The rain has finally stopped here in the deep south, I’ve a small bit of a porter head on me after last night and miles to go before I sleep. Time to rattle through this quickly enough, then, before I bid my farewells to Tralee and hit the road.
Here’s what’s online today about our one-point loss to Kerry last night:
Locals: Mayo News, Mayo Advertiser, Connaught Telegraph, The Kerryman.
Nationals: Irish Times, Irish Examiner, Irish Independent, Irish Sun, Sunday Times.
Others: GAA, RTÉ (live blog, match report), Sky Sports, The 42, Sports Joe, Chloe Lynch.
Photos: Inpho, Sportsfile, Mayo GAA.
Video: GAA (highlights), GAA Man (highlights with backing music), GAA Fan TV (analysis).
Stats: GAA Statsman.
We had, as usual, our Final Whistle podcast for club members – featuring Rob and me – online last night shortly after the match ended and we’ll also have our match review pod up on Patreon a bit later today so there’s more to come from us about last night’s game.
The MOTM poll is still open here on the blog too – with Ryan, unsurprisingly, well out in front in it – so if you haven’t had your say there yet then there’s still plenty of time to do so. Back later on with the result of the poll.
Finally, a shout-out for the county’s camogie team who had a good League win over Wicklow yesterday, making it two from two in this campaign. They came out on top yesterday against the Garden County by 3-10 to 0-13. Next up for them are Tyrone, who they meet in Tooreen next Saturday, the same day the lads are in action up in Omagh.
Nearly snatched a draw with Lee at the very end there…..
One or two of our more dependable lads didn’t have great games and didn’t score so maybe an off night for those lads was the difference. A few high ones in on top of their goalie would make things interesting. 7 from a possible 10 is good too. Looking forward to putting smacht on the red hand next.
The bottom line is out forwards are not quite good enough. There’s more danger with the Kerry forward line. Outside of ROD there’s no one showing for scores up front – Boland excepted (but he might not feature month going forward).
We’re fine in defence and midfield.
Is the simple reality that there’s nothing Horan can do as we don’t have the forward talent?
There is no case for Boland not featuring after last night
I think for Diarmuid goal chance credit has to go to the goalie for the save. It was a great move and Diarmuid did what should be done by keeping the ball low and the goalie got the bit of luck to keep it out. It’s only mid march and mayo are competing well at the top table with 7 out of 10 pts so overall things are not too bad. Personally I’d like to reach a league final and get another game into the players
Let all this talk about how Mayo are improving stop after last night. Once again, when needed, our forwards were toothless when it came to scoring from play. We also saw last night why we need to keep O’Shea et al on the bench. It was like 2017 all over again, finishing with a much weaker team than what we started. Up Mayo.
After a surprisingly positive start to our league campaign, this game was needed to bring a bit of reality to where we are at. With the exception of ROD we curently do not have a forward line that are anywhere good enough to get us beyond a quarter final stage his summer. Conroy’s loss weakens us considerably. Doherty will definitely add something extra which will be positive. Cillian’s absence now a major concern for Galway game.
I would like to congratulate James Horan on declining to comment after the game in solidarity with his players’ boycott in support of their complaint regarding expenses. Jack O’Connor had no such scruples.
I wonder are the players practicing finishing goal chances enough in training? Something James o donoghue (who has been excellent on the gaa show) said recently which surprised me is that in training with Kerry he never really got much time to practice shooting for goals.
Players like Aidan Orme and Tommy Conroy and Ryan should be simulating those type of goal chances regularly in their training programs. You don’t need every player practicing it. There is about 7 lads in the panel that are likely to find themselves on the end of 90% of the goal chances we create as a team. Ormes effort last night reminded me so much of Conroys wild swipe at the goal in the second half against Tyrone last year after doing so well to get into position in the first place. Composure is needed not wild uncontrolled slashing at the ball in those situations.
In fairness to Cillian he is the standard bearer nationally, never mind in Mayo, for how to finish those type of chances. I also thought DOC chance last night was just a very good save – couldn’t really blame Diarmuid
Aidan ó shea Was in nó man’s land for the Kerry goal.
Possibly an impact sub.
I think some perspective may be required in analysing where Mayo are. One game doesn’t make it good or bad just like that.
The forward line is certainly a worry. Although you have to ask yourself will some of those players start later in year? Even though doing OK, Carney will drop out, possibly Orme too. So you have options to come in.
Cillian
Doherty
Fionn Mc
Carr (no matter what people say he’s better than what’s there now other than ROD).
Eoghan Mc
Harrison
All yet to either feature or getting much minutes.
Frank Irwin, Jack Carney et al are getting some valuable experience. We’re not far off
I know Aidan O’Shea gets the blame for most things, but surely one of the defenders should have been tracking Brosnan?!
No need for panic yet. Alot of posters commenting as if we got beaten by a division 4 team. If galway had come away with a 1 point defeat in kerry the talk would be we don’t stand a chance against them in April.
I couldn’t see Aidan Orme dropping out.For me he is the most promising player of the league
1989 – I agree, I think Orme, ROD and Diarmuid are the 3 of our most “nailed on” forwards at the moment. The make up of the other 3 depends on availability of COC/Jason and whether Aidan starts or not.
If all were available my starting 6 for Galway (we can afford to experiment a bit for last league games) would be:
Boland, Diarmuid, McDonagh / Orme, Jason, ROD.
With subs to include Cillian, Kevin Mc, Conor L, and AOS for bench strength and to close out strongly.
45 I think we can beat Galway without Cillian.Can we get to what we really want?.No.
We need him back and all the long term injured lads sorted too.
Some further thoughts: I was behind the Kerry goal in the second half. Aidan Orme impressed me. Bigger than I thought, constant movement, legitimately aggressive. Not everything worked, but he got a very good point. Surprised to see him taken off. That said, I thought Irwin showed some good touches for a newbie, including a clever tap back, setting up the attack that led to our equaliser.
Team colours were crap; impossible to distinguish players at the opposing end. Would it be too much to ask for black or red, versus white, green versus yellow on such occasions?
Well done to Fergie Boland he surely is ahead of a few of the other forwards. Hope he is picked next week. He would have been useful in the final last year.
We were unfortunate that we did not get a draw! I thought AOS had a good game he is still very pivitol especially in heavy pitches!
Mhuigeo Abu!!
I’d agree with you there wholeheartedly, Catcol, on team colours. In those darkened corners of the pitch last night it was very hard to tell the teams apart and, from a colour-blind standpoint, there wasn’t anything like enough differentiation between the two strips.
That kit, I think, is the product of a little Swinford girl whose design won a competition 2-3 years ago…..The lads have worn it a good few times……Hard to know where to go for second strip but for me, our previous ‘reverse’ red n green Jersey brings back a few bad Croker memories…..Looked great but wasn’t our luckiest strip…….
Was that dark strip not the one designed by a little girl (6 years old I think) which won some competition? Surely it must be possible for the two teams to wear their traditional colours. The Mayo jersey could be predominately red with a green trim and the Kerry jersey predominately green with gold trim
I liked that strip to MartyK.Yeah few bad performances in it but I don’t think it was down to the Jersey.
How come Mayo and Kerry never play in their traditional colours.
It would have been far more functional last night and way easier to see who was who???.
Not sure we should start Aidan but he had a fine game last night and plenty of legs I thought.Its hard to figure his best position but bringing him into a game he us so versatile you can play him where you need him rather than trying g to figure where you want him when starting.
Might be mad but could he mark the likes of Clifford who rely on strength as much as skill??
Orme is developing, give him a chance – Kevin McLoughlin may still merit a place in starting line-up – always gets a few key scores.Has Enda Hession played in the half-forwards – a good eye for a point or two. I agree re our previous ‘reverse’ red n green second strip jersey – not easy on eye and tbh I prefer the current blue one to that. Maigheo Abú!
1989……ha ha you’re right, not down to the Jersey at all and that Mayo traditional ‘reverse’ strip is real nice, with just the same two iconic colours in it. Re why neither team yesterday could wear their colours I’m only guessing it’s down to the ‘clash of the green’ we both have. Then possibly a new rule that if one team has to swap in second strip, both must do it……
You’re right Grainne Uaile……that colour combo would have worked. BTW see two posts above…..Mayo has a jersey option just as you describe
I liked the predominantly white away jersey we had in the 90s, or the red and black one from a few years ago.
Surely part of the reason for wearing the second Jersey to sell more in the stores, just watched end of Tyrone versus the Dubs, Tyrone will not want to lose to us next week, another tough battle on the way.
Are we ahead of Armagh in the table? Does the head to head come in to play now? They have a better scoring difference than us.
We are ahead of them, Way Out West – for the reason you’ve mentioned. Head-to-head trumps points difference. It’s a bit daft but there you go.
A million years agon when Mayo won our Last all Ireland they played in white so why not a white away jersey it would be fine unless we were playing Tyrone or Kildare
Thanks WJ, thought so too, have seen two versions of the table going around which caused me a bit of confusion.
Maurice Deegan is the ref for the Tyrone game.
White is our traditional alternate jersey. The white of Connacht was good enough in 1951. From a playing perspective it’s a helpful colour to pick out a teammate
White jerseys and pink boots, wouldn’t the critics just love that for a piss take.
I don’t like the green and red, two colours that just don’t go well together.
Brian and Fergal were giving Deegan a good ear full for most of the second half today as he was doing lines man.
Yeah I don’t think head to head works as well as PD in a home and away competition tbh (although ironically it benefits us here after playing armagh away..)
Also the potential drama PD can bring on the last day is hard to match. Less propensity for some games to “peter out” too if teams are winning or losing handy but chasing a PD deficit
On a slight tangent, but on a similar note – is the bonus point rule in rugby one of the great sporting inventions?
Feck – ignore me, time for bed..!
Of course our Armagh game was a “home” fixture. So it’s a prime example of why head to head just isn’t as fair in my view in a home and away comp and no “reverse” fixtures
I have heard a lot of people today castigating Aidan O’ Shea and on balance and looking back on the game I don’t think its fair. From the perspective that I looked it it seemed better to give away the point with a foul than the possible goal chance that could have been on. Our shooting though was poor and we have every opportunity handed to us to level that game and come away with a point. Looking forward to the Tyrone game and hopefully none of our players get injured.
@Proud Mayo Supporter.. at the particular time, 5 minutes into added time Aiden O Shea, gave away a needless free, a close in gimme free, it amounts to pretty much the same thing. Kerry taking the lead. Had a Kerry player done the same thing to a Mayo player in an advanced position, the next and last play of the game, a very likely outcome would be an equaliser from Ryan O Donoghue.. Small margins!
@Viper nothing wrong with Pink boots or white jerseies welcome to 2022. thank God we no longer live in the dark ages and people are free to express themselves any way they want. Pink white blue green boots if that’s what you wanna wear no harm.
@glorydays, actually in the dark ages men used to wear skirts so maybe it’s backwards we’re going.
Man is only a whisker from returning to savagery.
I am a bit baffled by some of the comments. One of our Kerry friends suggested that the wet heavy conditions suited Mayo better-they did not, as firm dry conditions are more conducive to Mayo’s fast running game. You would think by some comments made about Kerry’s forwards, that they had taken us to the cleaners-they did’nt , as they got one score less than us, with the goal being the deciding factor and I also believe that their forwards had it much easier against our defence, which was too loose, for my liking-in contrast, Kerry defenders were much tighter on our forwards, who were always under pressure-admittedly, we didn’t help ourselves by moving the ball too slowly and too lately and, again, with my usual bug ear, too often taking the ball into contact. Finally, I have to defend Aido, who I feel had a good game-unfortunately, he seems to get the blame for everything by some-some blamed him for the goal and more for the late foul, which gave Kerry the win, which was a soft free and, if he hadn’t got the foul, O’Brien would probably have scored anyway. People who are criticizing should remember that Aidan lined out in the half-forwards and was back helping to defend on those two occasions, in injury time, on his own endline-so much for “not having a full game in him” That game could have gone either way and was ultimately by Kerry taking their one goal chance and Mayo missing their two chances.