The votes are in and counted and the outcome is a decisive one. By a wide margin, you’ve voted Jordan Flynn as our Man of the Match from last night’s game against Kerry.
The Crossmolina man’s importance within the Mayo team has grown immeasurably over the last year. The first real proof of this was how much we missed him last summer following the injury he picked up in the League final. To my simple mind, if Jordan had lined out against Galway there’s no way we’d have been beaten by them.
So far this year, his level has gone up a few more notches. It’s no exaggeration to claim – as I would – that he’s now one of our most important players.
Last night, he was excellent. Aside from the eye-catching four points from play he worked hard from first to last and was a such a positive presence for us in and around the middle third.
He can fairly move too and we had a decent shout for a penalty twenty minutes in when Jack Barry clipped his heels as he dashed goalwards. Seán Hurson gave us the 14-yard free but looking back on the tape it’s fairly clear that the foul was committed inside the square.
Jordan was also selected as Man of the Match last night by TG4. He won the award here on the blog with 30% of the vote. Enda Hession claimed 14%, James Carr got 13%, Conor Loftus 10%, Aidan O’Shea 9% and Ryan O’Donoghue 8%.
Well done to all of them and to the rest of the lads who all played their part in last night’s impressive win over the All-Ireland champions.
Beast of a man and a beautiful well balanced ball player. His work ethic and kicking skills are top class, but the most impressive thing is the way Jordan has overcome the discipline issues that were a problem at the start of his career. He was a marked man from before he played a senior game for Mayo and his positive attitude makes him a great role model for any young person.
Keep it up Jordan!
Jordan Flynn has become one of the best players in the country over the last couple of years. His maturity has blossomed in step with the refinement of his skillset. His runs from deep, his eye for space, and the development of his understanding with Aidan O’Shea are a sight to behold.
A word also for James Carr. He is also maturing into a deadly forward. Then throw Conroy, O’Donoghue into the mix … and C O’Connor. That’s six forwards of the highest calibre. And there are at least 3 or 4 more of a high calibre in contention. Nobody can say that Mayo are short of forwards anymore.
In fact, I would say that we are better served in the 9 to 15 department as we have ever been over the last 10 or 12 years.
Very well done Jordan. You are a super footballer and your heart and passion make you even more admirable. Keep it up.
Lots of great new and blossoming talent.
James Carr, Enda Hession, Bob Tuohy…so much to admire and to fill this old heart with hope. Thanks lads. Maigheo abú.
Amazing player and he’s really come into himself and has confidence in going for goals &points very fit guy! Know crossmolina well went to secondary school there great town!
Think Jordan flynn will improve to he is becoming one our key men!
Well done Jordan. A vital cog in the wheel now. Much improved and come so far since notebookgate.
Fair play to Jordan he has matured and become a fine player no doubt a certain McDanger has a lot to do with his accuracy in front of the posts. I thought Kevin was fine in the interview didnt come across rude at all. Lets do a Kerry on in it and say yerra musha tis only a league game we have loads of work to do before Summer. And i dont mean that in a disrepectful way to Kerry fans as i enjoy Gamechanger 10 contributions on here. It was nice Mc Stay mentioned claremorris’s Ger Brady I often saw him play for Mayo he was a handy footballer. Anyway keep the heads down great win but no trophies handed out tonight
He is playing fabulous stuff altogether. Fair play to him.
Delighted for Jordan. His physical strength is a major factor in his success as well as his football skills. Just thinking…..When you look at himself Aidan O Shea and the rest of the forwards their physicality could well be what unlocks some of the tighter defences later on. Rather than constant recycling the ball over and back on the 65m line maybe playing it in and holding it up inside might work. Holding up the ball under severe pressure requires strength. The trick then is being able to off-load it successfully to a runner. Aidan showed glimpses of that. They say you need something ‘new’ to win at the top level. Maybe that’s ‘our new thing’ or one of them at least.
He had a great game right enough, had some terrific movement. I remember hearing McStay on commentary once when remarking on a nice score something along the lines of “all nice movement, good angles, movement of the shoulder”. I said after the Armagh game that there was signs of seeing that and I think against a weakened Kerry team we saw more of that.
I enjoyed seeing players inside all the time stretching the pitch and forcing defenders deeper, O’Shea as a focal point really makes defenders think and helps disrupt a sweeper system. I think we are seeing signs of that movement allowing space in scoring positions and players running on to the ball at a natural angle to allow a shot.
A lot of positives from the match, Reape is really challenging Hennelly. Our defensive system is taking shape, harder for teams to score, and less goal chances being conceded. A poster pointed out how Kerry had a number of bad wides under no pressure, yet I think watching it back, a lot of the time those chances were coming after mayo had exerted huge pressure in the build up.
I don’t agree with the assessment of McStay as rude with the interview. I think he handled some obvious leading questions very well, it’s only one match worth two points and we have plenty positives to take from it and equally plenty we are still working on.
Firstly, congrats Jordan on MOTM-he is developing into a fine player, strong, athletic with an eye for a score-a very important player for us now. With the caveat that Kerry were poor, altho’a lot of that was due to our performance and were missing a number of their regulars(let’s not forget, so we’re we), I was very impressed with our performance, especially in the first half and this team, with our younger players, is developing very nicely and there were many excellent individual performances, bit I will wait for full judgment on this, until I view the recording of the game, as I find it easier to evaluate individual performances on the TV rather than at the match. I am becoming quietly confident that we are heading into another good era for Mayo football, with what we have now, the youngsters already on the panel and the great talent coming thro’ at U20 and Minor level. It may take 2 or 3 year for us to reach our peak, but we can enjoy the journey. We will not get carried away with this victory, at this early stage of the season, but it is always nice to beat Kerry. Finally, I don’t understand the obsession that some people seem to have about the interviews the manager gives-I could’nt give a damn about them and am only interested in our performances on the pitch.
Well done to Jordan and sounded level headed afterwards as to where the team is going and not at all carried away like some reporters that it was Kerry, just another game and good to get the win and Jordan suggested Mayo are a work in progress, it’s about incremental improvements. I actually didn’t think we were all that good in 1st half, that was as poor a 35 minutes as we’ve seen from Kerry in a long time but our intensity was high which helped unsettle them. A stat came up on the screen well into 1st half that Kerry actually had 57% possession but we for once were a lot more efficient than them and also looked a lot more dangerous on the ball. I think Kerry must have done a hard training session midweek to be so flat but still we thumped them for 35. Jordan was probably our best but several 8/10 performances. Not convinced in our defensive system is as good as people think or could just be the drop in standard with legends retiring and losing Mullen but some of those young guns are learning fast which is a positive. 23 may be a bit too soon, hopefully not , but 24 and beyond look like we’ll still be near the top. Comer’s injury deprives Galway of automatic favourites tag in Connaught. The Rossies are doing well and fair play to them but any kind of victory over them come championship could be a great boost. Three teams close in standard does Connaught no harm and should make for some great games.
One negative for me is Diarmaid seemingly returned to the fray a bit soon. Had a very good 1st half so it would be great to get him injury free for April. I guess the guy is chomping at the bit to play with all the competition for places but seems to be quite a niggly injury. Or perhaps they only intended risking 1 half. Didn’t see him limp off at any rate.
Credit to Jordan and credit to whoever decided to try him in the half forward line. It could be a masterstroke. The great thing is it looks like there is more to come from him.
The Tyrone game is on TG4 which is great for those who cant get to Castlebar.
Jordan and Enda are both included in the GAA’s Team of the Week.
Great to see the improvement in Jordan. A player he reminds me of is his namesake Paul Flynn of Dublin. Another top quality player and there is a lot of similarities in their playing styles actually.
Jordan is turning into a Rolls Royce of a player, his improvement year on year is nothing short of outstanding. Imagine if you had everyone in the team showing that level of improvement !
What a refreshing change to see a Mayo forward repeatedly have the balls to back himself, put the head down and thump it over the bar from distance. Doing what a forward is supposed to do. No chickening out by turning left/right when he sees the posts, no offloading to runners, no ‘working it to the shooter’.
If all of our forward line took the same approach, we really would be a team to fear.
In the meantime, keep doing what you’re doing, Jordan.
It’s even rarer to see any Mayo forward getting 4 from play, bar Cillian maybe.
Well done Jordan, a fantastic player. Brilliantly consistent.
And Ryan obviously, scoring from play!
Good man Jordan. I loved the way he floored Tadgh Morley on route to one of his points. I hope Jordan, Mattie and even Conor are giving a rest at some point over the next 4 games. Lot of football played already. I feel we need to give minutes to another midfield option, possibly Carney. Fionn seems to be playing himself out of the starting 15, a bit like Orme did. Its good for mamagment to realise now ehat players aren’t up to scratch and trial different players.
Roscommon flying high with a good win yesterday, I watched the game…let no one tell me they haven’t a mountain of fitness work done. They looked super fit buzzing up and down the pitch. Their manager seems to point out at every oppurtunity he hasn’t had much time with the players, maybe so, but them players have been training very hard by themselves, I would say alot of wok done on their own time. Good thing for us is Roscommon aren’t in any long grass now, not a chance Kevin will take them lightly now come April. Cat is out of the bag as they say.
Huge congrats to Jordan on both his TG4 and blog MOTM awards. Richly deserved and delighted for him personally as he has given absolutely everything for his county these past couple of years. A role model for every young player to never stop working on your game and to keep striving to continuously improve. What a key player he is for us now.
Jordan has also been shortlisted for the GAA’s Player of the Week award, which is voted on by the public on Instagram. Matthew Tierney of Galway and Monaghan’s Stephen O’Hanlon have also been nominated.
Did Cillian o Connor improve or disimprove the forward line when he came on
Are some of the younger lads in awe of him
This will disappear with time.
I noticed a narrative on TSG that Mayo are working with the same players as last year while Kerry had a shadow side. 11 of the 21 Mayo players that played some part in last years quarter final played some part Saturday. 12 of the 21 Kerry players that played some part in last years quarter final played some part Saturday. But sure yerra shadow side.
Mayo were extremely impressive the other night.. Interesting to read James Horan writing in todays Irish examiner that Mayo are at Championship pace and conditioning already after a full on pre season.
It certainly looks that way…
Team for championship:
Reape
Coyne
McBrien
O’Hora
Durcan
Loftus
Hession
Ruane
Flynn
Carney
Conroy
Irwin
Carr
O’Shea
O’Donoghue
It was also interesting that Horan said Rory Brickenden is one of the fastest players around and nobody will beat him for pace.
A lot of people had written him off for being too slow!
Driveitlong&hard – a bit random having Irwin in your starting team and no Diarmuid O’Connor!
Well done Jordan. One of the first names on the sheet now & a key cog in the wheel
Jordan playing brillant at moment, whould love to think he continue on present form for rest of year. But not not exactly easy to keep up that level, for such a young man. I wondering is Mattie given the licence to get forward, as we see Jordan doing at moment. Because if we had two of those causing havoc in the middle & going forward, it become harder to make a plan to stop them. From all-ireland against Tyrone Mattie was outstanding in that championship, and Loftus was doing a good side role. But once Mattie played bad in that final, team lost alot of forward momentum, that we never recovered. And that not to say I blaming Mattie, team underpermed in that final, so think we not got to final without Mattie. Would be great to win league game against Tyrone, and get another point against Roscommon, and switch all focus on Championship. That getting guys back from injury, ideally some playing time in league, and tailoring training for a competive connaught championship. Don’t get me wrong, love another league title, but won’t help extra game going into tight schedule as is.
Driveitlong&hard, Hession playing great stuff at corner back, was excellent on Saturday coming from deep, id keep him there. Right now our fullback line is looking like Coyne, McBrien & Hession. Likewise Flynn looking like the scoring half forward we were missing and looks to have a good understanding with Aido, he needs to be kept on the hf line. As Wide Ball mentioned, I dont know how you can name Irwin as a championship starter, Number 11 is going to be Carney or Bob Tuhoy.
Hi Willie Joe, following the fundraiser announcement for Ger Brady during the game the last day I searched the valuable results archive resource on the blog and was surprised to see that he was down as only having played twice for Mayo Seniors, both in the FBD. Ger Brady (Claremorris) definitely started the Connacht championship game against New York at McHale Park, Castlebar on 29/5/1999 but this seems to be accredited to Ger Brady (Ballina). This game sticks out in my memory as I recall it was the first time New York entered the Connacht championship and back then they were required to travel to Ireland. Due to complications with some New York players getting back into the US after a game in Ireland future fixtures were all played on US soil. I’m not sure how many times Ger played for Mayo seniors in total and I’m sure it’s rather difficult to ascertain without reviewing team photos from those matches given the unusual circumstances of two players playing on the same team with the same name.
Fair play to Jordan. He was and has been excellent of late. It just shows that players need time to breathe and develop as Jordan was the target of some criticism in the not too distant past. Players need to be given space, to be allowed to make mistakes and learn their trade, without been pounced upon. Hope Tommy returns soon, but same theory holds true there. It will take him a good while to get back anywhere near his pre injury form. The cruciate is a horrible injury. While it takes the guts of a year to get over it, it takes a lot longer to get speed, strength and most especially confidence back. So don’t expect miracles on his return. Positive steps forward will be just fine. It may be 2024 before we see him return to his best.
Well done Jordan. He’s a lovely lad; I had the pleasure of meeting him at my local Centra after the demolition job on Galway in the Connacht final at Croker in 2021. He impressed me so much the first time I saw him in Carrick against Derry in the U20 semi. Ryan was explosive that day as well.
Management are doing a good job so far. Patient, probing build up and pounce when the right shot is on. As another poster said, they weren’t absolutely brilliant in the first half, but the scoreboard kept ticking over. This game plan should improve with every game.
Imagine a Roscommon and mayo
League final right before we play them in the championship
Say what lol
I wonder in that scenario could they just give the league title to whoever wins the championship game?
Galway and Wexford agreed to do that for their pre season final, as the 2 sides were playing in round 1 of the league.
Shame on the gaa for scheduling our first round of the championship one week after the league final. Not certain we’ll be there of course, but every chance we might. Utter disgrace. They’re some shower. They don’t deserve the crowds they get at matches and the revenue they shovel in. Grab All Association indeed.
It’s definitely not fair and would make
Both mayo and Roscommon not want to make it to a league final,playing the week after is madness
Wide ball, DOC was poor against Galway, didn’t feature at all against Armagh, went off injured early against Kerry. He is a man to be used off the bench at this stage.
Mayomad, if hession was playing corner back how did he get the turnover for o’donoghues goal on the Kerry 45?!
Irwin was one of the standout players in the club championship, he has been out with a hamstring injury. I don’t see Tuohy starting in the heat of championship
Im hearing we’ll be heading into an intense block of S + C training after the Tyrone game, so I have a feeling we won’t need to worry about the league final. We’re almost safe, so a win next Saturday would do the job. Be great to get minutes into Padraig, Paddy, Tommy, Michael Plunkett and Robbie. On what we’ve seen so far, amd providing the above get up to speed in the last 4 games,,this would be my championship team.
1. Robbie
2. O’Hora. 3. McBrien. 4. Hession
5. Durcan. 6. Coen. 7. McLaughlin
8. Ruane. 9. Diarmuid
10. Conroy. 11. Loftus/Plunkett 12. Flynn
13. O’Shea. 14. Carr. 15. Ryan
I’m a big fan of Tuohy, and his potential is limitless, but I don’t feel his physically “there” yet. Inter county is a big adjustment, like Mullin, Conroy, and Flynn before him, Bob just might need a year s + c around the panel before he’s a nailed on starter. I have to hand it to Kevin, he really is building squad depth. Im not a fan of Loftus at CHB come the business end of things, but it seems Kevin and co. Will persist with him there. I’d prefer him at 11 where he would have less defensive duties.
Dont see anything wrong in playing league final on a Sunday against Roscommon or whoever and Roscommon the following Sunday, winning games is what players want and what players thrive on. If no league final there will be an A V B game on that Sunday which will be far more dangerous for injuries than the league final.
Not a bad team margie – I be very very surprised if plunkett is a starter come championship. I don’t think mcstay trust McLaughlin, a great athlete but he is a bit of a headless chicken with the ball in hand. Mcstay wasn’t impressed with that shot he took against Armagh.
I know carney hasn’t been shooting the lights out to date. He can shoot off my feet very comfortable. Invaluable at this level. I think mcstay will stick with him.
What is the business end of the season this year?
I’d probably agree, in that All Ireland semi or final, I’m not yet sure that Bob touhy is ready, but Roscommon in April is a different story and I’d have no problem throwing him into that
Hession was marking Paudie Clifford last Saturday so was playing in the half back line.
Diarmuid. O Connor played for over 30 minutes against Kerry and was excellent while he was on the field. Because of his age and injuries Frank Irwin has played very little football for the county senior team yet. I’d say he is well down the pecking order yet.
Ah stop, Diarmuid is nailed on starter in every big game Mayo play this year. His pace for Carr’s goal, his point from a tight angle on his weaker foot, his interception before getting injured. He did more in those 33 minutes than Carney did in the first 3 games. Frank Irwin? Pull the other one!!
Playing a league final has not been good for us with the exception of 2019. In other years such as 2007, 2010 and last year, not only did we get beaten in league final, we also performed poorly in the subsequent championship. I have no desire to see us in a final this year (with the possible exception of meeting Roscommon in final as it would be the same for both teams), because we are out again in championship on the following Sunday. This is yet another disadvantage of the condensed inter county season. It is all very well for a county like Kerry who don’t have to fret about their championship until the Munster final at the earliest. This year Connacht throws up Roscommon and if successful there, then it is Galway. We need a proper run at the championship to give ourselves the best possible chance. Sure a bit of silverware would be welcome, but personally I would prioritise a Connacht title over a league title.
I’d imagine that with new management teams in place either Mayo or Roscommon would be delighted to make the trip to Croker
Culmore, the league final is far more than just another match. It’s a massive distraction one week before a vital championship match. All the fanfare and prep that’s needed for a national final. It’s going to be nervy for players, with all eyes watching, adrenaline pumping. It’s hard to come down from that, regardless of the result. It’s ridiculous.
Can anyone explain how the championship is going to take shape in the summer? For starters how and when are counties playing for Sam decided and who’s for the Tailteann. How are the different groups, teams and fixtures decided. It seems very complicated or is it just me and my very tiny brain? Maybe there is a link that explains it in a simplified manner.
Thanks, Aidan, I’ll look into that when I get a chance. It definitely sounds like a stat that needs to be corrected.
@Pullhard
At the end of the league, the teams that will play Division 1 and 2 next year, will be penciled down for Sam and Division 3 and 4 play for tailteann.
Westmeath will play for Sam, as they won the tailteann last year, so unless they’re promoted to division 2, then they will replace the team that finishes second in division 3.
Then if any team who hasn’t earned their place playing for Sam qualify for a provincial final they will replace the lowest ranked team qualified for Sam.
The 4 provincial winners will be first seeds, the beaten finalists second seeds, the 4 highest ranked teams that don’t make provincial finals will be third seeds and the next 4 fourth seeds
At this point I’m not entirely sure if it’s an open draw, no provincial final repeats aside, or if the first and second seeds are paired by province but the third and fourth seeded teams are open drawed
All – as you’ll see, I’ve just added a widget on the sidebar with a link to the iDonate page for the Together for Ger fundraising appeal.
Congrats Jordan to you & your family. Enjoy your football career, hoping you continue to flourish on and off the field & stay injury free. Thank you for your dedication to Mayo football. Love the tattoos.
@pullhard. At the moment it looks like westmeath(tailteann cup winners) one of the
connaught division 4 teams(because of connaught draw) all division 1 and the top 6 in division 2 will play for sam.
If another division 3 or 4 team makes a provincial final then the next lowest division 2 team loses out…. 16 teams
Making up 4 groups of four and seeded by provincial placing and league positions as far as I’m aware. That’s my take on it and if im wrong then oooops.
Thanks Frost, a complicated process simply explained by you there. Fair play to ya.
Thanks no doubt as well
Could we end up in a group of 4 with Galway, Mayo and Roscommon – probably not based on what the lads are saying above as whatever two of the three dont reach the connaught final are likely to be third seeds.
@southmayo exile. Not sure but It would probably take a freak draw for it to arise
Either way it seems like an awful lot of matches all in all. It’s less ‘Super 8’s’ and more what would you call it, ‘Sweet sixteen’ if you will?
Surely if Mayo become safe in division 1 after the next game or two they will pull up the handbrake and send out second string teams to avoid a league final. It would probably be madness to be getting distracted by the razzmatazz of a final a week before the Roscommon match?
I would say, if everyone is fit and available, there are not that many places up for grabs, with a lot of the debate, possibly, centered around positions. I feel Paddy, Padraig and Tommy will play, if fit and, possibly, Robbie will come back in goal. D O’C is guaranteed, probably in midfield, as I would leave Jordan at half-forward, because of his scoring ability. Tommy probably has to be in the corner, so I wonder could Ryan go to centre-forward. Looks like they are going to persist with Conor at CH and I wonder if Plunkett could be a logical replacement, if he’s not available. Probably too soon for Touhy to start, but a good option on the bench. TG I don’t have to pick the team.
Goodman Jordan. You sure have put in some brilliant performances at this stage and it’s great to have you on the team.
The level of talent spotters on the blog is frightening.
Frighteningly bad.
One shrewd observer, not so very long ago, had decided that Jordan wasn’t up to the job. After several man of the match performances from Jordan, was it time for this talent scout to reign the horns in ?
Not at all !
By fuck no !
It was time to relay the bad news to Enda Hession. He hadn’t the stuff to do it. He wasn’t going to make the grade either. The two very lads who sit at the top of the poll for their mighty performances at the weekend.
The rest of the panel are now avidly reading the blog hoping that ” said Nostradamus “, proclaims their footballing abilities to be at a low standard, almost guaranteeing them a stellar career.
Now. Nostradamus shouldn’t feel too bad, because some of the rest of yea have been moaning and groaning about the man in 4th position in the voting.
Yes the man Peter Canavan singled out for special praise Sunday night for his fine performance, Conor Loftus. He had a fine game and I hope he has a great year ahead.
I think mystic Meg needs to check their TV. It could be upside down.
You’re never going to change how people view the game Revellino! Someone could do ten things right and one wrong thing and everyone will pile on to the mistake.
Fionn McDonagh seems to also be getting a lot of flack for his performance against Kerry, this despite it being his second league game and considering last year we last saw him against Tyrone in the league. He made the wrong decision according to some, others see him getting back up to this level and him getting through a mountain of work and playing as part of a very fluid looking midfield and half forward line.
Nice touch WJ with the link, a worthy cause for whatever anyone could spare, it does put it all into perspective.
Jordan was being widely tipped as someone who had ruined any chance of ever appearing in a green and red Jersey again after the U20 final against Kildare in 2018 and similarly Ryan after a non-football related indiscretion. A massive credit to both players for the strength of character and football ability to overcome setbacks and become arguably our two most important forwards.
Well done Frost & No Doubt. Has it been made clear if the teams promoted from division 2 will be ranked higher than the teams relegated from division 1? I assume that is the case.
Hopefully this new format is a stepping stone to a better one
With 3 teams getting out of each group after round robin I’m guessing they will have a preliminary round
Do 2nd place in group A play 3rd from group B and so on in order to get the quarter final pairings
Allows the top seed a extra week off
@Mayo Focus
Found the below:
“Position is based on standing after promotion and relegation are applied; therefore, the top two teams in Division 2 outrank the bottom two teams in Division 1.”
And
“It must be noted that a league final winner will be considered a higher seed than the team they defeated in the final.”
Two different sources, wikipedia and gaa website respectively. As usual with these things, it’s not that easy to find the information
@Ed Kil
You’re correct but it is an open draw barring repeat provincial finals and group stage meeting.
The wording might be important here, provincial final repeats are not allowed but group stage repeats are avoided “where possible”
https://www.gaa.ie/football/news/2023-all-ireland-sfc-format-explained/
One downside of a third seeding as opposed to a fourth, is that the third seeds travel to the provincial champions, whereas fourth seeds have the provincial champions at home
Assuming none of the Connacht teams are relegated then they should be guaranteed third seeding.
The proverbial “cat” in that calculation is Kerry, if they are relegated or fail to make a Munster final, then it’s dependent on events in Ulster.
Leinster will have absolutely no bearing on this, barring some sort of absolutely ridiculous set of results
Main thing we need for this championship is lots of depth. It might happen this years champions simply have 26 competitive players and a decent rather than star studded first 15.
It’s going to be very hard have your 15/21 available for every game. Injuries, suspensions, tiredness leading to being not in first 15 readiness.
If we get safe in the league we must develop up further our subs and next man up subs, we’ll need them.
I see Jordan was picked as winner of player of the week. Well done Jordan
If we get safe in the league I’d be in favour of using lads way down the line for the nothing games .
Are there any set of results this weekend coming that could see us mathematically safe if we won of course ?
With three games still to be played after this weekend – it looks like if we are on 6 points after this weekend – we still can’t say for sure we are safe.
Have teams been relegated previously on 6 points
Thanks Frost !
Bate the ros the following week too so and pack it in then till championship .??
Cork were relegated on a three side tie on six points, score difference.
Know what you mean Sean B, but if (and it’s still if) we’re lucky enough to be in that position I think an approach like FBD where there was a spine / key positions covered that would be good to stick with. Would still allow a number of starters to rest.
E.g. if you’re giving lads like Towey decent time to put his hand up, then it would seem best for the team and the development if there’s a HF that’s similar in style at least to how the first team would play.
As long as injury doesn’t become an issue I’d say that Carr’s someone I’d want out each time.
Well done, Jordan. I’m absolutely delighted for him after all the flack he’s taken since that U20 final. He’s shown great strength of character to put up with some very unfair treatment from referees too.
I’m somewhat perplexed by some people here leaving Cillian out of their starting team for championship – eaten bread really is soon forgotten.
Revellino, im not pulling you up on Jordan and Enda, as I personally think they have what it takes. But just because Conor is singled out for praise in February, and played very well last Saturday, it doesn’t eradicate what some of us have previously witnessed, which adds weight to forming an opinion. Im really trying not to be hard on Conor, but the Tyrone final summed him up for me. He just can’t do it on the big day, a long with countless other lads over the years not his fault, but its the way it is. He literally missed an open goal in that first half, and followed it up with horrendous wides in the second half, that just sucked the life out of us and the team, just before he taken off. I think it was the 2017 final he was thrown in last few minutes, posession was paramount at this stage, and he ran into about 5 Dublin defenders lost posession and that turn over proved fatal. My long winded point is, Conor didn’t show the composure and calmness required to make the split second decisions on the biggest days.The pressure seems to get to him aswell as others. Its not his fault we lost against Tyrone, but the more you look at that first half goal chance he had, the harder it is to accept the defeat. Im not doubting his application and dedication to the cause, and maybe he deserves another position on the team, but you can’t use a good performance in February to tell people they are wrong. Time will tell.
@Margie
If they were professional players then I’d agree with your assessment, but they’re not, they are amateurs and imo as long as put the work in deserve as many chances to follow their dream as need be
Very similar was said about Robbie Hennelly, and so many other players. We’re often praised as the best fans in football but so often we seem to forget about the support part of being a supporter
A lot of players didnt turn up for final v Tyrone. I dont see why we wouldnt try to push on and win the league. Getting to the final would be an opportunity to see who has the bottle for the big day.
I think everyone is entitled to be judged on current form. Loftus is doing ok in his new role.
Loftus and Coen both missed one scoring chance and Durcan dropped one short(better go wide). A lot of positive leadership coming from the forwards and performance of team generally has been very progressive to date. Were not conceding soft goals, we managed our lead v kerry quite well. A lot to look forward to, but keep rolling along imo..
Good stuff Margie.
I will point out out Conor Loftus scoring 1-1 in Castlebar against Derry when we were on the deck. We were gone that year except for Conor. Nobody else was firing on the day up to that point but Conor saved us. I think we ended up going to the AI that year thanks to Conor.
I remember getting beaten by 10 points to 3 in the AI semi against the Dubs coming up to half time. Just before the half Conor sent over a screamer of a point which eventually helped us to draw that game and we all know what happened in extra time.
I remember Conor opening up the Kerry defense with the pass of the year in to Andy Moran who goaled and led to out first championship win over Kerry in years.
Without Conor Loftus there are at least 2 of our recent AI finals that we would not have contested. That’s a fact.
If you are going to talk about a player at least give them a fair crack of the whip instead of misrepresenting them with selective memory.
Margie, if it wasn’t for Conor Loftus our 2017 season would have ended in McHale park against Derry so I for one won’t be holding him getting turned over in the final against him. He was fairly young and inexperienced then too. As for the 2021 final, nearly every player made plenty of mistakes so I don’t know why one is being singled out here. Are we going to hold Ryan missing the penalty against him forever too?
@Revellino, your trying to make out that im hammering Conor Loftus or something. I made it clear in my post that he was not to blame for the Tyrone loss. Just so we’re clear, I viewed your inital post as a dig at bloggers who may have voiced concerns or negative opinions on the performances of Flynn, Hession, and Loftus. I merely was trying to point out that just because a player is singled out by Peter Canavan (in February) for praise, and Conor did have a great game, it doesn’t automatically erase past performances, that led people to have/voice their opinion in the first place.
No problem @ Margie.
I just thought it fair to point out some examples of where Conor starred on the biggest stages contrary to your claims.
You said ” he can’t do it on the big day “. You’ll see from my previous post that he has done very well on big days in the past.
It’s no coincidence that different managers have had Conor in their teams. They manage, because, like it or not, they know a lot more about football than you and I. If he wasn’t performing and doing the job they ask him to do, believe me, he would not be there.
I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but Peter Canavan knows more football than you or I do also.
Not too many players can do what Loftus has been asked to do. From forwards to midfield and now operating in the backs.
I don’t know if he’ll be there all year, but fair play to him for giving it all he has got.
I hope he has a big year for Mayo, and that if the management pick him to play, that at least most supporters with root for him.
Sorry for being a small bit pedantic Willie Joe but I would like to challenge some facts as portrayed in Margies earlier post re: Conor Loftus.
1. Conor Loftus did not literally miss an open goal in the 2021 allireland final. Niall Sludden made a last gasp goal line block to deny Conor a certain goal.
2. Conor did run into 3 Dublin defenders towards the end of the 2017 final but did not loose possesion, he managed to dish the ball back to Paddy Durcan, who unfortunately got turned over, resulting in a Dublin point.
3. Conor had the balls to take on some long range shots in the 2021 final, which to my eye were just narrowly wide. Far from horrendous.
4. Conor scored 0-3 points against Tyrone in the 2013 allireland minor final and 2-2 in the 2016 allireland U21 final. Not bad for a young fella who has no composure or calmness on the big day.
Sorry for being a small bit pedantic, Willie Joe but I would like to challenge some facts as portrayed in Margies earlier post re: Conor Loftus.
1. Conor Loftus did not literally miss an open goal in the 2021 allireland final. Niall Sludden made a last gasp goal line block to deny Conor a certain goal.
2. Conor did run into 3 Dublin defenders towards the end of the 2017 final but did not lose possesion, he managed to dish the ball back to Paddy Durcan, who unfortunately got turned over, resulting in a Dublin point.
3. Conor had the balls to take on some long range shots in the 2021 final, which to my eye were just narrowly wide. Far from horrendous.
4. Conor scored 0-3 points against Tyrone in the 2013 allireland minor final and 2-2 in the 2016 allireland U21 final. Not bad for a young fella who has no composure or calmness on the big day.