We named our team a short while ago for Sunday’s National League Division Two semi-final against Clare. The team picked to start in this must-win promotion decider is as follows:
Mayo (NFL Division One v Clare, 13/6/2021): Robbie Hennelly (Breaffy); Enda Hession (Garrymore), Oisin Mullin (Kilmaine), Lee Keegan (Westport); Rory Brickenden (Westport), Paddy Durcan (Castlebar Mitchels, captain), Stephen Coen (Hollymount/Carramore); Matthew Ruane (Breaffy), Diarmuid O’Connor (Ballintubber); Fergal Boland (Aghamore), Darren McHale (Knockmore), Bryan Walsh (Ballintubber); Tommy Conroy (The Neale), Cillian O’Connor (Ballintubber), Ryan O’Donoghue (Belmullet).
Unsurprisingly, Sunday’s team shows a few changes from the selection that started against Meath two weeks ago. There are four changes in all with a few positional switches thrown into the mix as well.
Into the team for Sunday come fit again Enda Hession, as well as Rory Brickenden, Paddy Durcan and Tommy Conroy, while out go Eoin O’Donoghue, Michael Plunkett, Jack Carney and James Carr. Switches see Stephen Coen shift to wing-back to accommodate the returning Paddy Durcan, while Fergal Boland swaps wing-back for wing-forward.
Overall there is a nice look to that team, interesting half forward line, I hope it is the one that starts as this combination has not played together and would be good to see how they fare in what will be a hefty challenge.
Great prep for the championship and good to see how the newcomers play.
Can’t see that half forward line starting. If Boland and McHale weren’t selected in those positions for a glorified challenge game vs Meath then they are hardly going to be there on Sunday. Also don’t think Brickenden is ahead of McLoughlin or Plunkett in half back line. We shall see.
McHale did start against Meath at centre half forward.
Expect to see some changes on game day. If this team starts we would have a strong bench, owen, Aiden, Kevin,Carr etc
I’m in a minority here I know but i still don’t understand what more a forward can do than score 2-1 from play in his last game . Best of luck to all players and management , if we could be there we’d be there in our thousands ,that’s for sure .
The possible subs I expect could look like, EOD, Boyler, Plunkett, EOL, AOS, KMcL, McCormack, Flynn, McDonagh, Loftus, Carr, Coen, P Towey. What is there not to like about it.
A lot mayo fans at the italy game tonight for some reason.
I like the look of team too. Great experience for Hession and Brickenden. McHale and Boland well deserve their chance. Eoghan McLoughlin will no doubt be introduced. The stakes are high on this one, but if we are 5 points better than Clare, then we need to win by 5 points. We need to dump the bad habit of scraping over the line against opposition way inferior to us. The margin of the result needs to reflect the difference in quality of the teams.
Byrne
Boyle
Eod
Conor o’shea
Aidan o shea
Eoghan mcloughlin
Kevin mcloughlin
Jordan flynn
Fionn mcdonagh
Carr
Towey
That’s the subs for Sunday
Still a bit ofcan experimental look about that team. Dont expect it to start. But with all due respect if we cant beat Clare in a game that matters we are hardly serious Championship contenders.
Based on that subs list no Jason Doc or Brendan Harrison. Hard to see them featuring in the Championship later…
Subs up on MGA banter page, copy of programme, Conor ó shea a sub.
I expect Mayo to win but if you were from Clare would you really be afraid of that team Clare +6 seems the bet of the weekend Definitely hope I am wrong but …….
Im shocked at that line up! Probably our biggest game of the year (including championship) and its a half arsed team selection imo. There needs to be at least 3 changes to that 15. If that team starts and we end up spending another year in D2, their’ll be questions for answering.
John Maughan said he certainly wouldn’t be betting on this one. Approach with caution. Massive match, one where we could get caught. Clare rightly in a deserved position to have a crack at making Div1.
Sadly if it was Kerry or Dubs they’d bate Clare out the gate all day long.
Don’t know what to think about the 15 named and the subs list!.. In James Horan first term as Mayo manager he used to strictly stick to the published line up.. But this time round he’s certainly been know to make a few changes, maybe that will happen on Sunday.. Kevin McLoughlin is certainly in the top 5 players available to us and has been for a long long time.. But we are all speculating because we don’t know, who’s not fully fit, or not showing good form in training.. I wouldn’t be exactly surprised with anywhere between 2-4 changes before throw in,. or it could go as per the Team sheet.. 7 substitutes allowed nowadays anyhow, just imagine the scenario of Kevin McLoughlin, Colm Boyle, Aiden O Shea, James Carr, Fionn Mcdonagh, Eoin McLoughlin and Eoin O Donohue , a number of those starting the second half, all eager to prove themselves good enough for the starting line up in the upcoming championship.. It would be a tough assignment for Clare to keep them out. Can’t wait.
More than strong enough Mayo team to beat Clare by at least 6 points on Sunday. Clare have already achieved their league objective of avoiding relegation and they wouldn’t be one win away from promotion if this was the normal 7 game league.
If that’s the half arsed team selection, I’d love to hear the full arsed one!
@Mayo Magic, I can assure you that Division One is very much on Clare’s agenda,.. I don’t think that avoiding relegation was part of Clare’s plans any more than it’s Mayo’s ambition.
Could’ve given me a hundred guesses and wouldn’t got this one. A hundred hundreds even. As a Michael Plunkett fan, all I can think is he’s injured and unavailable.
Clare are really a mid table Div 3 team at best but full credit to Colm Collins for having them punching above their weight to become a competitive Div 2 team. This play off is a free hit for Clare while its a must win for Mayo and i think Mayo will win by a bit to spare. Clare 0-15 Mayo 2-16
Realistically I expect us to beat Clare all day long however given our penchant for giving away cheap goals I fully expect Clare to run at us down the middle and us to give away 2 goals. I think Galway and Roscommon would put this Clare team away without much fuss I think we will burn them off in the last 10 minutes but unless we sort out our defence we are going nowhere. I’ll never forget the look on Dean Rock’s face last December when he scored a goal against us after 36 seconds as if to say is it really this easy to score goals against Mayo? Well apparently it was and still is
I hate to see our best footballers named on the full back line.
I hope Lee and Oisin aren’t going to spend the campaign stuck back on the full back line. The likes of Dublin and Kerry would love to see that. Ourselves, basically taking our own best players out of the game. Stuck so deep they cannot affect the game.
If Kerry have poor defenders they suffer the consequences. They keep looking to find better defenders. They don’t usually pickpocket their better players from out the field.
Why would you have Oisin and Lee in the fullback line and Eo’d sitting on the bench and him in need of game time.
How are we sruggling to come up with a natural full back line. IMO the full backline should be the least technically difficult line in a football team. We seem to keep patching up our full back line with players who aren’t really full back players. It will always come against is.
I agree with those that say there will likely be a couple of changes to the starting 15.
Clare have done very well and have a nice tightly knitted team, even with the retirement of one of the best midfielders in the country, Gary Brennan. Clare won’t lie down, so we need to get on top from the start, and stay there!
Great to be bringing on new lads with promise and to blending them with a good mix of experience.
However, there is only one goal for Sunday – to win and return to the big boys table in Division 1.
Also, agree that it’s not looking great for DOC and Brendan Harrison to be fully match fit for the Championship opener or hopefully the semi-final, where you would expect to see the selection settle into our strongest starting 15, and subs.
I hope all the rest of the squad come through injury free on Sunday and in contention for places v Sligo on this day two weeks. Hon Mayo!
Backdoor Sam. Your comment is a strange one. Dublin got a goal after 35 seconds from a set piece. Yet Galway and Roscommon did not get a goal between them in over 160 minutes of football and their 44 players. Something wrong with your conclusions there. Perhaps you should review the line that said Roscommon and Galway would put Clare away without much fuss .
We will probably conceded 2 11 / 2 12
Can we score more is the question
There will be changes he seems to do that at times
Seán Boylan constantly interchanged defenders and forwards eg Brendan Reilly, Coyle and Geraghty. In club football you tend to put your best player at CHF
Some of our best players named on the bench for this one. Can’t see that team starting!
I presume there had to be a result tomorrow therefore extra time? I certainly hope it won’t come to that! Maigheo Abú
I hope the named team starts for the simple reason to test the mettle of the non nailed on starters. Clare will go at this game hammer and tongs from the start so anyone not up for the battle will be found out. Don’t forget 7 subs are allowed and given the strength of the bench we have plenty of options to plug any holes that arise. I expect us to win this one well in the end as we have not been out of 2/3gear yet this year. Too good of an opportunity to miss in getting back to where we belong. Clare are not quite a div 1 team yet.
Is game live at 1.45 on TG4? Confused re time as schedule says hurling?
Short answer: Yes.
Kerry running riot v Tyrone. The forwards unreal. Its a hammering. Good luck to Mayo tomorrow – we need to be back playing Division 1 where the top teams are.
Conor o shea back in the mix. Did have a good club championship last year but he would have to do an awful lot better than he did before in a mayo Jersey..The name I would love to see on that bench is Harrison. An area we desperately need some backup as most of our squad are forward s. . Let’s hope oisin never gets injured
Go again, it was like watching the ultimate skill set in forward play at times . They’re ready now , kerry will lift sam .
I agree with Sean Burke Kerry will lift Sam this year and I hope it’s not against us in the final because they would destroy our defence. You won’t find Kerry or Dublin worrying about the likes of Clare. Different class
I’m enjoying the Euro 2020 football, I think we all know the destination of the All Ireland final this year, the Dubs will beat Kerry in the final if they avoid each other in the semi’s.
That’s just the way it is.
That Kerry game is meaningless.
Remember the end of the league last year… Kerry hammered Donegal and lifted the cup. It all ended in tears a few weeks later.
Dublin will be beat Kerry at a canter after the most hyped up all Ireland final of all time ends in anti climatic fashion. As Mayo88 says, that’s just the way it is and it ain’t changing.
Meaningless game absolutely. Nothing meaningless in their scoring . Shur training is meaningless but yet we are told it’s how the teams are selected . As for last year ,forget it , the only aspect of last years championship that was true to form was Dublin won it , cavan a joke , tipperary as bad . Be no slip up by either of the big two and it will be a humdinger of a final .
Anyway it’s none of our business in the context of project mayo 2021 . Promotion would be a fantastic start. Nestor cup would be great too but like a lot of mayo supporters ,serious reservations about the goals we are conceding. I understand the reply of “horan doesnt do sweeper systems ” etc etc but you wont beat Dublin without one or I actually think you need two .
Did I see a clip of jason doc playing for burrishrule this evening ?
Good luck tomorrow, Clare are a dangerous team and Mayo will have to be on their toes as complacency could really bite ye in the ass when it comes to them. Like Kerry and Cork last year, if you bring the wrong message with selection or attitude it could give the opposition the belief you don’t need them to have. To see Clare beating Mayo and move to division one would lift the spirits of many just like Cork beating Kerry in their clash in the Munster championship did last year.
The cold reality is that the joy of the upset will probably result in less competition at the critical end of the competition which will serve nobody other than the dreamers. I’d love to see Clare football doing well but in truth I’d rather be heading to Castlebar in the spring of 22 with butterflies in my stomach than trying to have my season tickets registered for our Clare clash. That sounds very harsh but division one needs Mayo in the mix, thankfully teams are beginning to embrace the benefits of attacking football again even in the North so I pray ye do the business tomorrow. Good luck
Horan doesn’t need to play a sweeper. But he does need to have a defensive plan in place. Having backs – even full back line players – carrying the ball deep into opposition territory is fine – but who is minding the house then. It is almost like u10 football at times with everyone up the field and no one minding the goal.
I said it about three years ago – Dublin and Kerry will win the next 10 all Irelands between them. They are going to dominate the all Ireland series as they have the resources and it’s easy to convince a Kerry or Dublin player to put their lives on hold and commit to county football. Harder to convince players from other counties to go to the level these counties are at.
Southmayo , can I ask what a defensive plan is v the orthodox six defenders taking up their men in the forward line? I’m genuinely curious , let’s say for arguments sake Leroy makes no runs forward and takes on the job of marking a Clifford or COC , then let’s again for arguments sake say he cant match his man ,has him bet up a stick after 15 mins, , what defensive plan do you think Horan has for such a scenario?
If no sweeper and yiure giving the licence to roam , well fuck it then play oisin Mullen at chb , either go for it or dont ,near mind the half arsed rubbish . It’s all upside down , dubs went down to 14 last year and we decided to go into a shell. Rubbish ingame tactics ,lack of conviction and decisive action. Go and win the all Ireland or go home .
Aiden O’Rourke has called it that all star forwards wins you matches but all star defenders win you AI’s especially Dublin defenders. They love defending just like Italian football defenders. Look at them last night. High fives when they stopped Turkey from scoring . What happens when we concede 2 or 3 goals, a shrug of the shoulders when they should be going ballistic.JH has done some brilliant things, especially with our forwards but until he takes on board a defensive strategy we will not reach the Holy Grail.
Gamechanger, that’s a good comment. You obviously know your football. Kerry’s performance today must have delighted you and put the fear of God in allcomers, even the Boys in Blue. But, to be forewarned is to be forearmed!!!!!
Keep your insightful comments coming. Best of luck and Up Mayo.
@South Mayo Exile, Mayo definitely need a sweeper with two of our best attacking players in the full back line, and Lee Keegan and Oisin Mullin are great players attacking, neither are top class out and out defenders for a full back line.. We might get away without a sweeper at times, but with Dublin as we have experienced several times, easy goals right through the center of our defense, or Kerrys ability 6 Goals today.. We simply cannot afford not to develop a sweeper.. Anyhow it’s Clare that’s on our minds tonight, it hasn’t been a kind weekend so far, with our Hurlers, Camogie and Women’s teams all having a day best forgotten.. Interesting the taughts of ‘Gamechanger’ something in it alright with the wrong message ie the team selection giving your opponent something to give them hope.. Was watching both Kerry v Tyrone and Donegal v Dublin.. First of all, I have to say that it’s a serious disadvantage for the Tyrone team to have to drive all the way one to a car to Killarney, had to be worth a few points to Kerry.. Those Tryone player’s would hardly be home yet and the match is over a few hours by now… Niall Morgan the Tyrone goalie, most of the time he’s absolutely superb.. but he’s the type of guy when he’s hot, he’s hot and when he’s not he’s definitely NOT.. it started so we’ll for him, making a brilliant save, but Cork Ref , Paddy Lane seen something that most didn’t and awarded a penalty to Kerry for virtually nothing.. Expertly dispatched by Clifford, next kickout poor, point for Kerry, next kickout poor, brilliant chipped goal by Gavin White, reminiscent of Barney Rock v Galway in the 1983 All Ireland final.. It was game over even at this early stage.. It ended up 6 Goals for Kerry but 4 were easily avoidable by Tyrone as the errors continued.. Tommorow Mayo have a much shorter drive than Tyrone today, but we can’t afford to be in any way below our best.. We’re all glad Sport are back, but be mindful that often the best part of sport is when the underdogs win.. The Ulster Champions and very strong favorites Cavan, made the drive in their cars to Wicklow and needed to win to avoid playing in the bottom tier of Gaelic Football next year they failed.. I definitely think that when player’s have to drive alone to venue and the further the harder, it has to be a serious advantage to the home based opposition..So we are warned.. and remember this Dublin didn’t have to play Donegal in Donegal today… I wonder why was the exception of a neutral venue for Dublin made once again.. You could count on one hand the amount of times Dublin have played a championship game in the home of their opponent in the last decade, and still have a few fingers left over.
Southmayo Exile, we haven’t had any trouble getting players to commit over the years. Apart from understandable retirements, players don’t seem to walk away from the Mayo setup in their prime. Dublin have had more trouble in that regard with players taking years away.
On sweepers, have people forgotten that we tried that multiple times against Dublin? The sweeper put the ball into our own net on one occasion! There’s no quick fix for the defence. Players just need to read the game better and do better individually.
Promotion is in our medium term interest, I am confident that Horan will have the players well prepared, irrespective of who lines out.
Our younger players are developing but will only be truly tested (and learn) in division one.
I would prefer to win tomorrow and not win connacht if that was the only choice, we are a level below Dublin and Kerry at the moment but can improve if we go up.
Let’s see how tomorrow goes with hopefully no sweepers in site, and an important win in the back pocket.
Southmayo Exile Agree 100% with you. I’ve said the same. Dublin and Kerry dominance. Things have to change to keep the TV companies involved.Without them there will be a cash flow problem. A super league of ten teams will be what they want .1 Dublin and the other nine divided regionally. This will be the future..
Because we have been in the top 3 in the country over last few years- we have got great commitment from the players. However, there are different levels of commitment. We saw when Mayo played Down this year the physical conditioning of the Mayo players was miles ahead of the Down lads. Now the Down players will say they are committed to playing county football – but it was fairly obvious they haven’t done the hard graft and long hours working on their conditioning that the Mayo players have done. The conditioning of the Dublin players is at a different level too – and the Kerry players have really upted their game in relation to their physical conditioning. The point I am making is that when you have players who are naturally more talented and because of their hard work are now physically in better shape than players from other counties – the gap is only going to get wider. I hope I am wrong.
The Tyrone that Kerry bet today reminded me of the Tyrone we played in the league a few years back when Fionn McDonagh ripped them apart. They tried all out attacking football that day, hadn’t figured out quite how it works and got hosed before reverting back to type. Tyrone it seems are committed to throwing off the blanket approach but are a long ways behind Kerry and Dublin at this point. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if Tyrone meet Kerry again in the Championship and they wont be as easy beat then!
Kerry would walk away with an u26 All Ireland. Dublins dominance will handover to Kerry.
Maybe some quirk of genetics but they can also produce big rangey athletes with natural pace.
They look like born athletes.
They have the culture of owning the ONeills which isn’t in other counties.
They have the schools.
They are producing one top class forward every year.
I am glad that some posters are not playing for Mayo because we would be beaten out the gate with their fear,the fact is that we are second best team over the last few years to the greatest team that ever played football,yet we have people saying we need to be cautious against teams that have no chance against us,respect all teams ,fear them no,we will win easily today,we will win the Nestor cup,after that we will play whoever is in front of us without fear,and probably beat them, best of luck to the team today,hopefully no injuries to either team,up Mayo
Well said Corick bridge. Clare certainly don’t have a 15 or 22 to beat this mayo outfit. Once we don’t decide to beat ourselves, and I can’t see this to be allowed to happen under current management. I think we will dominate and have 7/8 to spare. I agree with holding back some experience for final 20. Let the youth go and express themselves and make the game safe. Maigheo abù.