It’s Monday morning once again but we’re back in the League semi-finals once more so it’s not all doom and gloom on this particular one. And, needless to say, there’s a bit about yesterday’s win over Derry in the papers and online so here’s a quick round-up of what’s there.
Nationals: Irish Independent, Irish Examiner, Irish Times, Belfast Telegraph.
Other reports: Mayo Advertiser, GAA, RTÉ, BBC, The Score, Breaking News, Hogan Stand, Oakleafers (yes, there are the odd few other GAA blogs out there).
Pictures: Inpho, Sportsfile, Mayo Mick.
Audio and video: RTÉ’s audio, my own post-match audio and highlights from RTÉ’s League Sunday programme.
That match report in the Indo has some quotes from James Horan who does some harrumphing about how we almost let Derry back into it in the second half yesterday and then adds his usual line about the amount of stuff we have to work on in the week ahead. Of more relevance is what he says about the injury that forced Cillian O’Connor off early in yesterday’s match, which he describes as being no more than a “muscle spasm”. Hopefully this will mean Cillian is fit to line out on Sunday.
No word yet on the venue and time for Sunday’s semi-finals but details are due to be confirmed around lunchtime today. JPM was asking me for my top five predictions (in light of the fact that I’m now heading the overall leaderboard in the Allianz predictions competition) so how about this lot? (1) The semi-finals will be a double-header at Croke Park; (2) ourselves and Derry will be on at 2pm with the Dubs and Cork at 4pm; (3) the Dubs will get their usual dressing room (again); (4) the Dubs will get to warm up in front of Hill 16 (again); (5) we’ll beat Derry and the Dubs will sneak by Cork with a point to spare after a barrage of 3-4 without reply in injury time.
By the way, don’t forget to vote in the poll on yesterday’s MOTM if you haven’t already done so. Looks like Freezer is home and hosed for his second such award of the year, with Ger Caff and Boyler leading the way in pursuit but there’s still plenty of time left to vote in this one. The result of the poll will be announced later on tonight.
Do Mayo CB have an ideological objection to urinals.
Both the old McHale Park and the new stand have too many men’s toilets without.
Maybe stretch half time to 40 minutes so that there’s a chance for us all to go, rather than a dangerous stampede about the place.
Good win yesterday!
Presumably the semi’ll be a double-header at Croker. Where will be the best place for the Mayo fans to congregate? It’d be good to be together especially if there’s random Dubs and Cork fans spattered about.
Cork match might be on first – don’t they usually have a train to catch and don’t like being discommoded by having to arrive late down by the Lee.
Don’t think so catcol – from past experience, Cork will have about 4 or 5 supporters there so you could send them all home in the one taxi. And the Dubs are never, ever, ever the curtain raiser at the ‘national’ venue!
Reading through the papers and the feedback from the ‘media experts’ it seems we were never in doubt. But we were lack lustre all the same against the very second string Derry team. However, when you consider the following aspects it also throws up some interesting statistics on our own team selection (on paper at least).
1. Keggan rested – best attacking ½ back in the country?
2. Gibbons rested – probably our most consistent player of the League?
3. AOS rested – always a ball winner in midfield and one you would definitely have on first 15?
4. Kevin McLoughin rested – MOTM against the Dubs last weekend?
5. Cillian injured after 5 mins – hopefully back next weekend?
6. Keith withdrawn in second half – presumably to give a rest and allow Richie Feeney game time?
That’s 6 of our first 15. So although what the newspapers say may be statistically accurate about Derry it doesn’t give the full picture either.
PS: WJ – that wasn’t what I expected in terms of a top 5, but like above, everyone is entitled to their own ‘spin’ on how information is conveyed.
Padraig Hughes. An Armagh ref in a Big game between an ulster and Connaught team. Try make sense of that!
My thoughts entirely, it’s an utterly bewildering choice but then again this is a refereeing body being run by Pat McEnaney so there’s no point looking for logic in any decision they make. By the way, Padraig Hughes is also the lad who doesn’t do the black card – we had him up in Omagh and it was just like the good old days the way he let all that pulling and dragging go on.
But WJ, the Jackeens will want to be down the boozer in time for the Liverpool v City match so, of course, the GAA will want to bow to their every need and whim. After all, Croke Park is the home of Dublin GAA and the national centre in Blanchardstown is going to be theirs also.
Don’t mind the fact that both Derry and Mayo fans have 200 to 300km journeys to face into after the game. In true GAA style they will shove us out to the 4pm throw-in and keep the Jackeens happy.
An absolute disgrace, but note that it’s a Down ref for the other semi, which of course, not involving a Connaught team would be the important one.
Mayo will be playing 16 in this one – no doubt about that. Add that to Cormac Reilly against the Dubs, I lost count of the crazy decisions he made – most to them to Mayo’s cost.
As you say Willie Joe the McEnaney regime is an absolute joke.
On the ref thing why do we always seem to put up with ref’s from the same province as our opposition and thats no to say it has an effect, but would a Connacht ref ever be put in charge of an ALL Ireland involving Mayo?…..not a hope in hell.
Naw, they’re all Man U supporters so a 4pm throw-in for the Dubs will help to shield them from the pain.
Some of the abuse dished out to A. Gallagher that day was well beyond the realms of black card territory. Surely it would not take a genius to see and decide that, maybe just maybe, it might be a better idea to have a Munster or Leinster ref for that one? McEnaney is a law unto himself and seems answerable to no-one. His position is all the more strange when you consider that he is also over the hurling referees!!!
Reminder of the actual rules supposedly in place at present https://www.gaa.ie/about-the-gaa/rules-and-regulations/ . Maybe someone could forward it to the ref for Sunday – in case he missed the original memo!
By the way, is there anywhere a count is being kept on the accumulation of cards? So far I remember Aido and Boyler getting one each. Did Caff get one too? Was there anyone else? This could become a real issue as the championship develops.
Are you takin’ the piss Pee ?
Id agree with you on all but one point WJ. i have a suspicion that Cork will take the Dubs.
Where’s the cork v dub ref from?
Are we getting our knickers in a twist over nothing, maybe refs are mingled in this everywhere.
Aren’t you lucky you don’t have to queue like me for ladies toilets with the majority just waiting to fix their make up and hair cop on girls your at a match no one will be looking at your hair ok rant over!!!
Allocated seating unless you mean before the match?
Ciaran Brannigan from Down (who reffed our match against Kerry) is in charge of the Dublin/Cork game. I think the point is that we’re repeatedly having to play teams from the same province as the ref – Sunday will be the fifth time in eight League matches this year that this has happened.
are out CB actually standing up against this ? or sitting on their hands?
I see the Times made ADRIAN Freeman MOTM today. Pedantic but it’s the second week in a row a national media outlet has done this!
I’m not too sure the ref will give Derry too much. They don’t like each other up there all that much. I was at an Armagh v Tyrone match a few years ago ahead of Mayo v Cork. The abuse the supporters dished out to each other was something I never saw before. There was a bitterness to it that you will not get around these parts. So it might actually work in our favour.
It also referred to one ‘Any Moran’ as well!! Back to School with the lot of them…
I’m actually a bit disappointed reading some of the comments above in relation to this semi-final game ahead. Just think of the sacrifices that our players, management and back-room staff have made over the past four years. This is the third year in a row that we have made the league semi-finals, we have being in the last two All-Ireland finals. I’m really really happy that we have another big game in Croke Park to look forward too. In fact at 2.00 on Sunday there is no other place that I would rather be. I’m sure if you asked any Galway fan, would they like to be in the position that we are in, they’d bite your hand off at the chance to be playing in Croke Park. I think it’s a real privilege to be playing there. Ask a Leitrim or Sligo player would they like to be lining out in Croke Park this week-end? It’s our pitch just as much as the Dubs. Last year they won the league title for the first time in 20 years or so. Who knows in a few years time, we might not be getting there at all, now for me that would be the real tragedy. I”m sure that James Horan and Brian McIver are delighted to be playing up there. If we win our game, there is nothing better than sitting back watching the opposition that we will be playing against in the final, if we win our semi-final off course. If the top two teams in the Division got home advantage, we’d be heading up to Derry for this game. Now that would be a really tough place to go. I’d prefer to be playing a very big, physical and strong Derry team in the open spaces of Croke Park. If there was ever a time to use our pace this is the game for it. The more space we have to play in the better I think. We want to be the best team in the country. The top teams don’t worry about referees or venues. In fairness that is a valid point in relation to the referee being from the same province as our opposition, that should not be happening. But what I think we should be thinking about is why did we give up a lead of 6 points against 14 players in the last 15 of minutes of a game? Or why did we go 17 minutes without scoring in the second-half against a second string Derry team? Or why in the last two All-Ireland finals have our forwards only scored 1-1 from play? Or why do we continue to concede bad goals in the big games? This is what we need to improve on to be the best team in the country in 2014. Referee can be really annoying but I think they are just as annoying for both teams. I don’t remember the referee scoring any of those two goals that we conceded against Dublin in the last couple of minutes of that game. The time for excuses are over. If we are the best team on the day, in the big matches and put in our best performances then the venues and the referees will have nothing to do with whether we win or lose. Well thats just my opinion anyway. Roll on the week-end!
Not pedantic at all. You’ll never hear of “Colin” cooper or “Brendan” brogan or “Paul” Joyce of Galway
It’s lazy and its disrespectful (reporting) at best.
Cathal dervan writes a few articles for irish papers in the usa, a little man, he constantly runs Mayo down or dismisses them. I stopped buying it because of his attitude, he’s a reporter, just report and keep your opinions to yourself, mr reporter
Sorry that should read above, Or why in the last two All-Ireland finals, in the second half, have our forwards only scored 1-1 from play?
Sorry I meant to post the above comments on the (It’s Croke Park at 2pm for us) forumn! Ah hopefully soon we will get to the stage where venues, referees etc. etc. won’t matter and we’ll just be the best team in the land! I really do believe that it’s better from our point of view to be playing Derry in the wide open spaces of Croke Park rather than in a smaller provincial pitch. Hopefully we can make our experience of playing in Croke Park over the last few years count on Sunday.
Never say anything bad about a cork player if your sitting beside one of their fans at a cork football match. They are almost certainly a close relative to one of the players!
What would ye like – Marty Duffy??
We need to stop complaining about refs before a ball is even kicked. Champions don’t look for excuses before the game is played.
I have an absolute gem of an article from one of the red-tops from the Galway/Mayo game back in 1998 – I must dig it out the next time I’m at home. They clearly ran a spell-check on it with auto-correct, but it had serious bother with the Irish names. Numerous references to “Patrick Juice” throughout, as well as a few other clangers.
I’d have Marty Duffy ahead of most refs at the minute, to be honest. He’s annoying and picky, for sure, but at least you know he’s going to apply the rules and you tend to know where you stand with him, which isn’t the case with a lot of the others.
Yeah I seen one of those before too Anne-Marie, maybe it was the same one, it said that Roman Majority was playing midfield for us i.e. Ronan McGarrity, it was very funny!
That’s the one HopeSpringsEternal! Hilarious stuff altogether
Does anyone know where Alan Dillon has gone to. I never hear his name mentioned these days
He’s recuperating from a long-term injury, Liam – latest reports are that he’ll be be available for selection again come the championship.
C’mon, can you post it for the laugh? Sounds like funny shlt!