Photo: @MayoGAA
The press briefing ahead of our All-Ireland semi-final was held in Ballina last night (the lads do like to get these events done and out of the way as quickly as possible) and, arising from this, there are a few quotes from James in today’s papers (Irish Independent, Irish Examiner). The main focus for the coverage in the papers is, however, backward-looking, concentrating as it does on the fallout from the Cork game, but the most interesting point I picked up from it relates to our upcoming All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry.
In particular, James was asked about the well-being of Cillian O’Connor – who was also in attendance at the press briefing, along with Lee Keegan and backroom man Ed Coughlan – and he confirmed that he’s okay. The papers say that Cillian suffered a calf injury in the latter stages of Sunday’s quarter-final, with the Indo quoting James as saying it was “nothing major” while de Paper says that James described it as “a bad knock” and added that he also had a touch of cramp. Both reports agree, though, that it’s nothing serious and that we’ve no other injury concerns ahead of the 24th.
As for all that other stuff in those pieces about Cork and Cuthbert and the non-handshake and all that … I dunno about the rest of you but as far as I’m concerned that’s simply of no interest anymore. The Cork match is in the past now and all that matters for us at this stage is being as well prepared as we can possibly be for Kerry. The news that we’re heading into the semi-final with a full deck is, then, a nice boost.
Lovely hurling, after last year we certainly deserved a bit of luck injury wise!!
Hopefully now everyone is good to go on the 24th. Can’t bloody wait now, will be a slow two and a bit weeks!!
Yes WJ, Cork are the nasty looking hitchhiker in the rear view mirror that you didn’t stop for, no regrets and soon forgotten..
We’ll have 2 weeks of the Kerry media mafia talking up Mayo if they feel they’re confident of winning or talking us down if they’re worried.
Liston’s attack on Doherty was only the start….
Liston always makes for good comedy value in my own opinion!
A 5 year old would have a better understanding of the modern game
The thing to realise about Kerry is that they’re the equivalent of Israel. Nothing to do with Gaza or anything like that but, like the Israeli nation, everyone in Kerry, whatever their present or past role with the team, considers themselves on active service all of the time. Everything that anyone from Kerry utters between now and the 24th will be designed with just one aim in mind, to help the team win.
As a result, nothing that any one of them says – not just obvious guys like Bomber or Spillane or the O Ses but also thoughtful analysts like Dara O Cinneide – can be taken at face value. The choice, then, is between trying to parse their words to divine the real hidden meaning or else ignore what they’re saying altogether. The latter is far easier and more sensible in my view.
It doesn’t help our case of course that we have a few high-profile ex-players in the punditry game ourselves, who love nothing better than to play the big man and blab to the world about inside information from our side that really should be kept under wraps. Maybe they could be encouraged to be a little more inventive with the stuff they have to say – Lord knows they’re well enough able to bullshit!
My Kerry mates tell me that Sheehan will resume training next week. Looks like a full bill of health for both squads barring a training injury.
I’m down in Kerry at the moment (I’m doing a full tour of enemy territory this week!) and as always in Kerry there is lots of football talk. The mood here is very confident. For a change 😉
They reckon we’ve seen nothing from this Kerry team yet (they’re not wrong there), and see our defence (particularly our full back line) as a key weakness that’s ripe for exploiting. They are fully expectant that they’ll take us by surprise and are planning for September.
WJ you’re spot on though as regards the active service too. Always on duty down here!
yeah we need to shut up and close our ears…even the supporters in here are on duty by the sounds of it….talking us up like never before!
If I may adapt your analogy Puckout, Cork are the hitch-hiker that you HAVE given a lift to and have managed, with the greatest of difficulty, to eject. And it looks like you have a more menacing character, who is going to come on board right now.
So, what can you learn from your previous ‘occupant’?
* Analyse all comment from Kerry management and take it seriously, very seriously
* Devise a plan to deal with it. Don’t thing we did this really with our previous ‘occupant’ who got away with murder
* As WJ suggests try to keep our blabbermouths in check – not easy at all, especially the Newstalk stuff
* Counter all talk of Mayo tactical fouling by pointing out the essence of our game now: the turnover. Donie Buckley has been huge here, but we are often penalised by inconsistent refs and need to highlight this, unceasingly
* Talk up JOD like the best of them. Martin McHugh may have done us a favour here. Imagine if we were arguing whether Mac or Willie Joe was our greatest player. Incidentally I think JOD may have a weak spot or two. Not sure that he is the best man for the team when the going is really tough. Felt he went AWOL when Galway were motoring
Any other suggestions are particularly welcome.
Yeah they are anxious to have Sheehan back alright. It’s great that we will have a full squad to chose from.
I agree WJ, cork are in the rear view mirror at this stage. All that matters now is Kerry and preparing a game plan to beat them. They are as you say on high alert and have circled the proverbial wagons! We should do the same, I mean our pundits/ex players that is, just put a lid on it, especially against curry.
I’m heading to Kerry too myself – we’re decamping there for the week before the game and I’ll be filling them full of Yerra and Lookit stuff morning, noon and night while I’m down there.
There’s a bit of media hysterics here.This is great. You’re all talking as if you’re in a John Le Carre novel – ‘loose talk can cost lives’.
I think I’ll sign myself into a Trappist Monastery for the next two weeks in case some cute Kerry fecker is listening into my conversation. Walls have ears you know. Hear no evil, speak no evil.
Kerry are the masters of Yerra. Their media representatives are very clever and sly, especially the O Se’s and O Cinneide. The exception is Pat Spillane who’s boastful side often overrides his “active service duty” for the good of the Kerry team. See his declaration last spring that his nephew was the best minor footballer in Ireland for evidence.
Anyway what I’m saying is that unfortunately our boys are a lot less street smart than the Kerry lads. Any chance liam mc hale and David Brady could do an “Armagh” until we are out of the championship and exercise their basic human right to keep their mouths shut?!!
Kerry by 10+. It’s been a great journey but we can’t expect our lads to put it up to this lot. I’ve said it before – Kerry-Dublin, The People’s Final, is in the making!
Stephen O’Brien should be back for Kerry as well, he was injured for the Galway game, he is a handy player too and scored a great goal against us in the league game in Castlebar. Again that was a case of a forward running through the heart of our defence and finding the back of the net (its up on Youtube), we have to rectify this. Kerry will try to blitz us early on, as they did against Galway, scoring 1-5 in the first 19 minutes without reply. They did not kick a wide until the 34th minute of the game. This is what they did to us too in the past. They did this against Dublin in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final as well, scoring three goals in the first-half. The key is to go toe to toe with them and not let them build up a lead, this is what the Northern teams did against them in several All-Ireland finals and came out on top.
Well if the Kerry pundits etc. make any comments about our tackling methods etc. All we have to say is our coach is a Kerryman, Donie Buckley, we are now the masters of the turnovers due in no small part to him.
I think you should ban MayoMark for that comment or at least force him into a name change.Mayo out of sight at half time a complete Kerry collapse i,m saying!!!!
@ MayoMark. Supporters play a huge part in getting their team over the winning line. If i was to believe what you were saying that we would get hammered by Kerry i certainly would find it difficult to go to the game never mind cheering them on from the stand.Negativity is a bad thing that has no place in the heads of Mayo people before a semi final.If we are to go on and beat Kerry would you be telling us that the Dubs will beat us by 20 plus points? Im not sure what you have seen from Kerry to merit them such a big win for them. They were there for the taken if Galway had the grit to do so.
Nice one WJ I like your analogy with Israeli mindset. They have no fear of Mayo, and why should they. A handy run out before they beat Dublin in the final in September. Hope they don’t loose any of their big players through injury. A chance to run the bench in the second half perhaps and maintain a happy house. The only game of football in 2013 worth talking about was the Dublin v Kerry. Look how the All Stars were divided out, between these 2 teams and the epilogue with Mayo. Yea I recommend lots of Yerra.
Obviously my attempt at Cute Mayo Hoorism failed miserably :'(
On the contrary, Mark, it seems like you were taken completely at face value. Keep it up!
I completely got what you were doing mayo mark, and your dead right. Im doing the same to all my kerry colleagues up here in the capital, not a chance I say, JOD to run riot I say, the mighty kingdom by 6. They’ve been at it for years. Nothing wrong with dampening expectations and luring people into a trap!.
Guess i wasnt with the game plan . Ill know for again 🙂
Ah here lads, we are in danger of losing the run of ourselves a biteen. We don’t want to turn into a bunch of paranoid pri*ks. That’s no craic. I don’t think the house will fall down if we read Dara O Cinneide’s articles. The world ain’t out to get us. Kerry is one county in Ireland, yes they have a proud football tradition but don’t confuse fairly mature pre-match commentary that falls out of that traidtion, by fellow Irish people from a few miles to the south, as some kind of CIA subversive intelligence operation aimed at Mayo people.
I get the cute hoor thing.Good stuff.
In reality though a supporter has to have a split personality type thing if he believes in his head his team will be beat.
Once i get into Croker , ill roar them on, wave my flag and believe but put a gun to my head and ask me to call it id go with Kerry all day, i just cant see how we will cope with that forward line , its not just JOD , its even the likes of Darren O Sullivan probably not even a starter , id dread to think how he’d cut through the space we leave between the lines and bang , they could make hay if we are not goin to shore things up.
Except to hear plenty of Spillane’s favourite word over the next few weeks…”intensity”
And marquee forwards………
Take your point Sean Burke about the Kerry dangermen.
Yet, I felt they were vulnerable against Galway, who came to within a couple of points of them, following an inspirational point from Shane Walsh.
Galway didn’t press on, but I felt Kerry didn’t put them away for quite a while by which time Galway were happy not to be slaughtered. O’Donoghue missed a sitter, and would have been in the stewards room for a long time if they had gone down. I felt the subs brought on were very small and didn’t put the fear of God into the opposition, though Barry John Keane got a few points.
When Sheehan went off their midfield was poor; but is Sheehan all that great a midfielder? He’ll kill you with frees when Kerry are motoring but…
All that said, we still have to shore up the full back line. Time for Aido to come back as a sweeper? JH has been very good on the horses for courses bit this year. And, I still think Mikey Sweeney must feature the next day.
Hope brady machale etc take a leaf out of liston, o se s books etc. The Kerry pundits will say everything for the benefit of Kerry football. Some of the Mayo pundits are more interested in saying things which promote themselves. A closed mouth and all that please lads. Put your county first this time.
I think the Cork full foreward line of Kerrigan Hurley and O’Neill are way ahead of O’Donnoghue O’Sullivan and Gearey.
The talk all around the county is our weak full back line.As was pointed out already Cafferkey did very well on whoever he was marking at different times during the game.What exactly was Higgins’s role? He was the nearest man to Hurley when the Corkman scored his goal. He had just fallen on his arse while trying to get a tackle in.
Having said that he won a great turnover on Corks next attack.
The big thing we’ll have to sort out before the next day is which of our backs are to be used as out and out defenders and who will be given the license to run up the field. At one stage late in the game Barrett had the ball on the Cork 45 meter line , where was his man?
The only ones that stuck to the task of defending as priority were Cafferkey Boyle and Cunniffe when he moved nearer the goal.
Anyway we won and it was one of the best wins I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing in my time watching Mayo.Those turnovers in the last 10 mins were the stuff of legend.
I completely agree with PJ. Cork’s forwards (add in Donnacha O Connor too) are much better than Kerry’s. O’ Donoghue is very good but not unmarkable. The Cork and Galway backs were very naive. Having played badly against Cork, but still won, our full back line need a clear strategy for Kerry.That’s what last Sunday has highlighted and that is a good thing.
What’s the worry about the commentators? They only effect the fans. There is no way the mayo team will underestimate Kerry having been wiped out by them since the 1996 Semi final.
I hope Sheehan is at midfield. The O’Sheas are way better. I would fear David Moran more. Sheehan’s forte is long range frees. We gave very few of them away against Cork.
I seen a stat the other day for JOD , i cant remember it exactly but it was over 80% success rate at shooting . I mean i kid you not this guy is unmarkable man on man , there will have to be something in place to stop him , i can’t see the big problem in double marking him tbh.
He is a joy to watch, he is true Kerry , the arrogance and got the stuff to back it up too.
Im not tring the cute hoor thing when i say if we did happen to lose or win , it will be something to tell the grandchildren that you watched the great James O Donoghue in the flesh, twice in the one year .
The tone of the cute hoorism that I am currently hearing from Kerry folk I know is that they have a young team and they’ll be up there in a couple of years. Sure, they’ll sigh at the prospect of JOD – but it’s all that bit too soon unfortunately and they’re not quite there yet as a whole. Classic. Definitely this is one they’ll fancy. It will be intriguing to see what they come up with via the media between now and the 24th.
Lock the gates and no more talk, that’s my advice to players, their families and friends. We know way too much about the team selection and any so called surprises that is in store for our opposition. It’s now the serious end of the championship and if a tactic or positional change can help the team along then we all owe it to them to keep stum.
JOD is a wonderful player and I agre really dangerous one on one. Geaney in the other corner is super too! And most of Kerry’s scores will come from them if they’re let them !get clean possession and they have any space. Galway showed those lads too much respect!
Two essentials to stop them – first cut off the supply as much as possible and they will have to go out field hunting for ball and the further from goal, the less dangerous they’ll be.
The second is really tight in their face, lots of contact and hands knocking the ball away as they go for possession – a job made for a player like TC. Something to work with!
I agree JOD is a great player and has been for the last two years. However to claim he is unmarkable on the basis of two games against shambolic defenses (He didn’t play against Clare) is going over the top. He scored one point against us in the league. Against a well-marshalled defense how will he fare? He will always score but if marked well he will not ‘destroy’ us.
I hate to speak against a lovely footballer, and I love heroes, but some of the commentary is OTT. It is great for us because it alerts us and builds them up. We shouldn’t put all our resources into marking JOD – Geaney and DOS can also play.
I know we should be very wary of Kerry and they are a very dangerous team but I reckon the All-Ireland semi-final in 2011 was the last time they have beaten us. Since then we have played them 4 times, winning 3 and drawing 1. I know there is a big difference between the league and the championship but still there are probably a lot of those Kerry lads who have never beaten Mayo. Its also interesting to note that since 2011, league form has been pretty much replicated in the championship. In 2011 Kerry beat us in the league and then in the championship. In 2012 we beat Dublin in the league and in the championship. Donegal beat us in the league and then in the All-Ireland final. In 2013 we beat Donegal in the league and then in the championship. Dublin beat us twice in the league and also in the All-Ireland final. This year we beat Cork in the league and also last Sunday. We have beaten Kerry already in the league this year. Maybe that little physiological advantage can give a team a bit of an edge or maybe if one team is better than the other team in the Spring, they are also better than them in the Summer. Lets hope that form continues but we will get nothing easy from The Kingdom in Croke Park!
I think we’ll have to park the bus, so to speak! At least for the first 20 minutes, frustrate the shit out of them, tackle like animals and score on the break away.
There’s NO way out FB line can cope otherwise, this is a goal scoring machine is Kerry and they will look to humiliate us early, as they have done before.
Our FB line is weak. 21 goals conceded this year speaks for itself.
And by the way, we’re coddin ourselves in to saying the Cork forwards are better than Kerry’s. Come on now!
I think Kerry/Fitzmaurice are trying to emulate the Clare/Davy Fitz approach from last year…. Young team, still building for the future etc…
DONT BUY IT!
Yep i dont agree Cork forwards or as a team itself or anywhere near as good as Kerry, i watched the Munster final like.
Spotted: Surveillance drones over Castlebar. Let’s hope Horan has arranged for infrared shielding…
We should remember those Cork forwards put Cork 10 points up against Dublin in the league semi-final, they absolutely roasted the Dublin backs for the first 40 minutes of that game. Once we got through the game last Sunday, that was a very good test for our backs. The Kerry forwards are no mugs either though!
Was just saying to my Dad last night its about time leaks about team news from Mayo camp stopped. The world and its mother knew about our positional/personnel changes before throw in last weekend. Even some Northern folk apparantly knew it before I heard! Not doing ourselves any favours.
As much as I hate to admit it I have to agree with Sean Burke and Mayo Mark. Kerry beat Galway without having to get out of second gear. Mayo simply don’t have any forwards that come near the calibre of JOD, and to a lesser extinct Geany. I hear some posters talk that we have beaten Kerry in the league and that in someway will have some bearing on the mindsets of the Kerry players. As Gervais would say”Are you aving a laugh?”
Look lads our defense has more leaks than Snowdon, after taking a bale of coke. They’ll rip us to shreds lads, when they run at us. Mayo will be left scrambling around like a gimpy legged headless chicken.
Our goose was well cooked in The Hyde against a division three team, that only for a lack of real belief, would have beaten us. If Galway had burried that open goal at outset of the second half, we’d have crumbled like a digestive biscuit in the hands of a hungover hairy knuckeld cheese cake baker. Cork, in fairness only for the ref we were doomed. That’s the same Cork team that Kerry annihilated.
Can’t ya see the big writing on the wall. Those Kerry must be licking their chops like a fox in a hen house and the farmer lain stretched out dead on top of the hen house floor. They can just take their sweet time, play around with us for awhile, if they so wish. Whenever JOD and Co want to power up, well “It’s goodnight Bellmullet.”
Horan will do the usual and bring on subs that will only make matters worse. Horan won’t play the prodigal sons, although he might give them some gametime in the last 30 seconds just to completly humilate them. The usual bullshit.
There’s hardly much point going atall atall. One thing for sure we take our beatings well and sure won’t it be another day out in the big smoke. They have awful big building up there altogether and there’s big metal yoke in the middle of the street. If it didn’t have a point, they’d be no point to it atall atall.
Looks lads I’ll clean out the aul flask again and get the wife to put me some ham sandwiches together. I do snake a few into me on the train up, when the inspector has the back turned. A word of advice lads, wrap the aul flask up in a good and heavy brown sock. She’ll keep her heated for the long haul.
One thing fer sure, Horan won’t be long in shakin the Kerry managers hand and all the Mayo lads can marvell at the wonders of that JOD fella. If ye changed the first letter of his namin, to G. you know yerself what you’d end up with. I wouldn’t be a man fer the aul blasphemin business, one small bit now. Change it fer yerself all the same and see what ya come up with.
All I can say in all honesty is God almighty fucking help us.
How did I get on?
Joe, I’ve given up myself after that spake ! But we’ll have go anyway and support the minors! Thy Kingdom Come!
Feck john, i think you could be right…..
Anybody need a ticket????
Wonderful stuff Joe!
There’s an awful lot of pessimism around the place at the moment, fear almost.
I’m not sure if it’s because it’s Kerry next and the mental scars they’ve left on a lot of us through the years, or maybe it’s the 2 final defeats that have brought about this unease and trepidation.
Maybe it’s a fear of more disappointment and heartache, I don’t know.
This team have no interest in history and past failures, in fact they are writing their own history as they go along.
All the top teams have fallen to this team in championship bar one. But we have them in our sights now. Respect them? Sure. Fear them? Never.
We’ve been one of the top counties in the country for the past few years now, why should we fear anyone? Let them worry about us.
They know they’ll get nothing easy against us anymore, we’re a different Mayo team to 3+ years ago. We’re no longer a soft touch.
Donegal found out last year, Cork have just realised the same, now it’s time for Kerry to find out.
They’re in for some shock if they think they’re going to come along and blow us out of the water like they have in previous years. It just won’t happen.
it good reading ye blog down here in the kingdom . ye look to be the best team this year think ye have sam this year a lot of in fighting here in the camp I say ye win by 10 points wille joe we look forward to have u down in Kerry. sure u can come to training in Killarney you might b able to sort the boys out.
This is the way I would attempt to mark the Kerry forwards
—-cunnife –caff
——–JOD—GEAREY
——-Barrett
Keegan—boyler–Higgins
I think this game will see a change of tactics from Kerry and old speed merchant Darren I Sullivan will play on Keegan in an tedmpt to keep him back.
By playing cunnife on JOD and Barrett on front I wouldn’t fear Kerry too much. Caff will clean GEAREY and Darren I Sullivan can comfortably be picked up by any of our half backs.
Playing AOS and Vaughan in similar role will put Kerry on Blackfoot as they can live with that physicality. Plus a master card for us is the possible introduction of Jason gibbons for extra legs around the middle.
Remember Kerry are more afraid of us but in cunnife and Barrett they will be fine on Jod. Darren o Sullivan will be the one to watch though if he goes into fl forward line. Barring that another option if Kerry believe the papers is to throw in high ball and start the star.
I think caff cunnife Higgins and Barrett are getting harsh press as yes they didn’t play that great but that was the most complete full forward of any county in corks. Close the space on front of Jod and let cunnife do his job no bother to him. Caff is still one of the best around too but agin needs help from half back line to limit space
Folks…………….Have no fear…………It’s a Semi-F……………..We’re the Kings of Semis !!
I’ve been thinking along dans line all day after reading all the blogs. I think were falling into the Kerry trap by playing their mind games on their infantile terms. Instead of all this cap in hand stuff about spreading the word that Kerry are going to win and we have no chance. Let’s take the opposite approach. Like James horan said last year before the Galway match ” we are favourites and rightly so”. Let us now stand out front and every time a Kerry bloke says ” yerra ye,ll win for sure ” let’s reply ” too damn right boy we, re favourites and rightly so. Come and get us”. We are one of the most battle hardened and experienced teams left in the championship so let’s believe it. By playing their silly mind games we are only draining our energy on a side show. If you actually tell the Kerry blokes often enough we are actually heaping doubt on top of them The young Kerry team will see we don’t fear them and this will shake their confidence.
Good man WJ – give them Kerry boys nothing but praise when you’re down there.
Am just home after a week in Killarney and I’m killed out telling them how great they are. No doubt the likes of Messrs Cunniffe, Keegan, Vaughan and the O’Sheas will have the green-and-gold carpet rolled out for them on Sunday fortnight too. Sure I suppose we have to give them some opposition to beat to warm themselves up before The People’s Final. It’s only polite.
Anne-Marie, did you manage to sneak into Kerry training at all? I tried binoculars, telescopes, drones, helicopters, scaling the gates, burrowing under the pitch, you name it – no dice – it was like Fort Knox up there!
I think this is the best thread I’ve ever read on here. Full of pragmatism and finally an acceptance of our place beneath the Greats.
Joe Ruane, you did alright there but to be honest I’d prefer a bit less optimism and a bit more realism. We’ll need four defenders on JOD if we’re to even have a hope and I hope young Hennelly is busy growing an extra pair of arms – one to vainly fend off the Kerry deluge, the other to pluck the ball out of the back of the net.
Selling two tickets for the Cusack if anyone is looking. Preferably to two Kerrymen. They’ll get a good day out of it sure.
I made sure to tell everyone I met in Killarney that we’re all scared shitless of them … damage limitation all the way lads! DavyJ, I am still laughing over our chance encounter this morning! It sure is a small world!
JOD to Kerry is like Messi is to Argentina and we all know who won the world cup, the team without the superstar.
The difference between mayo playing against Kerry now as opposed to previous occasions is that mayo are a better team than Kerry at this present time.fact.kerry know this.
.can you remember any past contests with Kerry where you could say that mayo were a more formidable team going into a semi final.no you can’t.yes we won in 2006 but it was not expected.
mayo have reached a level now which other teams are still trying to attain including Kerry.what has impressed more people now is the character and substance that mayo have exhibited this year in particular.people are worried about the full back line but so are dublin worried about theirs.no team is perfect.
they wil improve don’t worry.they will do enough to beat Kerry and I believe that they will be playing Donegal in final.
Then we will witness the mother of all battles.
I think there’s a great deal of denial among a lot of folks here. It’s funny how so many ppl who watch the same match, from the same side, come away with totally different reads of the match!
I believe Anne-Marie summoned it up well by suggesting a little more realism would be welcome.
I think this will be a defining match for us. Kerry always had a championship edge on us, but for the first time in my lifetime, we have a chance to dominate Kerry. Make no mistake though, Kerry will be quietly confident of handing us another baten. I think we are as a team marginally better than Kerry but we are handicapped by our past with them and this does have a bearing on how things will play out.
Therefore I think we will see something different from Mayo for this match. I think we will need to deny them goals, at all costs. That means playing a very defensive game for long periods of this match. We can do this and Kerry certainly won’t expect it. They will expect us to play football with them, but eff that I say. Let’s see Mayo park the bus, give them no space. Let’s shut them down and frustrate them, for we can do that as well or better than any team!
One thing is for sure, if we play lovly football, their football, and give them space, they will beat us handsomely.
I don’t know who is being cute hoors and who is being serious anymore….
Confused dot com. 🙂
Let me ask this, and answer honestly –
Look at the starting 15’s for Mayo and Kerry last Sunday. How many of that Kerry 15 would you put in our side?
Now fair enough, I’m as biased as the next man, but I can honestly say 4, 5 at a stretch.
Kerry also had 2 men on their bench that I would put on our bench.
Also, on James O’Donoghue. A Castleisland man I know well knows this lad inside out from when he played underage.
He never once questioned his ability, but has questioned his temperament.
When things are going well there’s just no stopping him. But he can go into hiding once things go against him and his team.
Now fair enough, this was a few years ago I was told this and maybe he’s matured as a footballer since then.
But I’d still love for us to go a few points up in the 2nd half and test his mental strength and ability to battle and scrap for his team.
Now the gooch, you’d never question this. It’s what has marked him out as the best forward of his generation. But to include O’Donoghue in his company already is far too premature.
it’s why McHugh’s comments were so laughable.
Against kerry galway were all over the shop at times we will be much better set up, however in trying to contain JOD gaps will open up for other players which Kerry do have. i think if we get enough in the middle of the park which we should it will be up to our forward line to convert there chances, we kicked alot of wides the last day. it will be a 50/50 game but Kerry have had no real test yet.
Totally agree with Hill St Boy. All this yerra stuff and cute hoorism is rubbish. We are favorites. We deserve to be. We are one of the top teams. We don’t need to lower ourselves. We’re not good at it anyway. It is demeaning. There was a time Mayo could only succeed as outsiders and the hype got to the players (a lot of them had bleached blonde hair then).
Not now. Dublin play as favorites. Kerry always did. Mayo will now. James Horan’s greatest skill is having the players attitude fixed in a professional way. he has done it consistently.
Where’s Dinkey gone (the 22 year old pole dancer from Kanturk).Come back love and give us a neutral opinion on what you think will happen the next day . We all seem to have lost it on here!
I agree with that but i wouldnt worry to much about that, i dont think J.H or any of the team will get to concerned about any of the media stuff they have seen it all before.
Great reading and yes, you’d wonder when we are cute hooring ourselves and when the truth is being spoken. But there is one thing…the Irish women’s rugby team has, as you all know, just defeated the team that nobody could beat…because they believed in their ability and talent. They respected the Black Ferns but didn’t fear them. They didn’t change their patterns of play to snuff out any All-Black threat. They simply believed in their own team and went out and played their own game. Man on man we are winners and the Cork game showed that we win whether as underdogs or as favourites. This will continue and we have a winning team that I believe in. I don’t care who we play after Kerry…we are winners and we fear no other team. Let them do the worrying there…that’s it!
Sam4Mayo indeed…he deserves a trip to God’s county!
Lookit (as the man himself would say) it’s all a bit of craic. Laughing at some of these posts (and Mister Mayor, my post was very much tongue in cheek!). At the end of the day I am (genuinely) as convinced as I ever was that we are going to beat them – I don’t expect it to be flawless, and I expect more heart-stopping moments on the day, but I think we will find ourselves planning for a Sunday in September for the third year running.
The reason I believe it? Simple. I don’t ever recall a Mayo team playing with the level of determination, toughness and steel that this team does. They’re a different breed, and I firmly believe that this bunch of lads has their eyes on the third Sunday in September. With every game I see, I believe it more. I don’t think they are going to slip up at this point, and I think they are in the same mindframe. We should have won last year, we know it, and they know it, and they are on a mission to right that wrong. I hope I’m right.
Whatever about the rest of ye I’m sitting down watching Donegal with a few cans. It’s my birthday. We could be meeting Donegal this year. Up mayo for ever
Happy birthday Hill St Boy. Take it easy on the cans , we’ll need you sober against Kerry.
That was some show the Dubs put on .
HIc!
It was Sean, but I thought Monaghan were naive in many ways, particularly with kick out strategy, plus they had only one scoring forward, and even his radar needed calibrating.
They made Dublin look fantastic, and sure there’s nothing wrong with that.
I think they’ll beat Donegal by a handy score too.
both teams, being from the top drawer, deserve to be confident.
The game is not about history, its about the teams bring right on the 24th
They will score, we will just need to score more.
Nobody is going to believe bull from the other side
We need to be wary least we fool ourselves.
We are where we want to be
Believe
Copy and paste in September
Ok guys I think we are all getting a bit carried away, Kerry are the Aristocrats of Gaelic Football and of course with their history they will have a monopoly of pundits in the media, however I think Mayo are mature enough at this stage to ignore all that. No need to talk ourselves down, I think we all know it will be a close game and no side will get hammered, that is not going to happen. I see a lot of talk about our backs, I mean we have Cunniffe, Higgins, Barrett, Caff, Keegan, Hennelly, I for one have a lot of faith in those guys. I’m certainly looking forward to the match, I am confident we might nick it, and if we don’t it wont be from the lack of effort. Dublin only beat us by a point last year don’t forget.