Photo: @RMcB5Foundation
We’ve announced our starting team for tomorrow’s do-or-die Round 2A qualifier against Derry at MacHale Park (throw-in 5pm). Here it is:
Mayo (All-Ireland SFC qualifiers Round 2A v Derry, 1/7/2017): David Clarke (Ballina Stephenites); Brendan Harrison (Aghamore), Ger Cafferkey (Ballina Stephenites), Chris Barrett (Belmullet); Colm Boyle (Davitts), Lee Keegan (Westport), Paddy Durcan (Castlebar Mitchels); Seamus O’Shea (Breaffy), Tom Parsons (Charlestown Sarsfields); Fergal Boland (Aghamore), Diarmuid O’Connor (Ballintubber), Stephen Coen (Hollymount/Carramore); Kevin McLoughlin (Knockmore), Cillian O’Connor (Ballintubber), Andy Moran (Ballaghaderreen).
So it’s just the two changes from the team that started in the Connacht semi-final defeat to Galway a few weeks back. In comes Brendan Harrison at corner-back, replacing the suspended Keith Higgins, while Colm Boyle is restored to the starting fifteen at wing-back in place of Donal Vaughan.
The team named contains two survivors from the county’s one and only previous championship meeting against Derry. David Clarke was between the sticks that depressing day up in Celtic Park back in July 2007 while Andy Moran started that game at corner-forward. Alan Dillon and Barry Moran, who are both still on the senior panel but who don’t start tomorrow, also lined out for us against the Oakleafers ten years ago.
Derry have also named their team for tomorrow, full details here.
Strong team announcement. But from all the rumours flying around its surely incorrect.
Great to see that despite all the ‘rumours’ that a team as strong as the one named is available to start tomorrow. Personally I think there will be one or two changes in come 5pm. That is a very strong line-up!
Strong team, now lets go and win. We’re Mayo and we’re in this together!
Anybody know where match will be shown in Boston?
If this team starts, lessons are not being learned!
Good strong team selected ,we have a few good options off the bench too!
If that team starts I’d be relatively happy. Can see one or two changes though. I’d be surprised if Donie doesn’t come in.
Really hope we see subs getting a meaningful run tomorrow. If games in balance, bringing a guy in on 67 or 68 mins is pointless but unfortunately becoming a common Rochford trademark.
At home against a very defensive team and we name a defender in our front 6?? As Fear an Chomortas said above, I fear lessons are not being learned.
However, I expect us to win handy enough but not in the way Tyrone ripped Donegal or Dublin did to Westmeath. It’s been a long time since we started brightly, dominated from the off and really hammered a team.
If we’re going anywhere this year, and to remove the building negative air about the place, we need a 70 min performance and 2 or 3 goals.
I fear 1 of 2 things may be happening however with our 2017 version of Mayo…either the players can’t/don’t understand Rochfords plan, or more worringly, he doesn’t have their ear!
There’s fight in our lads yet but that was never in doubt. Whether there’s attacking intelligence and a huge improvement on the sideline remains to be seen.
Hon Mayo.
Half forward line that is chosen will not contribute any scores against a northern type defence. It will be frees and a score or two from play from Andy and Kevin McLaughlin. Could be very close this one. Honestly we need changes up front and that full back position could be another banana skin for us.
Can see Vaughan playing a half forward role if all that backline starts
He’s far too good a player to be left on the bench while our forwards continue to struggle year on year
Id be tempted to start AOS if he’s capable of walking at all but that’s another story.
Pebble Derry aren’t a very defensive team. Last year McLoughlin was named as a forward but didn’t play there what difference does it make to now select Coen there? I would expect Mayo goals at least 2 and comfortable home win.
Id fully echo what Rober says. Bang on the money
Derry will be absolutely relishing facing that forward line
I’m going to reserve judgement until the team lines out tomorrow, but as pebblesmeller alluded to, we have named a defensive team against a very poor attacking team! That’s crazy, we should be confident of knocking 10 lumps of shit out of them and put a team on the field capable of doing so! If that team starts, it’ll still win but it tells a lot in terms of where we are and see ourselves going!
Sure to be some late changes, but where? Kirby/Loftus?
Lookit whatever 15 start is the way it will be. After the national anthem has finished playing and you have that maybe 60 seconds before the ball is thrown in, wouldn’t it be the right thing to do to get the “Mayo Mayo” chant going. I mean everyone joining in. Dont just sit there for fuck sake. A defeaning chant as the players get ready for the throw in. We could lift them. Inspire them to burst out of the traps and blow Derry away. Shake that fucking stand to its foundations.
Also can ye put them knives that some of ye have been sharpening away. Some are already holding a fucking post mortem and a death has not even occured yet.
The men ye see in green and red tomorrow night would be All Ireland champions if referee Conor Lane had applied the rules when Bastick clearly picked the ball off the ground in front of his own posts with the clock at 76.59 in the drawn final on 18th September 2016. Two weeks later the same men were carried out on their shields after refusing to bend the knee. Please get behind them.
I’m reasonably happy with that team but I am still hoping for one or two changes before throw in. Would much prefer to see Loftus start for Moran and see Keegan switched to the wing. Unlike a few posters above I do not want to see Vaughan coming in to starting line up at all. Big day for everyone tomorrow – players, management and supporters.
Well that front 6 is the right mix for me. Very few of the 32 counties would go into battle without Cillian, Diarmuid & Kevin Mc. Add to that one of the best corner forwards we have ever had at winning the ball within 30 yards of goal in Andy and the liveliest new forward addition this year in Fergal and we are well poised. Yes Stephen Coen is in it for defensive cover but we are short on memory if we cannot recall that the defensive cover laid down by Kevin Mc as sweeper last year was one of the key reasons we made it to September football. He is too much of a threat up front now so Stephen C will get plenty of experience in that role tomorrow while also providing cover for the attacking threat poised by our wing backs. Roll on tomorrow.
I would have concerns if that teams starts . Nothing learned from Galway game. Will there be anyone on the pitch capable of kicking a winning score in last ten.? Like to see dome of Kirby Crowe Regan lotus start. Close and tense tomorrow I think.
Jim flag if Conor lane had been doing his job lat all ireland day. Cillian would not have been on pitch to kick equaliser or that potential winner.
Its a knock out championship game lads not the time to experiment. The team selected is Mayos strongest available team. Should be a routine win against a side that will be playing Div 3 football next year!
Great to see Harrison back. Huge plus. Would not be surprised to see sos on the bench. Could be replaced by Doherty (move Coen to midfield). Vaughan had a decent showing against Galway and could start also. Lads, if we win the toss let’s play with the feckin wind this time 🙂
That team could be slow to get going but probably wil get the job done….subs to come in as follows Jason Docherty Aidan Oshea Donal Vaughan Evan Regan Conor Oshea and one of Conor Loftus Shane Nally or Barry Moran
Also Danny Kirby should be in for some gametime….
I think the team picked is as strong as is available – hopefully it ill be good enough. If we can beat Derry without Aidan O’Shea, I hope he is rested and given a chance to recover because we will definitely need him against Donegal or Meath, or whoever, in the next round. While Conor Loftus has great potential, I don’t think he is near Co. standard just yet. I can’t recall him making any impact at senior level todate.
Hope this team is able to deal with Deegan.
Mayomagic, we’ll have to agree to disagree on whether Derry are defensive or not but I believe they are because they have no option seeing as their forward line is so weak.
The difference between playing Kevin Mc and Coen as sweeper is huge. Coen is a player with huge potential but at this point in his career he neither has the vision to see the pass out of defense or the ability to execute it as clinically as Kevin Mc. Coen is more dynamic and physical but carries the ball as opposed to kick passing and that slows ball coming out od defense and thereby slows the counter attack. The sweeper is the launch pad for the counter attack but for it to work it must be accurate and swift before the opponent resets their defense.
Anyway, we both agree that we’ll win handy enough and I do believe there is another kick in these lads but our forward play has not developed as it should have during the league.
Let’s do our bit and raise the roof with the ROAR of MAYO MAYO
If that 15 starts I reckon Coen will be positioned at half back and another player will be released as sweeper. Coen is making steady progress, fairly big and strong but his distribution is not at the level of a sweeper role. Our 2 best for the role are Kevin Mc and missing Higgins and others who could do it are Keegan, P Durcan and Diarmaid. Unlikely to be Diarmaid as we wouldn’t have enough forwards. Happy with the other 14 picked in the listed positions if they’re all fit to play.
The Derry team selected is unrecognizable from the teams that played Mayo in Div one just 2,3 years ago. Gone are good players such Dermot McBride;, Gerard O’Kane, Sean Leo McGoldrick,Fergal Doherty, Patsy Bradley and Mark Lynch or be it latter should be on bench.
If that Mayo team starts as selected it will have 11 same starters from the drawn All Ireland final last September
In C Barrett,Ger Cafferkey,S Coen,,F Boland
Out D Vaughan,K Higgins,A O Shea,J Doherty
Those changes won’t overly weaken the team either a team either. Maybe i am missing something but I’m not sure why some are worried about the outcome of this game
Now is the time to get behind our lads, all the best for a stunning victory Mayo!
there is enough in that team to beat Derry easily in 2nd or 3rd gear. Pipe down a bit. Played badly with 14 men against an average Galway team who would not have as high of objectives as a team of Mayo’s recent History. A Semi-Final would be a good year for them. Mayo were too close to the final hurdle to represent provincial success on a par with national. The plan went out the window the last day through an individual lack of discipline, but when the chances came they showed no composure to win when Galway folded. I think Mayo have made it too hard for themselves this year and will most likely bow out down the road but it’s not gonna happen this weekend.
[Deleted].
Well great to see some positivity this morning Oyam64…
Agreed league legends , great start to the day !
Am happy enough that if we put in a decent performance then we win. A lack lustre performance and we could be in trouble.
Derry have capabilities, the most worrying for me being that they had 10 different scorers from play in their game v Waterford. Yes I know Waterford but it’s still impressive.
Don’t see an easy win today, but do expect a win. Any sort of improving performance and any margin of a win will do.
I’ll tell you what’s “so annoying” Oyam64: it’s to read pathetic, defeatist sentiments like you posted on the morning of a match day. Do you have your own Facebook page, by any chance? If so then I suggest there rather than here would be the more appropriate place to share that kind of mewling with the world.
Yep , all the views/hits this site gets , let’s do something useful and do exactly what Jim flag says , straight after the anthem , Mayo mayo mayo , for crying out loud , we owe them that much , let’s do it , don’t let me be the only lunatic at it.
Great post Jim Flag! Up above . No matter what happens its been a great period in our Counties history.
That post nails it for me.
I actually think Coen’s positioning is a good one. Looks like he’ll be the one tasked with tracking back which will hopefully keep Diarmuid in more of a playmaker centre half position. Also a skilled tackler when we’re faced with the inevitable 14 Derry men bursting out from inside their own 45 !
Right I’m ready for ‘Mayo Mayo’ after the anthem and hopefully under a big flag. Come on MISC and all your flags and banners. Get them out today for the lads!!! Come on Mayo!
It’s all about getting the result today, build some momentum and hopefully get our forwards scoring more from play. Have been disappointed with decisions made on side line since Rochford came in. I think we had a chance against Sligo to give some much needed championship experience from the start of a game to the likes of Nally or Loftus and maybe give Regan an extended run in the team. Would be happy with a win today. I was up at Boyle Gaa club fundraiser last night, Joe Brolly, Martin Carney etc were there talking, and listening to Brolly Derry don’t fear Mayo which will make them dangerous if we are not on our game.
I have been reading posts, listening to podcasts, listening to rumors and the likes all week but you know what nothing really ever changes.. because at the end of it all we haven’t a scooby doo how things will pan out. We all simply have our own thoughts be they right or wrong.. are we any better or worse than last year, are we a team in decline, have we a forwards plan , is Stephen the man to bring us to the promised land (there could be a tune in that). A’s I’ve said before the most thing Stephen does is set us up to manage and contain the opposption to get us over the line whether it be a Tyrone or a Tipperrary. I don’t expect anything different today. I also believe if everyone is brought back up to full fitness we have potentially a better team than last year but like everyone we can get caught along the way having an off day. I don’t expect that to happen today at least but like everyone that’s just my opinion.. my guestimate. The only variable that we can control as ever as supporters is how loud we shout, how big a flag you wave, drive on the team when their tails up and help lift them when backs are to wall. It’s squeeky bum time again fokes, or safety net is gone and I love this type of football cause it’s the type of football I believe we always see the best from this team. C’mon Mayo
That half back line assuming it starts is the best in the country still
Time to let them off the leash and play to our strengths
Look, we should win this match and then we are only 2 games from Quarters, season is still there.
Good questions toe to hand, and the reality is we can’t answer them until the season is over. Even then we can’t answer them definitively as we hadn’t access to the inside of the group. It’s at the end of season we hear all the speculation and the “shocker from a man that is in the know”.
The issue of fitness building is also an issue with the build to Sept paramount (or August in the case of this srason).
In the meantime we should enjoy the roller coaster that is sport. Discussions of will or won’t are futile (if we knew the answer to that we would be down in paddy powers and not mc Hale park) and can or can’t are more helpful. Mayo can win but possibly a close one (Derry are not as bad as they look at times). Derry manager after last game noted more progress was needed but his body language was more in hope than expectation. If he can’t change that when back in the dressing room and out on the training park then mayo could provide a rout.
hope to see diarmuid back to his very best at some point this summer. around september would be just fine!
same applies to jason doherty. for any perceived weaknesses he may have, he has a goal in him.
and also aos. fingers crossed he can get over his injuries.
we still have a serious team. just need to find a bit more from somewhere and we’ll be there or thereabouts come september.
Lots of different ideas on who should start I am happy to leave it to management, and leave medical problems to our medical team who I believe are up with the best in the country, I am not so happy to see so much negative comments to say that lessons have not been learnt from the Galway match,I don’t believe we were far off Galway even we played most of the match a man down,however today is the day to put our worries to rest,Mayo by nine