Right, it’s Monday evening and the countdown is on in earnest ahead of our Round 1 qualifier clash with Monaghan. The game takes place this coming Saturday at MacHale Park, where throw-in is 4pm. Barry Cassidy of Derry is the ref and the match is being broadcast live on Sky Sports.
It’s just under four months since we last played the Farney County. That was in Round 2 of this year’s League when we went up to Clones and came away from there with an unexpected but hugely gratifying 2-10 to 0-11 win.
That victory at St Tiernach’s Park was fashioned in large part from the two goals we got, one in each half. Man of the Match Ryan O’Donoghue (who posted 1-6 that afternoon) and Jason Doherty were the players to find the net for us in that game. With the former a major doubt for Saturday while the latter is still feeling the after-effects of the long lay-off, it’s easy to see why there’s a fair bit of trepidation among our supporters about Saturday. And that’s before we start talking about all our other injury concerns.
But let’s talk instead about Monaghan. Ahead of the League meeting in February I did a piece looking at how they’d been getting on over the previous twelve months so there’s no need to rehash all that again. The piece in question is here.
Of greater interest is what they’ve been up to since. No more than us, it’s been a bit up and down.
After our meeting, they drew away against Armagh, lost by eight at home to Kerry, beat Donegal by two in Ballybofey (inflicting a first League defeat in over a decade on Donegal at the venue) and then lost by nine away to Kildare. This meant they came into their Round 7 meeting with Dublin at Clones needing a win to stay up, while knowing that such a result would also relegate Dessie Farrell’s team.
On the podcast last week, Malachy Clerkin pointed to his native county’s Houdini-like success in avoiding relegation from Division One in recent years. In each of the last three seasons, they’ve entered injury time in their final League game in the ejector seat but every time they’ve managed to wriggle to safety.
They did it again, of course, this year. A 45-metre free from Jack McCarron deep in stoppage time earned the Farneymen a one-point win over the Dubs, ending the Metropolitans’ 13-year stay in the top tier in the process while keeping Monaghan up.
But, as Malachy also said on the pod – to what end? Monaghan are now the second longest serving county in Division One but they’ve had little or nothing to show for this when push has come to shove in the Championship in recent years.
Last year they can count themselves a bit unlucky, losing by the minimum margin in a knockout Ulster final to eventual All-Ireland champions Tyrone. This year luck played no part in how they fared out within the province, where their run ended at the semi-final stage.
They whipped a wretched Down by ten points in the quarter-final in late April before taking on Derry, shock winners over Tyrone in the quarters, for a place in the Anglo-Celt Cup decider.
That semi-final at the Athletic Grounds proved the goals-win-games adage, with Derry bagging three of them to emerge with a 3-12 to 0-17 win. This wasn’t the same kind of paddling that the Oakleafers had handed out to the hapless O’Neill County in the previous round but it was, in Ulster terms, a decisive enough win for Rory Gallagher’s charges.
It was a result that has sent Monaghan in our direction, for a first ever Championship meeting between our two counties. It’s also a rare outing for Monaghan away to a Connacht county in the qualifiers.
Looking back at how they’ve fared out in back door campaigns in recent years, their record is anaemic enough. Since their most recent provincial success in 2015, they’ve lost out at home to Longford in Round 2 in 2016, beat Wexford and Carlow (both away) and Down to reach the quarters in 2017 (where they were well beaten by Dublin), beat Waterford, Leitrim and Laois (all away) to reach the Super-8s in 2018 and beat Fermanagh at home in Round 1 before losing at home in Round 2 to Armagh in 2019.
It’s not exactly stellar stuff, is it? I searched back over the years for any qualifier win away from home of any real note and the only one I came across was a one-point victory over Donegal in Ballybofey back as far as 2008.
The Super-8 campaign of 2018 did, however, see them travel to Pearse Stadium and give Galway a good thumping. That’s clearly of more relevance than the win over Donegal ten years previously but it wasn’t a qualifier match and the reality is that Monaghan have no recent track record of beating opposition like us away from home in a back door clash.
It doesn’t help their cause either that, despite our extremely poor home record, we’ve yet to lose a qualifier match at MacHale Park. If it wasn’t for our long injury list, you’d really have to fancy us strongly to win this one.
But the injury list is a factor, afflicting as it does so many of our most important players. So too is the prospect of taking on, in the narrow confines of MacHale Park, a team that’s well adept at defending in numbers and breaking fast upfield.
We’re still favourites to win but this one could be very close and it could go either way. I’m finding it hard to plump for a winner in it – what about yourselves? Let’s end with a poll on that.
Will we beat Monaghan?
- Yes (60%, 535 Votes)
- No (40%, 358 Votes)
Total Voters: 893
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With a full team I’d put a good wager on us winning but with our current squad of players due to the number of injuries we have, I’m doubtful that we will win this one. Hoping for a huge performance from the lads. Up Mayo!
The general consensus among various supporters that I’ve been speaking to this past week since we were drawn against Monaghan is that it looks to be the end of the road for this season and the end of the Horan era. Unless there is a radical shift away from our completely predictable tactic of players senselessly bombing up the field and straight into the ready hands of the opposition, we will be dumped out of McHale park with an even greater thud than on April 24th. Every other county believes they know how to beat Mayo now. So lets see what the manager’s response will be to the national view on Saturday.
I think we will win if Paddy and Oisin are back.
Lee and Padraig will be able to keep tabs on McCarron and McManus.
Paddy, Oisin, Eoghan and Mattie will offer us a good platform going forward.
Cillian and James Carr will be a handful for the Monaghan full back line.
Ah we’ll win I think..Monaghan are open to giving away goals and they will I feel.
Things may get much more hairy later on down the road for us and we may not have the squad depth to get down to the final four.
I hope I’m incorrect but I feel it will be a Dublin V Galway final.
The one area of the field we struggle a lot is out HF line particularly for winning breaking ball….do we have natural wing forwards?
Fionn McDonagh will probably start on Saturday…I think it’s fair to say he needs to deliver!
Monaghan will definitely be confident they can take us. Our play has become predictable. Slow build up gives monaghan time to pack their defence and play quick counter attack into a sharp full forward line.
Unless we try something different were going to struggle big time with this one..
WJ, hard to forget Jim Gavin but it was dessie of course, who was in charge when the dubs were relegated.
I would like to see James Carr running at the Monaghan backs, whether he scores or not.
I’ve seen him do this a few times and backs tend to give way (incredibly).
I also saw Daniel Flynn do it against Dublin last weekend and again the backs couldn’t stop him coming close to goal.
I hope James Carr is in flying form next Saturday.
Someday soon people won’t be able to think for themselves.
We sit down at the weekend and watch a game of football or hurling.
Then at half time, experts explain to us what happened in the first half and what we are after watching with our own eyes.
” Sit back there now yea fucken clowns, and let us explain to yea what happened there in the first half, because yea are incapable of figuring it out yourselves yea dithering galuttes “.
I mean it’s great to have such high expertise, geniuses, explaining to us what our eyes can see but seemingly our brains cannot comprehend.
Great men like Colm O’Rourke, who is so knowledgeable about the game, that he nailed his colours to the mast on Sundays Independent.
” Roscommon have firepower to crush Galway’s title hopes “.
I’m sure he gets well paid for his column inches, and regularly tips the eventual loser.
Of course this great ability to keep picking the wrong horse in a two horse race was never going to pass the National Broadcaster by.
Colm was of course given a lead role on the Sunday game about two hundred years ago where he is allowed spew shite to his heart’s content.
And why wouldn’t he.
Aren’t we ” the poor uneducated gombeens ” paying his salary.
And he’s worth every penny of it. Didn’t he tell us fourteen years ago, that we, Mayo, were finished as a football team.
So here’s to a great National passtime.
Sitting down on a Sunday afternoon, been schooled by ex players, who look like they are been choked to death by their own shirt collars, and them explaining to us ” even though yes, he did block the ball with his foot, it was not a foot block “.
At least next weekends game is on sky, so at least the Rte possee, won’t be able to take their usual low dirty swipes at our lads.
Thank, Ahnow! Muscle memory kicking in there by mistake but I doubt they’d have made the drop under Jim Gavin. That’s corrected now.
Our Monaghan preview pod is out now on Patreon. It’s a cracker too, with Rob joined by Colm Boyle and Kevin McStay on it.
We will probably give Monaghan a run out on our new pitch during the week, or maybe we did last weekend like Galway.
It’s very common in the GAA (and other sports) for the opposition to have a run out on the pitch in the days before the game. Such a silly thing for people to complain about.
Just sat down for lunch and comments on the thread not much to give anyone a lift. Come on, this is Mayo. Get behind them for Saturday and despite injuries we surely have enough to get past Monaghan.
FOUR days to go and I am starting to get excited about the game on Saturday. After seeing Galway’s display on Sunday against Roscommon I am sure we will win against Monaghan. I think the supporters will be important and we need to keep chanting and roaring support for the whole game. Surely it is not too hard for the supporters to chant ”MAYO MAYO MAYO AND COME ON MAYO” for the duration of the game . I and two others will be sitting on the blue seats just below the tv studio (opposite the stand) with our MAYO hats on and flag if any blogger wants to join us in roaring on the team in that location of the ground. Other like minded people should organise cheering groups around the ground .
“It’s very common in the GAA (and other sports) for the opposition to have a run out on the pitch in the days before the game. Such a silly thing for people to complain about”
Exactly, doesn’t it regularly (if not always) happen in the six nations for example?
Jimbo, rawwwrrrrr! Hurray! UP MAYO!!!!!
Will it be Diarmuid with a bit of skill that sets the fans mad?
Or a piece of impertinence and a score from Lee?
Or some Paddy marauding, Robbie popping one over, a Mayoman burying it in the net from a rebound off the post?
A Hession train? Aidan into Mattie? Loftus over the bar, a Cillian angled one, Carney with purpose, Carr bearing down?
Or just seeing the sight of the Red and Green again after six weeks?
Go on the mad men and women from the West! Up Mayo!
Ciaran – yes it happens in rugby and the media are there too looking out for injury doubts. People in the GAA would have a panic attack just thinking about it!
I do wonder if Monaghan ‘park the bus’ in MacHale Park could it upset us and the fans would be quietened too. It’s a realistic possibility. But we must mitigate against it.
I say – let us try to score from the first and second half throw-ins. Let’s constantly have someone near the posts for rebounds or low dropping balls. They will come. And we must avail of them!
Let’s get Robbie scoring the long range frees. Frees might well come our way.
And have James Carr putting the heart crossways in the Monaghan defence by running at it.
Besides the general plans for mass defences, do the above and you have the small margins with you that can get you ahead. And that’s half the battle.
Count our lucky star’s…At least we don’t have to pay extortion prices for Hotel room’s (The riches of the Kingdom of Kerry couldn’t afford the price of Hotels in Dublin for their hurlers last weekend) or the extortion price for Diesel/Petrol to go to Monaghan, . ….I remember as a child in the 70s/80s hearing about the days of yore and stories of hardy buck’s cycling to Tuam for Connacht Finals,..It’s Back to the Future,(or Past) I’m afraid but without the DeLorean, Michael J’Fox or the Mad Scientist, who reminds me so much of one of our most prominent Politicians …I think that if Monaghan can’t afford the Hotel room’s in Mayo, (There’s no way Cavan would be able to afford it anyway) and if the entire Monaghan team panel cycle to Castlebar, I can only see Mayo winning in such circumstances!..Turn on your radios around Noon on Saturday, if you can afford the electricity you might just hear about huge tailbacks on the N5 between Strokestown and Ballaghdreen as the Monaghan posse make their way West, their Electric Cars all needing recharging by then causing Power Shortages in North Roscommon! At least the Tailtain Cup draw it’s near neighbor versus near neighbor,.. not so much cycling to be done!
My team ..
Robbie
Lee . Coen . O Hora
Mullen ..Paddy D . Eoghan McL
Aiden and Mattie
Carney Diarmuid Carr
Boland Jason Cillian
Loftus option for midfield/ forwards
Kevin mc half forward….
Not a clue about injuries so total guesswork!!
“45 says:
May 30, 2022 at 10:21 pm
The general consensus among various supporters that I’ve been speaking to this past week since we were drawn against Monaghan is that it looks to be the end of the road for this season and the end of the Horan era. Unless there is a radical shift away from our completely predictable tactic of players senselessly bombing up the field and straight into the ready hands of the opposition, we will be dumped out of McHale park with an even greater thud than on April 24th. Every other county believes they know how to beat Mayo now. So lets see what the manager’s response will be to the national view on Saturday.”
45 good post, sad to say i agree with you.
This management has been more focused on runners than on skilled inside forwards who if left inside can score.
Watching the Galway game on Sunday, i thought about Finnerty, an out and out scorer with a good dummy, not someone who is spending a lot of time in his own half. I thought it is possible that he would not fit into the current Mayo set up.
I don’t advocate having six forwards staying inside the opposing 50, but there has to be a plan that could combine both runners and kickers.
Really hope we can win on Sunday but Monaghan are a very good team with some classy scoring forwards something we lack.
Hard to know what type of team we will be able to field. If Hennelly is out Cillian is well capable of scoring long range frees, remember his 2 long distance line balls he nailed against Cork years ago from opposite sides of the field. No excuses our panel should be strong enough to make up for the injured players, or else we are carrying passengers on the panel. Just get out there and win with heads held high.
Yes in agreement with JR let’s use the panel. Love to see Fergie Boland, Moran and McStay get a chance but nil fhios orm!
Probably team will not be announced until Friday night?
Let’s get behind our team on Saturday agus le cunadh De bheidh an bua againn!
Mhuigeo Abu!
Jr…….that was ”years ago” Aidan OShea used to score regularly enough back then too.
Cillian doesnt have the distance anymore and really you have to wonder why we dont have 2 players who can nail long range frees regularly. Its a massive part of the game now.It won the Semi for us last year plus league points against Donegal (Robbie last minute) Monaghan (Robbie 2 points) and cost us v Galway in April when Shane Walsh got 3 and we could kick none .If we dont have Robbie to kick on Saturday we are down 2 or 3 scoring opps straight away……we should have developed someone else in the side that can do this.
Injuries wise is one thing but guys need to find form as well as some top guys have just been off this year.
Otherwise personally if ROD is out I would put Jack Carney at FF as an option and maybe Eoghan McLaughlin at wing forward.
Cillian scored 2 frees from outside the 45 against Galway. He did miss a 45, but going on his record, he’s never been great at those. He nailed a free shortly after from further back from the 45 yard line shortly after missing that 45 on the day. Details of where we took our shots from are here:
https://twitter.com/gaa_statsman/status/1518274059682910210?s=20&t=6_SPmuCy_pXGPp1ezXpglg
@Jr.. Over 9 year’s ago since Cillian landed both those long range line balls v Cork in Pairc Ui Rinn if memory servers right. For the last few years I don’t believe that Cillian has the range for anything over 40 meters..If your taking those long range one’s to try and score direct your successful execution ratio would need to be about 2 out of 3 successful or else, take them short and quick and try and work something.. Ryan O Donohue I don’t believe has the 45 Meter + range either, but last year in the absence of Cillian, Ryan worked several long range frees, with a quick short one and Mayo returned a reasonable level of success from those senarios..One of the best long range kicker’s of a dead ball that I have ever witnessed in any code, the phenomenal Monaghan Goal Keeper Rory Began will be on show next Saturday in McHale Park, and if Mayo have decided to try and score direct from long range dead ball opportunities, our own Robbie Hennelly is by far our best option.. Let’s hope that Robbie has returned to full fitness, could be a competition between the two keeper’s,.
The first thing we will notice is that we will have fourteen outfield playere and they will have fifteen.
Plan needed for that methinks.
@Evergrenandred, 15 players including the goalie only means one thing, the opposition has retreated back into their half of the pitch, this tactic will not get you the scores to win a game.
We’ve had a rough few weeks but I’d back us to deliver a response this weekend.
I have a lot of time for Monaghan. They’ve been very consistent in recent years and are working off a very narrow base. They’ve a couple of excellent players and overall they’re a well balanced side.
We’ve struggled for form over the last few months and there’s no doubt injuries have been a significant factor. Our tactical approach has also been questioned, especially against teams that sit back.
Having said this, we’re still a force to be reckoned with. We’re at home and look to have a few bodies back for Saturday – not the full deck but going in the right direction.
There’s a lot of negativity around the camp at the moment and I’d love to see a bit of anger seep in. To be honest I hope our lads are wholly insulted at their predicted demise and lash out in the right way.
No matter what you make of the management, the tactics, the lineup…. we need to get behind them and they need to give us something to shout about.
Plunkett and RoD are out from the galway game but Hennelly,Mullen and Durcan are back,straight away we’re a better team than v Galway.
My team
Hennelly
Leeroy O Hora Hession
Paddy Coen Mullen
Mattie Aido
Boland diarmuid McDonagh
Carr Cillian DOC
Brickendon/McBrien to cover the backs
Eoghan Mac to come on to inject pace to scare the bejesus out of Monaghan,Kevin Mac to come in and do a job,Ormae maybe to come into ff line.
When Mayo backs are up against the wall is when we perform. If we can beat Monaghan we can go deep into championship.With a bit of luck if we got to QF we’d be missing Harrison,Tommy C and Plunkett,I would take that.
Expect a big game from Cillian the next day.
FW Plunkett is a loss, gets into good scoring positions. Can’t see any team beating Dublin. We will be a stronger team next year. Any winners except Kerry or Galway ???
The highly expected semi between Dublin and Kerry, that’s going to be the real final this year because whoever wins that will be All-Ireland champions elect.
A lot are now tipping Dublin based on the hammering they give Kildare, sure they played really well but the Kildare defending was nothing short of atrocious.
All the talk about the Dubs now is perfect for Kerry.
Tight game to call, but I think Jack O’Connor will outsmart Dessie.
The rest are just making up the numbers in all honesty.
Of course Plunkett is a loss,RoD is a bigger loss but the team we put out against Monaghan is closer to our strongest team with Mullen,Hennelly and Durcan back.
While my confidence, is weaning, closer getting to match. First impossible to know who fit in the of walking wounded. Need massive game from Keegan, Paddy, Mattie, DOC. Need to dominate 60 % of possessions if ROD missing. A little over, 50 with Ryan playing. While alot going on about Mayo style of play, I think not time to throw out bath water @ knockout stage. Mayo have won many a game with strong running half back, and midfield. Need this again, especially if ROD missing, and already having lost Tommy for year.
Another mystery is how will Monaghan set up. Will they set up blanket, or keep three up top for most of match. This maybe change, if Mayo starting line up full of panel players, as oppose to starting 15. Hennelly would be welcome, if he could start, for long frees and 45. We will see on Saturday.
Keeper out in the middle of the field is a joke. Derry last Sunday had the goalie between 2 backs in the middle of the field, ball passed to goalie and then to the other back, what the goalie added beats me. Love to see an opposition player go to the square and wait for a turnover
A poster mentioned freetakers earlier and for me I can’t understand why some of the players on the underage County panels aren’t targeted at an early age and told to practice practice practice free kicks off the ground and by the time they reach adult football surely 1 or 2 would be capable of scoring frees óna regular basis. Maybe I’m in dreamland
Hennelly,Durkin & Mullin starting would definitely improve our chances of success on Saturday,but factoring in all 3 as starters at this stage??? Truth is we just don’t know. Same applies to Jordan Flynn, we probably won’t know for sure till 3.45 on Saturday.
JR. Would love to see it. Cat among the pigeons.
JR. Would love to see it. Cat among the pigeons. Something very different.
Everything hinges on the Monaghan game. Win and the communication blackout over the past 5 or 6 weeks will be seen as a success, lose and some of ye will be calling for heads to roll. I feel things seem dead since the Galway game with an honest opinion the Season could certainly be over if all those guys will be out through injury.
Surprised to see bookies have us 4/9 to win. Maybe Paddy Power knows something we don’t. Hope he’s right.
Watching some games last weekend made interesting viewing. Kerry v Limerick was a non event but what I noticed most was the tigerish and disciplined defending of kerry. Thats why Paddy Tally was brought in. Kerry have best forwards in the country. If they sort out defence they will take Sam. While I expected Kildare to put it up to Dublin, any team who conceded 2 20 to Mayo a few weeks ago have poor defence. They could do with another Paddy Tally. Dubs were good. I reckon theyre second favourites. Great result for Derry up north. Deserving winners. Rory Gallagher is a clever coach They have some excellent players but I reckon they might struggle in an open game in Croker. Donegal must be the most frustrating team in the country. Flatter to deceive so often. It was there to be won but they didn’t go for it. Connacht final was the pick of the bunch. Lots of scores from play. Galway clearly better team and not quite so defensive. Second best set of forwards after Kerry, they could make it to AI final. Ross not bad but open at the back. Depending on their draw they could make quarter final. Hard to call the Mayo Monaghan game. Depends what Mayo turns up and if injuries have eased a little. If Ryan is out its advantage Monaghan. Tyrone v Armagh is equally hard to call. The old dog for the hard road just tips the balance in Tyrones favour. Clare v Meath, though not as glamourous though equally hard to call but I expect the royals to win, while I think an improving Cork should get the better of Louth. Can’t beat the knock out element. We have been good in last chance saloon in the past. Hopefully we can be again on Saturday.
No Doubt Ethan Henry could kick 45s over the bar when under 17 and David Dolan can do it this year. Minors kicked some great scores against Galway. Hope they can do it again
@Mayojoe
What would be taken into account is the fact that Mayo have never lost qualifier game in MacHale park and Monaghan’s record in the qualifiers is poor. Mayo have already beaten Monaghan away this year and some might say that was only the league but the league is where Monaghan have got most of their best results over the last few years.
The 5 weeks to prepare most will be expecting an improved Mayo from the Galway game and Mayo truly come alive in Championship knock out games.
There hasn’t been a qualifier match played in 3 years.. guys like oisin mullin and ROD were barely heard of back then – it’s a very long time in football.. so talk of records in qualifiers is a tad irrelevant imo
Very hard to know how this will go, it’s like a first round game all over again, so it’s very much stepping into the unknown.. neither team has any form of momentum to feed off, while mayo in particular have been so unsettled by injuries and inconsistency that not even the players or management can pick a fixed starting 15 at the moment
I suspect the winner could very well grow into the championship but both are very vulnerable this Saturday. I wouldn’t discount ET at all here
Would love to see an analysis of number of players in our current panel who have picked up serious injuries over the last couple of years compared to Dublin or any of the other Top 4 teams. I know there is a certain amount of bad luck involved but I think there has to be more to it than that. I know it has been debated back and forth but some stats would be really interesting. If you think of our top 15 and how many of these have been injured over the past 2 years, the mind boggles!
I know we are badly hit with injuries this season but let’s put it in perspective. The Last real exciting Mayo performance was probably against Dublin in last year’s semi final. From the team that started that day we will be without Michael Plunkett, Tommy Conroy and probably Ryan O’Donoghue and we lost Eoghan McLaughlin during that one too. However we now have available Cillian O’Connor, Oisin Mullin and Jason Doherty. Maybe Mayo aren’t really that much weaker after all. Quite confident we will be in the draw come Monday morning.
I’m confident but that’s not a good omen as I was very confident of winning the all Ireland final last year too .
I think everyone here is forgetting about two months ago we went down to Tralee with an almost fully fit team to go up against a very complete kerry team and only lost by a point and there was a last minute opportunity for keegan at the end.I think we are being very doubtful if we have rob paddy and oisin back i think we have a great chance i know the events of the league final a week later put a dampener on everything but we didnt have a full team
I think all through the league people put us in contention for the all ireland and now we have no belief.
@92939 – 100% agree. We win on Saturday and our season is back on track.
People talk about David Clifford and Shane Walsh, and IMO Paddy Durcan is the marquee player for us, there is not a team in the country he doesn’t walk into at the moment, it cant be underestimated how big of a boost it is having him back for Saturday.
Paddy durcan is a top ten player in the country and that’s conservative, you could argue top 5 too.
Match preview podcast is now available on all platforms. It’s a good one too, Rob with Colm Boyle and Kevin McStay.
after watching M Murphy struggle out the field last Sunday for Donegal, its time for Aiden O Sheato be put full forward on Sunday and leave him there for the full game and make use of him with long ball and someone to stay close to him to take the pass and score. At the worst he will keep Beggan and two backs to stay back and not go up field and score points like the Derry fullback last Sunday. Diarmuid O Connor for midfield instead, at least he can run the field for the full game.
I listened to the podcast last night and am now starting to rustle along nicely in the mood for Saturday despite injuries, lacklustre performances and media blackouts gone by. It’s amazing what match week can bring. I loved listening to Colm Boyle and Kevin McStay – two excellent guests.
C’mon Mayo!!!! We’re in it and we can do it!
I have a question for anyone out there and its this Whoever wins on Saturday will they be playing Limerick away in the next round? .If anyone knows please let me know Thanks.
UP MAYO
It’ll be another draw @JAMES, where we’ve the potential to play Limerick, Kildare, Roscommon or Donegal. Haven’t seen it confirmed yet but the speculation so far is those would be played at neutral venues.
@JAMES FLEMING. where did you hear that mayo or monaghan play limerick away in the next round?. I think there will be a draw on monday morning and all the next round fixtures will be at neutral venues. JAMES. please concentrate on supporting mayo on Saturday for now and we will look forward to the next round of qualifers if we beat Monaghan.
I am supporting and always did support Mayo
Theres a few goals to be had for us in this game, theres a lazy stereotype that monaghan are strong defensively like the other ulster big guns but that is not the case, they are leaking goals all year and are weak up through the centre of their defence. Wouldn’t be losing too much sleep over mccarron either, he is the definition of a ‘league player’
They are a gutsy outfit and won’t give it to us handy but those goals will be the difference and we will win by 5 or 6
We obviously don’t know injury situation but I would say if paddy durcan is back we should have enough, he is our best player imo
Mayo 2-13 Monaghan 0-14
Agree with that supermac. Monaghan will probably start McManus, McCarron, Mohan, McCarthy and Kieran Hughes. All good players in their own right, but none are particularly strong defensively.
Looking at the hot weather forecast, this is a day for all our pacy players in the half back line/midfield to run hard at Monaghan. Get Cillian/Jason Doc coming on the loop and sniffing around for palmed goal chances as well.