The Mayo News has hit the streets once again and there’s obviously plenty about the All-Ireland minor final in it. While match reports from Sunday are old hat at this stage (Mike Finnerty’s one tells a tale with the same outcome as all the others you’ll have seen by now), Ed McGreal’s post-match quotes from Ray Dempsey and captain Aidan Walsh are definitely worth looking at. Ray’s quotes expand a bit on what was in the nationals yesterday and I like his attitude about negative talk and all the use it is to us right now. It’s good too to see him reference that Mickey Harte comment from earlier in the year about how our ability to reach finals means we must be doing something right.
Ray’s quite defiant post-match tone contrasts rather poignantly with the pure, undistilled pain to be found in Aidan’s comments, especially when he reflects on how, for him, the chance to win a minor medal has now passed. To have come so close, not once but twice, is tough medicine for one so young to have to take but there’s a big future there for Aidan, I reckon, and he’ll be a key man for us in the U21s next year. I know he didn’t have his shooting boots on the last day but any Mayo lad who can nail points from frees like this, this and this can expect to be wearing his county’s colours for a long time.
WJ still peed off with minor result …. when oh when are we going to lift a trophy in croker. I must say I like what RD had to say, and got away from the usual maudlin stuff from the Mayo camp, and at least the minors were competitive.
Mind you watching the senior game, I was lucky enough to be fairly close to the action. In the first half, I was really impressed with Kerry especially their back 6. Myself and a friend of mine were talking afterwards about it, i don’t think we have a man that could make that kerry team, maybe young O’Shea but its early days yet. Their physicallity, discipline and intensity was unreal. We wouldn’t have got within an asses roar of Kerry …. or Cork for that matter. Me thinks its time for a serious wake up call at senior level … how can we get this type of itensity and drive into our senior lads .. I’m not sure our senior panel have what it takes at this level to win an AI within the forseeable future while the bulk of that senior panal are still around. Any thoughts ?
I hevent the heart to read any of the reports, watching it once was enough. We must have the only sport that puts U18s on a pedestal, it cant be easy on the young lads.
Where are we going wrong, what can be done to get out of this losing-at-finals thing? What do the lights of Kerry, Kilkenny do right?
As I said previously, we look light years behind Kerry. Not one of our backs would go near to making the Kerry Team. Maybe Dillon and young O’Shea might have a chance in the forwards. That’s how far behind we are. So ine nearly every county as well. Thank God for Tyrone and Armagh or Kerry could have had about 10 in a row. That’s how dominant they are.