The day before

Photo: MichaelMaye,com

So the Super 8s get going today and tomorrow we get our first taste of this new Championship format. It feels like a big football weekend and, after last year’s hiatus, it’s great to be in the thick of it.

Although our game doesn’t throw in until 4pm tomorrow down in Killarney, I’m still hitting the road myself shortly. As I explained on the preview edition of the podcast, I’ve a westwards detour to do first to collect a diehard supporter who’ll be making the trip to Kerry with us. The only sensible way to do this was to build in overnight stops both tonight and tomorrow night but, sure, that’s the fun of it all.

Just a few quick things to point you towards before heading away.

There’s not a whole pile of interest in the papers, to be honest, aside from Malachy Clerkin’s wonderful feature on Darren Coen in today’s Irish Times (here). That’s definitely worth a look.

Details on parking arrangements in Killarney – here.

Details on the access gates at Fitzgerald Stadium – here.

Also, the best of luck to the ladies who take on Tyrone in their All-Ireland Senior Championship, Group 4, Round 1 match at Healy Park in Omagh this afternoon. That match throws in at 2pm and the best of luck to them.

That’s it, short and sweet. Back with some final pre-match thoughts in the morning.

37 thoughts on “The day before

  1. The darren coen piece is fantastic
    Goes to show there is still a place in the modern game for a proper baller where its all about skill and not gps stats.
    It’s been thrilling to watch him in action, maybe the time away from county setup meant that be didn’t have that instinct beat out of him.

  2. …hitting the road shortly now. Love an excuse to get to killarney.

    Will get in a skelp of pints tonight below hopefully. Where are mayo fans heading in killarney for tonight’s pre game session?

  3. Hiding in plain sight. Very true.
    Just a few thoughts on match.
    I feel this is the game that will define our season. No doubt Kerry are up for this one and I sense it will be all out war. Coming back on the train after 2014 I said to an elderly Kerryman that they would do anything to win a match. He looked me in the eye and said Yes we would.
    It was an eye opener to me and I have to laugh with everyone saying we are the clinical team.
    I expect Kerry to be very physical and in our face. Discipline is key. They didn’t like the bulling comments after league final so nows their chance to sort it.
    If we can get anything from this game it would be huge.
    We need to score 18 points or so and no goals at our end.
    Maybe a draw.
    Up Mayo.

  4. Had a look back at the league final and Stephen O’Brien was Kerry’s main threat by far. Especially in the 2nd half. We probably need to put Keegan on him.

  5. Best of luck to Mayo. I feel you have a good chance. After the match in Limerick, I remarked to my son that I felt Mayo had slipped back into 3rd gear for 15 mins. of the second half.

    No doubt Kerry will be full of running, but against us, Vaughan set the early physical tone, and your forward division, ably led by Cillian with Carr, Coen and McDonagh (stamina), were clinical and had us chacing shadows at times.

    The Danny Mann in Killarney is a fine place for a few sociables..

    Best of luck to Ros too…

  6. The Kerry pundits seem to be demanding their lads to ‘stand up’ to the cynical bullies from Mayo. To my mind that’s exactly what we want. If they go down that road we’ll be right where we’re comfortable. A young team like Kerry should be seeking to move the ball and avoid contact if possible.

    It will be interesting to see where we station Boyler tomorrow. The full back line needs cover as they’ll seek to hit Clifford and Geaney as early as possible. If Boyler drops in, then one of our midfielders need to hold the center half back slot as Moran and O’Shea will look for space there.

  7. Safe Traveling to All, No doubt about, it, the Best Fan’s that ever was Mayo, hope to be there in their number Killarney around 2PM, tommorow… Good luck to the Mayo Ladies V Tyrone…. Good Luck to our Neighbors Roscommon V Tyrone….As for the leaking of the Team?…It might be the 1-15 as printed on the official programme, same as in Kerry’s case, but neither might be the correct Team…. The name’s on the Match day 26 are the names you need to know!… Now, where’s the Sat Nav?

  8. It is good to see Darren get his chance and take his chance this time, best of luck to him and all the team tomorrow. Revellino’s cows have the right attitude to any information emanating from Kerry (please see his very humorous 5.42am post on Kerry team named and also the perspective on Mayo team leaks). We just need to stay in the fight until mid August and get the injured lads back. Anything can happen then and nobody will want to face us. Safe travels to the land of Yerra and I hope we can keep the ball kicked out to them. It would be very sweet to stuff them on home soil. Up Mayo.

  9. I think we’ll be really up against it here. I don’t get the feeling their is as many Mayo supporters travelling for this one, which is completely understandable. The home crowd will sway the reff, no more than we got the rub of the green at times against Armagh. If them 26 Mayo bucks pull this off, it would rank as one of their greatest ever victories.

    Expecting Roscommon to be shown up big time by Tyrone. Comfortable wins for Dublin and Donegal.

  10. This evenings game of The Dubs versus Cork will maybe tell us something about how tomorrow will go. Given how much Kerry were pushed by Cork in the Munster Final, should they get blown away in Croker today, how good could Kerry really be? Personally, I think their stock is overvalued, but you write Kerry off at any time to your peril.

    Ditto for the Rossies, if they show well against Tyrone (or heaven forbid have the temerity to beat them), that puts Tyrone in a whole different light. I suspect that this game will be closer than many think.

    Tyrone by 2. (Rossies by 2 would not surprise me).
    Dublin by 9. (If Cork fold even after 65+ minutes, we’ll put up a cricket score on them).
    Mayo by 2. (Even with the heat).
    Donegal by 6. (Meath can stifle them for only so long).

  11. i would be very concerned that the weather will be very hot tomorrow afternoon for our over 30 something players especially our redheads colm boyle and donal vaughaun.but as danny healy- rea says its the man above who decides the weather. i heading early on sunday morning . safe travelling to all.

  12. Any news of official team announcement? Best of luck to James Horan and team. I think we will get over the line with a few points to spare.

  13. My thinking is that Kerry are under savage pressure for this game.. the notion that Mayo could beat them three times in one year and in Championship football in Killarney to boot is just not to be contemplated. And this is where the winning and loosing of this game could be. I expect Kerry to come at us hell for leather from thd start which is to be expected anyways but I think it will have an almost manic edge to it. What we have to do is the reverse of the Galway game.. start slow.. play the long game.. soak up the Kerry onslaught.. don’t give away soft goals and hang in there. If we can go in at half time within 2-3 points of Kerry we will win the game Then come out in the second half, ring the changes and use all our experience to get over the line with a 1 point win. As always we will need a bit of luck.. we can’t afford anyone to be sent off or injured and we will need to draw plenty of scoreable frees and a bit of magic from Carr would be icing on the cake. Kerry could be all knotted up with fear of loosing and forget you simply just have to concentrate on winning which is what I hope we do.. C’Mon Mayo.. let’s win this one.

  14. I respectfully disagree toe to hand – we are an older team playing for our fourth straight weekend on what is going to be a very hot day. We need to start well and get the upper hand and show them who’s boss physically and not be counting on a second half surge which may not happen given the heat. Having said that the sideline and sports science department is vital tomorrow to track player mileage and fatigue and ring the changes accordingly – i expect us to use our full compliment of subs in a timely fashion and these lads must have a positive impact and be full of running when introduced

  15. For all the talk of the physicality and standing up to the Mayo bullies by ex Kerry players and pundits , I think peter Keane and co are not going to fall into the trap of getting into an arm wrestle with a bigger, stronger more physical team. What Kerry need to do and I expect them to is to avoid contact, move the ball quickly and run the legs off our older statesman. We need to be ready for this and on what promises to be a hot day Horan need to use his bench wisely.

  16. Let’s hope the lads keep the discipline in check. JH has done a great job in this area keeping his team on the field. Experience helps too. Kerry will test our discipline for sure. Also let’s hope we have better luck with injuries.

  17. Just landed in Killarney now,the sun is splitting the stones and the place is hopping!

  18. Is there anyone in the Hyde this evening?? Would love to hear the 26 in the program seeing as Mayo GAA have forgotten to name the team officially!!

  19. Quick Question
    Im on an Aer Lingus plane flying to Tenerife tomorrow when match is on. I know poor me.
    If I buy match on Gaago can I watch it on the plane as they have WiFi?
    Anyone done that before?

  20. @remember51 …you could try but unlikely the wifi would be good enough for live streaming.

  21. Remember51 – My experience of Wifi across the Atlantic is that’s it’s patchy and slow and not for streaming. Could be different flying across Europe? You should be able to lisgen on radio over WiFi…I once listened to a Mayo FBD league game over NewFoundLand 🙂

  22. The latency in in-flight network connections – which are linked back to earth via satellite – pretty much rules out video streaming. As has already been pointed out, though, an audio stream could work as it’s not as heavy on the bandwidth.

  23. The sheape stealers not quite as good as the balladers,but not a bad show just the same

  24. Cheers all. Midwest it is so. Better than nothing.
    Interesting that Darragh O Shea is very nervous about us and Thomas O Shea actually tips us to win.
    Tyrone winning easily enough in the end. Rossies missed goal chances in first half were needed by them to make a contest.

  25. You don’t actually believe that guff from the o’shea’s Remember51? They don’t respect us and they never have,

  26. No I dont believe everything I read and especially from them but they could have approached the game from a different angle which I find interesting.A bit of fear maybe…….

  27. Connacht Telegraph must have a mole in the camp. Have all the inside info.

  28. Hiding in plain sight, you can add Jack Reilly Charlestown and Liam Irwin to that list, 2 of the most gifted forwards in the County !! lets hope James gives them a shout next year!!

  29. In Killarney since 5pm. Kerry folk are all cagey. It’s great! Staying tomorrow night too ,yerra why not! I think we will have reason to celebrate. Safe travels to all.

  30. Not a lot of talk re Donie Buckley knowledge of the Mayo players or influence on Kerry.They do look shakey at the back but must be improving .

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