We’re in London, on the final leg of our hols before we head home on Tuesday night. We arrived here yesterday to find the weather even hotter than where we’d come from and, unlike there, there’s no cooling sea breeze here to moderate the oppressive heat. But whatever the weather, London can often be a magical place and yesterday evening we took the kids to see one of our favourite sights here – the vista of the city from the top of Primrose Hill, with the Shard a startling addition to panoramic view that’s on offer. It’s a view I never tire of seeing and it looked pretty special approaching sundown yesterday.
From what I can see from the forecast, it appears that it’ll be at most only a few degrees cooler than what it is here at McHale Park next Sunday when, at last, we get to play this year’s Connacht final. With Kerry and now Dublin safely into the last eight, both of last year’s All-Ireland finalists will be expected to follow suit this day week and with our lads priced at 1/500 to prevail (when will we ever again see odds like this on us in a provincial final, I wonder?), it’s a bit difficult to keep up the only thinking about the next game routine.
I may as well come out and say it – I confidently expect our lads to smash London to pieces next Sunday and I reckon it’ll be a surprise if they’re within 15 or even 20 points of us at the finish. This isn’t arrogance or over-confidence or too much sun having gone to my head, instead it’s simply a cold-hearted assessment of both sides’ place in the Gaelic football pecking order at present. We should beat them out the gate not because we might take any great delight in doing so but rather because this is what we should be capable of doing and what, frankly, everyone watching us will expect us to do.
In this regard, it’s worth noting that we’re now third favourites for the All-Ireland (jointly with Donegal, at 4/1). The bookies have us in this position for a reason and that’s because we’re a pretty serious outfit at this stage. Given how we’ve performed in the championship to date, I think we can expect our lads to approach Sunday’s match with the same seriousness as they did when facing Galway and Roscommon and to execute their game plan with the same kind of single-minded dedication and focus. If we can do this (and I can’t see why we won’t) then I reckon it’s impossible to avoid the conclusion that this is one fairytale that’s going to have a gruesome ending from the romantics’ point of view.
This in no way negates London’s massive achievement in reaching this year’s Connacht final, a feat that must surely result in a fundamental reshaping of the county’s relationship within the GAA and its involvement in the Connacht championship. If London want this, then this has to mean they take their place in the draw the same way as everyone else and get the same crack of the whip as regards home advantage as everyone else does.
That’s one for further down the road, of course, and for the next week all the focus will be on the contest that throws in at 2pm this day week in McHale Park. So, now that you’ve had my opinion on how it might go, what do you think the outcome of this year’s Connacht final will be?
How will the Connacht final go?
- We'll destroy them (53%, 79 Votes)
- We'll beat them easily enough (35%, 52 Votes)
- We'll suffer the shock of all shock defeats (8%, 12 Votes)
- We'll sneak by them (5%, 7 Votes)
Total Voters: 150
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I would like to see a full forward line of Moran freeman and Cohen against London anybody agree.?
What’s exciting from a London perspective is, no matter how much we beat them by they will be in the draw for the Quarter Finals. Mind you after Mayo are finished with them. they may wish they weren’t there at all – especially should they draw one of the stronger qualifiers.
It was interesting to see how the Meath lads made life so difficult for Dublin in the first half, but full credit to them for sticking to the task and coming through with a bit to spare in the end. It’s all shaping up nicely now as we near the business end of the Championship and lads would be well advised to let the nails grow a bit while they have a chance …….
So the machinations become clearer.
Galway will say goodbye next time out as will in my view Wexord,Kildare,and Cavan.
I see ultimately Cork,Laois,Tyrone and Derry going through. Now maybe a Laois team in the quarters would be perceived as the handiest draw but realistically we must surely be expected to beat any quarter finalist. It wont be easy but sure wont we relish a hard match after London(assuming we are not all crazy and things go to plan)
I would like to see O Connor ,Moran (a) and Dillon back and going well with Conroy and Barry Moran ready for some part in august. Coen will have a role to play but dont see him starting.
Richie,Clarke and Donie all worries at this point but they will be ok I hope.
Big turnout needed to support minors on Sunday! Onwards and upwards.
Hard to call the 1/4 finals. Not sure about Tyrone automatically beating Kildare (in Newbridge). They barely got past the Rossies. I know they had withdrawn half the team but it must be a worry for them that there is nothing in reserve if their big names are under pressure.
As for Galway – I can see them beating Armagh (as again they have been blessed with the home advantage) but Cork will annihilate them. It goes to show you that the backdoor is ok for some counties (especially if you have it rigged that you have 3 weeks to recover from your provincial exit. I can’t remember the last time a Connacht team had the luxury of three weeks to recover after a provincial decider.
And as to ourselves we will go into the 1/4s relatively untested which is not great. Luck of the draw then but I agree we should fear no one. In fact it’s high time that teams began to fear us instead !!
Worth noting that for the first time ever in McHale Pk, it’s allocated seating for Sunday.
By the way anyone else think its hypocritical of the Sunday Game to be calling for Player Safety, then criticising ref who sent off player for striking hurler on the back of the head! How could ref tell if it was deliberate and according to rules does not matter anyway!
Cant see Galway beating Armagh at all- in fact I think they will be rightly hammered.Also think that KIldare play in fits and starts -Tyrone wont fear them.Allocated seats- try telling the farmers from Belmullet that!
Dont agree about ref….do about Galway and Tyrone.
Mayo have nothing to fear.
Enjoy London Willie Joe. Was there too on way back from hols!
Talking of The Sunday Game how about this from Donal Og Cusack last night:
Des Cahill: “By the way Donal Og, Joe Brolly has just tweeted”: ‘why is Donal Og wearing a suit that looks like George Formby’?
Cahill continuing: “Do you know who George Formby is”?
Donal Og: No, but I’m not too sure who Joe Brolly is either”
Hello, Are not Mayo playing DERRY OR CAVAN? at a neutral venue.
It looks pretty good to me.
Hello again, Sorry the last post was on the basis that LONDON bt Mayo This would the be 4th Round Qualifer and not the QUARTER FINAL. No need to sweat over next Sunday yet! Sorry again.
Back to bed ciaran
Hope you stayed clear of the pints of bitter Willie Joe, the last time I had a gallon or so of the stuff my consitution was not right for a week. Back to the football hard to know what to expect, but one thing I do know is that London will be very physical in the first 20 mins. having played for Tomas McCurtains in London years ago I at some of the so called challenges dished out and recieved would get you a costodial sentence in civillian life. I expect the same thing next Sunday, but Mayo seniors dont need to get involved in any of that siilyiness. dont care how much we win by, we will have bigger fish to fry later on in the year and at least we have a competitive minor fixture to look forward to so i urge all Mayo fans to come early and shout on or minors trough the front door, that way our minors and seniors would be playing in Croker on the same day.t This is a very big London team and fairly or unfairly used this to their advantage to date. Marty Duffy needs to be aware of this, I am sure he has home work done, MAYO ABU
One step at a time. While no one will deny that Mayo are scorching hot favourites this Sunday we must prepare properly and make sure that everyone is fighting for their place on the starting 15. That way, the pressure to perform is coming from within the squad, there will be no complacency and everyone will know that whoever gets the nod to start on Sunday will deserve it.
From what I have seen of Londan I expect them to wire into us with hard, but fair, challenges. I don’t expect the game to be out of Londans reach by half time, but I do expect Mayo to be in control. Match their physicality, better their work-rate and our speed, fitness and skills will prove too much for them.
This is an historic occasion and I am really looking forward to it. Of all the Connaught finals there have ever been, none has featured Londan. They deserve a good reception (along with financial assistance Connaught Council!!) on what is undoubtedly a huge occasion for them. The sun should be high in the sky, Mr. Whippy will make a fortune and we should be celebrating a hat-trick of Connaught titles. I hope a big crowd turns out good and early because our young ‘uns will need support and they deserve it after their success against a hotly fancied Galway side.
“Londan??” It’s neither English (London) nor Irish (Londain). Apologies, very early start this morning and it’s been a long day.
As my school reports used to regularly say, “could do better”.
H’on Mayo.
Think its Mayo v Ros not Galway in minor.lots of gremlins today.
Hard to believe how far Mayo have come in two years. Remember the extra time needed to beat can you imagine where Mayo would be if they lost that game?
After the 2010 defeats to Longford,Sligo hands up who thought Mayo would go on to win three in a row Connacht titles and be ranked as the 3rd best team in Ireland?? Mayo have come long way in a short space of time folks! Horan is the man that has turned it all around.
Well said Mayomagic. Horan has installed a steel and belief in Mayo that was never there before. You just know as a supporter they will not throw in the towel and give it their best. We like every team that ever won anything will need a biteen of luck on the way. We might get that this year too. Never been as confident in a team to give it their best, what more can you ask for, sit back and enjoy the ride.
John Grif I’d take another read of Pebblesmellar’s last line.I think he means that we had a fine win over Galway minors last time out
Correct opt2misteek…mea culpa!
Apologies pebblesmeller…come on the minors anyway!
It’s hard to know what to expect from London or how to assess their performances to date when one considers Leitrim’s collapse against Armagh. They are a big strong team and a small pitch in Ruislip would have suited them against Sligo as it did two years ago. Leitrim fairly ran through them in the second half of their replay and only the clock saved them. Their size and strength together with Leitrim losing two of their best players early on made all the difference in the first half that day.
The minors deserve big support. They looked very good at times against Galway but the way they allowed Galway to level with three points having gone a goal up within a few minutes of the end was worrying. It’s difficult to tell with minors at the end of June as half of them have only just left their Leaving Cert exams behind.
I for one have cast my vote that we will destroy London. I don’t see them been able to live with our pace, the direct running at their defence and hopefully some long range quality scores. London are a big, strong physical team and I expect them to set up a defensive blanket of sorts for damage limitation as much as anything. My main concern for the day would be a missed timed tackle by a London or Mayo player who will be sent for an early shower. Missed timed tackle can sometimes happen where two teams are playing at different levels and intensities but are equally committed to the occasion. Hopefully I’m wrong, that there will be no injuries and we are in store for a cracking competitive game because a landslide is no good for anyone. I expect a big crowd with the weather.. where’s me sun factor.. can’t wait.. C’mon Mayo
Well said WJ.No harm at all in being confident.and im sure our lads want us to believe in them and their ability.I expect doing else than the lads hammering London out of the park and no disrespect to the London lads but ill be very happy when i see it happening.
As for Dubs i think after the Meath game their weaknesses were well highlighted.Yes jim Gavin would have seen then also but i cant honestly see them changing their style of attack for the rest of the championship that they remain in.They have their style of play which they believe will beat any team and let them think that.I also think that in some upcoming game that their determination to nearly always try and get goals will go against them and they will land into a game they wont score goals.And other unfortunate thing for jim Gavin is when things are going so well for his side they make a lot of stupid challenges which in contrast to the Mayo lads who are very disciplined.I do believe this Dublin team will be beat but only if the opposition can command the midfield,cut off the Dublin supply of ball to their forwards (without fowling them) and of course make the most of their possession .something Meath nor Kildare did.Up Mayo
mayomaningalway-Just wondering about the “fowling”. Are there chickens or hens?
Steady on there Joe Mc, for you never know when those chickens/hens might come home to roost !
It’s a sure sign that things are going well ; when all we have to criticize is each others penmanship…long may it continue!!
Tomorrow we report on the injury crisis that has led to a recall for one player to the @MayoGAA squad ahead of the Connacht Final. #mayogaa
Who’s that then? R.Hennelly?
Anyone know why Evan Regan was dropped from the panel ??
@ Joe Mc haha Jaysus ya don’t miss much 🙂
Sean Burke.
Yes. O’Malley has an ankle problem.
NON.
Due to returning lads from injury, James obviously felt he’s surplus to requirements this year. Very tough on Regan IMO.
Hennelly actually brings something to panel in my opinion.
Good to see lads getting back. Horan seems to have right focus for Sunday. I think there will be hard hitting for first 20 minutes. Hope ref is up to it, This has cost us before.
I think it is time to stop complaining about Regan- his day will come. It is a little negative.
Re Evan Regan, is he off to the USA?
I don’t think anyone is complaining about Regan Cool Hand Luke it’s just with the injuries to O’ Connor ,Conroy , Dillion recovering/carrying an injury and Andy just coming back people were surprised that such a natural scoring forward was cut from the panel so late in the season.
Also anyone who has been watching the Club Championship can’t have not been impressed with his tally’s from play for the Stephenites. Anyway time is on Evan’s side and if( and it’s always a big if) he keeps developing at the pace he is along with staying free of injury we will have the joy of seeing him and Cillian terrorrse teams for years to come!
Can anyone clarify he was cut or did he leave the panel?
Yes.Evans chance will come.Club and county football are two different animals though.I would think there is ample cover with Micky C.Coen.and others.There will be real selection problems which is great when all our lads are back with even r.feeney struggling to get back in.He was not cut I hear just told he wasnt likely to feature so he decided to opt out.Sounds fair enough to me.MANAGERS have to manage.He is a good footballer with time on his side…time to.keep the head.
I’d have to disagree, don’t see the logic in dropping a promising 21 year old who is a quality footballer and leave a thirty something on the panel who has never played hardly.
@ Sean Burke he was cut from the panel and informed of this by the management in the middle of the week before the Ballina v Ballintubber game. I haven’t heard for sure what Horan said to him but it was along the lines of he was trimming the numbers in the panel and unfortunatley he didn’t need Evan for the rest of this year. ( Again though I not 100% on the reason given just that he was cut!)
@ John Griffin ,
I hear you about the diffs in club v county but people are excitied about Coen ( with good reason as I am too) but Evan has been on the panel since last year. Also he performed very well in games that were either going against us (v Kildare this year) and or had a very tight finish (v Kerry in the league last year).
Then he has backed that up by some unbeliveable club performances ( 3-2 from play against Claremorris) which easily matches up to what Coen or Murphy have done to merit their place in the squad.
Now injuries have been his main adversary over the last 18 months and I would say this is what led James to deciding to let him go and keep the others but what confuses me is why the panel has to be trimmed at all and why not keep Regan , Coen and Murphy in there in case the injury curse strikes again?
Think it was honest of Horan to tell him if he wasnt going to use him.Why would he let him go if he thought he would use him?His day will come and I hope it does.He is not the only player with ambitions and ability but managers have to manage as they see fit without being subject to second guessing all the time.
We have to give the benefit fo the doubt to James Horan on this one. He knows best and while I agree dropping Regan is a surprise and diasspointment, its not as if he has lit the place up in past perfrormances. A great prospect that i would love to see more of, but unfortunatly he may have to wait for someone else’s misfortune to get a spot.
I think it is a little hard on the Regan. I was hoping he would be our ace in the pack, i.e. an exceptionally good technical scoring forward that opponents would know very little abou and therefore could be a real threat. He was very unfortunate to pick up little niggly injuries that prevented him from playing more in the league. I believe that may have been the plan for him this year, give him matches, see how he does and then reassess. Put it this way, I believe he is a bigger scoring threat than Carolan but Carolan has remained fit and is now ingrained in the team ethos and style of play and so seems to have nipped in ahead of him.
I hope Evan now shows the maturity and discipline needed to be a top player and that he holds the head, continues to train and play well safe in the knowledge that time is on his side. You never know, it is a long time until September!
Of course the benefit of the doubt will be given to horan and i agree it should be .
It still doesn’t sway my opinion in discussion here. He is a great prospect and we should be looking after his ilk for the future as we have a gap in market with the lack of quality 21s coming throuhg last couple of seasons.
One thing i’ll never work out reasoning for, leaving older lads who are only ever going to warm the bench at best whilst you have younger lads with potential left at home .Absolute bonkers mentality but an age old Mayo way .
I hear Monaghan bet Mayo by 6 points last weekend–no iidea of what team was out.
Monaghan might able to put it up to Donegal afterall?
Who are you referring to Sean.There is no one on the bench who does not deserve to be there.Any of them could get a run.Think you are being unfair to these lads.
Sean Burke, It is about getting the balance right between youth and experience. I know that you are not going to get experience without the game time but sometimes there is merit in having 1 or 2 more seasoned players around the squad for their experience, attitude and influence on the squad as a whole. Remember Gardnier in his last year? In general anyhow, this is a young squad and there are not too many old timers hanging on and Horan cannot be accused of not giving young lads a run out.
I am as disappointed as anyone that Regan is not in the squad but let’s be honest, Horan knows a hell of alot more about the situation than we do and, along with his management team, is in a far better position than us to judge and decide. We will just have to trust his judgement and to be fair thus far he has been right more often than not. He in turn will be judged by his decisions and that is the way it should be.
If Regan is the real deal, and I hope he is, he will take this on the chin and continue to let his football to do the talking.
john griffin says:
July 16, 2013 at 4:48 pm
Who are you referring to Sean.There is no one on the bench who does not deserve to be there.Any of them could get a run.Think you are being unfair to these lads.
Ahh now lad , you’re trying to get me to ridicule member/s of the panel. The context of my argument is simple if you disagree thats sound but i’m not for swaying, Evan Regan deserves to be a member of the Mayo panel and if the panel needed trimming by one there was a more suitable candidate imo. Is it such a crime to hold such an opinion?
Is Alan Murphy on the panel?
Sean…..a more suitable candidate?who?
Youre obviously not going to say but I dont think there is.
Lets leave it at that so.
Pebblesmeller…excellent and sensible comments.Regan will be a serious talent for Mayo in years to come but for now lets trust Horan.
Focusing on the Ulster final for a moment.I think Monaghan will give Donegal a good game.It will be a tough low scoring game i feel .I still haven’t seen anything from Donegal this year to say they will remain All Ireland champions.So looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
I climbed Crough Patrick on Saturday and Croke Park yesterday.Both of which has some views at the top.Would highly recommend doing the sky walk at Croke Park. Tis slightly easier than climbing Crough Patrick and you don’t have to do it in the bare feet 🙂
In fairness Donegal doesn’t really hammer teams they are all bout hold teams to low scores and so far this summer they have been given two good tests and have beaten Tyrone by more than they did last year or 2011.
I actually fancied Tyrone to go a long way in this years championship before it started there still in it i know but i believe Roscommon should have beat them.I wouldn’t have being expecting that.
I take your point Mayomagic about Donegal dont hammer teams.I just don’t think they are up to the standard they were this time last year After they Ulster semi final win last year i knew they would go on to win All Ireland.This year up to now u believe they are beatable.
Big Barry Moran on the injured list again. Hamstring im told. Anyone else hear that ?
Mayo news reporting tonight that rob Henelly is likely to start in goal on Sunday as Clarke and o malley are both out. Donal Vaughan also a doubt I hope these injuries clear up quickly, on the plus side conroy and cillian are both back and available for selection
Have to agree one hundred per cent with Sean Burke. Know that regan has suffered with many injuries and that he had a poor game for the under 21 team in Tuam. But looking at him at club level, it is obvious that he has incredible abiliity and will in time be an ever present. I have never been a fan of bringing young players 18 year olds into a senior mayo team , eg Brian Maloney, Shane Nally but Regan is 21 now and deserves to be there. I am scratching my head too at some of the forwards left there ahead of him.
“I am scratching my head too at some of the forwards left there ahead of him”.
Rober, I think it is important that when looking at a forward, and particularly a half forward, that the defensive side of his/her game is analysed just as much as the attacking side. The game of football has changed immeasurably in the last 5 years, mainly due to huge developments in our knowledge of diet, hydration, strength & conditioning drills and statisical analysis software capable of studying game and training situations. These developments have led to an increase in the general fitness levels of all players and inturn has led to the players being capable of covering much greater distances during a game and hence the development of the counter attacking style of football. Because of all of the above, the half back line has become a crucial area of the field in terms of gaining possession and also launching counter attacks, very similar to hurling in fact. So much so, that in some games a half back will outscore a half forward. When you look at the some of the forwards in the current Mayo squad they initially made their names as half backs. Feeney and McLoughlin made their Mayo debuts and played their first season for Mayo as half backs and Gardiner finished up as a half forward after playing all his career as a half back. Trevor Mortimor was another that floated between both positions. The modern day forward, particularly the half forward, must be as good defensively as he/she is going forward so they can see, track and prevent the runs being made by their opposite half back. The old adage that a good team can carry a free-taker is almost being shifted to a good team can carry a non-scoring defensive half forward!
To go back to your point, I believe that why some forwards are left there ahead of him is because maybe they offer, at this stage of Regans development, a little more on the defensive side of things. I too am disappointed and as I said previously I believe him to be a more dangerous scoring forward than Carolan for instance, but, as a half forward I think Horan believes that Carolan ticks more boxes at this point in time.
WTF is with all these in injuries? Are we training too hard? Is the preparation or recovery not right? Although to be fair most of them don’t seem to be soft tissue injuries I think
Cant ubnderstand why posters wont trust management as they are clearly delivering.All this talk about Regan is unfair as posters will not say which of the panel is worse than him.
I accept it is only comment but surely Horan can see who brings what to the team.I seem to remember the same type of comment about Murphy last year and he hasnt really broken through.
Pebblesmeller makes excellent points in relation to the role of a forward and this is county not club football and you must be on the ground
Don’t really get the point about Regan OR somebody else surely it should be Regan AND somebody else. One additional player on a panel is hardly going to break the bank …. especially if it is a young player who even if he doesn’t contribute much this year may well do so in future years.
Agree with Pebblesmellers assessment above. To get a place in a modern day forward line one has to be one hell of a defender !
Marty diffuse name was. Mentioned in a few posts as the ref for the cf but according to score.ie its c lane from cork,anybody know who had the whistle?,and who is this lane guy
Agree with you Pebblesmeller, Carolan may not be the classiest forward in the business but his work rate and tackling and his ability to stop the opposition half backs playing is what Horan is after imo. I think he has taken Dillon’s place in the half forward line and I’d say that’s a direct result of the latitude that Lacey got in last year’s All-Ireland when Dillon didn’t have the best of games himself but he could have made up for that by making sure Lacey didn’t have one either. If cost us dearly last year and I’d say James is trying to plug that gap. My guess is that Dillon will only feature in the full forward line from now on.
You are bang on there All The Way regarding Laceys influence in last years All-Ireland. There is analysis showing that between 50% and 60% of all Donegals scores either originated from, or went through, Lacey in the final. Horan highlighted the fact (without naming Dillion) that Lacey had way too much time to deliver his passes and defended Kevin Keane by blaming the lack of pressure applied by Mayo players further out the field on the kicker. With Kevin Mc and Carolan in the half forward line you will not see too many half backs roaming up the field unattended to.
”can’t understand why posters are” blah blah
I gave you my explanation , it’s fairly easy to understand and like i have said previous , just because the vast majority are siding with you , it still won’t sway me.
I’ll go through it once more , Regan is 21 , a promising natural scoring forward with years in the tank. The other player whom i think should of been trimmed from panel if trimming was so obviously needed by one, he is 31 came onto the panel last year and has yet to make an impact and in all likely hood he wont.
Now when i weigh that up as a supporter , i still totally agree with my sentiments even after listening to the counter arguments.
No biggy, my opinion differs from yours and i obviously believe imo. Otherwise not much point to opinion at all really. hey
Sean,can I ask 1 question……have you been at all the team sessions, meetings,A vs B games etc -if your answer is no,then I suggest you leave the organisation of the panel to the lads in the know.You’ve made your feelings re Regan known but you’re like a dog with a bone about it for the past week.Mabye its time to let it rest.
In fairness to SB, he only keeps going on about it because people keep asking him to explain himself.
I’m a bit perplexed myself, but I’d trust Horan and his team to make the right calls.
Lads, maybe we should all settle a bit. The Evan Regan debate is turning into the Conor Mortimor debate and Lord knows we all had enough of that. Let’s focus our support on the lads that are there as opposed to the ones, for whatever reason, that are not.
H’on Mayo
Lads before you rant about Evan leaving the panel you should know the facts.
It is a decision he took with James Horan and that’s all any of us need to know.
It’s a temporary measure for this year. He has bundles of ability but has shown nothing much to be the answer to the big questions this year.
Regan was minor in 2011 so he’s 20 this year. He has plenty of time to impress if he’s good enough and more importantly is committed enough. I don’t know the lad , so I’m not saying he’s not either of these things..
Right so moving swiftly on, the minor game should be a cracker this weekend.
Well sunday is fast approaching us and one has to hope that we can rest cillian and Alan Dillion …..there is enough quality forwards on our panel to get the job done on sunday and move on …. I wud love to face Meath in the quarters
To cool hand d….head,
Your not so cool lad bout your comment about Belmullet farmers, i dont know what your trying to say or what you mean by it. To me being a erris man i find it offensive and the height of ignorance, maybe you,d like to tell us were your from and maybe i,d make a comment about your neck of the woods….then again i would,t lower my self to your level…
You,v deleted for alot less w.joe …….
I think it was meant as a joke, Johnno, and I wouldn’t see it as an attempt to cause offence. Anyway, lads, I think we’ve all got more pressing things to be focusing on as Sunday approaches.