We’re not yet safe but neither are we a spent force. Roscommon came into this afternoon’s League Division One match at a waterlogged Hyde Park seeking to bury us but instead we showed them the mountain they’ll have to climb if they really want to compete with the big beasts of Gaelic football. It was far from a perfect performance from us but it was in every sense a sweet, sweet win.
The barrage of commentary on social media in the hours (and days) leading up to today’s game about the Hyde Park pitch was, I have to admit, getting on my goat a bit this morning. Surely it couldn’t be that bad? And are we really that precious that we should be turning our noses up at playing a League match in March there?
Once I’d had a right look at the pitch myself, though, and, in particular after the match got underway on it, I could see what all the kerfuffle was about. A large volume of surface water was lying on the pitch and the longer the match went on, the more obvious it became that the bloody swamp was unplayable. There’ll be some crack next weekend if they make the Dubs line out on it.
Photo: MichaelMaye.com
From the off, we took to the atrocious conditions far better than our high-flying neighbours. We got a lock on the middle third right from the start and they hardly won a single ball in this area in the first half. As a result, the ball hardly entered our half of the pitch during the first quarter but our inability to turn this early dominance into scores soon had the large travelling support in the 12,000 or so attendance getting restless.
We were three points to the good after 15 minutes. Evan Regan got us going with a point from play, Robbie Hennelly thumped over a ’45 and Conor O’Shea then hit over a nice one from play. But with the wind at our backs it was the amount of chances we were squandering that was of growing concern. By half-time the wide count was up at nine.
Alan Freeman, who lined out at 12 instead of Conor Loftus (with Donal Vaughan starting instead of Shane Nally at wing-back the other change from the named 15) but went into full-forward with Aidan O’Shea playing at centre-forward, popped over a free to put us four clear.
A full 18 minutes were on the clock before the home side opened their account, a point from play by Conor Devaney. Conor O’Shea then went for goal when he probably should have been content with a white flag. From the resultant ’45 Robbie had the umpire reaching for that flag. Ciaran Murtagh and Freezer then traded pointed frees.
The Rossies got the better of things in the closing minutes of the first half. Another Murtagh free, followed by a point from play by the same player, cut our lead to just two points at the break. After the mauling they’d suffered out the field for virtually the entire half, Roscommon would doubtless have been delighted to be only two adrift at that stage. And they’d have the wind behind them in the second half as well.
Within a few minutes of the restart, though, we at last made all that dominance pay dividends. Alan Freeman’s placed ball opened our second half account and then Evan Regan bagged 1-1 inside a minute. The goal was a wonderful solo effort, albeit one that involved him overcarrying twice before he stuck the ball in the net. Here, judge for yourself:
@MayoGAA ‘s Evan Regan scoring a super solo goal against @RoscommonGAA today! #GAA #AllianzLeagues pic.twitter.com/B0gtDhDEPY
— Just GAA Things (@justgaathings) March 27, 2016
Paddy Durcan had replaced Donal Vaughan at the break and he followed up Evan’s pointed free with a nice point from play after a swift upfield move. Ger Cafferkey had limped off by then, though, with Stephen Coen coming on for him.
We continued to turn the screw. Another Evan free hoisted us nine clear and it looked then that we were going to emerge from this mudbath as the most decisive of victors.
Alan Freeman’s afternoon was ended with a black card – the incident occurred on the far side of the pitch, I’ve no idea what it was for – and Alan Dillon came on for him. A big roar had gone out around the place just before then when Cillian O’Connor made his first appearance of the year, replacing Conor O’Shea.
There was only 12 minutes of normal time left to play when Roscommon finally managed to get their first score of the second half but once they got going they quickly brought some life back into the proceedings. Sub Diarmuid Murtagh got that point and he got the goal just afterwards too, the Rossie support at last getting something tangible to shout about.
Now we were on the defensive. With our hold around the middle finally loosened, the home side poured forward in search of the scores they needed to pull the fat from the fire.
Further points into the hospital end – from Murtagh and Devaney – cut the gap back to just three. Time was up but with four minutes of injury time added on there was still time for a sensational denouement.
It didn’t come, though, as we once again steadied things around the middle and broke forward for one last attack of our own. Once again Evan Regan wriggled clear but this time he was floored within scoring range.
The Rossie support was already streaming from the ground as Cillian settled to take the free. The Ballintubber man proceeded to mark his very welcome return with a delicious outside of the boot strike to seal the four-point win.
With results elsewhere also going our way today, all of a sudden our chances of holding onto our Division One status looks a whole load better tonight. We’re still not there but our destiny is now firmly in our own hands and a win at home against already-relegated Down next Sunday should see us to safety.
I mentioned yesterday that above all what we needed to see today was a fully committed performance. Well, we certainly got that today with strong shifts put in all over the sodden pitch.
For me, chief among those were Robbie Hennelly, Ger Cafferkey (whom we really missed once he’d hobbled off), Colm Boyle, Paddy Durcan, Tom Parsons, Seamus O’Shea, Diarmuid O’Connor, Aidan O’Shea (great to see him operating to such effect further away from the opposition goal) and, in particular, Evan Regan.
It was great too to see Cillian O’Connor back in action once more – I’ve always maintained that we’re simply not the same team in his absence and with him back in action we’re going to be a whole load more potent in attack. And with Keith Higgins due back shortly, not to mention the reintegration of the Castlebar contingent, things are starting to look up for us as we head towards the summer. No, we’re not done yet. Far from it.
Mayo: Robbie Hennelly (0-2, ‘45s); Brendan Harrison, Ger Cafferkey, Chris Barrett; Lee Keegan, Colm Boyle, Donal Vaughan; Tom Parsons, Seamus O’Shea; Diarmuid O’Connor, Aidan O’Shea, Alan Freeman (0-3, frees); Evan Regan (1-3, two frees), Jason Doherty, Conor O’Shea (0-1). Subs: Paddy Durcan (0-1) for Vaughan, Stephen Coen for Cafferkey, Cillian O’Connor (0-1, free) for Conor O’Shea, Alan Dillon for Freeman (black card), David Drake for Diarmuid O’Connor, Jason Gibbons for Doherty.
Who was our MOTM against Roscommon?
- Evan Regan (39%, 218 Votes)
- Seamus O'Shea (27%, 147 Votes)
- Tom Parsons (9%, 50 Votes)
- Aidan O'Shea (5%, 26 Votes)
- Ger Cafferkey (3%, 18 Votes)
- Alan Freeman (3%, 15 Votes)
- Colm Boyle (2%, 13 Votes)
- Brendan Harrison (2%, 10 Votes)
- Diarmuid O'Connor (2%, 10 Votes)
- Lee Keegan (2%, 10 Votes)
- Chris Barrett (1%, 7 Votes)
- Robbie Hennelly (1%, 6 Votes)
- Alan Dillon (1%, 6 Votes)
- Jason Gibbons (1%, 5 Votes)
- Conor O'Shea (1%, 4 Votes)
- Paddy Durcan (1%, 3 Votes)
- Cillian O'Connor (0%, 2 Votes)
- Donal Vaughan (0%, 1 Votes)
- Jason Doherty (0%, 1 Votes)
- Stephen Coen (0%, 1 Votes)
- David Drake (0%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 554
Loading ...
Hello from sunny Russia! Here’s the permutations to my mind.
Dublin 12
Roscommon 8 +29
Kerry 8 +27
Donegal 6 +13
Cork 6 -11
Mayo 4 -12
Monaghan 4 -12
Down 0
Next fixtures
Mayo v Down
Cork v Kerry
Dublin v Roscommon
Monaghan v Donegal
Dublin are through first. Down are relegated.
If Monaghan lose, Mayo stay up. If Monaghan draw, Mayo must at least draw to be safe. If Monaghan win, Mayo must win to be safe.
If both Monaghan and Mayo win and Cork lose, we are safe.
If Monaghan, Mayo, and Cork win, then Mayo must better Monaghan’s result, unless the cumulative points wins for Mayo and Monaghan add up to 26, in which case Donegal will go down.
Mayo can reach the semi finals if Mayo, Kerry and Monaghan win (by less than we Down), and Mayo win by by 25 points minus whatever Monaghan would beat Donegal by.
Roscommon could miss the semi finals if they lose to Dublin by more than 2, and Donegal and Cork both win, with Cork having to beat Kerry by over 20 points.
In all likelihood, it will be Dublin, Roscommon, Kerry and Donegal in the semis, with Cork and Mayo to be safe and Monaghan and Down to go down. Mayo will stay up if they better Monaghan’s result.
Mayo win and they are safe. If cork win, we beat Monaghan on head to head. If cork lose, we beat them on scoring difference.
Took the 1:30 train from Dublin. It ran 5 mins late, rang the taxman who said he couldn’t take me due to massive crowds. Got out in Newbridge and made it back home just in time for throw in.
Great win, massive win actually. We bossed it big time and should have been out of sight by H/T, but we did create some good chances. Work rate and score taking brilliant in third quarter. Would be tolerant of the drop off after that, given the conditions (pitch looked appalling).
Great to see Regan get MOTM; great to see Aido chase him for it; great to see Cillian back; great to see Coen and Durcan looking confident. Lot of positives in that sentence!
Sweet victory. One of the sweetest considering our predicament. Roll on the summer and dry fields. These lads are going about things the right way.
Great win in horrid conditions, what a game, here come summer???
Great win but jaysis how do we always dominate and still end up hanging on by the skin of our balls at the end of matches
Win not necessarily safe if Donegal Monaghan Mayo all on 6 pts. Its explained by poster above. In that case head to head cannot be used as each of three has a head to head win.
Back in your box Rossies
Time to get back off that bandwagon national media
Only negative is we only won by 4 points
What a disgrace that pitch was!!!!
On another note. Credit where credit is due , well done to Maurice Deegan, his umpires and the lifeguards on the line.
Monaghan will not beet Donegal ! Donegal by 5 or 6 points Donegal will be out for revenge for Monahan beating them in the Ulster final and down has no hope of beating mayo ! Mayo by 10 or 11 points
Excellent performance from our men around the middle they really are a class above the rest and leaders too. Parsons Aido and seamie dominated and Keegan boyler and diarmid tided everything. That group really are top players in their positions and team leaders.
Inside freeman and Reagan showed well at times. Disappointed in regans misses from frees but hopefully with the confidence he gets from this display he can push on and get more confident and consistent.
The return of Cillian is massive and paddy durkan will be big player for us too.
Thought our fullback line were aggressive and everything you could want them to be.
Barrel and Harrison have them positions to loose. Caff was big loss when he went off.
Ya happy all round and looking forward to down game.
We needed to stay up hopefully we will do so and in blooding the new lads will be job well done.
Agreed, Roger. Mayo were by far the better team and should have been out of sight at half time. While it’s great to get the win, it’s still concerning that they still don’t seem to know how to properly put a match out of reach. That Roscommon goal shouldn’t have happened and we’ve seen that same goal being scored against Mayo many times. The wide count was atrocious too. They just won’t get away with this stuff against better teams.
Coen is a good passer but he doesnt seem to have Cafferkeys organisation n instincts.
Great to see Freeman back I thought he did very well and showed well for the ball all of a sudden things are looking up would be great to beat Roscommon in the U 21 match on Saturday
Delighted to have been proved wrong!
There’s life in the old dog yet.
While im delighted with the 2 points I just think we need to do alot better. Roscommon never even started today. It was like they were just cruising along. A team that had nothing to play for and we still only won by 4 points. Evan must have taken 10 steps for the goal and Diarmuid O could have been sent off for his kick. I just cant help but feel worried for when we meet Galway. I feel it in me waters as they might say. Has all the gloom of late rubbed off on me?
As I sa8d last night, there is a gulf in class between Mayo and Roscommon and we will not be worrying about them at the business end of the championship. Amazing how so many can doubt this team that have proven their class year in year out. It is going to be a long Summer!
Galway drew with Fermanagh in Tuam today mayomadness to put things into perspective, so am not sure where this great fear of Galway is coming from. Much better shape today with Freeman at FF and AOS at 11. Great to see COC back.
Team is beginning to pick itself. I see only two starting positions up for grabs.
Hennelly/Clarke
Higgins Caff Harrison/Barrett
Durcan Boyle Keegan
SOS Parsons
Kevin Mc AOS DOC
Regan Freeman COC
Fair play to Mayo – still alive and kicking!
Delighted Evan Regan showed what he is capable of. Fair play to SR. for sticking with him. He got his opportunity and took it today despite missed frees.
We really need to start converting our chances in a big way. Today we were 12 points a better team and yet we were under pressure towards the end.
I do wish AOS and SEamus would stop trying to hold onto posession at times when laying it off would be the better option. A small adjustment would make a world of difference and render both almost unmarkable. The big area of improvement for both is their decision making.
And great to see Cillian back. With McLoughlin and Higgins yet to come things are looking up.
Great win. I thought HYde Park had a big investment some years ago? Add the state of the pitch to the state of the toilets = Third World!
Incredible in this day and age!!
Two things I took from today.
1. Roscommons much vaunted forwards scored a total of 1-3 from play and before Caff went off we were terrorising them.
2. Aiden O’Shea, when played in his proper position and in form, is unmarkable. A few Rossies around me were in complete awe of him.
It wasn’t the complete performance but it’s only March, we got the win we needed and despite a late few late points taking the bad look off it for the Rossies, we bossed them off the field and they know it.
Onwards and upwards.
The margin should have been 17 pints. We really need to learn how to put a team away when we are coasting to victory midway through 2nd half. Instead we end up hanging on as the clock ticks into injury time. The final score makes it look like it was a tight game ffs.
Cillian should never have been risked on that skating ring of a pitch.
Anyway the 2 owl pints are in the owl bag and i expect 2 more next week against Down. That should keep us up now by the looks of things. Unless Monaghan beat Donegal by more than we beat Down. Very unlikely.
What a shithole, that place should be just forgot about till they invest in development .
Not goin to comment yet on players as I completely disagree with the sentiments on a certain player . I must of missed stuff
Good result delighted and proud as ever with this team , I fookin love them they are just relentless and pure balls.
As for Ross some classy forwards for sure that will shine from time to time but for the life of me I don’t know how they will compete for all Ireland’s type thing with no middle 8 whatsoever , very timid ladeens .
Surely the 21 final can’t go ahead in the Hyde ? It’s not right to ask lads to play on that pitch.
Well done today lads the much better side and Ye should have won by double figures. Referee was a joke to both sides but goal shouldn’t have stood with amount of steps taken and as mentioned O’Connor should have got the line ref prob gave him benefit of the awful conditions. Still positive enough as we have at least 6 starters to come back into the side and eventually our super management were found out by starting lads that wouldn’t make a few top club teams in the county and should never be let near the panel never mind first 15 I.e Purcell, McManus and kilroy
Great to get the 2pts and throw our Div 1 chances a lifeline. However, only managing to win a game like that by a mere two scores with ~ 70% of the possession still underlines our lack of killer instinct up front. Plenty to be working on over the coming months but a good day today nonetheless.
Sean, I think we could have a meeting of minds on that one player. If it’s the one, i always thought he could be great, but, today, slipping, sliding, losing the ball, etc, etc. he really did nothing. I was hugely disappointed in him. Ringing any bells??
Joe Mc – it was his first appearance of the year on a pitch that was utterly unplayable. I’d hold off on rushing to judgment if I were you.
Great to see us continue our dominance against the overhyped Rossies today. That’s our eighth win in a row against them in league and championship going back 15 years and I think something like our 15th win in 16 games against them going back 25 years – an incredible record against our supposed rivals.
We’re also on eight in a row against Galway. Looking forward to extending both records during the summer – I wonder has there ever been a similar period of dominance by one team in Connacht football?
Repeating myself, but the win today was massive. Rossies can say, rightly, they weren’t really up for it, but we were and how it showed.
All teams have kicked Down in the ass, so now it’s our turn. Other teams would love to be in our position entering the last game. It’s in our hands.
Looking at the RTE highlights (terribly superficial programme that), Coen, though he did well otherwise, was found wanting big time for Murtagh’s goal. Overall, I feel our defence has become a lot tighter; not perfect, but a lot better.
I’d say Rochford has played this league like a kerryman really – just doing enough to keep us up and we have seen a fair amount of young talent throughout all the games.
On top of that he put a fair shot across the bow of HMS Roscommon with a view to later in the year. Well happy with that.
RE Roscommon goal – thought it got a deflection of the defenders foot which may have deceived Hennelly .
i had a question mark over Regan but he did very well today, Freeman was a big improvement in the forwards and tracked back well. Aidan seemed to out of steam in the last quarter but will improve when he gets fit. Doherty had his jersey held for the full match and his man got away with it. We need to improve in our attacking game. Some very bad decision making and bad wides, Seamus and Aidan need to release the ball quicker at times.
Congrats to all and I especially hail E Regans stepping up….a class act.
All in all not a bad days work in the paddyfield. I am glad that we will keep division one
status by the look of it. You need to be mixing it with the big boys week in week out in
order to really know where you`re at. It has not been a vintage year so far but we might
have turned a corner. It`s not I know the end– or the beginning of the end but as Mr
Church once said- it is the end of the beginning.
Great victory today. Well done to all involved. Great to see Cillian back as well.
Need to win and put up a big score next week to guarantee staying up as if Monaghan win as well (and they need to, to have any chance) it will be a points difference and not head to head that decides it.
I can’t believe for a minute that the Rossies weren’t up for it today – i think they were just so far outclassed that it ended up looking that way. Any Ros team will be desperate to win a game against Mayo because none of them have ever done it at senior level.
Even more so with the two Mayo men in charge. It must hurt them to have to go up against their own county knowing they’d much rather be in the other dugout. But if anything that will drive them on even more to prove a point – for that reason I can’t believe they’d have had their team anything other than fully primed for this one. But with a midfield as far off the pace as theirs is they’re pissing into the wind for the foreseeable future I think.
I didn’t think O’Connor should have been sent off. I was right in front of it & he was 100 percent going for the ball
Ok hold my hands up I was proved incorrect . However in my defence everything was going against us results wise and so comming up against a team going for five on the trot was always going to be difficult.
However they really proved them selves today on a pitch that was simply unplayable . I’m sure the rosssies kit bag includes snorkels and flippers . One out of two ain’t bad hers to two out of three against them in the championship. As well as staying up .
Proud of Durken , o’ sheas parsons and many others roll on Sunday . Now this time i believe.
need to look at putting Higgins and Durcan up front also delivery to FF line needs to be a lot better
Freeman nailed some far from easy frees and laid off ball well. He also won a 30:70 ball back to setup Lee Keegan for a goal chance. Freeman usually has to stick 1-2 to get any credit. His workrate never counts of course. Shave his head and get a tattoo would be maybe a good idea for him.
He is 6’2″ so he couldnt hold his feet when cutting. Regan is 5’9 and hence could cut while keeping his balance better.
I think like poster above only one position left at corner back where I would try Kevin Keane.
Higgins Cafferkey Harrison/Barrett lacks size and power. Dublin or Donegal or Kerry could cause us trouble. Higgins Cafferkey Keane has a nice balance to it.
It looks apparent that the returnees will solidify this team big time.
AOS Parsons SOS is potentially the best midfield in the country. They just need to move the ball quicker. Also it seemed second half we only attacked up the right wing. We were pinning ourselves in too tight to the sideline.
Need crossfield passes with the boot to open uo space.
Did anyone think Durkan was impressive? Fair play to him. He must have had a nightmare few weeks. He is the Mayo we know.
Great Win a lot of positives, thought P Durcan made a huge difference in the first 15mins of the second half.
Caff is huge for us, we looked all at sea when Coen came on.
Seamus was a tower of strength. Evan really upped his game. Aido had his best 70mins this year
Hats off. Good stuff , and yes, Roscommon were up for it so all in all, a good days work. Rossie goal seemed to deflect under someone’s studs thus deceiving our keeper.
Happy with the result..very happy..all over them and should have been out of sight in the 20th minute but God forbid that would have been too easy! Glad we have abandoned the idea of o shea up front..he’s a beast..
Well that’s that. Mayo are still here. The Messiah is back in the box. There is along way to go. That was a huge win for Mayo. Roscommon are a real good side but were not good enough for the might of Mayo. We should have annihilated them but our dominance did not show up on the scoreboard. A win is win. Let’s wipe our feet and move on. I have no doubt that we will meet again. If he was real, a god would love a trier. I wish my neighbours well and they showed great class in their comeback attempt. Too little too late and then time ran out. The Rossie management helped our cause and long may it continue.
Nice to be spoilt for choice in defence so much so I would seriously consider pushing leeroy or Higgins into the no 12.
Fullback line today ticks all the boxes then add keane cunniffe Higgins it’s really strong.
Our best halfback line is Keegan Boyle durkan but again so many more options in Vaughan drake eoin o relliy not to mention mc hale we have great options.
Our centre field is as good as in the country as is 2 of our half forwards in doc and aos and inside Cillian is also top class so if other can hit form around them and we box smart by having a player like leeroy or Higgins play 12 I think we are looking strong
It’s up to likes of mcloughlin doh Andy freeman to put their hands up again as despite all their heroics of the past they have a lot to prove now.
Conor o Shea Loftus regan are the future and have done well and are moving nicely.
Carolan Dillon Sweeney are fighting for a place in the squad so there is competition everywhere
Pitch and the whole Hyde in general a disgrace, right down to the tea making facilities. Connacht council need to step in and move the U21 game. A joke if a connacht final is allowed to go ahead in that sorry excuse for a football field.
Very harsh by people here regarding freezer, out of order in my book. People crying out for him the last two weeks. For his first game back in atrocious conditions, he acquitted himself well on the pior enough ball going into the forward line.
AOS & midfield go together, end of.
Ros have nice forwards but no midfield, that is why we will win in Connacht final again this year. SOS was colossal, dominated the middle.
Its only march, lot of time to improve for the summer.
I love playera who run direct at for goal. Stephen Coen,Duirmuid O Connor and Durkin Id love to see more of this.
Great game ,great result.
Same problem as ever with the wides though, should have really put ros away by half time. Seamus had a really impressive game as did Regan.
Looking forward to summer now onwards and upwards..by the way Jp Regan isn’t 5″9 , I know him well ,I’m 5 9 and he’s a few inches taller than I am, maybe 5″11 touching 6ft.
You know we can take things for granted. The ros lads besides me were saying wow three sons playing for one team and three proper men in seamie and Aidan. They were impressed with Conor’s movement pace agility and kicking. You know we have set the bar very high for these trio but they are cracking players and with a bit more sharpness in the fitness and they will be hard to ply against.
They were also in awe of boyler diarmid and leeroy.
I really liked Stephen Rochford’s interview after the game. Very understated and thoughts were only of next weeks game against Down. There was no talk about having got one over the Rossies.
What I loved about Evan Regan today was that he kicked one point with his right boot, scored points with his left boot, had a punched effort saved and took his goal really well with a great low shot to the back of the net. That’s what you want to see.
Fair play to Kerry with their win today. That result was great for us. You couldn’t really have asked for the results to go any better for us today, Cork didn’t put up a really big score either against Down.
Two disappointments today were the goal that we conceded along with us not taking our chances. We really need to have more of a Fort Knox like mentality in terms of guarding our goals. Teams should be made to work a lot harder to score goals against us, as in the way Kerry prevented Aidan O’Shea from scoring a goal two weeks ago.
Lee Keegan shutdown Cathal Cregg today. That was important.
Going through the lines.
Hennelly had his best game. Good under high ball and very good kickouts.
Full backline I think would struggle with Brogan Andrews Costelloe. It needs a scary presence and that is Kevin Keane at corner back.
Half backline is Keegan Boyle Durcan and it worked well.
We played with three midfielders. It worked well.
Half forwards Diarmuid very good, Jason Doherty quiet.
Full forward line Regan Freeman Cillian could work on this evidence.
That is a team with a lot of size and experience. I think Kevin McGloughlin will return.
Bench currently lacks forwards that would put fear in the opposition.
Now, that was a satisfying day out. Not perfect, but highly enjoyable. Frustrating though to see us concede a significant lead yet again to leave ourselves in the position where a single score could have cost us the win.
Good to see Regan stepping up and showing what he is capable of. I was certain he had overcooked that ball for the goal; I hadn’t reckoned with his sheer confidence in front of the posts. Steps or no steps, it was an absolute peach, top class. Delightful to rewatch it and I hope it grows his confidence so that there are a few more moments like that this year.
Diehard I agree with you about O’Sheas. They both have a tendency to hold on to the ball and it slows the game and frustrates momentum. Though to be fair I thought both of them did well today, Seamie in particular. Aidan looked far pacier than he has to date, and unmarkable at times.
I haven’t read many critical comments of Freezer above Mayomad, am I missing something? I agree and thought he did grand today in harsh conditions.
I thought at the time Diarmuid could have walked for that reckless tackle too, but I was assured after the game that he was going for the ball – didn’t catch the highlights so will reserve judgement on it for now.
Nice to see everyone gradually getting back to fitness. Cillian got a great reception when he came on, and he looked sharp enough for a man that’s seen no game time this year. Paddy Durkan shows great promise – he’s tough and not afraid to score, though there was one instance today where I thought he should have taken on the shot himself instead of laying it off. Parsons’ work rate today was excellent.
I know we had a lot of wides today, but upon reflection I think I was happier to see the lads taking on the shots from further out rather than overkilling the ball in attack as happens so often (that said, I’m aware that had we lost my tune would probably be different).
I hope Ger isn’t gone for long, though some game time for Keane next week might be no harm either.
The pitch was nothing short of a joke; but I’ve just watched Tyrone and Armagh on Setanta and the pitch in Omagh looked just as bad if not worse. They might make our U21s play in the Hyde on Saturday but I would be amazed if the Dubs have to play on it. Regan went down at one point and I thought he would have to be pulled out of the hole with a rope.
A lot done today, more to do, as they say. But any day you beat the Rossies is a good one so I’m going for a pint of the black stuff to celebrate. Happy Easter everyone.
Happy for Regan to get awarded MOM as he really had a cut at it today in horrible conditions. The 3 OS’s played very well though Conor had eased off the gas before substitution. Seamus was very strong in possession and despite what some say here thought Aido did offload quickly enough most of the time today as there would nearly always be 2 Rossies hanging off him. Both elder OS’s did a dog load of work.
Cillian looked to have real class to him in his Cameo and Freeman was clever in shielding hard won balls winning somel frees. Doherty was the quietest forward today.
In the backs Donie was fairly good but Durkan really adds momentum when playing. Rossies goal probably did have deflection but they definitely looked more dangerous with Caff off.
Diarmaid had knee in ice at the end probably from giving yer man an unmerciful kick (trying for ball but timing well off).
Delighted leaving the park today.
I thought mayo were very impressive. They were extremely comfortable on the ball on a bad pitch. In my opinion we totally outclassed the rossies.
Also, not sure I fully agree with some posters. I thought AOS moved the ball on pretty quickly and often from very tight positions.
They have obviously been working on the quick ball into the forwards, but on today’s pitch, it just skidded over the end line. On another day could have been very effective.
Anyway
Very happy
Much much better performance……….I echo comments about why do we still not drive on and close these games out……..a bit worrying with the Ross resurge late-on but when we went to 4-up that was the insurance point we needed.
Two observations I’d make:
– Given the conditions, it was so heartening to see that for the whole game all of our
lads were doggedly determined and brave when going down for ball lifts, and with
short accurate offloads…..brilliant to see that persistent, focused style of play at last,
this year. As one poster said above, they bossed Ross around for a lot of that game.
I smiled to myself when I saw that, particularly when the “Ross to boss – Mayo to
doss” banner came up on the TV !
– I thought Freeman gave a very honest account of himself for a first-time back.
From the off he was committed, went for everything and showed great determination.
As they say ‘…..it’s only the League’…..but given our proud long unbroken record in Div 1, I’m one of those who wants that to be maintained……and get to Croker in Sept as well.
*Regan rather*
The best part is the bench is getting better game by game. #optionscomesummer
One disappointing area is we were only 2 up at half time despite wind and almost 100% possession for first 25.
Letting that strong 2nd half lead be cut probably a result of subbing on lesser players but we’d be mighty embarrassed if we lost an 8 point lead.
Thankfully the 15 at the end had enough fight.
A 10 point win would be fairer reflection but it’s slowly coming together.
I think Higgins will replace Doherty come summer and play as a free role sweeper.
I think opposition these days fall back. So you can get your sweeper out of yer six backs. If we’re going to play three midfielders with two tracking half forwards we cant play a sweeper. We wont have enough attacking threat. We do need an inside line that can punish for the posession we win.
Ann-Marie, a couple of posters criticising an unnamed player. Im pretty sure it was Freezer they were refering to. They were rightly reprimanded by the ever vigilant WJ.
Agreed mayomad
Big game for freezer today. Thought he did well, was strong and offloaded effectively.
Let him build up his confidence and I’m sure he can be a good asset.
First half long ball football VS second half low ball/running game.
Can we please, please see more of the latter again?
Delighted to bits today. Paddy Durcan is absolutely class and he made a huge difference when he came on for the second half.
Kevin Mc and Keith H to come back. Cillian, both Alans and Andy to sharpen up. Not looking too shabby at all at all!
Defensively, we kept them scoreless til the 18th minute in the first half and the 23rd in the second. A daft goal (from our point of view obviously!) conceded after Ger went off, in my mind, flattered the Rossies. They were always going to get their patch of dominance but we managed it very well in the end and finished out the 4 mins of injury time with great composure.
We need to improve our possession/score ratio but I feel we will when we have a full pick.
Delighted!
PS the pitch was pathetic. I can’t see how it will take 2 games next weekend.
Firstly, the Hyde is an absolute disgrace and game should never have been played there. I think today showed the gulf in class once again. Couldn’t believe how small the rossies were. We hammered them physically. They are nowhere near us. I love how Harrison has made his stamp on the team too. Great to see Cillian back. Much more confidence up front when he’s on the field. Our midfield is superb. The Rossies have a poor midfield and a poor back line. We completely dominated all over. With Higgins to come back in there too, I fancy our chances. I’d be more worried about Galway in the championship than the rossies. Good overall display. Some mistakes but it was refreshing to see that we are still a good bit ahead of them. Well done Evan Regan. He was brilliant today. I’m one of his worst critics but he showed today how much he wants to be there. That was the win we needed to let us know we are still ahead but also to silence the rossies. It was sweet ?
Mayo mark. 3games scheduled there next weekend, minors on first on saturday. As much as I would like to see some Dub players take a bath like Harry did today in second half, it is a total joke that any game is allowed to play there. Serious risk of injury, amazed the ref did not call it off. There were lads with forks trying to release lakes of water ffs
-Good result today, Mayo were in a no nonsense mood and played accordingly.
-Rossies were nervous and should have been beaten out the floodgates by half time with all of our possession.
– Regan must have eaten fire at half time because his aggression was noticeable early in second half and it paid off and I think that performance will give him a confidence boost.
-Diarmuid was the victim of a trailing leg in the first few minutes, I would need to see it on TV but it was a stamp and a ugly one at that as far as I could see. Now I maybe wrong just wondering if anyone else noticed it.
-Pitch was not playable and it is a disgrace that the game was not moved so what if it left egg on the faces of Roscommon GAA. Players were in danger of serious injury and that is not good enough. Even the walkways around the pitch were water logged.
Well, that didn’t turn out too bad despite all the “woe is us” crying beforehand. I did suspect myself that the donkey which took the field in Markievicz and Brewster Park last summer couldn’t have been transformed into a derby winner in a few months, even by the McStay/McHale combo.
Regards the misses in the first half it is always more difficult to play with that strong wind which invariably tales the ball further than is intended. Then add the sodden surface which meant that the ball skidded off it at a rate of knots while it was impossible for a player to turn quickly to collect it.
Regan may have taken a bit extra in taking his goal but you can bet that there will be forwards who will get away with a hell of a lot more before the year is out.
I think criticism of any player in those conditions today is unfair but criticism of Alan Freeman are unjust the lad is just back from injury it’s his first game back and I think he done well i have been critical of Evan Regan in the past and got black carded for it but fair play he impressed today and can definetly add to the team
Fair play to the lads for the win which I never doubted. Every player put in a shift and I was glad to see freezer have a good game and regan. It’s plain as day that we need to have a more coherent attacking plan. We should have been out of sight in the first half. We simply won’t get away with that against the bigger boys! The defence has def tightened up but we still let in a soft goal again today!Am I the only one who thinks that Clarke should be starting in goal? I know Robbie is there for his frees in cillians absence but he only gets about 2 out of 5 and he really isn’t good enough at his primary job of keeping the ball out of the net!
You can tell from the reaction of most here that there was a lot of concern going into the game today. The reality is our performance was only ok, no more. A 6 out of 10. We kicked far too many balls wide. 2 points up at HT with a strong wind in our backs. We got a goal which should have been disallowed. Fact is, Roscommon never got going. You could say they weren’t allowed to and credit must go to our team for that but I think their already secured semi final spot caused them to approach today with far less intensity and focus in comparison to our lads and ultimately that was the difference. I spoke with a well known recently retired Roscommon player this eve who’s said it was ‘the perfect result/performance’ for them, takes the hype away and in short, they never showed up and yet they were still in it with a few mins to go.
The attitude of our players today was v good but another big lead thrown away. I’m a ‘it’s only the league’ believer, so I’m happy to think our lads felt the job was done, let’s take the foot off etc.
Ros will be much better in the summer. We need to be too. Let’s face it and not fool ourselves, our attacking performance today was not good, so when the relief and satisfaction of winning subsides and we look at the stats, we’ll realise that there’s still a lot to improve on.
Good to see the minors get a win.
Next wknd is the u21 final. I’d urge all of you to rally the troops and get to the game to support the team. Not that many went to carrick on Shannon.
Regans best game by a mile, really is improving. Would like for him to get his head up more when in possession but that will come with experience. Looking forward to seeing him on firm ground as he looks like he has real pace.
Well done to Stephen and the Team, delighted to see Alan and Cillian back. It was a real pressure game for the Team and the Management. We should not have conceded the goal and I firmly believe that Management need the addition of a Forwards coach (Kerry have Mikey Sheehy and Dublin have Jason Sherlock). Roscommon and Galway will be hard beaten this summer,no complacency,one game at a time.
I’m glad people are starting to see the potential Regan has . Seanie mac is legendary as a solid marker ,Regan skinned him , hard fast dry ground he could be a killer corner forward. I liked his free off the ground , thought he should of persisted , such a stylish flow to it . Cillian will be some boost , anyone think he looks even more bulked up than ever . Aido did brilliant as did all around the middle . Jason doc is not himself , he had tackling mastered 14& last year it seems to of gone missing so far this year , his timing is out and he needs a confidence boost .
NiallMc, dont see the probem with Robbie today. Long range frees today were a lottery, his distribution was spot on, plucked a few high balls from under the cross bar. Def not at fault for the goal. Rob had a good game.
Just curious, but is there any chance we could make a semi final? I remember a few years ago on the last day of the league we could have been relegated or semi finalists depending how results went.
Welcome to division one Roscommon. You want to mess with the big boys you better tool up as talk and hype will only get you so far.
Completely outmuscled in the middle third where they were bet up a stick, bar a ten minute period. Outran and outworked throughout and these were the lads bragging on about 6 weeks head start in S&C!! It certainly didn’t look it out there today, particularly in the terrible underfoot conditions.
Regans pick up on the run was pure class, outpaced his marker on the outside and had the upper body strength to hold him off, left two Rossies on their arses and had eyes only for goal. True, got lucky with the steps, but, you make your own luck at this level. Anyone doubting that lads ability or confidence would want to watch that goal again.
Monaghan to beat Donegal, Kerry to beat Cork and we hammer Down to overturn a 25 point difference. Semi final spot is a bit of a reach.
I have been thinking of the structure of the team for a while and based on the personnel at the disposal Mayo should line out with 7 defenders and 5 attackers. Team should be
Goal: Hennelly
Full Back Line: Barrett, Cafferky and Harrison
Half Back Line: Keegan, Boyle, Durcan with Higgins as Sweeper operating between Full Backs and Half Backs.
Mid: Parsons and SOS
Half Forwards: DOS, AOS and Doherty
Full: Regan & COS
This structure and team frees Keith Higgins from the burden of direct marking and from it he count pose serious questions with his attacking runs, knowing the cover is there if he or others from Half Backs go forward. Also it is keeping some of our best athletes, Donal Vaughan and McLoughlin in reserve for later in game when strong runners are needed, particularly if playing likes of Dublin.
Cant understand any criticism of Aido.He was massive and is the heartbeat of the team.
Delighted with everything but tendency to concede goals.Still serious win on so many fronts.
We still have a long time to go to championship and we need to play out of our skin next week.Down will not want to lose every single game and will have nothing to lose.
We wont have DOC because of u21 so an opportunity for others.
Paddy in Dublin………
No Cillian or McLoughlin????? Don’t think so!
Sorry Diehard, I meant Cillian in Full Forward line, typo error, COC instead of COS, keep McLoughlin in reserve, we falter in latter stages of matches v Dublin, you need guys coming off the bench in Croke Park to cover ground and I think Vaughan and McLoughlin can do it.
Paddy – I was thinking about it earlier and, weirdly, came up with an almost identical team.
The 7-5 backs-forwards split is the way to go I think. Harrison and Durcan look to have deservedly earned their places in the backs, plenty of good subs there if needed. Higgins to get a free role sweeping across the defence.
In the forwards we have four nailed on starters in the two O’Connors, AOS and Regan. I would probably go with McLoughlin for his work rate to complete the forward line with Andy to come off the bench, but there’s room for a bolter from the under 21s or someone like Conor O’Shea to take that last place if they step up between now and the summer.
We certainly have the players to go close, hopefully we also now have the management to bring the best out of them.
Rossies are like Galway- nice scoring forwards if that are let play and given time to play.
Mayo team very aggressive today with high tempo (for the month of March).
Think D.O’C could be a good scoring forward but is being used more for defensive duties at the moment.
Harrison best in corner at the moment. Not sure about playing Leeroy or Higgins in half forward line as need more scoring threat…. Loftus and Kevin Mc will be better options come summer on dry pitches.
Taking in to account we are 4 months away from from championship proper, I think our defense look like they have made the most required improvement – as long as it is not at the cost of scoring forwards. We can’t have D. O’C running the legs off himself covering the defense when we need him up field scoring.
Rochford’s game plan will work as long as we can play accurate ball in to our forward line and the midfield move the ball quick enough.
Forward line need to be converting more the 25%-30% of chances.
Looks like another long summer…!!
Ya Rob and David is an interesting one . I like both and do think that David should get a start against the Down men . I’m sure it would be 50/50 with him taking frees anyway should he even try ?
Well done to the lads on that win and to management.
A very good display by Evan and I too noticed his physicality – he handled himself very well, showing his strength. That is a real plus to see along with his skill and he has bedded into the team nicely indeed. Definite incremental improvements overall from the team. They played more like a team today. Keep it going Mayo.
Keep the feet on that ground at the same time everyone. Still woeful first half shooting.
On a separate note, I saw a little of Paul Murphy, Kerry, today on TV and he is definitely my bet for Player of the Year. At 150/1, you heard it here first, folks.
This was a really great day.
Can I ask if we solo the ball too much instead of letting it off as soon as possession is
gained?? We too often run into traffic and loose momentum.
Also do some posters need to use so much coarse and vulgar language ?
Again ,a great day
I have been saying it for a while that I am convinced we have some of the best players in the country, we have some tremendous players, some of the best players Mayo have ever produced and maybe we should look at what we have and use them a bit better.
I feel that Keith Higgins should be deployed further out the field and not be confined to a marking job in the Full Back line. He is a tremendous talent and would be a serious threat going forward and this is why I feel we should play with 7 defenders as such. We have such talent in the half back line and I think we should try and accomodate them all, Keegan, Boyle, Durcan and use Higgins in the free role. It would remove the ‘shackles’ from him and I think it could be the difference for Mayo. I think Keith Higgins would not mind it either.
How come you guys (Paddy and Declan) dont consider Freeman for a forward position?
I thought he was good today, and takes some worry out of the free taking.
Sorry Willie Joe. I am not really having a go at him, just a bit disappointed!!
I have always been a fan of his and i suppose in my own mind i was willing him to do well. I really hope he does and i would give him every chance. I have always felt he has great potential..Yea, i am a bit unfair!!! Sorry.
Though Freeman added something different today which we were missing the last few weeks . Harrison has impressed me in the league this year and should definitly start summer. Midfield’s built the solid platform today which allowed us to dictate preceding and will be needed later on in the year. With the likes of Higgins and others to come back we will give it a right go this year
I have no problem with Freeman atall, I am thinking more about the overall structure of the team (7 backs/5 forwards). That could mean a Full Forward line of COC and Freeman or COC and Regan,
Another example of Regans ability, look at his finish for the goal, low and hard and the most difficult save for a keeper to make. Contrast that with Dohertys effort v Kerry where it was chest high and aimed AT the keeper as opposed to wide of him. Regan and Loftus are more natural finishers and both, in my opinion, have moved ahead of Doherty this year. Having Cillian and Regan in the front six gives you free takers from both sides of the pitch and, surprisingly, increases options in goal as we now no longer need consider Hennellys free taking in the decision making process for keeper selection. That can now come down to pure goal keeping ability.
Thought Barry and Dillon helped steady things in those final minutes. We’re going grand and feel there’s a big performance in us for next weekend.
Paddy, playing with 7 backs makes sense as we have alit of talent in those positions. Zippys pace would be a good asset going forward. Its horses of course as sometimes a sweeper is not required and is actually taking away from the attack, eg no need for a sweeper v Tyrone as they usually play with only 4 forward(or less). Having a strong bench comes into play here as you need options for the opposition in front of you.
The game went as i expected as 9 times out of ten the team that needs and wants the win more will win. I predicted a 2 point win won by 4 and probably deserved to win by 8 however to be outscored from play by a side you dominated over the 70 mins is concerning stat to take out of that game. Probably got the rub of the green on the Regan goal too many steps from my view but should again that led was deserved at the time. The pitch was in a poor state however i don’t think any pitch would be good with the amount of rain Roscommon got over the last 24hrs and that included a thunder downpour at lunchtime. TBH i have seen games called off for less.
I think a win against winless Down will secure safety for Mayo next Sunday and from that improvement will be needed before the championship starts especially the shooting department.
I really feel that the Management need to remove the ‘Shackles’ from Keith and give him the free role. I feel at times he is wasted in the Full Back Line. Obviously if you need him to do a job for 15/20 minutes, move him back but at least try this and see what happens. He is too good a player to spent all his career in Full Back line when its quite obvious he could be better deployed elsewhere.
any day you bate the Rossies is indeed a good one Ann Marie and I have had one or two to celebrate. I have to admit that I voted for a Rossie win, I really thought they would put it up to us but i think the condition of the pitch didn’t suit their players. well done Mayo, I thought that aIdan is much better outfield and Evan did well enough, a lot of wides again but not overly concernedat this point.
Just as regards comments about Roscommon forwards, I’ve been told that they were missing two of their full forward line and their replacements weren’t very good
@PaddyInDublin
James Horan tried him as a forward
Since my last post c.10.30 pm I have spoken to a lot of GAA fans [none Roscommon or Mayo] who admired Regan’s goal. Most wondered where we had got him from. But nobody mentioned steps which, as I previously said, persuades me that there will be more serious overcarrying ignored before the year is done. Probably by a Dub or Kerryman.
Going on the RTE website and allowing for the late hour I reckon a league semifinal place is on the cards after next Sunday if Monaghan can beat Donegal and Kerry beat Cork.
The position now is as follows [with possible after next Sunday in brackets]
Dublin 12 pts, + 27; [14 pts, if they beat Rosc]
Kerry 8 pts, + 27; [10 pts if they beat Cork]
Roscommon 8 pts, +25 [8 pts, 10 if they beat Dubs]
Donegal 6 pts, + 13 [8 if they beat Monaghan]. Those four look the most likely top 4 as now.
Cork 6 pts, – 11 [8pts if they beat Kerry]
Mayo 4 pts, – 12, [6 pts if they beat Down]
Monaghan 4 pts, – 12, [6 pts if they beat Donegal.
So if Donegal and Cork both lose and Mayo win by a bigger margin than Monaghan we are in the semis against Dublin. I’m not sure that that is desirable at this stage but it seems to me that, as the Yank says, is how the cookie crumbles. Of course if we were to lose to Down we would be very much in the relegation quagmire with Monaghan.
Looking at that table again it would seem likely that Cork [if they beat Kerry] or Donegal, even if they lose to Monaghan, would go through based on their scoring difference of currently plus 13 compared to minus 11 [Cork] or minus 12 [Mayo or Monaghan]
Fair play to Mayo today, I was cold in the Hyde and the pitch was terrible. I know we had plenty of rain this last 4 or 5 days but before that e
we had 10 days dry weather, what must it have been like in the really bad weather. 1 Better chance of playing water polo I’d say. Plenty to improve on today. Midfield was far superior to what Rossi had to offer. I personally taught the Freezer done great work today. He didn’t get great ball by any means (which is a problem we need to iron out) but be fought like a dog for possession, in terrible conditions, won most of what was possible to win and tracked back to great effect. Fair play to Hennelly too, he had a good day at the office. Better than most of ye know, Solita won the 4,50 at Fairyhouse at 13/2 in a 50K handicap. For me hard to choose between SOS, Regan, and Tom and Parsons I go with Regan. Now let’s not blow it, start the Freezer at 14,V Down.
We are not scoring big totals. Hence the idea of picking Keith Higgins as a 7th defender might not work. Yesterday defensive numbers or volume of posession was not the problem.
If you played Keith Higgins as a 7th defender yesterday we would be short on forward threat.
Play AOS Parsons SOS in the middle.
Diarmuid and Kevin McGloughlin on the wings.
Inside line:
Cillian Freeman Regan.
Off bench to wing forward Conor OShea/Conor Loftus.
Off bench to inside line Andy +U21 bolter.
That is how I think will play out.
AndyD – one of the reasons that I was a bit frustrated with yesterdays winning margin not reflecting our dominance was that, had we won by the double digit margin that we had at one point been heading towards, then our task next Sunday would have become much more achievable in making the semis should Donegal lose to Monaghan. Only a double digit win for Monaghan next Sunday would bring our task on the bounds of doable – but this is not going to happen. So lets just hope we get a repeat performance from our lads to secure Division 1 for 2017.
I had a quick rewatch this morning of game.
We were moving the ball past their 45 in less passes than last season.
When we did this we opened up the defence.
When we had more passes they were better set with numbers.
AOS SOS Parsons were releasing the ball quickly I have to say.
We miss Keith Higgins deep in our defence actually as he reduces the number of passes to get free and moving away from our own goal.
We got a bit bottled up at times especially tight to the sidelines.
Conor OShea was playing with his head up.
Regans first score shows how close control his soloing is.
Heavy rain promised for Friday . There is no way the under 21 final should be played in Hyde park . It’s genuinely not right to ask players to play there apart from the water sitting on it , it’s a dreadful pitch there are dips and holes in it all over . Thirty plus subs to take to the field in what could be the biggest game in some cases there lives ,they deserve better.
Posters very happy indeed…never heard such gushing.What happened poor ould Ros at all? As someone said
‘ welcome to the big time’! They looked like a very poor outfit for most of the game and if they don’t find something against the Dubs they ll be anniaiated absolutely.
We were very sharp on pickups and ball handling generally and at times it was men and boys stuff.However we had to spoil it all by pretty poor attempts at scoring…..diabolical I should say.Will we ever get away from this shocking failure?And I’m answering myself as I write ..Cillian and Regan and so and so will make all the difference….it ll be grand when the time comes…alright on the night! That’s been heard before for as long as I can remember!
Someone said we need a forwards coach!!!!Well,it goes without saying but surely they have this….is nt it embassassingly obvious to al that we ll be caught up short when it really matters again down the line.
What’s wrong?? With all the running that’s done we find that we lose our heads when we get near the idea of taking a score.all thise attempts yesterday flash before my eyes. Most often they re not quite halfhearted but they don’t come from conviction or confidence.Ive said it before and again I’ll say it…wrong timing, wrong angles,passing not fast enough to make a man free and in advantaged position. Of course it’s not easy I know but it has to be brought into our game if we re to reach our true potential….and then the world is our oyster!
An example….DOC coming in from right wing on graveyard goal..shoots and ball deflected for 45 of Vaughans man because V ran across his path…got in his way….shouldn’t have been there at all…..ffs.
Cruyffe was talking about simplicity and how hard it is to achieve and he was right. What’s making the job complicated and ineffectual is our tendency to overplay the ball…not get it on faster…they re all at it…it’s the easier option…it’s the first option.What we need is the right option and that is “”simply””” much closer support for players on the ball going forward ESP nearing scoring times…Much smarter offloading…give and go…play your markers out of it…Everyone can see it but you have to make it happen. And this doesn’t debar fellas going on individual runs at times or kicking long passes or taking out the field shits. It’s all in the game but u have to gain the confidence to enable yourself to do these things with clinical efficiency and not be ending up with twelve or fourteen wides in the game.
That’s my Monday morning rant out of the way…sorry I took up so much space but….jeeez! ‘Twas a great day out yesterday and it seems it ll be a long time before this bunch of Rossies will cause us any great worries no matter who is in charge of them.
What difference a day makes, yesterday morning alot were worried about relegation now thoughts of a semi final place. We are not going to the semi finals, at this stage of the teams development we are not in the position to rake up the score required, Down will be awkward enough and wont want a beating and if we open up to much chasing scores it could leak to an embarrassing situation. Plus I cant see monaghan donegal.
Regarding steps for Regans goal, not an issue for me, sure he should be granted a couple extra steps on a day you cant hop a ball.
Next sunday I am hoping for a solid performance, more game time for freezer and Cillian, not conceeding a goal. Then its roll on the Championship.
No way will Hyde park be playable next weekend so what are the alternatives. Small enough support at Leitrim game but expect larger crowd for a Connacht final so would kiltoom be suitable. Don’t think a Connacht final would be played in Longford in Leinster. would it be carrick or any chance it would be Castlebar
Done deal, agree that the pitch cant be ready for next weekend. I can see the Dubs spiting the dummy and game moved, after all their prima donnas cant possibly be expected to play on that pitch.
For the U21 game a playable pitch is not good enough for a connacht final and it needs to be moved. It would be an absolute disgrace for the game to go ahead there. I would suggest Pearse stadium as a connacht final deserves a conna ht final venue regardless of attendence. Yesterdays game should have been moved, there was plenty of advanced weather warnings and if any player got seriously injured it was 100 percent Ros gaas fault.
I really think we have the resources – both established and new to win the All – Ireland this year. It really is a question of how they are used and where. K Mac, Donie in off the bench with fifteen to go in a tight game seems a very good option. Like paddy in dublin pointed out, both strong runners and Donie rarely is gotten the better of over the course of a game. Alan freeman
brought something yesterday to our forwards for sure and we need to realise Alan is just back after a long break and back to that bleddy pitch, Jaysis! But thats another issue. And Evan Regan. When he was doin his bitta riverdance before he pulled the trigger I thought to myself, “just go for it man, bury the f@*ker!!! And he did but the real important thing is he backed himself – took responsibility and thats priceless for a fella like him at this stage, good man Evan. Also, how to best deploy Leeroy and Keith? More forward movement and attack for sure but everyone else stays put! Rumours of our demise greatly exaggerated indeed.
Like an annoying weed, the Rossie needs to be kept trimmed back lest he grows and thrives.
Isnt it great that there is such anxiety about the Dubs having to play in the Hyde but it was ok for Mayo? Maybe it is time Dublin were treated like the rest.
Kiltoom could surely host u21 if needed.
I think we need to be careful Sunday…we are not out of the woods yet.Also full forward line yesterday did not fire on all cylinders at all and Regans goal helps gloss over this.Actually Ros forwards looked more clinical despite being starved of possession.
We swing too quickly from depression to exuberance in my humble opinion.
It is a scandal Hyde not sorted…many club and school pitches of a better standard and facilities shocking.
I wouldn’t get carried away with yesterdays win. The pitch suited our lads. Made heavy work at times for ourselves. Aido taking frees from about 40 mtrs out?. Why not leave those to Robbie which he would have converted. Again going for goals when a point was the better option. We gave a honest display in a pitch that was a disgrace. As a supporter said on the way out ” We still are champions in Connacht and we still have the Taosaigh in Mayo” That could all have changed in 4 months from now. Anyways well done to one and all yesterday.
Hueyandlouis, agreed Dubs should be treated like everyone else but I would not blame them for complaining about the hyde and getting it moved. It is quiet simply dangerous to play football on.
Also agree with you in general regarding the hyde, from the walk way in, portaloos and the tea majking facilities, it is quiet simply a joke. The place should be closed and a bulldozer put though it.
@Huey,
I agree that a lot of supporters are like yoyos, in that we’re either destined for Div 4 or Sam is in the bag. However, in this case I think a lot of the posts show relief, relief in that we were genuinely under severe pressure coming into this game. I have heard the county chairman state on more than one occasion that we cannot afford to be relegated, purely in the financial sense. We were also going against the form team of the league who have been relishing their opportunity to send us packing to Div 2 and make a signal of intent for the summer.
Despite the score flattering them, the Rossies know they got bullied off the field yesterday and are a long way off our lads physicality wise. I predicted a win, not because I know anymore than anyone else, but I felt that the Rossies hadn’t played anyone yet who was genuinely up for battle, they have no history with anyone in Div 1. Believe me, despite mutterings of missing players and poor refs, yesterday’s game has set them back a long way and severely dented their egos.
Mjbvp – I have no problem at all with Freeman and there’s no reason why he can’t be the man to take the fifth slot in the forward line or be a big impact player coming off the bench.
Personally I would prefer to see him coming on with 15 to go in a big game in Croke Park than some of the smaller players that have filled the bench positions in recent years. The ability to win direct ball and kick scores that he can bring (when on form) is something we should definitely be trying to take advantage of this summer. Hopefully he will have a good run of fitness from here onwards.
One thing to take note of is that we still only scored 1-3 from play, 1-2 from our forwards and one point from a sub. We also conceded a very soft goal. So there is plenty to work on for the Down game as our two achilles heels are still very much in evidence.
You couldn’t but be impressed with the effort and commitment from the lads, we are still very much alive in Division 1 at the moment.
What do ye think of Jason Doherty this year? He seems to have gone back a bit
We can’t keep the poor ratio of chances:converted and expect to go far in the summer . Some of the ball into our forward line is very poor , in saying that of course yesterday was just riduculous in terms of pitch condition and near impossible to land an accurate hoping ball into ff line and we overcooked them a few times in an effort to not let it bounce .
The more I look at the table ,if we had of drove home our advantage yesterday and got a ten/twelve point win we would of had a slim chance of progressing to semis . Crazy league sometimes.Will be happy with survival now though . And what a boost it would give the county scene to get a victory in 21s next sat . We will have a very tough assignment to keep the likes of murtagh quiet .
Next Saturday its they who have the tough assignment. Pick the form half backline of Hall Coen Akram.
Form full backline Kenny Cunniffe Doran.
We have the forwards to win.
Robinbanks
Doherty is certainly very fortunate to still be getting picked based on the way he’s playing this year and the way he played against the Dubs. We’ve got to be looking to convert one or two of the half back or Higgins into a forward.
Durcan and Higgins look the best candidates to me in terms of not unbalancing things too much. Keegan is too good a man marker to be moved outta defence
Loved Fergie O’Donnell’s quote about the conditions suiting Mayo!
Maybe Ros Co Board should rename the place Lough Hyde (or given the year that’s in it – Lough Híde).
While Evan is deservedly MOTM, I was really impressed with Aido yesterday – and I have been very critical of late. He was the difference in terms of bossing the game, and I thought using his strength to break the gain line was the right approach in the conditions. To quote Fergie again, he mentioned the 3 O’Sheas rather wistfully: ‘ we don’t have lads as strong as that’. Long may that continue.
I agree catcal but no one mentioned c o Connor to me the 2 o Connor s are important to Mayo s chances as well.
Any word in venue change JP?
Jp
I wouldn’t entirely agree with you with that back line for u21 Barry Duffy is another option for the half back line, Kenny is a better half back and Ciaran Harrison has been very solid in the full back line he was marking leitrims number one forward and kept him to one point!!
No way O’Connor deserved red for that kick in the second half. If you watch it again he had eyes on the ball all the way and it actually bobbled on the bog causing him to whip through wildly.
Sure you win nothing in March
Dublin and Kerry are starting to tip along nicely so looks like no change at the top just yet
@Liam Moran agree with you on Ciaran Harrison giving Kenny Cunniffe Harrison. Hall is too short for the full backline. Barry Duffy is a good player, just think Sharoize Akram is better.
With a the league almost over, am trying to pick positives for the Championship ahead and there are a few.
Defence, I think we have improved in this area. We look more tight, compact and are cutting out some of the soft goals conceeded. We have been caught a couple of times but credit has to be given to the quality of goals conceeded. Yeaterdays was a great pass to a very good forward who took it well. We can cut out all goals but wr are going in the right direction. Harry has made the position his own and Durcan and Nally are great additions.
Midfield, for me this is the jewel in the crown. SOS and Tom are top players. With AOS on the 40 adding to the middle I think we can dominate in this area whoever we play. It is this area alone I think connacht is ours again. Galway or Ros cant compete with us here.
Forwards, alot of work to be done. I believe management have concentrated on defence so far. With more attention paid to attack in the next few months and the return of COC and Freezer I expect improvements here. Dont underestimate the importance of Dillon for20 mins. We havent found that marquee forward (btw I hate that term as its an insult to every forward not wearing sky blue) but we have found a corner forward who can do damage and take pressure off COC. Evans pt after the goal showed a player who finally realised he is good enough to play at this level. Roachford has been right to continue with COS as he will add alot of strength to the forwrds and to the bench.
All in all there are positives, alot of work to do but I thinkwe actually are in a better position now than this time last year for another assault on Sam.
Forget about moving Leroy up as he has ability to completely snuff out highly rated players like he did to Cregg yesterday, Cork’s Kerrigan and Dublin’s Connolly.
Higgins in forwards a much better proposition as he has the kick passes to really open up opposition at pace. Doherty will do well to hold his place this summer. A more honest hard working lad you wouldn’t get but the competition is fierce now and we have to look at all the attributes on offer.
We saw 3 midfielders worked well and that might be best summer option to dominate middle.third. With SOS and Parsons tracking back a lot it makes sense that they provide one of the 2 sweepers of the modern defense game and either Diarmaid, Kevin Mc or Higgins can alternate the 2nd sweeper.
If Cillian remains fit Loftus looks more a half forward sub than corner competing with Carolan.
As far as I am concerned Barrett is nearly nailed on seems reliable any time we’ve seen him this winter. Harrison looks good but Keane will be back and Cuniniffe will push hard too.
Not sure whether to blame Robbie for the goal. Was either soft or a deflection tricked him. His kickouts seemed very good though with some very precise one low and long range.
Shuffly deck, Robbie def not at fault for the goal. There are a number of factors that contributed to it. Cillian had possession in the corner, sent a really loose cross into the box were the ros keeper could start a quick attack. As we were on the attack we were out of position for the keepers pass. Full back left isolated v a very talented forward. Great ball in and a good shot across goal. So not Robbies fault, if anything the loose pass from Cillian was the biggest contribution to the goal.
A few observations from a Roscommon supporter. Mayo are still the team to beat in Connacht. Their size and individual skill is impressive. Mayo’s better start to the second half which was kick started by the dubious goal won the game for them. Mayo lack killer forwards in the Bernard Brogan mould. Regan was excellent today but needs to show this over a series of games or this will have been a one off display. Mayo have a lot of midfielders / forwards of a certain type, big men who can win and hold possession, but will never run up a big score in a game. There are only so many of these you can have in a team. Roscommon played a half forward and a half back in midfield today and didnt win a clean catch all day.They still outscored Mayo from play. There are 5 players all big men all currently unfit to come in in the midfield diamond. There will be 6 or 7 changes from todays team for the championship. Finally the Hyde is due to have a completely new pitch laid starting in June.The biggest lesson learned by Roscommon today is they are competitive against a top 3 team.