When Breaffy’s Matthew Ruane burst through to the first fifteen at county level in the League-winning spring campaign of 2019, it was clear that this was a player of real promise. Injuries haven’t been that kind to him since but so far this year he’s been in flying form, no more so than in yesterday’s match against Meath.
Mattie was a driving force in our win yesterday. He claimed primary possession in the middle of the park, he moved the ball on quickly, he raided forward repeatedly and he banged over two points, one off either foot. And, with 31% of the votes cast, he’s our Man of the Match from yesterday’s game.
Others to feature prominently in the vote were James Carr (19%), Diarmuid O’Connor (12%), Darren McHale (7%) and Cillian O’Connor (5%). In truth, yesterday’s performance was very much a team effort and this is reflected in the spread of votes cast.
Well done to all of them – here’s the leaderboard from the MOTM poll.
Well deserved by Mattie. Great to see his consistency back. Proven winners around the middle now.
– Great to see Ruane making a big contribution in all three league games to date with hopefully plenty more to come.
– The match had the pace and intensity of a challenge match although McEntee’s antics on the sideline were what one would expect at an all Ireland final.
Well done mattie keep up the good work. How the hell did keegan make it onto gaa.ie team of the week? The only mayo man to do so.
Well deserved, he’s improving all the time. The body who decides team of the week mustn’t have a GAA go subscription.
Very well deserved for Matthew, has been excellent in all 3 league games so far… As Quayman says the body who picks the team of the week mustn’t have a GAA GO subscription.. didn’t pick Mathew Ruane but did pick Lee Keegan who only played the first half and despite all the whistling of the Ref, Lee also played one half very well… I wonder do the CCCC the body who decide fixtures and venues, have a calendar, plenty of time for the semifinals of all 4 divisions to be played next weekend a bank holiday weekend and the finals the following week… But that would make sense.. And now seeing as they have made a president by Galway having to travel to Clones, for their relagation play off despite Monaghan breaking the public health guidelines.. Should Tyrone and Dublin both win their Division One semifinals, seems like because they allowed Monaghan to have a home venue versus Galway, you can bet your bottom dollar that Dublin, despite them also breaking the public health guidelines will be allowed to play the league final in Croke Park.. In the event of Kerry and Dublin both winning, or indeed Donegal winning their semi versus Dublin, no Division One league final can take place… The CCCC have serious questions to answer, as it stands with the way they fixed the game’s, there might not be a Division One final, and there only can be a Division One final, if Dublin qualify to play Tyrone, Dublin the team who broke the Covid 19 health restrictions will be given a home game.. There will be no Division Two final, there probably will be a Division Three final, and definitely there will be not be a Division Four final, ..
As someone posted in another thread seeing as cccc were not able to guarantee all finals then they should have just sent each group winner straight to a final and scrap the semi finals and avoided all the mess
Just a note lads on the whingers across the border. John Fogarty has an article about Galway being punished for obeying the rules. He writes nothing about a Galway player that broke his foot during the training ban… by all accounts the foot broke whilst he was on a Galway team zoom call! Holier than thou my arse. Joyce is a spoofer and I for one take great delight in watching him fail. Like who continuously spits on their hands during a pandemic and goes around shaking hands?! All going well they will be sent packing in Clones
@Johneybogeen, on the contrary while I have absolutely nothing against Monaghan, a fine team a very good team to watch especially the 2021 version of Monaghan.. I would like to see all 3 of Mayo, Galway and Roscommon in Division One next year, when hopefully we can attend game’s in the flesh again.. that would be awesome.. My clinical view on Galway having to travel to Monaghan (after Monaghan definitely broke the Covid regulations) is that should Tyrone and Dublin both qualify for the Div One final, it established a president and Dublin will be able to claim that it happened already for Monaghan, and if course the league final would once again be played in the defacto of Dublin, a home where Dublin don’t even have to pay for the grass getting cut Croke Park..The unwritten rule of the CCCC and Leinster GAA for well over a decade now, is that Dublin must at all costs be given the home advantage of Croke Park, and even if Croke Park is not nessary because of zero crowd attendance at matchs, or even if Dublin have deliberately in the early mornings been collectively training during the Pandemic, Dublin must be given home advantage..
Well done Mattie .. Could be mentally beneficial to him that he is the main man now that Tom and Seamie have retired
Galway and Joyce are spoofing as usual. The punishment imposed for breaking the training ban was the loss of home advantage in a league game which Monaghan, Down, Dublin and Cork all suffered. It was a light enough penalty but there is no point complaining about it now. Galway travel to Monaghan because Monaghan had only one home game in the three rounds of the league whereas Galway had two. Same rules for all 31 counties. Maybe Galway and Joyce are a bit dense in that they cannot understand that. If the punishment for breaking the rules had been revisited in the Galway Monaghan game where would that leave Dublin, Cork and Down? All four would be heading to the appeals process, possibly finishing with the DRC who would rule in their favour.
Final comment/question for a while!!
Does anybody know where Sarah Rowe and Aileen Gilroy are re the Mayo Ladies team. I don’t think that they have featured yet and it cannot be that they are not making the team. Are they injured or opting out?
AndyD – Sarah Rowe is currently recovering from injury but Aileen Gilroy has opted out of inter-county for this year.
Andy D. Galway are right. We would be whinging all the way to Jones’s Road if we were in that situation. This is just another league game and none of the culprits should have home advantage. Full stop.
Well done Matthew,
Definitely putting in big performances and this week didn’t run into any Cul de Sacs. Very athletic player.
Keegan ate his man for breakfast in the 35 he was on.
The ref gave some bizarrely soft frees the last day mostly against Mayo and Keegan’s yellow was his daftest decision. Not even a free, just shielded the ball. May have picked up 1 or 2 things we didn’t see although I’ve no idea what Meath’s first black card was for, 2nd was a late tackle fair enough call. Bit frustrating listening to Kevin McStay agreeing with some of the dodgier calls saying no need to concede a free when we hadn’t. Ref did us no harm but could have in a tighter game.
Calcol,
As I said in my posting the penalty for breaching the training ban was soft but when the decision was made it was made. Anybody could have objected to its leniency but nobody did. Typical GAA, nobody wants to put their head up in case its their head next time. Then when it affects us, even remotely, we cry foul. The decision was made then and there is no way to go back on it. To try to go back and impose additional penalties would be in breach of common law to which we all, even the mighty, august GAA, are subject. Even if all appeal bodies in the GAA tried to go down the road you suggest the DRA would back Monaghan. The DRA, after all, were set up to ensure that the GAA abided by common law without a need to resort to court action. The DRA might not be perfect, as every decision is arguable, but can you recall anybody going to court over a suspension etc. since they were set up? I don’t think that you can.
Shuffy Deck, ref assessor was at the match and probably spooked the ref. I talked to the MEATH radio Co commentator who said that the ref rode us and if we did not take off Cillian we would have got a few more goals. Also impressed with the talent coming through and the set up in Castlebar and the way they were treated.
@Andy D, .. It’s a significant disadvantage in these times for a playing panel and backroom team to have to travel for a game,.one person per car.
That’s what happened to Cavan for the All Ireland semifinal v Dublin last winter, and of course with no fans allowed, absolutely no reason why the game couldn’t have been played in a neutral venue.. Not that the Cavan County board done anything to challenge the dictate of the status quo re Dublin regal perogative of every possible advantage santionted from on high. If Dublin had not been caught red-handed by a press photographer, you can rest assured that the santion for breaching public health guidelines would have been much more severe for Monaghan, and Monaghan would not be playing their next game at home, but then the GAA might be expected to punish Dublin just as harshly, and.they don’t want to do that. .. I think that for the last decade the decisions of the CCCC and the Leinster GAA decisions as regards unfairly advantaging Dublin and have not been challenged.. Not that the Mayo County Board done any better, in the last decade, we Mayo supporters have been traveling all over the country bringing thousands, of people and Euros to the GAA and local economy’s, but all big game’s must be played in Dublin..The CCCC in particular have adversely affected Mayo, and meekly like a lamb, we have done exactly what we were asked to do., We played Kerry next door to Kerry in Limrick, played Westmeath in a backdoor game in Croke Park, with Mayo supporters having to drive through Westmeath to get to Croke Park.. That game should have been played in the ideal neutral venue of Hyde Park for both Mayo and Westmeath, keeping a bit of money in the locality, and miles and hours less for the both Mayo and Westmeath supporter’s, .. Again two years ago Mayo supporters travelled in their thousands through Galway and another 60 miles further to play Galway, for another backdoor game in Limrick.. Again that game could have and should have been played in either Castlebar, Salthill or the Hyde Park.. But Mayo like sheep done what we were told and went to Limrick.. Now imagine the seneario that Galway and Roscommon had to play each other in 2022 in a backdoor game in a neutral venue, again because of what has happened in the past, the chance that game would be played in Castlebar, bringing some money for the upkeep of the stadium and the locality would be allot less than if the local Connacht team’s would stand up to the GAA, for a bit of fairness and common sense.. A few years ago, Kevin McStay and the Roscommon County board stood up to the Connacht Council and said that, the Connacht Final would go ahead in the Hyde or else it wasn’t going ahead at all.. The previous decision of the Connacht Council hadn’t a leg to stand on, and they weren’t long reversing their decision.. About a month after that Cian O’Neill and Kildare Country board stood up to the CCCC and said it’s ‘Newbridge or Nowhere’ and of again the CCCC without a leg to stand on, Newbridge it was, and despite the genuinely expressed worries of the one particular GAA officer, there was no bloodshed on the streets of Newbridge between Kildare and Mayo fans.. The latest bit of unintelligent dictate from the CCCC, had the four divisions of the league,…Div Two and Four definitely won’t have a final,.Div One might,. but only if work’s out that Tyrone play Dublin, and Div Three definitely will have a final, last Sunday I wrote on this Blog about the Meatloaf song ‘Two outa Three ain’t bad’ well as far as the CCCC are concerned, as regards the possible finals of the four league divisions, ‘One certainty to be played and one maybe ,is very bad indeed!.. Past time those people who make those decisions are asked some hard questions.
Joyce just trying to build a bit of a siege mentality, probably right to do so. He needs to fire up that squad, and this is the way to do it. I bet secretly he’s delighted its in Monaghan, he’s trying to get into the reffs head a bit. I think Galway will win and survive. Agree with AndyD about the hand spitting, how is Joyce not pulled up on it by some official, constant spitting then pawing every man in sight at the final whistle….i hope the bould Tony Hoolahan isn’t a fan of watching Galway games….
Joyce has a point. Monaghan had 2 home games the same as Galway at the start. This is what should have been the metric.
Jr Monaghan were drawn for 1 home game, the one versus Armagh which subsequently was played at a neutral venue. I think the punishment was was too soft for all the teams that were in breach, but that’s for another day. League semis etc all should have been stated to be played at neutral venues, the GAA always love making things complicated when there is no need!!
100 people allowed to attend games from next Monday, it should be enough to allow each player on panel bring 2 family members to games.
Mattie has been very good this year for us. Diarmuid is excellent as usual and they work well together with Plunkett and Coen. I thought the third goal just before half time was a peach. Off the weaker left boot while the goalie was making up his mind up that the ball would go to his right. What struck me most was that we are getting quality ball in to the half forward line. Its taking a while but its getting there. Is that the chorus I hear, yea I know it was a 2nd Div,challenge, poor teams, dead rubber, B Meath team, etc etc
Its great to see the consistency that Mattie is bringing to his game. Mayo have won midfield clearly in every game in division 2. Fergal Boland a great man on the breaks and I thought his kick passing the last day added a nice new dimension to Mayo’s play. Diarmuid is playing a really unselfish role dropping back and trying to plug gaps similar to Seamus O’Sheas old role in the side.
I think Aido back will be a huge boost to us even defensively, his tackling and covering back can help our wide open (at times) back line.
For me there is 13 places nearly filled on the team with one spot in the full back line and one in the half forward line up for grabs. Bryan Walsh has put his hand up in the half forward line with a lot of solid displays. I believe there is a place in the half forward line for Kev Mc/Fionn/Flynn or possibly Jason Doc to fight for and def one in the full back line where the baker, Enda Hession and hopefully Brendan Harrison can fight for.
New podcast episode is up!
I’d have to disagree re our half back line. The full back line gets a lot of blame for goals conceded but our half backs are not getting their tackles in or covering back. One example last Sunday, a Meath half forward waltzed his way straight in on goal . His shot was desperately blocked on the line and not a glove laid on him. Meath’s 2nd goal was a carbon copy of that move. Only Paddy D would be an automatic starter based on the last 3 games.
Hennelly
Eoin o donoghue
Oisin
Lee
Plunkett
Durcan
Stephen Coen
Mattie
Diarmuid
Fionn
Aiden
Flynn
Conroy
Cillian
Ryan.
Eoghain mac. Kevin mac. James carr. Boland. Loftus and others. Great competition for places and that’s exactly what u want
Despite Eoghan McLaughlin not starting any games yet, his pace and power make him a close to definite starter come championship for me.
1. Hennelly
2. AN OTHER (O’Donoghue/ Hession/Harrison if fit)
3. Mullin
4. Keegan
5. Plunkett
6. Durcan
7. E.McLaughlin
8. Ruane
9. DOC
10. AN OTHER ( Fionn, Flynn, Jason DOC, Boland)
11. Aido
12. Bryan Walsh
13. Tommy Conroy
14. Cillian
15. Ryan O’Donoghue
A special mention should go to Robbie Hennelly who has been outstanding for Mayo. I feel it’s a pity Jack Coyne and David Mcbrien have suffered injuries. I’m sure JH would have given these lads a chance if fit.
Jr,
Monaghan did not have two home games at the start of the league. They played Tyrone in Omagh and Donegal in Ballybofey. The only home game they had was v Armagh which was played in Enniskillen as a result of their breaking the collective training ban. The precedent setters for that were Cork who were first out of the blocks when it came to rule breaking. Regards playing these games at neutral venues, I doubt if any county officials would be willing to open their grounds for a game which was of absolutely no benefit to them. In normal times with attendances the hosting ground gets 10% of the gate for their trouble. Another issue with choosing grounds for qualifier games is capacity. If the Mayo Galway game which was played in Limerick was fixed for, say the Hyde, it would have to be all ticket and getting that arranged in a week would be a problem. Regards the Cavan Dublin semi final last year, I don’t think that the Cavan players would be very happy with it being played in Navan which would be the logical neutral venue. When will they again get a chance to play an All Ireland semi final in Croke Park?
I would like to see Aido at centre back. His tackling would be a definite asset to the defence. As a centre forward I think he slows the pace of forward play. We have several options now for that position.
My team as of now: Hennelly; O’Donoghue/Harrison, Mullin, Keegan; Durcan, O’Shea, E McLaughlin; Ruane, D O’C;
McDonagh/Walsh; K McLoughlin, Jordan Flynn; Conroy, C O’C, Donoghue.
AndyD, cant see Aido ever playing centre back, hes just not the type of player Horan likes in that position and it wouldnt suit Mayos attacking HB style of play. Yes he is a strong tackler but this already helps our defence winning turnovers high up the pitch, we get a good return in scores from the high press, he would be a loss in this regard. His lack of pace will really be exposed in that CB where he will be up against a lot faster attacking players. Also you say he slows the pace of forward play, is he going to be any faster setting up attacks from CB where quick ball is essential for counter attacking? Id stick with Coen at 6, he had a good season last year and could build on that with a few more games, failing that Paddy Durcan is the man for CB.
If we are going by the last day I don’t think EOD had a particularly notable day at the office.. he didn’t have a bad day but he was caught out of position a few times and against greater quality opposition we will be punished for that. He is a fine player but I think there are other ahead of him in reading the game from corner back. We need to get someone settled into this position and soon. I would like to see more of Hession and see how he gets on against tougher opposition. Clare would be a good challenge. Hopefully he is fit!
IMO we need an other person in the full back line. In the games I seen last year the people to really stand out were EOD, Drake and Nally. Add in Keegan and Harrison and then you have spare capacity, All seasoned men which is what you need in that line. This would free Mullin to move to half back with possibly Keegan, Boyle, Coen, McLaughlin, Durkan, Plunkett. Ruane and O’Connor with AOS as back up. I cant see how Drake and Nally are not good enough.
I agree exactly on EOD performance, we’ve only seen him once this year so he probably deserves another chance. I’d say 6/10. If he had a 7 or 8 vs Clare he could come into the frame. O Hora also worth a look. Dogged and tough but may concede frees from what I’ve seen. Plunkett looks to be improving with more style and scores than last season but will do well to keep Coen and Maclaughlin out. Hession looks too light yet, grew into first game well but would be surprised if he made the 15 for any bigger games like Connaught final.
AOS not for the backs apart from emergency full back when a giant comes on for opposition. Had a great turnover blown for a free the last day. CHF or top of the right for him.
Some of ye left out Kevin Mc in yer picks, in my mind he’s still ahead of F McDonagh and J Flynn. Darren McHale looked good enough against crap team, unlikely to bolt past the others. ROD maybe better corner forward than Carr / Coen because of his all round game management & decision making. Aido might be better used as a super sub.
Joseph Gibbons. Drake and Nally left the squad two years ago. Cant remember them playing many games for Mayo.