There was a media event at MacHale Park last night with new Mayo manager Kevin McStay, along with Stephen Rochford and Damien Mulligan who are both members of the new manager’s backroom team. There’s a fair bit of media coverage on this event since, including in the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Irish Examiner, Mayo News, RTÉ, The 42.
Rob and Mike were at last night’s event and over the next few days we’ll have three bonus podcasts episodes from it for our club members.
Later on tonight, the first of these will go online, featuring Rob in conversation with Kevin McStay. Tomorrow we’ll have a second episode, with Rob and Stephen Rochford, and then on Saturday we have a third episode in which Mike chats with Damien Mulligan.
All of these bonus episodes are exclusively available to our club members on Patreon. Join the club here.
Just listened to it and my 2 takeaway points are . Kevin is open to give information to us as supporters, as he sees fit. I’m fine with that. Secondly and more importantly, he seems to value his back room and their opinions. I’m excited about this management team and it got another boost last night, when I saw Niamh Fitzpatrick named. After 21 we need her more than ever.
Quality stuff, well done all. Loved when Kevin said if Rochy wasn’t in neither was he. Stephen is going to play a huge role here and rightly so.
No guarantees how it will all pan out, but it’s promising, very much so. Up Mayo.
Yeah Liberal, I too was struck by that remark about Rochy. I liked his managerial approach to spreading the load; good self-awareness there, knowing he can’t do everything, and having fluidity in who does what and when.
Absolutely Catcol. Plenty good Mayo men there with tons of experience, joining forces. I really like the mix. Roles will undoubtedly interchange which makes sense. We’ve one common goal. Onwards to 2023 now.
Defence wins championships as Kevin said in the RTE podcast he did. As noted by others he seems to value his back room team but also, as Kevin said, this is the honeymoon period.
January is when it will all start to count and the judgement will be quick as is the way with managers across all sports in the modern world. It does all sound very positive so far and the extra roles for McHale and Mulligan are a smart move.
McStay appearing in the media and providing fans some information will hopefully help to remove some of the toxicity that crept into the fan base really some the Tyrone game.
Club championship has been brilliant so far, plenty players putting their hand up so I’d imagine come in spring time, Mayo should really have one of the strongest panels in the country…injury luck improving of course!
It’s just a pity it’s a long winter (or lovely summer in my part of the world) until inter county action.
I can now feel my mood starting to shift .I am starting to get excited for what next year holds.
I wonder would there be any chance of Pearce Hanley giving us anything at 35??…….
He might give up the sun in Australia for a few months of wet and rain
No point getting excited till we see what players are brought in and what panel members are dropped particularly in the forward department.Will he go with the likes of Paul Towey and Fergal Boland or stick with the working type half forwards who have racked up bad wides in the big games in Croker.
What is our game plan is like? is it goin to be a mix of a running /kicking game and will the 6 forwards McStay goes with be able to improve shooting percentage from Horans era where it was well below par to win an All Ireland??
The other thing McStay emphasised, and strongly at that, was that they are looking for guys with character; character trumping talent:
“Obviously, we’re looking for guys with real character, probably first and foremost. “Talent will be important, but it won’t be key”. So mental strength will be critical; on that basis there won’t be too many coming through from the U17 or U20 teams of this year, if the all Ireland final and Connacht final (last 5 minutes) are anything to go by.
Kevin comes across very positive in his interviews and its clear him and his backroom team have plenty of work done in the background.
So far in the championship you could see Paul Towey, James McCormack, Paul McStay and the Breaffy goalkeeper whos name I cant recall who has been keeping Rob on the bench ( His kickouts are something else) could all be in position to strengthen the panel.
AOS has taken to staying in FF like a duck to water so far and it could be like having a new player if it works, there are a few new options for midfield which could help us stop having to rob Peter to pay Paul which is what I think we do when we push AOS back out the field.
Military like planing by mcstay from day 1 the way he went about putting his backroom team together this guy is a serious operator and when given the resources will get mayo across the line.
He’ll call it straight from the start and won’t take any messing.
A few things…
1. New Mgnt needs time. Look at Tyrone in 2021. They got destroyed by Kerry; shipping 6 goals in the league…6! Imagine if that happened us next spring; there’d be WW3 if we shipped 4 never mind 6. Then Tyrone went on and deservedly won the All Ireland. So, in any year a team, mgnt and players need to be judged by Championship. Not the league.
2. AOS, despite what some might think has never been properly tried at FF for Mayo. There have been token games here and there but when you have someone like him at FF the game plan needs to work around that or facilitate it to some degree. Horan’s game was all about running really. So, for me, AOS at 14 has not ever been done properly. His shooting is weak, let’s call a spade a spade, but I think there is more in him and if utilised correctly, he could cause havoc in the heart of the opposition defence. On top of this, he hasn’t the speed or mobility anymore for midfield at Croke Park. He can get a way with it a bit in the league and more in provincial grounds with tighter pitches and against weaker opposition but not in CP and not against top athletic opponents in the heat of champsionship. Another possible role is dropping deep very late in a game to ‘mind the house’ against aerial threats.
3. Lads like Towey, McCormack and others on the fringe over recent seasons need to really want it. That’s part of the make up of a successful senior intercounty player. That’s partly what McStay means by character. It’s about desire, commitment and a savage hunger to succeed – have enough Mayo players shown enough of that? We can all name lots of talented players who never really make it at senior level and doing it at club level is one thing. Intercounty is a step up.
Mayonaze, I would have agreed with his shooting up to now but hes been fairly accurate so far with Breaffy. But the ball in to him has been very good as well, its been actually more out to the sides than the what you’d expect lamp it into the big man type ball.
Key thing he needs in at FF is fair play from refs, you would hope for more from senior inter county refs than the junior B style “you can foul the big man all you want” attitude they take to reffing him when hes at FF.
YOu know he’ll win ball, if he has people to lay it off to or get the frees he deserves then he could be a serious addition in there.
That’s it. As I said, I don’t think Mayo used him right in recent years and had we done so we may have benefitted more from it. He has a few years left in him. Let’s see what can happen. My gut feeling is that it will be positive.
Food for thought there Mayonaze: savage hunger is good; being able to turn a game, a big game might be another one. Still not sure about Aido at FF. Mobile opposition can snuff out that sort of threat and still mind other forwards. But if Mgmt can get him to catch and make a mark that might work, but he’d still have to shoot from close range.
Aiden has played a lot football at full forward. He played there under O’ Mahoney, Horan, and most of Connelly Homes time. I don’t remember him playing much under Rochford there but I’m sure he must have played some token minutes. One year there was a lot talk of him being unmarkable at full forward for Breaffy, that all ended after they played Ballina
With the right game plan Aido could be effective at ff, but this has been tried several times over the years with poor enough results, Aido simply is not a natural ff. if he does play there then there is no place for Cillian. You can’t play both in the ff line, way to static and neither has the pace to play on the hf line. Personally I think there are better long term options for ff, Carney & Carr for example are far more mobile and offer greater scoring threat. 20mins of Aido off the bench at full throttle is a serious option to have when closing out a game and this is the way we should be looking.
I’d agree with previous posters wrt Aidan never being tried out properly at FF. We never really built around him.
I’d also agree that particularly in the last two or three years we’ve missed his height around the middle when he hasn’t been there, and it’s great to see Carney and Flynn develop as options there.
I disagree that Aidan and Cillian won’t work together in a full forward line. Cillian is such a smart footballer he’d make it work. I’d also hate to be the full back who wins a ball back there only to find two of the toughest tacklers in the game closing in.
With all that said, I do think that there will situations where we could use Aidan in midfield to really boss opponents in the air.
As an aside, I was a little disappointed in the lack of variation in our kick outs this year. Not sure how much Robbie’s injury affected this
Aiden will probably be tried at full forward, simply as he doesn’t have the pace for anywhere else.
I would however like to see a few new , more natural scoring forwards given a chance too ( if lads put their hand up in club championship ).
Overall Mcstay comes across as intelligent, driven and a good delegater…
While I’m not daft enough to talk about winning all Irelands … its a good set up and I’m looking forward to the FBD already… very positive press conference
The second in our series of podcast interviews with members of the new management team is now online on Patreon. In this one, Rob chats with Stephen Rochford.
FrostTHammer, Cillian still can play in ff but not with another player who lacks mobility. Can’t have two players in ff line not able to track their markers. Cillian & Aido can’t do that anymore so that’s two defenders bombing forward unchecked creating overlaps. Tommy will be forced to track back constantly to make up numbers which would be a disaster (he needs to be close to goal). A team can carry 1 forward who can’t track back but not 2, not with the pace teams like Kerry have out of defence.
I like how Rochy emphasises that word ‘character’ again, echoing Kevin.
Everything seems to be falling into place for Team Mcstay and nearly everybody in MAYO are getting a little bit excited about 2023. I hope that Kevin Mcstay will not drop any long time mayo player and cause trouble in the camp . the likes of LEE,AIDAN, JASON AND KEVIN should never be culled from the mayo panel. They will know when it is time to go. I hated the awful way Ciaran mcdonald and Conor mortimor were treated at the end of their careers with the mayo team by their managers at the time. Hopefully Kevin has enough cop-on to do the right thing and i think he has. roll on 2023
Frank Irwin has been on two teams of the championship so far, scoring a lot, and is tall lad I believe,
I don’t see people mentioning him as a partner to Ruane, I’m
Not convinced Flynn is the option and Gary golden consistently performs at a better level and doesn’t get a mention.
Castle51 not sure if compare way team assembled to military planning. Still no goalkeeping or S&C coach in place, ya wouldn’t fancy going to war without your logistics/field office and rear guard ?
But no war yet so can get away for another while.
I don’t think that will happen Jimbo, as you say most lads know when time is up.
Tough calls may be needed on other players who have been several years in panel of course, but at end of the day not everyone can be a county panelist (sadly for most of us here)
Maurice Sheridan ratified as mayo under
20 manager again for 2023 !!!
Did no one else go for the job?
Doesn’t look like it @facetheball .!!!
@Jimbo …. christ a manager has to drop older players as the lose pace/ form regardless of who they are .. all the players you named have been great servants to Mayp football but there will come a time for them to hang up the County boots …
In fairness to James Horan… He took the Bullshit out of mayo football… any player not willing to work or track back and help out was never going to fit In to his set up .
As Mcstay and Rochford both mentioned…Character is a huge part of a player and panel … sometimes it trumps an individuals talent
There are rules in here so I don’t want to break them but I am very disappointed to hear of the same under 20 management team again , that was a diabolical style last year and furthermore a talented bunch , far too much emphasis on his own stamp instead of allowing some freedom to players to play the game .
Sean Burke – agree 100%. The style of football our u20s have been coached to play over the last two years is nothing short of diabolical. The football is been coached out of these talented players. Haven’t seen any good foot passing, good forward movement etc been coached into the u20 teams. All they are doing is holding possession, safe hand pass, going no where football. That style of football is at least 10 years out of date.
Agree with the lads above. Sheridan played shocking stuff with the u20s . Surely one of the senior management team could have taken them this year as they only have a few games anyway, even if they won it outright. It would have them playing the style of football that McStay will use for the senior team ( whatever that is) and have them ready to move up.
Well, you would imagine Sheridan will have realized what he tried the previous 2 years has failed spectacularly and will try a new approach… Jesus you’d hope so at least.
Disappointing that M Sheridan gets another year. Does anyone in Mayo ever get sacked or ‘relieved of thier duties” (like the Tipperary manager was)? Do the club delegates speak out at all? I see S Deane also re-appointed after losing an All Ireland and no plan B that night. Good luck to K McStay – he is very good at talking to the media anyhow!
I think it’s terrible that Sheridan is still there. 2 hops he certainly didn’t realize after the Connacht final. In interview after he talked about how well Mayo played and they controlled the second half by and large and saying the Sligo goals were a bit lucky. He said Mayo played extremely well at times.
We needed to be going with a different u20 manager. Those have been two lost years at u20.
The Cillian and Aido conundrum…..probably right that both can’t play in the ff line due to lack of pace. Lots of talk about Aidan’s role and I just presume if McStay and his group want him in there they must have a plan. Tbh I think Cillian is more of a worry. Losing a year at his age and being hindered in his recovery with little niggles must make him vulnerable. Even before his injury his freetaking especially the long ones and 45s were becoming a problem. During his time out ROD was exceptional on frees and should have been kept on them. Throw in Paul Towey and Frank Irwin in the mix and keeping Cillian in for freetaking doesn’t hold water.
I’m not saying get rid of Cillian because he is still a leader and if he gets back to his pre-injury form he is the first name on the team sheet. Just being open about the fact that he won’t be picked because of past achievements or purely for his frees. In the nineties Sheridan was in purely because he was a reliable freetaker and we had no one else but that’s not the case now. Let’s hope he does get back to his best and this will be a non subject.
@Skylineirl Frank Irwin is a great talent and only out of u20 as far as I know. Has been involved with Mayo at underage for a number of years and was starting on u20 team as an 18 year old (was being courted by AFL clubs too). Gary Golden should definitely get a go with Mayo, but in my view Jordan Flynn has improved immeasurably over the past few years & I actually think he was our best midfielder last year (in the games he played). Ruane I think would be more effective at half forward.
Can’t believe the Aido at 14 stuff is being pedalled again. A few years ago he destroyed Ballintubber in County semi final (either scored or was heavily involved in 3 goals). But Castlebar easily snuffed him out in the final. This isn’t a knock on Aido, who has been a brilliant player for us. But we have been trying this for 7 years and with very little success. Ya we may not have built plan around hum..but we now have 2 serious quality forwards in ROD & Tommy Conroy. We should be building gameplan around those guys in my view. They have genuine pace which frightens defenders. There are other natural forwards putting their hands up too. I think we should move on from it.
I would be delighted to be proved wrong, but I don’t see Aido at 14 being effective against good teams
Kevin said it wont be just talent a player will be picked on it will be the players character and how the the manage there lifestyle of the field.
But I would argue isnt it the really good top managers that can manage and get the best out of the very talented hard to handle players.Look at Fergie how he handled Eric Cantona, how Bobby Robson handled Paul Gascoigne, how Mick O’Dwyer handled Paidi O’Se and Jim Gavin handled Diarmuid Connolly.In this County its a shame how we didnt get more out of Padraig Brogan one of the most talented footballers we ever produced , where was he for 89,96 and 97 finals and how come we did not get the best out of him at County level, the Conor Mortimer situation in 2012 should have been handled better and we ended up kicking 2 easy left footed 13 yard frees wide in that All Ireland against Donegal.You have to bring the talented hard to handle players along with you and get the best out of them.Did Kevin McStay get the best out of Donie Shine at Roscommon? I dont think he did.
U20s should be very strong this year Maurice showed what he can do with a strong squad in NUIG. Hopefully he can get the best out of them.
This day 33 years ago we set off to Dublin the day before the final , it is a moment in time that will never leave me , the excitement that day leaving kilmovee to what was like a convoy of green n red from ballagh to Dublin was just incredible. A journey that has really been such a massive part of a lot of our lives since , greatful in so many ways to the players and management teams from that day to this . The dream that will never die that’s for sure .
I’ve said it here before Aiden has never been properly tried at FF – Joe kernan once said it takes 2 full yrs to perfect a big man FF Aiden only ever got spurts in there. There were a few signs against Tyrone AIF that it is worth persisting with if he stays in there.
Really disappointed also with the U20 appointment, not playing the man but this has blatantly not worked and wont work. As someone said above 2yrs lost but now add 1 more to that. We’ve had a good team suffer due to bad management IMO…
@Sean Burke – Well said. We might not have landed the big one yet but we have made some memories along the way.
I have had some of the best days of my life following Mayo around the country and gained a lot of friends along the way. Even my kids, nieces and nephews are now engrossed in this journey from a young age.
We are all a bit mad in mayo and we have a weird obsession with a man called Sam Maguire but i wouldn’t have it any other way
A neighbour of ours arrived late to the back door on the 16th. A ticket for me in the Canal End. The old man gave him the 6 pound for it. I know he could have walked into 50 other houses that night but he came to ours but himself and Dad were tight a long time so I got the ticket. I thanked our neighbour and headed up the hall to try and sleep before the train in the morning. No chance.
Those men are long gone but it’s a nice memory to recall. Sound men.
It wasn’t to be that day or any day like it since but I wouldn’t change a thing.
Absolutely Nephin, it would have made great sense to have McHale and Buckley over the U20 and use the platform to prepare this group for onward upgrading to the Seniors. Employ a collective Mayo ‘style’ of play that would allow the best talent move more seamlessly up to the Senior grade.
Some good points there, Sam Og.
Hopefully by McStay and Co setting out there stall now regarding the types of characters (I think what he’s really saying is proper ‘attitude’) they want the players will get the ‘memo’, as it were.
I think he also means players taking the responsibility themselves, and not shifting blame and failures etc on the manager or coaches.
Man-management is key though, and I hope Kev doesn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, ie if there’s a a talented player there who’s out of line. In this scenario the player might need one of two things: a kick up the hole, or an arm around the shoulder. I think it was Paddy Andrews who said this. Great phrase.
But you’re correct, we’ve a bad history of losing talented forwards and this needs to change.
I hoped that James Horan would be the Under 20 Manager. He had a way of identifying and developing players who have the qualities to play at the top level . Maybe when he has had a break he may be considered for the 2024 Under 20 Manager, that is unless Maurice wins the Under 20 Final in 2023 then he would be entitled to stay on if he so wished. Anyway its Maurice for 2023 so we should all back him.
I think at this stage they just need to fully back a player like Towey
He honestly looks a phenomenal talent, I think inter county is getting way too over complicated with ‘systems’ and tactics, at the end of the day it’s a case of kicking the ball over the bar and there looks like fewer in the country do it as well as himself at the present moment
Maybe I’ll have egg on my face in two or three weeks if Davitts and/or a potential quarter final opponent keep him quiet, but that performance v Garrymore has to be up there with one of the best I’ve seen as a sheer scoring exhibition
No idea what he’s like as an individual – or if he may need a bit of plamasing or whatever but if I were McStay I’d be going out of my way for a talent like that (and I’m not convinced Horan did enough of this).. players with that ability don’t come around too often
On a similar note in galway I think Joyce has to move mountains to get Cooke involved next year and Farrell the same with Mannion. Is there too much emphasis these days on almost inhumane levels of commitment at inter county?
Ciaran, any player is entitled to an off day.
We need to play winning football not fancy football and if that means 15 men in defence in some games or part of games so be it.
To those lamenting U20 renewal that mgt. team may have learned from last years experience, It may not have worked out last year with Mayo but done really well with NUIG in Sigerson. The style may not be to everyone’s taste but if it can get the end result would people be happy?
Board may just be showing consistency with U20 management and new senior management appointment and giving both benefit of doubt after their last year of intercounty experience being deemed poor. McStays Roscommon shipping 4-24, 0-20 and 4-24 or something like that in last 3 outings there. Do people think we will set up in system that could leak over 30pts a game like that again??
Gizmobobs it wasn’t just one year. The style they played this year never won an All Ireland. I don’t remember ever seeing a team pass the ball more backwards than forward, often passing the ball from a standing position to another player standing
@Ciaran
I agree with you regarding Towey.
Some of those scores against Garrymore were of the highest quality and he looked as though he could score from almost anywhere.
I was sure I saw a bit of the Andy Moran “jink” in him for a point in the first half where he sent Enda Hession one way then the other and clipped it over on his left boot.
@Gizmobobs, If it was an effective version of that style fair enough but it was extremely poor when we had possession.
I rewatched it recently its on YouTube.
Players handpassing the ball 1-2 yards to a static receiver.
Players passing without looking anywhere but an obvious near receiver. The players trained with a spoken and repeated mantra to not take on less than 80% passes. That mantra is 100% incorrect and player development damaging.
RE Towey, what did he score v Mitchels in the 1st round of the championship? The answer is 6 points but only one from play. That’s the difference between being man marked by a specilaized man marker (as he was v Mitchels) and being allowed way too much time and space as he was v Garrymore, where he scored 10 points, 5 from play.
Intercounty football is a step up again in terms of the speed of the game, the reduced space you have to play in, and, the physicality. I honestly can’t see Towey having a serious impact on the senior set up.
@mayomad
What makes it work for me is that Cillian will track. Yes he may lack pace but he’s going to put the work in.
You are correct that it puts a lot of pressure on Tommy but it is something he’s shown a willingness to do, and more often than not he’s going to be facing the oppositions quickest player. Yes teams will try and overload us but I’d be more inclined to ask how they may try to do that and adjust elsewhere to counter that. For example, if I thought a team might try to move the ball wide into our half forward, I might push my wide half up and try to congest that space.
With that said, I think Tommy might be more suited to the half forward line. I think teams know he’ll track and that if they put a runner on him they can keep him away from goal. So he ends up playing more in the half forward space. Something very similar to what Diarmuid usually does. In fact I’d be tempted to switch those two around and have Diarmuid as the full forward line tracker backer.
That said, Paul towey has been putting his hand up for a chance and James Carr showed well at times there this year, deserves a chance to try and really build on it. You’d also hope we can make better use of Jason Doherty, Kevin Mc and Darren Coen. Three very experienced players with a variety of skills, I think we can make better use of them.
JP I would be in agreement with you TBH.
But in relation to people saying should not be reinstated we have to give benefit of doubt that the tactics may change with them at that age group, as we now have to do with McStay at senior. We wont expect to see him to set up in manner that would see us conceding >30 points a game on average as he did in his last 3 games with the Rossies.
Managers can change styles and setups as they learn and get experienced.
Pebblesmeller I hope we are proven wrong but I would be in agreement. IC is very different beast, and the Garrymore set up was it seems very questionable.
The Bill Hill scoring charts across Senior, Intermediate and Junior are notable for their lack of Intercounty presence in 10 scorers at each grade. Does this mean that the top scorers in those tables should be parachuted in? No. but the lists worth a review all the same.
That’s enough press stuff now. Lay low. We love doing everything in public, building ourselves up. Let Galway take the attention as favourites now for a while.
As fans, we have a duty too to not over hype young lads that go well for their clubs.
On the basis of character trumping talent, which seems to be the new mantra, Cillian will be around for a long time.
Kerry showed a template to target a Cillian weakness with putting Tom Sullivan on him.
Moose79 – you have summed it up in a nutshell. I was making the long and horrible trip back from Dublin last night and said I’d throw on a podcast. Unfortunately not the mayo news on this occasion. It was the GAA hour podcast after the 2021 all Ireland final. Alan Brogan was on it. And I remember him saying that he felt mayo were going into the final over confident and that there was great excitement in the county. It struck a cord with me.
I feel the same level of hype is starting to rise again off the back of the new manager. Kevin is in the hot seat now but let’s not be expecting magic on day one or maybe even year one. Alex Ferguson once said that anger and frustration are results of high expectations. And whilst we must have high expectations for Kevin, it might not filter through straight away. Some of the older lads are on their last legs, some of the younger lads probably lack the physical condition needed. And not to mention there will be new ideas, styles of play and players. It will take time. I hope we don’t fall out of love with the team and management the way we did in 2021.
Nothing is guaranteed in sport and whilst Kevin and the management team have a lot of experience, they still have everything to prove at senior inter county level.
New pod online for club members, this one Mike chatting with Damien Mulligan. That’s our lot from the press night!
FrostTHammer, No way is Tommy Conroy a half forward, if he is fit next year, he will be our most dangerous attacker, we need to get him closer to goal not further away. We have waited years for a corner forward like him, a player who is a real goal threat and frightens defenders when he gets the ball. If Tommy gets early ball and a system in place to create space for him and he will put up big scoring numbers, he is that good. It would be madness moving him away from goal. ROD and Tommy are our best forwards, we need to build our attack around them, they are the future of this team.
The county and country were still in half lockdown in 2021, only 50% capacity in croker.
I don’t buy that “hype” excuse for one second in relation to 2021.
Jesus is everyone to be fearful and down in the mouth going into a final!?
Did Kerry not celebrate winning their semi this year? Were they not confident going in against Galway?
Mayo underperformed in that final, and in truth never put in a consistent performance all through the championship. Nothing to do with talking to the media or supporters getting excited.
Is pearse Hanley playing for ballaghdreen. If so how is he doing
Tubberman – can you name me a final since 89 where we have been getting carried away with ourselves in Mayo. Yes Kerry were delighted to beat Dublin in the semi final last year but you could tell they weren’t getting carried away with themselves as the final approached. Mayo have always had hype around them. Not all internal but the national media know we will bite and give them the media what they want in the lead up to games. I’m not saying everyone should be all negative. But there is a balance to be struck and I think the majority of the time Mayo tend to be closer to the glass overflowing them half full.
I don’t think we’ve been getting carried away with ourselves since 2012 tbh. If you think otherwise, then we just disagree on what “getting carried away” means, and I think everybody has probably had that argument too many times already.
Green&Red – yesterday someone on here was giving out that the team did no proper media night for the 2021 AI final. Now people saying there was too much hype and the team got carried away.
It’s all horsesh1t. We didn’t play well in that final and Tyrone beat us, just like they beat Kerry in the semi final.
What exactly did Kerry do differently in the AI final build up this year after beating Dublin, compared to us in 2021? There was huge hype and excitement around after Sean O’Shea kicked the winning free.
Wide ball – let’s be clear here. Why is it always mayo in the headlines. The absolute rubbish that goes on around mayo football is laughable. We deliberately put ourselves in these positions because we react to things to easily. I’ll give you a clear example. A few weeks ago when Kevin got the job it was as if we were selecting the new pope. Social media erupting, national media going crazy etc. there is a reason the media go on like that around mayo football, because they know the supporters will eat it all up. Kevin McStays management team is known in every house in the country yet I still don’t know who is in Lyngs backroom team in Kilkenny. I’m not saying mayo supporters are bad people. What I’m saying is that we need to be more relaxed and not take the bait that’s always out there. I personally think somewhere in the psychological it impacts the players. Do they feel more pressure on game day to deliver for the fans?
I’d be inclined to agree with Green&Red, while it’s easy to say at least some other counties fans build up the same way I’ve not really seen it to remotely the same level as here. Even Galway this year after absence from final for a period of time they didn’t find themselves in same level of spotlight.
And while we may not be on PETAs radar anymore for painting any animal we could get in a crush green and red like in 90s/00s we are definitely clickbait masters.
And while what people are doing isn’t wrong, in any way shape or form. If step back and look at it objectively you’d have to think some of it has to sink in on the players psyche? Even mundane articles, blog posts, tweets, pods etc. Not necessarily hype ones or mad stories. It’s hard for these lads to get away from it.
Only one GAA podcast in top 100 pods in Ireland now apparently and guess what county it’s from? Ah ref Mayo.
Green&Red – a quick google tells me Derek Lyng announced his backroom team on the 16th August.
That went completely over my head because I have close to zero interest in hurling. You can be sure Kevin McStay and Stephen Rochford is not the main conversation topic in Ballyhale either.
What you’re really saying is Mayo people need to lose interest in the football team. Stop reading articles, listening to podcasts, commenting online etc. I fail to see how that will be a positive change. Take the Cork and Tipperary footballers for example. Very poorly supported, almost apathy among supporters. Are they in a healthier state because of that?
@GreenandRed…. Thanks be to God the county board backed the best possible backroom team !!
No guarantees with any management team but with Rochford, Buckley, Mulligan etc . They will bring an enthusiasm , experience and knowledge that I believe players young and old will buy into .
That’s all that matters …
Wide ball, I don’t think that’s what green and red is saying TBF. In fact what he said is “What I’m saying is that we need to be more relaxed and not take the bait that’s always out there”, not “What you’re really saying is Mayo people need to lose interest in the football team. Stop reading articles, listening to podcasts, commenting online etc.”
It’s the small few who over react to media posts designed to get engagement from more volatile posters that help drive up the likes/engagements tabloids etc. Thrive on go get more numbers. We can all follow, support and comment away.
My ball, we hope they will, but if I was player I’d have preferred something fresher and with experience of actually winning and getting over the line, especially when the team is so close. That bit of know how psychologically can be a factor.
But it was good to see Kevin acknowledge he doesn’t have a rebuilding job on his hands. With lads hopefully returning from injury, one or two possible additions and the new structure meaning we as good as know we a QF place, no stand out team like the Dubs at their peak. 3 big games could do us.
Gizmobobs – we’re basically saying the same thing i.e. don’t read or comment on click bait articles. Still don’t see how any of this makes a difference however.
If anything, having such a big interest in the senior football team makes it a more attractive proposition for players. We’re one of the few counties that players generally don’t walk away from the panel when in their prime.
That’s likely more down to the fact we realistic contenders you’d imagine. There’s only about 5/6 teams that realistically have a chance to win Sam.
A lot also benefit from perks such as cars, endorsements etc. Other county players don’t get due to lack of profile.
It’s very hard for those in counties outside this group to put in the effort needed when know they’ve no chance. The effort the players puts in is ferocious.
Good Luck to McStay and his team. Maybe there is too many chiefs in that team, wonder who will make the big decisions needed to replace certain players even before halftime if they are not performing, will he be free from interference from County Board and some big Clubs and indeed some big family names who control some Clubs. Hope he is the Boss and rejects any interference from anybody. It will be a first for Mayo if he has a complete free hand to run the team. First signs and indications will come when he names his new panel for next year, if certain players remain in the panel we will know that the end result will be the same always has been and nothing has changed in Mayo.
You read my mind Culmore.
Gizmobobs – it’s a chicken and egg scenario. We’re one of the 4 or 5 realistic contenders because all our best players make themselves available.
Because there’s such a huge interest in Mayo football/footballers there are more sponsored cars and brand ambassador gigs to go around. All of that means players are willing to commit 8, 10, 12 years of their lives to Mayo football.
There was zero hype in the lead up to the 21 final. I took a trip to Castlebar a few days beforehand and Main St hardly had a green n red flag out. I thought it was terrible. I counted 4 flags. Tbh I was a little shocked, very disappointed and almost embarrassed. There was a damp mood. Everyone was talking or thinking about the game but the sense I picked up was one of a fear of getting excited. The mood on the day of the game was similar and the performance of the team matched that. No buzz in them. Zero energy.
If GAA teams including Mayo are not in the news on the sports pages plenty of other sports would love the coverage. Reading about sport when there’s none to watch is what keeps fans going. Every popular sport in every country worldwide is emblazoned across the back pages and the the exposure and hype puts the odd bits and pieces about Mayo in the shade. Sponsors love to see their product in the limelight and I for one am happy to read about Mayo football. I agree we don’t want ridiculous stuff but not sure there’s much of that tbh. Green & Red not sure what “the absolute rubbish that goes on around Mayo football” is, and the McStay appointment was just a process. I don’t think the national media went crazy and as for social media well that gets excited over everything possible. So long as it’s not for wrongdoing or getting dumped on our asses in a giant killing game I’m all for Mayo being in the media as a team not individuals. I may be wrong here and I’m not saying you’re wrong G&R but it’s just a difference of opinion.
Mayonaze – I’d agree with that. Very little buzz excitement ahead of the 2021 final. Nothing compared to 2017 and a different world to 1996! The only build up I can remember was people giving out about tickets and how they were being distributed.
The age old question, why can’t Mayo produce scoring forwards? Imagine in another county there was a lad who this year has scored 1-17 in a single match and 15 points in his first 2 championship matches. Would people be excited or would people be saying “ah half were from frees (90% of which he creates), it was only Chicago football (he was marked by Michael McKernan). Both Towey and Boland were kicking out the lights in training and for their clubs this year and last year but under James Horan they never got a sniff because they did not fit the mold of a middle distance gazelle running up and down the pitch.
Is Towey the new Clifford or the answer to all Mayo’s scoring problems, probably not, but surely he’s worth a serious try out next year in the league instead of being written off by a couple of lads on a blog.
Following and supporting a team isn’t all about winning the big prize at the end though we all would love it. It’s about the passion it instills in us, the talk, how’s this player going, the build up to games,the games themselves, the talk after games, the hope, the off season and indeed reading the reports in the media, the rivalry and much more that gets the blood pumping. As stated by another poster I too am happy to have mayo spoken about as long as it’s not a bad story
Football Vs Hurling is more physical power related.
To add to topic on Paul Towey. Think back all those years ago to David Nestor. Great club footballer, able to get goals, points and cause havoc. What went against him when he came on for Mayo was his lack of size or power. The same can be said for Paul Towey and ive nothing against the guy at all.
Michael McKernan may have been marking him in Chicago but the game there is 13 a side and it’s hardly comparable level of intensity to All Ireland championship.
David Clifford is 190cm, 90+kg. He is the top of the tree for the basis of a successful modern Gaelic footballer. He is fast, strong, can win ball in the air and on the ground etc….
Tommy Conroy is the mould of Clifford but not (yet) as polished.
Ryan, despite his size is incredibly powerful and from what I’ve seen on him over the years he holds nothing back from whom is marking him or who he has to hit. Didn’t he level John Small at one point? I also take Ryan to have character in spades.
For me, Ryan is 13 and Tommy is 15. Who plays at 14, I’m not sure yet.
Either way having the the new management team in place is the catalyst for change and direction. JH did incredible work and the crop of ’23 have been well and truly initiated in senior inter-county championship by JH.
Oisin needs to play at 8/9 not in the FB line.
Lee at 6.
Are Mayo at the dance for ’23, they are firmly in the middle of the dancefloor.
Just a few bits on the Paul Towey subject and scoring forwards.
1. Physically, Paul will be fine, by the eye test he looks a few kgs extra and it looks lean and mainly legs. For field sports it’s all about legs. He has got an edge, he gets stuck in.
2. In terms of his game sense and decision making he does seem to see the play quickly and it’s rare you’re thinking “poor decision”.
3. His shooting, he is able to get accurate shots away quickly and he has a powerful leg snap to avoid dropping short to the goalie when shooting off minimal setup quickly. He is accurate, he would be in the top 3 in Mayo shooting % in Mayo off of open chances available. I’d not be surprised he’s no. 1 for shooting %.
In general with our scoring forwards we have had too much open democracy on who has been taking shots. We have really lacked a basic playbook of plays of setting up the shooters.
Dublin and Kerry focus on getting the ball to their shooters in shooting areas facing the opposition goalie.
Interesting would be a forward line containing all of Tommy Conroy, Ryan ODonoghue, Mark Moran and Paul Towey.
Agree with a lot of that JP.
Towey needs to be fed, rather than having to do the devil and all to win ball. In the Tyrone league match and the Dublin one for that matter, I felt the whole balance of the forwards was wrong, with too many small players or players lacking physique – Towey, O’Donoghue, Orme, Boland. They can’t all play in the same forward line; they are in effect, substitutes for each other. Two smaller players would be the max I think.
I think Gaelic football now if you’re 5’10” or under you really need to at a mimimm be what people call ‘pacey’. Ryan ODonoghue is pacey. It’s at the point now where if we’re honest with ourselves there is not even jersey 34 for short and onky reasonable pace.
Reasonable pace you’re going to have to be six foot or over. Diarmuid has reasonable pace.
It might sound like mad scientist but a team could eke out higher average game pace by really digging into where players pace will be at by certain minutes passed in the game. Who is on the field at any one time? Who are the subs we will bring on, in what minute and for whom?
Are we going to leave a blazer speedster or two like Eoghan McLoughlin to really be a pace weapon late on?
When you think on it bar outliers like David Clifford, Gaelic football is more a game of averages. Being on average the quickest team on the field over the 80 mins is not immaterial.
When we had our peak 2013-2017 team I think we had stretches of play where we were way too far selected below Dublin for pace.
My view is its better to 50 mins of brilliance from a player than 80mins of decent.
The 50mins of brilliance is what leads to being in front at the 65min mark to manage the game out.
Can’t believe people talking down Towey and almost writing him off as a Mayo player already. Get a grip for gods sake. He is the most exciting forward I’ve seen come through Mayo club football in a while now.
Firstly I have no idea if he’s left or right footed. I think it’s right, but he’s just as dangerous off both. Always a good sign.
He can kick 45s. Another big tick in my book compared to our other forward options.
He’s creative and seems to be able to unlock defences with clever hand passes and dinky little kicks.
He draws fouls expertly.
He’s able to win his own ball, not just hanging around the inside line for cheap possession.
He’s very accurate.
I’m not saying he’s a guarantee at all to be a high quality senior IC player. But by god he can’t do much more to put his hand up for next year and he deserves a corner forward slot for the full league campaign next year to stake a proper claim.
At the moment he’s well ahead of players like Aidan Orme and Jack carney as a natural scoring forward and I rate both those lads too by the way.
There’s also no guarantee next spring that ROD or TC will be back in full form, these are serious injuries and it could take a while for both to get motoring properly, especially Tommy.
So let’s see what Paul can do next Feb with a good run at the team.
@Mikey3, agree with that. Ultimately you need natural instinctive forwards. As Carlito said “You can’t have a late start”.
I can’t recall a case of a Mayo player converting to being a scoring dangerous forward?
JP did Andy Moran and Kevin McLoughlin start lives out as defender’s?
They did Gizmo, but neither really were.
Andy was a forward pushed back there.
Kevin isn’t really in that killer forward category, very versatile player.
More of a link play half forward who chips in with scores.
Andy was a square peg in a round hole in defence. Never a defender, but was back there.
I know I’ve qualified it a bit but can’t think of a conversion into a regular scoring forward from a player that was going reasonable further back.
My back is a bit sore now shifting those goalposts go easy on me haha.
I don’t think Andy started off in the backs. He was moved back there (by JOM I think) but had already been around the forwards, mainly as a sub though.
Towey totally deserves a shot. He has been on my radar since the u20s game in the storm. Definitely he has the x factor. Another with potential though I’ve never seen him in the flesh is Dylan Prendergast from Louisburgh. By all accounts he knows where the posts are.
Where’s Bryan Walshe for Ballintubber? Is he long term injury. Also why is Jason Gibbons not a possibility for county going forward? He is ripping it up big time at club level and commanding midfield.
Bryan Walshe is injured I believe. While Jason was a fine footballer for Mayo, according to the archive he’s 34/35 now. There’s really no future in looking to lads of that age to achieve what we want. We must look to youth and develop them.
Jason Gibbons was useful for county at his peak, but he’s simply not quick enough or strong enough in contact to be a top 6 counties midfielder.
This is the thing, it’s not about being county for us, it’s about being top 6 counties level.
Yes, Dylan Prendergast has been doing the business at intermediate level with Louisburgh.
Could we be using Padraig Prendergast Louisburgh off the bench at county level?
Padraig is 6’4″/5″ mainly legs and can move well once into his stride. In contact he’s naturally strong, good weight and muscular. We’ve never seen Padraig off of 6 months of top level SnC.
Not to get ye too excited but Dylan Prendergast was the best footballer in Oisin age group all the way up.
That’s right @ JP. Dylan P was one of the top rated players in that same age group. Scored 2-2 in a tedd Webb final v Galway. Solid at rugby too I believe but a great opportunity for him this year, if he wants it. And it’s clear from listening to both McStay and Roch that they are seeking strong characters. Mulligan mentioned it too. Its about lads who really want to play for Mayo and are willing to put in the extra miles
Anyone know if there is still a waiting list for the Croke Park and/or the Cairde Mayo season ticket, or is it done away with?
Dessie Farrell just announced Paul Mannion and Jack Mc Caffery back on Dublin panel. Huge for them.
Confirmed Paul mannion and jack mccaffrey back for Dublin next year…
That’s absolutely massive news coming out of the capital
A Kerry “dynasty” could be very premature talk yet!!
That is one hell of a boost for the Dubs in fairness. To get Mannion and McCafferkey back and a fully fit Con would had so much to them. Not the news we needed to hear. Would it be fair to say they are two of the best 15 players of the last decade? Unfortunately I don’t see the mayo management being able to find the same level of quality in mayo at this moment. Another big challenge ahead!!
Their conveyor belt has slowed down so
Hard to see Dublin getting beat if these lads are back and stay fit.
I must say I like what I am hearing from our new management team and am looking forward to the new season and realise that there is no guarantee of success-I would be looking at it over a 2/3 year window. It will be interesting to see the comings and goings in the panel and the structure and style of play adopted. I expect that McStay will start with a clean slate and give opportunities to everyone who impresses at club level, to stake a claim. The likes of Towey and Boland should get their opportunities in the league and it is up to them to take them-they are being backed by many here, and rightly so, and deserve their chance-the caveat is that they have been tried before and did’nt really put their hands up-maybe a different style and structure will suit them better. I am also looking forward to seeing some of our exciting youngsters come thro’. I wonder did Kevin have any input into Aido playing at 14 for Breaffy.
Enjoyed the 2 games on rte2 yesterday and the 2 on TG4 today but club football or hurling when it’s not your own county just doesn’t do it for me. Really looking forward to next weekend’s games. So much on them and hard to call. As for Mannion and McCaffrey back with Dublin. It looks like a done deal for the A.I. but these things are never as straightforward as picking a dream team. I believe if Dublin had Mannion this year they’d be champions……but it doesn’t mean they are certainties next season.
I can’t agree that Fergal didn’t put his hand up when playing for Mayo. His distribution was excellent and he always scored a few points, some from distance. If every forward did the same, we would be in the shake up for the A.I title.
I really have a lot of time for the likes of Boland and Towey and I’d love to see them getting a proper run of it. But I’d worry whether they can handle the physicality on a consistent basis. As a poster rightly said in a recent post, we’re not looking for players who are intercounty standard (as the two aforementioned definitely are in my view), we’re looking for forwards who can handle the heat with the top 6, or top 3 teams at All Ireland series stage. Consistently. Big difference.
I recall the likes of Enda Varley, Mortimer and even Alan Dillon struggling in this regard in the biggest matches. That would be my worry. So can new management find a way to utilise the undoubted skills of lighter players like these? That is the question.
Don’t think I have ever crossed the line on a wonderful blog that Wille Joe has created. Yet every comment I make goes to moderation # go figure. London guy here loves Mayo but it annoys me.
Potential forward players 2023
Paul Towey Charlestown
Connell Dempsey Knockmore
Frank Irwin Ballina
Dylan Prendergast Louisburgh
Colm Moran Westport
Pat Lambert Westport
Oisin McLoughlin Westport
Conor McStay Ballina
Dylan Thornton Ballina
Mark Moran Westport
Paddy Heneghan Castlebar
Darren Quinn Garrymore
Conor Diskin Claremorris
Kuba Callaghan Ballaghadareen
Justin Healy Kilcommon
Where we’re struggling a bit is height and size for the middle third. One thought is to be open to players who have height but not 80mins of stamina. So for example you have two tall options to spring that will give you some close the game power and fielding.
I worry that the door has been shut on lads as they are average in specifically the stamina test as regards top level.
Apologies, Mayohusband – only seeing your comment now. WordPress can sometimes have a mind of its own in this respect. I’ll look into it and see if I can find out why this is happening.
That’s quite a list Sam Óg. However, I was going over (putting myself to sleep last night) the ‘forward panel’ we have and here are four sets of six (no positions) in rough order:
Set One
Conroy
O’Donoghue
O’Connor
Flynn (assuming Oisin in midfield)
Loftus
Carney
Set Two
O’Shea
O’Connor, C
McLoughlin
Doherty
Towey
Orme
Set Three
McDonnagh
Carr
Moran, M
McHale
Walsh
Irwin
Set Four
Coen, D
O’Shea, C
Henaghan
Moran, C
McStay
Boland
It’s a kind of pecking order and one can argue about it, but it’s twenty four bodies all of whom are current panelists and will be fighting like blazes to keep their places.
These young guns coming up may be good, but something’s got to give.
Sorry, small bit of cheating: Colm Moran not a current panelist, but was (is he back?) Henaghan was for a while but may have moved off to U20s.
Mark Maloney claremorris
One thing that is vital, if a player receives the ball 1 v 1 with a player of the standard of the top 2 counties, will get they get easily contained or do they have the pace, movement and strength combination to open up a pass or shot?
There’s a lot of players are just too slow in the first two steps, not springy.
If yer not springy you better be bringing some height, size and little tricks like space opening bounce solos. Otherwise a good player will simply tuck in underneath and doorstop you back out, potentially lose the ball.
Long time since McCaffrey played any football, but if you’ve got, you’ve got it.
Details of the weekend’s club fixtures now up
https://twitter.com/MayoGAA/status/1571790720842842114?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
It seems some guys seem to be still on trial and in 2022 some are still looking for them to impress, this after being around for 5 or 6 years at this stage. Ye just need to let go, give new fellas a shot at it now.
I really don’t understand why there is such focus on Aidan’s position. He really struggled in full forward lines against big team opponents. It worked brilliantly against Roscommon but not Dublin. The focus needs to be on the younger players.
Fair play on that list, Catcol.
That was some mental workout. I like it.
Mannion and McCaffrey back for Dublin. It’s boding well for a little excitement in some shape or form ahead with a bounce in a few counties.
@jeepers You mean it work brilliantly against Sligo? and i don’t think that full back has played for Sligo since.
Massive weekend ahead ladies and gentlemen. By Sunday evening we’ll know the quarter-finalists and the relegation candidates.
Westport v Mayo Gaels…….Westport
Ballintubber v The Neale……Ballintubber
Ballina v Aghamore…………..Aghamore
Knockmore v Ballagh………..Knockmore
Breaffy v Belmullet……………Breaffy
Balla v Claremorris……………Draw
Castlebar v Garrymore………Garrymore
Charlestown v Davitts………Charlestown
Going for Aghamore because my heart overrules my head, and Garrymore over the Mitchells because their need is greater. I love these sort of weekends . Can’t wait.
Does anyone know the dates for the quarter finals, semi finals and final? Struggling to find information online.
@Pebblesmeller – I think your comment on Towey has some merit but it should be remembered that while the step up to IC is different but if a back line has to content with Towey, ROD, Conroy and COC, gaps will appear for the likes of Towey and he has shown he can score heavily when they do.
Any lad who scores 9 points in a storm (6 from play) out of a Mayo total of 14 against Galway should be focused on. That was a serious Mayo u20 team and he was the star of the show.
One point I would add on the hype or lack of hype before the 2021 final. I live outside the county so can only comment on what I saw around me.
There may not have been the same buzz in the build up but there was a serious amount “its your year”/”you have to do it now” stuff from other counties. What I would also say is Mayo people who are probably not the greatest Mayo fans and tend to get on the band wagon were seriously cockey before the match. Some of the conversations I was hearing were giving me the shakes. It was as if we were going to blow Tyrone away simply because we beat the Dubs.
At the end, we were the favourites, expected to win, had more big match experience and we blew it.
I meet people from all over in my job and its not just in Mayo that the fall out was big. A lot of others have turned their back on Mayo after that match.
We need to get it back.
Unstoppable, I too live outside the county but I definitely sensed alot of nerves in the few days before the final and on the day itself there was no jubilent or excited atmosphere amongst the many Mayo supporters I came across around Dublin pre-match and that sense of restrictment and nerves seemed to be replicated on the pitch. Mayo never got going that day. It was a complete and utter cock up.
I travelled to the game with a close friend from Galway who was shouting for us that day and even wore a green and red heaband and he commented on how downbeat the Mayo support was before and during the game.
Sure, over the past 30 years we have had years where we went into hype mode overdrive but surely to God in Mayo we are so familiar with All Ireland Finals that we should be able to get ‘up for it’ and allowed enjoy the build up. Look at Donegal in 2012 – they went into that final full of confidence and their supporters went all out in the weeks before hand – Jimmy’s Winnin’ Matches etc, and there was talk on the week of the match of an argument brewing over whether the team should go to Letterkenny or D’gal town with Sam. On the day, their supporters were waaay better than us too.
Next time we reach a final…whether it’s in 1 year or 15 years then we need to enjoy it, fly the flags, sing the songs and get behind the team.
@unstoppable – you’re right too. Large swathes of the GAA public are sick of Mayo and tbh, I couldn’t blame them. The 2021 Final was a watershed moment….but on that topic, we shouldnt give a shit what anyone thinks of us. In Mayo (and again it’s easier to recognise this when you live outside the county) but I’ve found this crazed desire to be popular…for us to be seen as likeable. I’ve always found that somewhat cringey and a perhaps symptomatic of a lack of self-confidence. Then we overreact when anyone says anything negative. Are we a bit touchy and needy?
Time to toughen up a bit more mentally and to hell what others think. Take a leaf out of the Tyrone (hugely unpopular in Ulster) book and Kerry to a similar degree.
We had th support of 31 counties. Well never have that again. Gaa Supporters look for a final where it is difficult to predict the outcome. Only ourselves to blame but time to move on.
McStay and co will be the next wave for Mayo. With a fascinating weekend ahead, the pressure building, opportunities continue for players to put up their hand. Good that McStay has set out his stall in regards to what he is looking for. Mental toughness leadership match winners…
What games are mayogaatv covering this weekend.
Mayonaze and Unstoppable – I agree with ye men 100%. Need to keep the feet on the ground and not be sucked into hype as easily anymore. I did make that point earlier in the thread but it was strongly disagreed with. I think with a new management we can reset. No doubt the news from Dublin makes their job harder but they will have to find some way to beat the Dubs again.
Mayogaatv games this weekend. Sat at 5pm Breaffy v Belmullet. Sun at 2pm. Burrishrule v PKC. At 5pm Ballina v Aghamore.
Tyrone in 2021 and Kerry in 2022 were classic Mayo performances. (in terms of highlighting our weaknesses)
We simply didn’t have forwards with high enough scoring ratios.
If our forwards don’t kick the ball over the bar, our backs tend to get involved, overcompensate and leave space behind.
Forwards kicking the ball over the bar takes pressure off everyone. The backs can concentrate on their main job.
I’m not sure exactly what the forwards need to work on. Is it the skill required to be consistently accurate that they are lacking or is composure that they need to focus on? Maybe a bit of both? They need to be extremely skillful to execute in pressurised situations.
We can defend so aggressively but putting the ball over the bar tends to be more of a “want” than a “need”.
What frustrated me most about 2021 was that the general narrative was that in a tight game Mayo should just have too much for Tyrone. The feeling was that if both teams played to their potential, Mayo would win. But that’s not how finals work.
The Mayo team set up and played like that, like if they played their game they’d win. Tyrone on the other hand, focused on playing their game and stopping us playing ours. Not double marking McShane still really annoys me.
I don’t know was it a lack of respect for Tyrone or just our own confidence. I’ve made this point before but I stand by it. If Rochford/McEntee and gang were in charge in 2021, we’d have beaten Tyrone in that final. But then again if they were, we probably would not have made the final in the first place!
On hype, yeah we can be a bit over the top at times, but the team/management should be able to deal with this. It’s not like (2021) we were in our first final. Some teams/counties over-hype – and still win. Donegal 2012 and Kerry this year were examples. I couldn’t believe the behaviour of a lot of Kerry people in the lead up this year. Even level-headed friends from Kerry wouldn’t hear of defeat, or rational debate on the merits of each team. I felt this was a huge weight on the team and management. It was, and they still won.
Thanks Joe G for the list of MayoGAA TV games this weekend. I find the mayogaatv website very poorly designed and absolutely useless for giving any timely news of upcoming broadcasts. After paying for the season pass, the least you would expect is a clear notice of what they will broadcast a good bit in advance. As well as that, an email from the Co Board with match broadcast info would be the minimum I would expect after forking out €90.
Lois. I’m pretty sure you speak for all of us that paid for the €90 pass. A bit of notice would be welcome and would show a bit of respect to patrons. Having said that I do think the €90 for at least 20 games is great value.
Sorry “Louis” not fecking lois.
Horan made Mayo into a team with bottle and hard to beat
Not easy to achieve
How come no one can do that with Claremorris?
Agree with Mayo gaa tv website – poorly designed.
When logging in to watch a game live – it takes me at least 5 minutes to find the game. All older games are very accessible- but find it very hard to find the actual game I want to watch live.
Still great value for €90
KeepMovingForward, maybe at one time it is true to say we didn’t have good enough forwards but that wasn’t the reason we lost in 2021. ROD and Tommy are top class forwards who would get on to any team in the country including Kerry and Dublin. The real problem was our style of play, (same can be said of Cillian and Andy in early 2010s). Our best forwards were living off scraps in a team built around the half back line, forced to take shots off recycled ball in packed defences. If those players got the type of service Clifford and OShea got this year we would have beaten Tyrone out the gate. If Mayo have any hope of an All Ireland we need to build an attacking system around those two players, get them on the right type of ball and they will put any team to the sword.
@Mayomad
We had more than enough chances in the 2021 AI final. 5 presentable goal chances and not so much as a point to show for them. Tyrone had 3 goal chances and scored 2 of them.
I don’t believe it was our style of play that was the reason we lost the 2021 final. It was the missed chances that cost us. If we had taken just 1 of those goal chances then I believe we would have gone on to win.
Watching it back I still can’t believe how the ball didn’t squirm over the line before the Tyrone defender fell on it for a penalty.
Mind the House, I’d agree with you there. I’ve said it plenty times since last year’s final, that all the right players got the chances yet couldn’t score. We think we’re bad but can you imagine how frustrated Horan was feeling. Then to top it off, he’d know full well the criticism he’d get.
Simply put, we’re a disaster in finals and I’m tired of all the excuses. We need to find the mental strength to overcome whatever is going on for us. It’s the key problem. Obviously.
Also regarding the subject of Mayo and hype.
After all these years of not landing the big one it is hope not hype that exists as far as I’m concerned.
My standout memory from the 2021 final.
We didn’t have a left footed freetaker to put the ball over the bar, so the ball dropped short and luckily resulted in a penalty.
When the penalty was missed, we over extended ourselves trying to make another opportunity. Tyrone scored a goal shortly after that.
Hi Willie Joe. I see the new Podcast for the weekend games is on Patreon but it’s not able to play. Is it just a glitch. Looking forward to hearing John and Edwin’s take on them.
Great article from Edwin McGreal in the Mayo News yesterday talking about Claremorris at senior level. Crazy the lack of player retention that happens in that club. 5 out of 30 left playing in a county winning minor team who are all 25 now, should be in their prime. Even in the most recent u21 team who won the county title, don’t even think half of those players are still playing football. When you contrast this to Knockmore who have 60 adult members it’s absolutely crazy stuff.
People say Mayo do go over board with hype but doesn’t every other county not go over board with hype to? Like kerry this year were unreal with it ..Dublin Galway and any other county that reaches a final ! we just get slagged for it of course as we have never crossed the line but I do agree that it’s more hope rather then hype is well at this stage!
Clare – completely agree. It’s just the usual throw away line Mayo got carried away with the hype. I asked the question a few days ago what specifically we did wrong in the lead up to the Tyrone final? Didn’t get a response however. I felt there was a nervousness among supporters if anything, certainly not cockiness.
I have a few mates from the hurling part of Galway. They’ve no interest in football usually but were in the Hill for all 3 of their championship games during the summer roaring their heads off. They were only delighted to inform me that, unlike Mayo, when Galway get a chance of winning the All Ireland they take it. That’s the very definition of getting carried away with the hype.
There’s an issue with it alright, Joe G, and it should be available on Patreon at some point this evening.
Mind the House – my thoughts exactly. Tyrone had 4 goal chances in that game and got 2-2 from them. We had 5 goal chances and got nothing from them.
That’s why I couldn’t understand the abuse JH got in the weeks and months afterwards. Fair enough he has a distinct style of play which not everyone agrees with, but we created more than enough chances that day. Tyrone certainly didn’t snuff us out, as some people would have you believe.
@Wide Ball exactly! Every single county gets carried away with hype if they reach a final getting boring when people& other counties say Mayo go over board with the hype it’s just easy to slag us off given our history in finals sadly but sure our day will come eventually!
Yes that’s definetly the definition of hype from those Galway people and what happened to them .. everyone does it! There was nothing wrong with the way we went into the Tyrone final as I said any other county would have done the same the Dubs always went mad celebrating every time they won a semi to!!
Any thoughts on ken mortimer joining the u20s backroom setup
Yeah, we missed a lot of chances v Tyrone but c’mon, we didnt play well at all that day and Tyrone gave us ample opportunities and we failed time and again to capitalize. Our midfield were anonymous and in the first half our defence stood off he Tyrone forward far too much. It was a poor display and while Horan did a lot for Mayo over the decade, I don’t think we can say that in any of the final of 12,13, 20 and 21 did we play that well. A lot of people don’t talk about 2020 cos none of us were there but it was still an AIF and we were dreadful in the 2nd half. For whatever reason, Horan’s teams in finals underperformed. We certainly did not underperform in 2016 or 2017. You could argue that the team then was at its peak but we had a fairly impressive team in 2013 and that was a great opportunity missed. I think Donegal deserved it in 12 and were better than us (Moran was a huge loss)
@no doubt – Kenny is a solid addition.
Retrocut
The big 4 towns Castlebar, Ballina ,Westport and Claremorris should have more than 2 clubs each at least.the problem is there is too many players too keep happy when there finished underage football and they have alot more options aswell from living in the towns Soccer and Rugby.
Say you have only 2 Adult teams in a town club, a Senior team and a Junior B team.theres only 30 lads you can give football to on any given weekend, them lads that dont end up getting game time walk away where as in a Rural club its much easier break into the Senior team and you will definetly get football with the second team.Look at Kerry for example the 2 big towns Killarney and Tralee , Killarney has 4 clubs Dr Crokes, Killarney Legion, Spa and Fossa.In Tralee 4 aswell Austin Stacks ,Kerin O’Rahillys ,Na Gaeil and John Mitchells. A lad in Killarney and Tralee has a much better chance of staying on playing Adult football in Killarney and Tralee than in Castlebar with the 4 options of clubs rather than the 1 in Castlebar.Along with Westport and Claremorris been large populated towns they have a big area of parish aswell. Westport parish has a number of national schools outside the town in Murrisk, Lecanvey and Aughagower while in Claremorris parish it has 3 national schools Barnacarroll, Meelickmore and Loughanemon all outside the town and you might have a few from Knock aswell.One club alone is not able to absorb all these so called Good Minors as the numbers are too big.
Just on the subject of hype I was surprised at the level of hype surrounding our match with New York in 2019 what I would call a David v Goliath clash.
There were hats flags “up mayo” and because of the volume of people travelling people saying do u think we will get a ticket? I just said ,will u want a ticket next September?
That was followed with all the media attention in Time Square,when we arrived back home our Rossie friends were waiting in ambush.
@mayonaze.i agree. He should be a good addition and I’d imagine bring plenty of experience and a cool head to the panel
Anyone who thinks there wasn’t hype for the 21 final clearly didn’t travel via the Enfield toll!! Cringe when I think back.
Thanks for the update Willie Joe. Look forward to it whenever it can be made available. Much appreciated.
@Wide Ball – the irony of that Galway hurling fans’ comment is simply amazing – “when Galway get a chance of winning the All Ireland they take it”. They’ve been in 25 hurling finals, winning 5 of them.
They’ve had commanding leads in hurling finals or come in as heavy favourites in hurling finals and blown them all, except for 2017 when the day was even more daunting for Waterford than it was for them.
@Liberal role in the tie not saying there wasn’t any hype before it but said every single county that gets to a final has as much hype !
1969 – Fossa and Spa GAA clubs are well outside Killarney. If you’re counting them as Killarney clubs then Breaffy is definitely a Castlebar club. Surely Ardnaree is a Ballina club too? Westport have a huge pick of players admittedly. They could benefit by having a B team compete in the intermediate championship, similar to Mitchels.
Tralee has a population double the size of Castlebar so not a like for like comparison.
@1969- Breaffy and Castlebar are very close to each other. The community game`s boundary for breaffy is actually right beside mchale park. Plenty of people from near the town play for Breaffy. As wideball said similar to Ardnaree with Ballina.
Islandeady is a similar distance to both Westport and Castlebar as Fossa is to Killarney. Ballintubber gets lots of players from Ballyheane which is not far from Castlebar. It`s not like there is one club in each of the big towns and none for 20km.
Joe G/all – latest pod, previewing Round 3 of the club Championships and more, went online earlier on for club members on Patreon. Mike, Ed and special guest John Casey are on this one.
Fossa gaa pitch and Spa gaa pitch are both within three kilometers of the centre of killarney town- hardly the same as Islandeady from Westport and Castlebar
1969 I see your points but would counter with following:
– the rural clubs players play soccer and rugby also. These are a draw in country as well as towns.
– how clubs set up to manage players to optimise playing time is key. Ballina won the junior A final this year, I think they togged about 30 players for final, and played about 7 of the senior team that played this year’s championship. Week after this they were in relegation play off, had about 17 togged one of whom was meant to have been brought out of retirement (from what a Local told me..)
– Ballina and Claremorris should be fielding 3 senior teams to maximise participation. Currently Knockmore, Castlebar and Westport only clubs doing so I think.
Wide ball, the system introduced a few years back for exclusive junior prevents that, Knockmore won junior A last year and in the aforementioned final this year. Winning is all they can do there is no going up to intermediate anymore, if Castlebar were to go down they can’t go back up. This is same system that sees the exclusive junior championship with many extremely one sided results.
WIde ball and JKEL88
You must never have been in Killarney with them comparisons.Firstly Fossa and Spa gaa clubs are both only 3kms from Killarney town centre there on the outskirts of the town if you were ever even down there.
Islandeady is 10km out the Westport road from Castlebar while Breaffy is 4.5km from Castlebar town centre.Castlebar and Breaffy are the one parish so it borders Ballintubber so that would make sense.
Claremorris Parish is very small in area, much smaller than the surrounding parishes. If the parish borders were properly adhered to than some of the Claremorris players would have to play for Hollymount/ Carramore and likewise Garrymore, some of their players are in other parishes.
The issue I see us that there are too many Senior clubs pulling from small parishes, ie, Mayo Gaels very close to Claremorris, Balla and Ballintubber.
Davitts, Garrymore and Hollymount, rural areas but small population, likewise, The Neale, Ballinrobe and Kilmaine.