Photo: MichaelMaye.com
Two outstanding performances in two weeks and so, for the second championship match in a row, Aidan O’Shea is our Man of the Match. He put in a scintillating display against Clare yesterday, his power and drive proving central to our wresting control of the contest after the break and this was reflected in the poll numbers.
The voting was closer this week compared to the Derry game – as the leaderboard below shows – with Kevin McLoughlin (my main man from yesterday, though I’m happy to see Aidan get the award) also attracting significant support. Andy Moran, David Clarke, Brendan Harrison and Chris Barrett all featured strongly in the polling too.
Well done to them and to the rest of the lads who all played their part in securing the win at Cusack Park yesterday.
My only concern with AOS now would be his absence……we really can’t do without him from here on in. In the space of a week he’s gone from bit-part injury plagued player to being indispensable.
I see COC and BH were highlighted for their indiscipline on the SG. COC in particular needs to be careful. He can be ‘reckless’ with his hands/arms.
who is the RTE reporter interviewing Aidan ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kPETiOIsR4
Well done Aido.. you need to keep this going, its the best way to give the two fingers to all the begrudgers out there. Do your talking on the field lad
He was always indispensable
Some mayo “supporters” just seemed to have a personal problem with him for some reason
The way he left Gary Brennan for dust before he put the ball over the bar was a joy to behold.
Only issue I have with Aiden is that his performances drop off as the season progresses, we need him at this level right up until September otherwise we don’t have the quality to carry us to Sam
I wouldn’t underestimate the power of the mark rule in the influence Aidan is having on games. Whereas one time he would land and have to power through traffic. Now he is either able to take his free or there is a 4 step gap for him to drive on and head downfield. Great to see him in good form. He is doing the basics really well letting ball on to runners either side of him. He mixes it up to good affect sometimes going into the forwards. He’s winning a disproportionate share of throw up balls as well.
Well done to Aidan, keep up the great work!
Good man Aido, two in a row. The mark is helping and maybe he’s getting some more protection from the referees. The RTE were at it again in highlighting Mayo’s lack of discipline. We had malees in nearly all the games over the weekend and three(?) Reds in the connacht final which didn’t get any attention. So maybe Cillians’ the villain this year?
Funny thing is, I don’t think he’s even fully fit yet. Thought he was very laboured in the first half. I’d play with him a broken leg to be honest.
Aidan was immense again!.
Cillian O’Connor was subject to huge provocation from start of 2ND half ie before the ball was thrown in. I was watching it and it was appalling.
Last year on the SG Ciaran Whelan (when it suited him ie re Connolly and Keegan incident) stated that “officials have to look at who starts the incident ie who the provokes a reaction”.
He was strangely silent on McMahon assault on Tom Parsons after the final last year and I suspect he will be silent now as well.
Similarly Paddy Durcan was eye gouged in Castlebar and no word of that.
OShea gets “the treatment” every game since minor final in 2007 and no word of that either.
Officials need to look at citing for provocation and dealing with it on the day as well.
we know have the best goalkeeper in Ireland in Clarke, best defender in Keegan and best Midfielder in AOS
I owuld have given it to kev mac but its brilliant to seem them both back after a slump in form !
Diarmuid seems to be on the way back too, we dont need marquee forwards we just need everyone to play to their potential, i think we are starting to gel.
well deserved Aiden,keep up the good work,
Wj any thoughts on where you think our clash with cork will be?
wouldn’t mind a trip to tullamore / port laoise
It seems to take management an age to make changes that even the man in the street knows needs to be introduced. Finally Aidan was brought to midfield for the throw ins. And won both of them. Finally Kevin Mc was allowed the freedom to do what he does best. But it took 35 minutes before management saw the Clare No. 4 was running amuck as we operated with 5 forwards and nobody was detailed to curtail his runs up the middle. We must act quicker against CORK or are the messages from ROCHFORD in the stands not getting to the Sideline? Finally, discipline must be addressed – even AIdan was getting flaky at one stage on Saturday, unlike him – or we will wind up playing with 13 or 14 men.
The RTE reporter is Grainne McElwaine.
Jennifer, based on logic and history we’d be in Ennis and Galway Donegal would be in Castlebar.
Cork wont want it in Ennis so might use their clout to get it moved to Limerick. The powers that be might then decide sure wouldn’t it be great to do a double header and drag everyone to limerick to keep Cork happy.
It won’t be a double header as galway are playing Donegal in mchale park or marcovich park
Aidan is brillant I always admire his discipline too I even say the Clare No4 a tiny buck picking out of Aidan like a terrier and Aidan batting him off like a wasp I hope he keeps it up and do himself justice on the pitch. I’m worried about Cork tho. We have to play for the full 70+ mins if we don’t and let them off to the kind of start Clare got we won’t reel them back in and it will be curtains so full concentration from the word go will be required.
Pat,… Paddy Durcan was not ‘eye gauged :in the match versus Derry, the player in the picture with his eye in serious danger was Diarmuid O Connor!
It’s limerick
Time TBC
Really really hope it’s not 7pm so the train is an option
Other game in sligo
@Km79 – Where did you hear that it will be in Limerick?
Limerick owes us one.Probably Cormac Relly will be ref.
It’s on Mayo news page.
is there a confirmed time yet ?
yet another dig against Mayo from the top brass. Why could the game not be in Pearse Stadium? Thats a similar distance cork would have to travel as we do to Limerick? We’ll be told to get on with it and stop giving out by the usual posters on this blog. Enough should have been enough
I’m not complaining about the Venue as it suits me because i live in limerick but just to play “Devils Advocate” what was wrong with Ennis for this match.
good point the lone wanderer – excellant surface in Ennis & fair distance for both counties. They’ll say its not big enough to cater for the crowd but thats rubbish as cork will hardly bring 1k while’ll we’ll bring 10/12k at most.
Pearse Stadium is a poor venue ….
Elements always play a part there with matchs.
CB: Hello Croke Park, this is the Mayo county board. We’d like to speak to speak to someone regarding the round 4 qualifier.
HQ: Hold please.
HQ: Hello Mayo, are you ringing to discuss the 14 million loan we gave you two years ago?
CB: Silence
HQ: Your happy enough with Limerick then?
CB: Delighted, thanks very much for not sending us to Cork, which we wouldn’t have minded either by the way.
HQ: Anything else?
CB: No, no, no we’re grand. Sorry for bothering you.
HQ: hangs up
i doubt the GAA consider the elements when they choose their venues.
its something more sinister and we all know it.
But we accept it and move on as we always do.
Ah come on, either Ennis or Limerick were the only logical choices. Ennis is a bit on the small side (although probably not an issue when it’s Cork we’re playing), so no surprise it’s Limerick. We don’t have to be outraged about every decision.
Complete speculation, but I’d say it had something to do with the hurling. Tipperary vs Clare in any sane world would be in Limerick, but the GAA want it to be in Cork. So to throw a bone to the Limerick GAA they fix our game for there. Clare go our last game, so Buggins turn goes to Limerick.
Game was never going to be in Galway.
Speak for yourself Tubbman, I’d nearly like to see Cormac Reilly appointed ref just to watch the Internet explode…
Liam – I could just picture that Conversation taking place
Limerick is a little over 30 min down the Motorway from Ennis and the pitch is on the mayo side of the river, all in all not too bad. if Cusack park was done up it would be the most logical choice.
Just like last Saturday the Wife and I can take out 2.5 year old and 3 month old to the Cork game also. Happy Days
But thats my point sixpointsup, why not Galway? In my humble opinion, its another kick in the you know where for the county board of ours
hope its ennis . happy hunting ground
I personally cant stand Pearse Stadium, MayoMagic, even though we have an ok record there. I wouldn’t get too worked up, I am far more concerned about who the referee is.
Limerick is a huge advantage to Cork, just as it was for Kerry in 2014…. Hyde Park Rosscomm or Pearce Stadium would have been the same advantage to Mayo… Mind you I think it’s right that our fan’s let their displeasure be known.. I wouldn’t know what, if anything our County Board has ever done in relation to insisting on fair play for Mayo?.. If the Mayo board have been proactive in the past about looking after the Mayo interest, their efforts certainly never became public knowledge… But at this stage now, it’s head’s down for the team, the county board and total focus on the job in hand. I don’t think that any public utterances by the county board or anyone connected with our team would do us any service… Dublin hurling manager and Hurling board let it be known as to their displeasure at having to play Tipperary in Semple Stadium, their grievance was not turned into anything positive and Tipperary hammered Dublin by a massive 22 point’s.. Does anyone know where Galway and Donegal will play?
galway and Donegal are in sligo Leantimes Makievkz park ( not sure if my spelling is correct )
any update on our kick off time ?
The venue is fair enough—there are a lot of hurling games that weekend that have to be catered for.
You’re a bit off there, Jennifer K (and you too, Cantini! Tut, tut: I’d expect a Sligoman to have that one right) – it’s Markievicz Park. And while I’m in anally retentive pedantic mode, it’s also throw-in rather than kick-off time, which, from what I can see, hasn’t yet been confirmed. Sky have both matches on an exclusive basis (another row bubbling up there, no doubt), with one at 5pm and the other at 7pm, so that’s the window we’re looking at for the game.
Sky will probably want Mayo Cork at 7, it arguably being the most attractive of the two fixtures.
I wouldn’t quibble over the venue. Our lads will have to go down on Friday night anyway, I suspect, so going another 20 mins further isn’t that bad. Same goes for us supporters.
I would be very wary of Cork. They have been playing way below what you would expect from a team like Cork. If they have any pride in their jersey and play to anything near their potential they will definitely cause us trouble and could well beat us – if we perform anything like in the Derry game or 1st half v Clare. We need to take this threat very seriously and not heed silly pundits who are rubbishing Cork. Wounded animal and all that!!!
two wraps on the knuckles for me in the one go! thank Wj…..
i see its confirmed throw in at 5,
happy days,Roll on match day
Apologies, Jennifer – the picky pedant wins out in me every time!
Willie Joe, many years ago, I was stopped by the RUC and the British Army at a check point on the way to Brewster Park, Enniskillen for a match.. I was asked by the RUC officer where I was going? , told him, and then he inquired what time was ‘kick off’?.. Being too smart for my own good, I too told him that it was’ throw in ‘.. I got a dirty look, and a few more pointless questions, to me it seemed just to inconvenience me even more.. I know times have changed, thankfully for the better, but in certain places at a certain time in our history, you were as well off to say’ ‘kick off ‘…
phew thanks leantimes i thought it was my wayward approach
with my’ kick off’!! appreciate you trying to stick up for me!!
I don’t doubt it, Leantimes. I recall once myself going north across the border at Lifford, driving a UK-registered car (we were living in London then and I’d just passed my driving test and bought the car) on the same day that a British soldier had been shot dead at another border crossing. You can be sure I wouldn’t have corrected anyone at the crossing that day if they said kick-off instead of throw-in. Changed times, for sure.
no bother Willie Joe ,sure its different viewpoints and some odd ball suggestions that make this blog the haven that it is.
i for one would be lost without it,to be honest i haven’t had need to buy a book in a very long time
enough reading here to keep me happy
thanks to all your hard work,you are a mighty man
Is is limerick Colbert or limerick junction that I need to get to forthe stadium?
A well deserved MOTM. The guy is phenomenal. Keeps his head superbly well in the face of constant harassment. Class act
First of all congratulations to our great team on another great win,now head down and get ready for the rebbles,never mind the venue,we will get over that, let’s concentrate on the next game,and take a look at what happened in the. CF,was it complacentcy that caught Galway? or as I say was it a great performance from Ross,fair play to them deserving champions!and comeserations to my adopted county,I think we can learn an awful lot from this game,1,take nothing for granted,2,if we play as a united team, management and of course supporters we will get through the next round and beyond,Hon Mayo,