Photo: Mayo Mick
When Cillian O’Connor went down clutching his shoulder after only ten minutes of Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final against Tyrone and ended up getting wheeled off the pitch in the same way as Andy Moran was last year it seemed for certain that his year was over and that he had zero chance of featuring in next month’s decider. Not so, according to various reports this morning – Irish Times, Irish Examiner, Irish Independent, GAA.ie – which, although far from upbeat, would appear to leave at least a small sliver of hope that Cillian might yet play some part in proceedings on September 22nd. Personally, I’d be very doubtful that we’d see him starting – Mickey C’s hugely positive second half cameo allied to Alan Freeman’s confident dead-ball showing suggests strongly where the selection calls for the final are likely to go – but it’d be great nonetheless to have him in the match-day squad for the decider.
That GAA.ie report, by the way, references an interview yesterday evening with James Horan on Newstalk’s Off The Ball show, where the boss sounded relaxed, happy, confident and utterly self-assured in how to do the media side of things. Have a listen yourself – here.
While on the subject of audio, the Mayo News post-match podcast is also worth a listen – here. If you want some visual stimulation to go with it, you could do a lot worse than perusing Mayo Mick’s photo gallery of the action at Croke Park on Sunday.
Although the media attention is now switching away from us and onto this weekend’s Croke Park sell-out semi-final between Dublin and Kerry (a game I’m going to as well), there’s still a good bit of coverage about us today and, as you’d expect, it’s all positive stuff too. This piece by Fintan O’Toole in The Score makes the interesting point that all three MOTM nominees on The Sunday Game – Chris Barrett, Seamus O’Shea and Alan Freeman (who deservedly got the gong) – were peripheral figures last year and that the manner in which they’ve forced their way into the first fifteen is living proof of the ferocious competition for places on the team at the present time.
The Irish Examiner has a piece on the county’s “buoyant” mood as we start to gear up for yet another All-Ireland final appearance. This one has quotes from Seamus O’Shea, Alan Freeman (with some interesting thoughts from him about stepping up to take over the freetaking duties) and Donal Vaughan.
The Irish Independent, meanwhile, runs some numbers on the scoring return we’ve achieved from the backs this year and how these figures far exceed anything that Donegal and Tyrone – two teams noted for roving, play-anywhere formations – achieved in the past. That piece makes the point that Rob Hennelly’s pointed free last Sunday took our total number of scorers in this year’s championship to an incredible eighteen. No better way to finish up, then, than by having another look at that one by Rob last Sunday, a rousing score that met with plenty of appreciation from the now fabled #seaofgreenandred:
Any chance we could quickly log a motion at a special congress to introduce a new rule for “special teams” players who can come onto the field just to take kicks 🙂
I agree WJ re having Cillian on the bench for the final. See the damage he done in the second half of the connaght final.
I work in Dublin and most dubs I meet are overjoyed to be meeting us in the final. They are building themselves up for a massive fall. Have you ever heard the kingdom so quiet???
Besides, can you imagine the shock the young Dublin forwards will get after receiving hits from cunniffe, Vaughan, boyle et al…
WJ, a consultant friend of mine works in James’ and he said yesterday that, obviously without knowing the actual ligament damage, he would not completely rule out the possibility that Cillian could appear on the bench. His view is that obviously surgery is the only thing that will completely rehabilitate the injury but that it may be possible to temporarily strenghten that area through rehab, strapping and even pain killing injections, to get him on the bench. The 2 main issues are obviously tha ligament damage regarding bruising and swelling and also whether Horan wants him bad enough to put the lad through all the pain again.
Cillian will be sound for Game 6. Seriously.
Lets just keep praying not just for Cillian but that we have a full bill of health for our lads. That’s all we can do.
Now… Yep, if the dubs win at the wknd the hype will go into overdrive up there which we shud embrace. The bookies will put them as slight favourites too bearing in mind they’ll have beaten Cork and Kerry(a recipe which worked perfectly for Donegal last year remember!!) on top of this they fairly opened our defence up in both Springtime encounters, so they’ll believe they can do it again. Added to all of this is they have many players with medals from 2011.
Kerry well when r they never not quiet. The reality is that if they beat the dubs on Sunday then they will have to show their full hand in doing so. They r chomping at the bit for a go at the dubs having lost so narrowly(thrown away the final) two years ago. Many will say its one last hurrah for them. Anyone who even contemplates writing off a Kerry team in Croke park is an idiot.
Either way we have a huge challenge ahead of us. One last mountain lies in our path.. We have the ability to overcome it but if u thought last Sunday was a battle then near in mind that it was a mere tiff in comparison to what lies ahead. But we can do it. Focus, determination, patience and belief!
Lets enjoy these few weeks..and prepare with smiles on our faces!
that is some serious inside info pebblesmeller , will expect to see it lifted from here and in one of tomorrows papers !
even dubs fans will admit kerry handed them the last game, they wont get it so soft this year
*ever not quiet!:)
Roger Milla, I have to sterss that my mate doesn’t have any “inside” knowledge on Cillians actual injury, but, from general cases of a similar nature he has said that it is possible. The risk of course is that it dislocates again, but, his view is that that will be the case until it is operated on anyway.
He still charged me €150 for the talk though! He took €120 for cash.
I think its very unlikely that Cillian will play any part, and to be honest an All Ireland final is no place for a man carrying an injury. I don’t think it would be fair on him and he would not do himself justice playing with a crocked shoulder. In terms of Cillian’s contributions from play we have plenty options on the bench to adequately replace him. Its from frees that the problems arise. Freeman looks the best option, the others just don’t have the consistency.
It was a fantastic victory, and its a wonderful achievement to qualify for back to back finals, was very proud of all the players after the match. Now that the initial excitement has died down we have a chance for some balanced analysis of where we are at.
Looking ahead to the final, we have plenty work to do. We have played 5 championship matches this summer. The first 15 minutes against Galway and Donegal were outstanding. By contrast the opening 15 minutes against Roscommon, London and Tyrone were substandard. Here in Mayo we have plenty painful memories of disastrous starts in finals, if we had been playing Dublin or Kerry last Sunday they would have been out of sight by the end of the first quarter. Tyrone are an ordinary side, they were not good enough to punish our sloppiness, we have to reach the 20 minute mark in the final on level terms at least. At least then we will have settled and hopefully impose ourselves on the game. We tend to control matches either side of Half time and build platforms for victory in this period. Seamie O Shea outshone his brother yesterday, but he tends to take time to grow into games, we need him tuned in from the off the next day. Its a perfect way to win a semi final really, hype dampened and plenty of very attainable improvements to be made going into the final.
The second aspect of Sundays performance was that the less heralded players stood up and were magnificent. Chris Barrett, Cunniffe, S o Shea, Freeman, Keegan all brilliant. On the other hand in the first 20 mins the likes of Kevin Mac, Ger Caff and Aidan made silly errors that directly cost us scores, they all upped it immeasurably in the second half but its hard not to feel that the ease of our victory against Donegal led to a few fellas being a bit taken aback by the intensity of the first 20 mins. Hopefully that wont be an issue the next day. It cannot happen again, there is no excuse for it.
I thought that the ref was poor, awarded some soft frees on both sides, and to be fair more of them seemed to go to us than them.
I could barely watch after Aidan O Shea got his yellow card, because what a lot of people didn’t realise is that a second yellow would have ruled him out of the final due to picking up 4 yellows in consecutive games. Imagine the consternation if that had happened! Horan saw sense and pulled him off as soon as the game was safe.
Theres a big call to be made regarding Andy Moran. His contribution wasn’t enough to hold his place, especially given how well Conroy and Carolan did. If it was any other player he would definitely be dropped. However Andy gives great leadership, presence and direction while on the field, leadership that was not present in the full forward line in the opening sector of last years final, where sloppy turnovers led to the Donegal goals. We are just going to have to trust James Horan on this one, I personally think he will start him, with Conroy most likely replacing O Connor. Unfortunately Varley probably played himself out of contention with his freetaking, which was the main reason Horan turned to him instead of Conroy when Cillian got injured.
Obviously the freetaking will have to be near perfect from frees and 45’s if we are to win. It would be my biggest worry going into the final. If its Dublin Cluxton will convert 90%, and so will Kerrys Johnny Buckley. To be honest after the first 20 minutes Tyrone were useless yesterday. Mc Curry and Cavanagh missed a few easy frees and they kicked a few poor wides from play that simply will not be missed by our final opposition. Assuming Cillian is out, it has to be Freeman practicing everything between now and Sept, with Hennelly an option from long range.
We have been here before. All Ireland semi final victories are now old news to Mayo, we simply have to fucking win the final this time. The players are ready and primed, the core of the team at the peak of their careers, there can be no excuses about refs or slow starts or injuries, or bad luck. Good teams overcome those problems and find a way to win no matter what goes wrong. The team is good enough, powerful enough, skilful enough. Our time is now. Maigheo Abu
Banquet in City West – 116 tables of ten. Pay beforehand and all get the opportunity to pay for a get a ticket. Good idea
Shotstopper, any details on that? Where did you hear of that?
Not sure where you got that info from Shotstopper
I spoke to City West this morning and they had it “99%” that the teams were staying there on the Sunday night but could not confirm categorically. Certainly no mention of the banquet. Mind you, the lad on the phone didn’t sound the brightest.
citywest is a pain in the hole , way too far out.
Lads – it’s as well to wait until the official announcement is made which I’m sure will happen in plenty of time for everyone to make the necessary arrangements.
I see Mayo Gaa have asked people to keep away from non-official fundraising.
and on that note Cairde Mhaigheo London are having a race night in the Oxford Arms in Camden town on the 15th september. there will be tickets for the final to be won.
I’ll tweet it later and ask ye all to retweet me , thanks.
Lads as predicted on this website last week, CIllian taken out after 5 minutes (though not by a finger in the eye). Thankfully we survived. Great that our minors won too meaning a bigger allocation of tickets for us for the final. We could outnumber kerry by 4 to 1. Kerry took the foot off the gas against Cork and Cavan after going 10 points up. They are ready to ambush the Dubs and have their eye set on another “handy one” against Mayo on 22nd. Why do ye think they were cheering us on v Donegal that day and again v Tyrone on Sunday.
As for the sunday game coverage. I also tried adjusting the picture size but big Des just didn’t look right on the screen. 3 questions from Sunday.
1. How did Maurice Deegan get the job as a ref?
2. How did big fat mumbling Des get a job on television?
3. Who ate all the cakes in the Sunday game studio?
WJ, you are probably right. However, City West has booked out completely since I checked this morning. Either it’s true or else an excellent marketing ploy.
Pebblesmeller – from the horse’s mouth
Shotstopper, that’s good enough for me so. What are the details?
Can we put to bed conspiracy theories about Cil been taken out ffs-we in Mayo sometimes have eyes like a supergrass has ears-we see things that dont happen at all.personally should have a bigger complaint than most on here re the incident,but there was nothing untoward in either Gormallys or Big Joe’s tackle
I agree with Roger Milla that Citywest is a desperate venue, too faraway but it has been decided then that is where we will all want to be on the night. Even if Cillian O’Connor is out provided Alan Freeman can repeat his second-half performance and the other forwards can step up to the mark we should be okay for whatever the opposition is!
I think it is crazy to dream of Cillian being on the field. Does anyone give a shite about him and his future. What’s the first thing the opposition will do? Hit him. Fucking crazy, selfish and short-sighted!!!
Carolan has been very impressive and is not given enough credit. His work rate, tracking back and defending is first rate. He is very strong; on Sunday when he was hit by a Tyrone player, he staggered him.
He can score, a great point on Sunday and the attempt that hit the post against Donegal would have been a classic.
Andy Moran was on the Second Captains podcast and said he would be ‘surprised’ if Cillian O’Connor wasn’t playing either the full game or part of it. I found it surprising to hear him being so positive – but greatly encouraging. It’d be fantastic to have him as a sub even to bring on.
Andy himself is great player but he has not fully recovered and is short of pace. It is very hard to drop him but it is impossible to leave Mickey Conroy out. And if Cillian is able to play then JH has a real dilemma. I agree that Cathal Carolan looked very good this year and it is hard to ignore him too and what about Richie Feeney?
I think he will start Andy Moran out of loyalty and a belief that he can offer something special. However, I believe that if he doesn’t show well in the first 20 mins he will be replaced (perhaps to reappear late in the second half ala Peter Kanavan). These are great problems to have compared to the past and whoever goes out is likely to give a decent performance.
Yeah, I don’t think he’ll drop Andy myself. Interestingly 2 out of the 3 analysts said Cillian O’Connor probably would be back for the final and the debate was whether to start him or not. I’m a lot more upbeat about his chances of appearing in the final than I was earlier. It’s a great headache to have as Conroy looks to be back to his form of the league and probably has to start for his pace alone. Lots of room for debate!!
Best wishes to Cillian. Both he and JH will be guided by the medics and over the past three years I have gained the impression that cold logic, not emotion and fingers crossed hope, will determine the manager’s decision.
As I watched the opening thirty minutes I was taken aback by Tyrone’s game. We can say Mayo were poor during that period, but while that may have been the case I give credit to Tyrone. Harte had a very good game plan to counter us. But for Cillian’s injury we would have had a few more points from easy frees. It was the easy misses, the goal not given and the points in the last few minutes that gave me reassurance during half time that we would win. I could not see us having such chances in the second half and failing to take them. Thankfully, that is what happened.
It wasn’t the performance we wanted, but it will mean that the team come out the traps like scalded cats on 22nd.
They showed great depth of character, overcame all thrown at them and won. There will be no self delusion on the part of the team leading up to the final. After what they went through on Sunday they will be driven men, knowing that Dublin or Kerry will present a greater challenge ( but whisper it, there have been times in their provincial finals and quarter finals when both have left a lot to desire in their play ).
Fingers crossed about tickets for the final. If I do get one I hope I have a different pilot to the tosser on Saturday. When he landed he must have thought he was driving a tunnelling machine.
I think for the teams looking on seening Mayo play on Sunday they will say not their finest performance but when the going got tough Mayo got tough.They will think these fellas are going to be hard beat coming back from behind against a tough defensive system is impressive and yet they will know that we can play better.That’s my own theory on it.I believe that Conroy should start.He is very mobile and every game i seen him play in he loves showing a ball looks very consistent.The start in the final is going to be hugely important.Both teams are going to go hell for lether if Mayo can get some scores on the board and then try and contain the opposition we are half way there.That is why we need all players 100% fit mobile and showing for ball.I do think Dublin will win but at the same time Kerry show up some weaknesses on the Dubs .
hope cillian gets over this injury and i hope he is back playing football soon very unfair to expect him to play in the final on a broken shoulder sorry if i sound harsh i wonder will limerck win the appeal i know the lost it hope mayo beat the dubs
Folks, we’d all love Cillian to be there, to be sprung into action at some stage in proceedings etc etc…….But to be fair, that was a serious knock. To be anyways ready to rock in 3 weeks time, he’d have to be back in training say, a week beforehand……I don’t know, I don’t think we should pin any hopes on that. We should trust the next choice (MC ?) to get himself seriously up to speed, and to die for the cause on the day. We all know the roar COC would get if he hit the field on the big day, but what a downer if he was to get another crippler and have to go off……..Then again, I’d say the lad himself will do anything to get himself fit for the big one…….If he does, it’ll be magic !
I think a player like Barry moran in the full forward line if we are playing dublin , would cause the dubs all sorts of problems as they full back line is not great under high ball . Conroy caused a lot of panic in the Tyrone corner. back line ,but he has not a great conversion rate from shots ,
It’s definitely City West for the banquet alright.
I would agree with lads who would doubt that COC could do himself justice in the final. I know it’s over 4 weeks away yet but it’s hard to see how damage like that could be rehabbed sufficiently in time to allow the lad do himself justice.
I have had the same injury myself and aggravated it in an attempt to get back in time for a club final. Obviously I wouldn’t have been getting the level of care that COC will get being a county footballer but from my experience of it at the time it’s hard to see how he’ll be able to produce his best even off the bench.
Obviously I hope I’m wrong as it’s heartbreaking for a lad to miss an AI final
Made my first trip to Croker for the match on Sunday did the museum as well. I have a couple of question that I hope some one can answer. Has the losing team in a final ever taken part in the Sam/ medal presentation and secondly do the losers get a medal ? Looking forward to the final but will have to settle for the pub !
The first quarter yesterday was poor and as someone stated above it was our more illustrious players that were off form, with the likes of Cunniffe, Barrett ,SOS and Freeman all showing the urgency and better will to take on Tyrone, Keegan was also in the mix. The team as a whole upped it considerably in the last 5 of the first and throughout the second……….though Andy Moran wasn’t playing any way near whats needed, he did direct operations well and has to start in the final, if only to get things underway and get the game under control, we need good heads at the start as the skill and football will take control once settled.
I don’t know about how others feel but seeing Cillian get injured yesterday took the good of the win out of me as he is the most dangerous forward in the country at present.The AI final will be at a loss without him. He has a fantastic football brain as well as being a sharpshooter, The last that came close in our county from the placed ball was Joe Corcoran(and that’s a while ago)………..I don’t think that he should be risked in the final unless it’s his own call, if able ,he deserves that . In any case I wouldn’t start him but would have him on the bench ready.
We are blessed with players this time round, Feeney, Carolan,Conroy etc would make any side in the country.
Alan Freeman has been superb this year and as well as a fine fielder, free taker and points getter, he covers so much ground and gives 100% but in the absence of Cillian he needs another of his own ilk beside him as we still need forwards who can return 5 to 6 pts each to add to our outfield scorers. It’s going to be Kerry or the Dubs and we will need high scores.
MaighEo Abu
How could I not mention Big Barry
I do not think it realistic to expect to see Cillian play any part in the final unfortunately for him and us. Trouble with a shoulder dislocation the oftener it happens the easier it is to dislocate again – and this is the third time in less than 12 months. An operation and recuperation over the winter is likely the only answer.
I believe Alan Freeman is well capable of stepping up to the place kicking and he seems to be improving with every game.
Regarding Kerry and the Dubs, there is nothing Kerry like more than meeting a fancied Dublin team, esp. when the Dubs fancy themselves. We have seen nothing yet to judge Kerry on, they won all games to date pulling up, pretty much like ourselves.
And I don’t buy into the idea promoted by several pundits that Mayo would be looking at history and fearful of Kerry if we have to meet them in the final. James Horan has totally changed the thinking of this team and I reckon they would welcome the chance to meet Kerry.
But I don’t want to see any more talk of celebrations. Last year Jim McGuinness had to act quickly to silence some idiot worrying about the venue of their home coming party. That idiot probably knew even less about GAA football than attention/vote getting. Hopefully we’ll have none of it.
Big Barry indeed, he is a good option at full forward , park him on the edge of the square and kick it high to him It’s so simple,he is very strong on the ball and can score. I too would love to see cillian at some stage in the final but definetly not to start. He’s a great bit of stuff and even without him this team and panel have enough to beat either of what’s left. I am really impressed by two things
1. When a fella like McLaughlin is having a bad day that another lad comes from nowhere to kick points( Barrett). It really disheartened Tyrone.
2. The physical conditioning is superb for amateur players. Cunniffe took a terrible blow himself and just got up and kept going. Aos lost a lot of weight and can run all day, these fellas really mean business.
Really, if Mayo get a performance on the day, the pick of Kerry and Dublin won’t beat them. It’s getting the performance that will take doing.
Andy Moran does have a good fooballing brain .So does Keith Higgins.He is very clever player.In fearness most players at that level are if you listen to James Horans interview on off the ball he said if you had to be given direction to the lads all the time you would get nowhere.We all have our favourites that we admire.Mine would be AOS not just for his football and fielding ability but his professionalism and attitude and the way he transformed himself physically lads that takes some amount of commitment .In 3 or 4 years time with added experience he is going to be better than he us now.And Alan Dillon.I just love his style of play.the way he takes big scores sometimes its orgasmic and awesome to watch.One of the best forwards i have seen but then again my memory only goes back to 96.
I think Dublin more so than Kerry would be an advantage with Barry in the edge of square but freeman would be too.
First off. Best wishes to Cillian, he has become such a leader for a young fella. Especially for opposition kick outs, he is always organizing the forwards to pick up their men and stop the quick one. Great display from both Mayo teams. Thought P Pendergast strengthened the midfield in the Minor game, and will be needed there in final especially if as I suspect its Ross. they have a serious midfield.
I think if Aiden got 2nd yellow, in two consecutive games he would be out for 2 weeks and not miss the final. He didn’t know that and felt he had to be very careful.
Anyway hope he’s at full throttle for the final.
Very sad to see Cillian going down and being obviously in trouble early in the game before going off a few minutes later following an attempt to field a ball on the sideline. I did not see any attempt by Tyrone players to nail him, he is a full on player who doesnt hold back.
If I have been reading reports correctly this is the third dislocation on this shoulder – medics physios and any footballer who has played the game knows that this injury- without corrective surgery and effective rehab- has a huge, increasing risk of re-occurrence( 80- 90%) as well as the damage to the surrounding muscle ,ligament etc.. The notion that he would be risked in any game before surgery and rehab is to my mind evidence of desperation in the Mayo set up and I dont believe we are desperate. Of course our attacking threat will lessened without him but the fact is we must plan without him and we have time to do that. This panel is rounded and talented enough to cope with these type of knocks that’s our strength this year, look at the hunger shown by Carolan Mickey C and Richy Feeney on sunday last all 3 could reasonably expect to play an important role the next day. Also we have a gem in Freeman who took his goal as well as the penalty with conviction and showed great touches besides.
We have a lot of housekeeping regarding loose tackles loose passes and loose shooting so the agenda for the camp in the next few weeks is set.
Thats no bad way to prepare for the final as all the required adjustments are attainable having been on display in previous games this year.
For once there need be no If’s, and’s or but’s.
Donaghy not starting for Kerry against the Dubs.What the fuck is going on there lads?
Can ye leave off on the weight jokes about Des Cahill.He is such a poor presenter you dont need to attack his weight.
Best thing about him is he is not brolly.Spillane was an idiot on Sunday but Its my fault gor listening to him at all!
The power and speed of Mickey C when he came on was unreal. I would love to see him start and give the Dublin backs a roasting. Don’t think Kerry will have any chance of staying with the pace of Dublin on Sunday and would expect to see Dublin pull away from them in the 2nd half, much like our game. That should set it up for another epic encounter in the final with two teams that want to go forward all day. Can’t wait !
Colm o Rourke had a bite of a swelling as well 🙂
mayomaningalway…………………..I think the poor performance against Cavan has sidelined Donaghy……………..it seems that Kerry are setting up to run at the Dubs and if this don’t work KD is always an option………………Anyway it’s hard to say with Kerry and I have a feeling if the ‘right’ Kerry turns up they will give the Dubs a lesson…………as they say down there ‘there’s nothing like the smell of Croke Park to get Kerry playing their best’
I wouldn’t be too bothered about which one we get as it’s out of our control but a Sam against Kerry would undoubtedly make our lads kings.
Love looking at those forthcoming fixtures in 2013 WJ 🙂
Ya he hadn’t a great game in fearness against Cavan.i just thought after getting him back onto team that he would be on.I wonder with Kerry bringing the lads behind the ball in the second half was practice for the Dubs? I think drawing the Dubs onto them will be disastrous.If Tyrone and Kerry played in semis Tyrone would be in final .
I think the 2011 final will have a lot of say on Sunday, the Dubs could be a bit too cocky goin in and the Yerras have a score to settle. I also think that Kerry held back deliberately against Cavan, so as not to show their hand, it might have been the case also against Cork in the Munster after the first half lead but they nearly came unstuck there………………….It’s hard to read them this year, they’re either playing it cute or cutely covering up for shortcomings.
Barry at FF? Ah now.
In case no-one has noticed our current FF was MOTM the last day and has been great all year. Making such a huge call in a final is madness
Anyhow, I expect one change Conroy for COC
I said it myself on Sunday, would not amaze me at all if COC played a role and interesting to see the prospect now seems like it could be a reality.
I personally would have him on the bench if he can play at all. Bringing on such a great forward and consistent free-taker with ten minutes to go could be a winning of an AI. Anyhow, we’ll have to wait and see.
I don’t think he’ll start though but judging from Sunday, Mickey C looks flying again and is a huge boost! I’d start Andy- yes he’s a bit off the pace but 4 weeks will make a difference and he’s hardly a liability anyway. Best case scenario he has an inspired final and is certainly capable of being a matchwinner if finds form.
Anyone know the face value of a stand ticket for the final?
€80 I think Seamus
Living in Exile………To answer your second Q, losers do get a medal I think, but zero value left on that I’m sure…….I recall a story about the ex Armagh Manager taking his from the pocket during the dressing room spiff at half time in their AIF when they were in a bit of trouble, and with an unmerciful roar hammered it off the wall shouting that that was what he thought of second best…..point well made, they went on to take the Sam !!
I hope that cillian plays some part. Such a great footballer with so much determination. Going into the final i hope so because i thought enda varley was poor when he came on. While he got the 7th mayo point i think he played the law of averages by taking stupid shots from every angle. His free taking in last years final make me think if cillian is injured he might not be the best man to step in. I thought a huge chance was taken leaving aidan on for so long with a yellow. While it was always going to be hard to replicate his performance against donegal i thought he took too long to get into the game and thankfully sos impressed and upped his performance. We will need big performances from start in the final to win. I know some people will come back disagreeing strongly but if he got another yellow we were in big trouble. Barry should have been in earlier and is a great option (it’s worth noting he ran the show in mchale park against donegal in the league earlier in year getting MOM and i was disappointed not to see him vs the same opposition) now fully fit especially vs the dubs and could be needed to back up the brothers out the pitch especially the way dublin play kick outs. Plenty to think about for final. I’m convinced this is our chance. Now or never! On any day 15 will rarely all fire and thats where our panel is vital and others step up as freeman did when o’connor got injured
Off the point a little but because I’m not a season tkt holder not associated with any club in Mayo I usually have to go thru more routes to get a tkt. I am very likely going to get a Hurling Final tkt but want to swop it for a football one…
Can anyone here advise on how best to go about doing this??
Thanx:)
Call any limerick club, tell them you would do a swap. They will have football final tickets and will be happy to swap. Just be sure you can trust them
Thanks David but Why a limerick club ?
If COC can’t line out for the final….why not replace him with the best right corner forward we then have Hennelly come up and have a pot at anything inside of 55/60 yards
That way we have the least amount of disruption to the line up
After 19997, I’m dead set against playing musical chairs if one player gets injured
It unrealistic and probably unfair to expect Cillian to be patches up before the final. I’m so disappointed for the lad, but we must not be selfish. He needs surgery and will probably have it scheduled sometime after the final( don’t forget possibility of a drawn final and replay). If there’s a draw, that would put the replay ~6 weeks out, and that’s more attainable than the <4 for him now. However, we should plan to be without him.
Btw, freezer should take a lesson from Cillian on how to prepare for those pressure kicks into the hill with 20 thousand dubs singing "come on yes boys in blue" 😉
worked for Cillian!
@East cork exile, I was thinking the same thing as you regarding the "special teams" option. Such an option, lets say to bring in a player, just to take a free kick, would be doable in football. ( As in the NFL )
Score or not, the player then returns to the bench, and the regular player comes back in. Could you imagine the buzz…the pressure on that place kicker? Some county should propose such an option at the annual Congress meeting. Maybe wouldn't get passed first time, but at least it gets tabled, debated and voted on. I don't see the downside of this option for any team but i am open to thoughts on this. Yes, it's progressive, but would certainly add a new dimension to a match and would be perfect option for us with Cillian.
@Mayonaze…Cork is where you should be looking to swap those tickets. They’re mad about the small ball there.
Back in springtime I was suggesting that Barry Moran be played at full forward and was pretty well shot down. We didn’t then have Freeman in the form he is now in and really struggled to get good possession in front of goal. Now that Freeman is delivering people are suggesting that Barry is played there.
Donie Vaughan was coming in for regular and sustained criticism at he same time. I don’t think anybody has any complaints now.
Regards Aiden O’Shea’s possible double yellow followed by the red, Suspensions are now game based and the penalty he was facing was a one match suspension regardless of when it was to be served..
Lets put faith in AF to step in now for COC…….He’s progressing game by game and if he can get the head right on the big day he could produce a stormer…….I’d love to see him do it. He’s a very agile forward and marksman when he’s on his game.
This will be my 8th senior AIF final start with the Green n Red incl the 1996 replay……Enough to tell me that the main problem well face on the day won’t be the opposition…..it’ll be ourselves…….the famous Mayo doubt….the nerves…..No argument we now have the footballers, the tactical work is done…..the tackling skills hugely improved with Donie Buckleys help….the shape and togetherness is all there…..We’ve proven we can win a critical knockout game even with loss of main marksman for virtually the full game….We just need to get the ‘heads’ 100 percent right on the day and this will be our year…….We have to nail that final 1 percent of confidence and we will do it……
Why wouldnt Cillian be able to play. Look at Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon. it must have popped out 5 times and all he did was bang it against the wall to put it back and then drove on… Seriously though I d say the decision is now his and I hear he is going to play.
the worst that can happen is it comes out again as the ligaments are getting looser but he is going to need an Op anyway.
People just dont realise the loss if he is not there to take the frees . Plus Alan freemans game is all about confidence . Miss the first few and you could lose the other great qualities Alan has brought to the table this year.. Spare me the rubbish about playing Cillian would not be fair on the lad. You obviously dont understand how bad these lads want it
It would be phenomenal to get COC back for the final as he is a major asset to this team. No point speculating on it though until more info is released. I consider the newspaper reports above as nothing more than material to feed the crowd and until we have full clarification of the significance of the injury we have to assume at the moment that he is out.
For me it opens up a different can of worms. The pressure now falls onto the other forwards to deliver. AF had a marvelous day that last day. Can he follow it up is the question in the biggest match of his career? It remains to be seen although certainly he is one of the most improved players on that squad this year.
There are other questions that also have to be asked though about the forwards. One of the main ones is whether say Enda Varley can up his game. He had a poor one the last day missing several chances. Certainly he doesn’t lack in confidence however when we have the ball in their half you need to be able to convert. That’s one of the main differences that separate the great teams from the nearly greats.
No disrespect to Enda – he wasn’t the only one off his game. Kevin McLoughlin had a shocker in the first half by his own standards. In fact the whole 1/2 forward line were largely anonymous in that half. it wasn’t until we began to get a grip in the middle of the park that they became more involved in the match.
Andy too had a seriously tough afternoon in the corner. However in his defense I would say that he was being marked by the best defender on that Tyrone team. Although he might not get it now I think Cathal McCarron is better than every other corner back out there and should be an All-Star this year.
But back to Andy – his problem is now that he is under serious pressure (especially from Michael Conroy) to hold onto that shirt. Conroy had a big impact when he came on.
agreed , these lads want it bad, if cillian says he’s fit then the manager must assess him , as oisin mcconville said last night play him in a full contact game the saturday before , if he comes through that well theres your answer.
thanks for that micko , now i have the image of cillian getting out of a strait jacket in a sinking car 🙂
We have to stay in the game for the first 20 minutes, if we do we have a great chance. Every final we have played in since the turn of the century (thats a Martin Breheny turn of phrase there, make anything Mayo related sound worse than it is), has realistically been over by the 20th minute. Depressing but true.
How and is it possible for Mayo fans to get their hands on Hill 16 tickets is there anyway atall we can ‘takeover the hill’ or do they automatically go to Dublin if they in it??
Mayonaze,
I meant to say a Clare club. They are in the hurling final and they will be allocated tickets for the football too. Just be sure to get it secured, not promised. Clare cannot get enough of the hurling tickets.
i’d say now go direct to the county secretaries of either cork or clare for the ticket. They are the ones who deal with tickets so if they agree then you’re sorted, wich i’m sure they will. Just google clare/cork county board secretary and you should be able to find contact details.
What about this next Semi lads? I was thinking 100% Dublin and in second gear. The problem is, Dublin seem to be thinking that too. Every Dub I have met is talking about meeting us in the final. This is surely petrol to the Kerry flames. They will relish their underdog tag.
…but do they have enough to flip Dublin?
I was at Kerry v Cavan, they both looked poor but Cavan need new management if they want to progress. Kerry were plain enough and are nowhere near as strong as they were a few years back. Donaghy is a shell of what flung David Heaney aside in 2006. I think the new faces are not going to replace the o’se,, galvin etc,etc type players. Dublin are not exactly great players either but are very well conditioned athletes. Anyone see OGara play for them? Not what I would call a footballer, he’s a great athlete though.
I think Dublin will win by a couple of points, though, I really want Kerry v Mayo in September just to have a chance of beating them and getting over that hurdle forever.
Dublin 1 14
Kerry. 1 12
Found out that every embassy in Ireland gets 2 tickets….so if anyone knows anyone in the Chinese,Cypriot ect embassy…get on the blower ASAP!
Every player who has played in the football championship including New York and London gets two tickets. Funnily enough they don’t get unless they ask. Know a corner forward from Antrim who came on for five minutes? Get on to him!
Logically and footballing wise you can’t see Kerry beating Dublin. Dublin have the pace, the power and the fitness to play with intensity for 70 mins.
But, yet….
If Dublin don’t at least break even at midfield and Kerry get a decent supply into their forwards they could do it. If Dublin drop the intensity at some stage over the 70 mins (as they have done at some point in all of their games) Kerry could take them. If Dublin don’t take the goal chances that come their way, as they did against Cork, Kerry could take them.
Realistically Dublin will have to do all three at some stage to give Kerry a chance but you just feel that if Kerry get a chance to win this game they will grab it with both hands, unlike Tyrone.
I agree Kevmy….Kerry in Croke Park in September, wil not go down without a fight and this Dublin team are young and lets be honest, if Mayo were untested, then so are Dublin.
They might just lay an egg on Sunday and no better team to take advantage of that than the yerra’s.
David & Pk ..thanks for the tips…sorry David, but what do u mean by ‘secured’?
Has to be conroy if coc was to start he would be murdered by either Dublin or Kerry .he might as well wear a target on his shoulder .best we could hope for would be an appearance of the bench but match could be over one way or the other by then. Conroy more than capable of causing damage to doubloons or Kerry’s defence.as with others Kerry are so quiet you would think they were not evening playing Dublin beware
I have to say I think Kerry have a great chance of winning this one. Dublin’s reputation is largely built on what they did in the league – Leinster was a complete doddle and from what I saw of them at Croke Park against Cork in the quarters they have a number of major issues which if Kerry exploit will be fatal.
For starters, their full-back line contains two unproven rookies – Cooper and O’Brien – alongside Rory O’Carroll, two lads who’ll have to grapple with the O’Sullivans. That could go fairly ugly for them, I reckon. Ger Brennan is also a potential weak link at 6 and, given Kerry’s tendency to target opponents’ strong points, you can be damn sure they’ll have plans afoot for Jack McCaffrey as well. With Cian O’Sullivan still getting his game at midfield I can’t see Dublin besting Kerry there, as Maher and Buckley are a more than decent pairing. Dublin have great forwards, for sure, but they’re incredibly selfish and at times it’s as if they don’t realise points count as well as goals. If they put in the same kind of self-indulgent display that they did against Cork, it’ll be the last display they’ll be putting on this year.
From the vibes I’m getting up here (some close enough to the camp) the Dubs are supremely confident of winning this one but those 23/10 odds on Kerry with Paddy Power look enormously tempting to me.
Mayonaze,
I mean, don’t hand over your hurling ticket until you have a solid chance of getting a football ticket in exchange, once the hurling is over a lot of promised tickets are forgotten about.
There will be football tickets around if you call a few clubs in Clare in the next week or less and propose an exchange. Just be sure you don’t get duped.
Just read this article in the Irish Times, this sort of fellas would make your blood boil and they will be the very ones to get tickets ahead of genuine supporters and would be the first out the gate if things were not going well. PS: I am guaranteed my ticket as a Season Ticket holder so it’s not any bitterness on my part!!:-)
At Croke Park on Sunday, I found myself sitting behind four burly Mayo men who, in contrast with the fundamentalist zeal now afflicting so many GAA followers from that county, were among the most faint-hearted supporters I’ve ever seen.
For one thing, they didn’t have a scrap of green and red among them: not even a wristband. But that was a minor failing. Their biggest crime against fandom was to miss at least 20 minutes of the match, in favour of an extended trip to the bar.
First they trooped out a full five minutes before half-time, when the action was at its most gripping. Gripping, mind you, in a way that must have panicked even ultra-confident Mayo supporters. Their team was 7-3 down at the time and you could smell the fear.
In fact, I was at first inclined to give the departing quartet a pass. They were of an age, I knew, to have seen many Mayo bandwagons crash horribly. No doubt they suffer flashbacks that, at times of renewed stress, require emergency medication.
Still, during the half-time pints for which they didn’t have to queue, they would surely have heard about the late rush of scores that reduced Tyrone’s interval lead to 7-6. And yet their seats were still empty when the game resumed. Worse, they remained empty for another 15 minutes, at which point our heroes finally re-emerged.
I use the word “heroes” deliberately, because, having forced their neighbours to stand up, again, the four returned to see from the scoreboard that, “bejayzus!”, the Connacht champions were now five points up and cruising. Whereupon one of the quartet slapped the back of a green shirt nearby and declared: “You can’t beat the men of the wesht!”
The brass neck of this was breathtaking. Between gasps, however, I was very nearly moved me to sarcasm. If I hadn’t bitten my lip, hard, I would have blurted out something like: “You can’t beat them in the half-time rush to the bar, that’s for sure”.
Then they and others would have looked around, at me and my Monaghan jersey, and decided it was sour grapes over what they’d done to us in the minor match; and/or that I was I just another bitter northerner, threatened by Mayo’s rise.
Whereas in fact, like most people now, I would be delighted to see them win an All-Ireland. Only a sadist would think they haven’t suffered enough already. So I said nothing. But I was nonetheless astounded at the alacrity with which they were able to flout the serious-GAA-supporter-code-of-conduct, while retaining their self-estimation.
Mention of “Men of the West” reminded me of Sean Keating’s famous revolution-era painting of that name, with its grim-faced, rifle-carrying volunteers, keeping vigil under their flag somewhere, perhaps while planning an ambush. In their own eyes, clearly, the lads in front of me were just as heroic; although, to me, it looked like they’d missed the war and were now trying to claim a pension.
It was only after Sunday’s game that, speaking of self-image, I learned about Eircom’s “fan-pic”. This is one of those 360-degree stadium panoramas: a glory of the digital age, that allows you zoom into the crowd at any point and find a close-up of yourself. It’s already been done in the Aviva. This was the first time in Croke Park.
So when the finished picture was posted on Monday, I zoomed in with trepidation. You can be cruelly exposed by unsuspected stadium pictures: like that Irish fan in Poznan last year who was caught in amorous pose with a Croatian bosom.
That sort of thing still doesn’t happen in Croke Park much, it’s true. Yet there’s plenty of other potential for embarrassment. At the very least you could be caught mid-yawn, or picking your nose, or adjusting the male body parts that get numb when you’re sitting on a hard seat for two hours.
Happily, I was spared such humiliations. The fan pic was taken mid-way through the first half when, in common with most people, I was rapt by the events unfolding. Consequently, my pose was about as dignified as I can manage these days.
But of course the potential for photographic miscarriages of justice works both ways. And proving that the camera does lie, sometimes, there in the fan-pic in front of me are the “men of the wesht”: present, seated, and fully absorbed, their lack of team colours serving somehow only to accentuate their image as serious students of the game.
fmcnally@irishtimes.com
Mayonaze theres a post on gaaboard.ie willing to swop football for hurling ticket
@Mayonaze…If you are going to do that, you’l need some kind of security deposit, to keep them honest…just sayin.
thanks guys….im on the case….unlikley i’ll let it go without either knowing someone from the club etc…cheers for the advise…:)
WJ, I have to agree and indeed I have said the same here about Dublin for a while.
Yes, Dublin have pace and movement and youth and they are the darlings of the media and the form team coming into the championship. But there will be no better motivation for Kerry than the sight of a self-confident bunch of Dubs coming before them with so many people writing Kerry off.
Any team that boasts the firepower of Cooper, O’Donoghue (a fabulous player, and he will roast the full-back line) Galvin and the 2 O’Sullivans cannot be taken lightly. Put it this way, if that forward unit get as much ball as Cork got against Dublin in the quarter-final then it is goodnight for the Dubs. No question. Granted the Kerry defense is creaking at the seams and certainly could not afford to lose Young but, the O’Se’s are a long time on the go and have nothing to learn. Sure, they wont have the speed or stamina to stick with the Dublin attack but I can assure you that they will have a plan to combat the Dubs that will rely on good positioning, reducing space to prevent the Dubs running game and cuteness. You do not win what these Kerry lads have won without knowing your stuff.
Their second half v Cavan was a trial run for what they propose to do on Sunday. Kerry know well that if they adopt and orthodox defensive set-up, i.e. 3 and 3 in a man to man, then Dublin will run them all over the place and win easily. Kerry will man mark the Dublin half backs and their overlapping runs and they will funnel back to reduce the space behing their own midfield. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the 2 O’Sullivans being used more defensively because they have similar speed to the Dubs, although their attempts at tackling the lsat day were pathetic. Kerry will also know that they can afford to plan on having a reduced amount of scoring chances safe in the knowledge that their forwards will have a better conversion rate. As for Jack McCaffrey, Galvin might introduce him to the “Tom Cunniffe shuffle”. Be certain of 1 thing, he will not be dancing 70 yrds up the field, untouched, and scoring goals from narrow angles.
Dublin midfield very overated also. Darragh MaCauley catching kick outs in the middle of the field, 2 feet on the ground, unchallenged, and no Cork man near him!!!! Kerry midfield might not be great but he will not get away with that on Sunday.
It is an interesting game to look forward to and while I think that eventually Kerry might run out of legs it is going to be an awful lot closer than many think. If Dublin don’t start very brightly very early the famous Hill can go very quiet very quickly. The self proclaimed best supporters in gaa were very quick to turn on their own in our 2 league matches v them this year. I was surprised.
If Kerry start brightly, reduce space behind their own midfield, guard the central areas in front of their goal to keep a clean sheet and hit the Dubs on the counter-attack I think they will win by 2 or 3 points.
@Trevor…I wouldnt be too bothered by what some no name, sore loser ( no wonder, for we destroyed em) from Monaghan has to say about Mayo and our ppl. I actually got a laugh out of it…for I know plenty of ppl like the ones he’ described.
Good points pebblesmeller…The thing about Dublin though is that when they get on a roll, they are extremly difficult to handle and to stop. It happens at all times in their games, they up the tempo (speed) and come forward in wave after wave.. However, WJ is correct,their forwards can be somewhat selfish at times and to date, this hasnt hurt them. Unless they convert those selfish chances, it may hurt them against an effiicient Kerry team.
I don’t know if Jesus himself could breath life into the ancient legs of the older Kerry lads, that will be the decider in my view. Kerry will run out of steam against the dubs in the second half. If its close at half time the dubs will win.
@Mister Mayor, I don’t think it’s the Monaghan man Trevor was giving out about, it was the 4 eejits using the day out at the match as an excuse for a piss-up!
i think it is dublin and mayo can not wait hope mayo will win i hope galway minors do it in hurling and be doube in west
One Question…….
How is it that Andy appears to mostly have played on the right the last day when COC went off and Varley on the left? Seems sillw when AM is right footed and EV is left footed. Hence some impossible shooting from Varley esp from the left. Even the nice point he got at the start of the second half he had to go onto his weaker right foor because he was out on the left side. Although the corner forwards do alternate a bit (which is good), seems that they sepent a lot of their time on the ‘wrong’ side. Agree also with most that Conroy looked on fire, however some of his shooting is wild to say the least, he made a great run at one stage and blasted wide in front of the posts. Twas the same last year. If he improved on that aspect he could be one of the top corner men in the country….
I’ve been saying all Championship that Dublin have problems in midfield and full back line. Also as W J said their forwards are selfish , maybe a by product of having too many options up front. It appears as if they all want to score themselves . Twice v Kildare , Kilkenny opted to take points with Brogan completely unmarked on the edge of the square and several more cases all year. Won’t do next day , it’s
Kerry for me.
Jesus, I hope Jim Gavin is reading these comments as he will know exactly what to do on Sunday! Willie Joe to be honest I have to disagree as the mood is quiet up here and as you must see there is no huge presence of banners or flags as in 2011. I feel Jim Gavin is keeping these lads very level headed and as for the hype thing that’s the media as always. I have been following the Dubs for years and while you will always hear the Hill 16 fans mouthing off about “we will hammer them and we will do this and that” us real fans know only too well what it will take to get to the final. Best of luck whoever Mayo play!!
Martin, I have to disagree.
I work in Dublin and find I cannot get sensible discussion on the game from Dublin folk. To a man; they cannot see anything but a big Dublin win.
I personally cannot see where it’s coming from. Sure the have some very exciting players, who have looked unstoppable in the early stages of the league. The league final was of very poor quality. This time last year, based on their leinster experience they were firm favourites against mayo, yet had the game lost by half time.
to me kerry are stronger in midfield and if they target cluxtons kicking a lot of the danger will be negated, added to this the 25 min quiet spell dublin always seem to have, Kerrys quality forwards to tip the balance.
tonyk,
I just gave my own opinion that’s all and I know it will be very hard to beat Kerry. Best of luck.
That’s all any of us are doing here, to be honest, Martin. Sunday will be a fascinating contest, for sure, and it could easily go either way. As I said earlier on, I think it’s perfectly set up for Kerry but I’d be the first to admit that I’m no expert where it comes to predictions!
@ Tubberman: Yes you are right, it was the 4 boyos that vexed me!
Thanks Willie Joe and you are right we can only give our own opinions. Best of luck and maybe we’ll meet in Sept cheers.
Dublin are still the best team remaining in the championship – their forward line is unrivalled and that’s what has set them apart through the league and championship to date. At full tilt they are unstoppable. Let’s hope their form starts to dip…
It’s a tragedy for Mayo what happened to Cillian again but it must be more so for him and indeed Clarke, o Malley and anyone else ruled out through injury. To think how much these lads have put into it only to miss out on what could be the greatest day in the memory of most of us. Sport can be so cruel .
Thanks for the heads up, martyK.
Micko, “Spare me the rubbish about playing Cillian would not be fair on the lad. You obviously dont understand how bad these lads want it”
So it’s “rubbish” to have genuine concern about the welfare of Cillian and how it might affect his future playing.
So you think that if he does play that he will not be targeted and maybe have his shoulder destroyed. Wow, some logic!!!!
Hope Dublin win but think Kerry.Kerry will give us more problems I believe.Midfield for a start…if they prove they have legs for Dublin it willbe soooooo hard.
Martin the Dub, sure what do any of us know? Armchair pundits the lot of us!!! Still, it’s good crack and sometimes one of us makes a bit of sense.
I have a confession to make anyway, there is a Dublin flag flying out the landing window of the house ‘cos the wife is a Jackeen. Mind you, the Mayo flag in the garden is a much bigger one and the bunting hanging around the house is of course red and green. I was cheering ye on 2 years ago against the Kerry boys but I am afraid that was just to keep the peace. I do enjoy the crack up there though and the knowledgeable fan is great crack but there were some tools there that night ye beat us in the league in March. They gave yer lads dogs abuse from the stands when Mayo got on top that day, a bit much really seeing the success they brought just the year before. Brogan was unplayable that night. Best performance I have ever seen in the flesh, he ran Cafferkey ragged that night.
Can you imagine him being taken off after 15 minutes in the final? disaster.
As long as he is fragile he will be targeted when a medal is on the line and im not sure that strapping and cortizone can prevent a terrible injury.
Mayo SHOULD have enough firepower to win Sam even if he isn’t playing, it puts the onus on the rest of them that little bit more and they better be practicing the goal scoring in training. There is going to be room for a new hero on Sept 22 and I think someone like Darren coen or cathal carolan will hit the net on the day.
Well said David. Good to see someone else with common sense and a concern for the lad himself.
Firepower? But our forwards have been dismal anytime Cillian has been absent. Ie: Roscommon match…first half v London and most of the game the last day (freeman excepted).
Without cillian our forwards are way off the form both Dublin and Kerry are at.
I can see the Dubs winning by 7 or 8 on Sunday. They are operating at a crazy tempo.
Get your point Mayonaze, but don’t forget 10 scorers last Sunday , 13 v Donegal and all last year 9 or 10 . As I’ve said here before the opposition don’t know where the threat is coming from .Just look at last week ,it was Barrett and Keegan who did the job. The only two who can’t score on that team are Horan and Nallen, but by God they could a few years ago.
Mayonaze, thank God for our backs. Luckily we are not 100% dependent on our forwards. I feel the whole team is a scoring machine, which makes us very difficult to contain. Look at Barrett, Boyle, Keegan, Vaughan and even Cunniffe, as well as Keith Higgins.
45…………I like the Dubs……I happily lived among them for 10 years……….Great lively bunch and mighty craic…….My sister even married one !………..The current men in blue are a fine team, but they’re certainly not unstoppable…..Cork had the beating of them in my view, if they had given up the wasteful long ball to the lone full forward after the first 20 mins……It worked brilliantly for a while but 3 Dubs marking him had that well covered in the end. The rebels could have reshaped and pulled it off……I’m certain they could.
Don’t forget the Dubs were deemed unbeatable last year too, and we put them out of the championship.
No matter who we face on the 22nd, it’s all about peaking that day. This year, we’re well fit to take Dublin or Kerry if we do.
Mayonaze,
I should have said the team as a whole have firepower. The corner forwards defend as much as the corner backs when they don’t have possession. I watched Keegan’s 2 points and Barrett’s 2 against Tyrone on YouTube, they are very comfortable on the attack and it’s great to see Mayo players racing up the field soloing with left or right foot and scoring with either as well. They must practice that skill a lot judging by the speed and ease they do it.
James Horan has been saying it all year, these lads have been perfecting their skill set and its showing now. No team can completely counter the way we are playing, they may stall it like Tyrone did but they won’t beat it. If they give our backs too much time we will stick it over the bar if they come out we will find our forwards who will do the business instead.