and even with his form being a little indifferent lately, I really would love to see Jack Carney tried at 8 or 9. God forbid, if Mattie or Jordan get injured, it woul be great to have another option to slip into the middle next to DO’C/Aidan/Bob or whomever.
I watched Jack give some powerhouse performances last year at MF when we reached the Co intermediate Final, and yes I know it’s different at club level as opposed to County, but maybe when we’re safer in the league it would be a good time to experiment an give Jack a shot there. I Def feel he would flourish more in the middle. Who knows, as other have said, K McStay certainly has been inventive so far..
Good goal by UL, I hope the ref went back and gave the DCU player at least a yellow for that cowardly shoulder into the chest on the UL player as he was committed to kicking the ball
Folks, will Mayo be wearing a new away jersey for the upcoming Kerry match?
I sincerely hope not as it’s just a waste of another €75 and I believe the goalkeeper white jersey with the red shorts is a perfect away kit while the keeper wear the home green/red kit and mind you it’s was white jersey that won us the 1951 All-Ireland title.
R P McMurphy – positions can change a lot, but I’m fairly sure Jack Carney was midfield against Armagh along with Mattie. Fionn, Bob and Jordan were the HF line.
Carney was wing forward vs Galway as Diarmuid played midfield.
Eoghan McLaughlin is a player with a massive ceiling. I probably wouldnt have him in the top 10 players in Mayo right now, but the exciting thing is that if he fulfils all his potential he could go past nearly all the players ahead of him in terms of impact on the game and become a better player than nearly all of them. I think that’s the point Enda was making on the pod yesterday. He’s the type that I could see making big improvements in his game as he reaches his mid to late 20s. You want to see him get to 60 or 70 competitive games for Mayo in league and championship as quickly and at that point I think we could have a real top end player on our hands.
Our latest Q&A pod is just up on Patreon. Billy Joe and Ed are on it with me. By the way, the pod from a few days ago with Mike, Colm Boyle and Stephen Drake (which is a cracking listen) will be up on all platforms a bit later this evening. I’ll post details here in the normal way once it’s up.
Michael Moran, not sure if they be wearing but likely new alternative jersey be announced this weekend.
Excellent pod Willie Joe.
Some big decisions come champo on whether or not to start Cillian and Aido…
Billy Joe rightly points out that Aidan’s best work in Armagh the last day was out around the middle at the start of the second half, not at full forward. I think this is easy to forget and people get overly excited. He also rightly suggests that Aidan will have to continue this form to be guaranteed a start in championship, that it’s far too early to say at this point in time.
Thanks, Liberal – it was a very enjoyable chat to be involved in!
Mike’s pod from the other evening with Colm Boyle and Stephen Drake is now available on all platforms. It’s a cracking listen.
Yes, Willie Joe, I enjoyed the podcast with Colm Boyle, Mike and Drakey. I think everyone here, who hasn’t yet heard it, will like it too. It’s great to hear how interested and excited Colm and Stephen D get when discussing the team. These two sportsmen still love Mayo football.