It’s been a bit of a distracting week here, what with the Junior Cert rearing its ugly head in this household for the first time, so the days have gone by in a bit of a blur. But gone by they have and so we’re knocking on the door of another weekend already.
So far this year’s football championship has rarely raised its head above the dull and predictable and this weekend’s action isn’t, I fear, all that likely to buck that trend. From our standpoint, Sunday’s Connacht semi-final between Roscommon and Sligo is obviously the match of most interest but I’d say there’s little or no chance that the Rossies will trip themselves up like they did so hilariously against the Magpies twelve months ago.
Every single championship match to date this summer has gone to form and I’d be surprised to see anything but a routine win for the Rossies at Hyde Park on Sunday. Assuming they come through that one – and, in the process, book their place in the Connacht final for the very first time since 2011 – ourselves and Galway will then be playing for the right to meet them in next month’s provincial final when we face off in at MacHale Park tomorrow week (throw-in 7pm).
This is the fourth year in a row we’ll have come up against Galway in Connacht and we’re currently on our joint-best winning streak against them, having won our last five championship matches against them (a piece I did last year on this winning run is here). Five-in-a-row over them is a feat we achieved only once previously – between 1905 and 1911 – though we’ve still some way to go to surpass their best unbeaten run against us. Between 1954 and 1966 the Tribesmen downed our colours on each of the eight times we met them in Connacht over that period.
As I noted in that piece last year, our recent strong record against them means that we’re also now, for the first time in a long while, marginally in front on the head-to-head. We’ve met a total of 85 times in Connacht since our first ever clash way back in 1902 and we’ve won 40 of those, with Galway winning 39 and a further six ending in draws.
The bookies strongly fancy us to extend this winning run into what would be unchartered waters for us. Paddy Power have priced us at 1/5 to make it six Connacht championship wins in a row over them when we meet at Castlebar next weekend. We’ll talk more in detail, I’m sure, over the coming few days about players and tactics and all that but let’s keep it broad brush for now. What do you reckon to those odds? Who do you think will win this one?
How will we get on against Galway?
- Win (93%, 298 Votes)
- Lose (5%, 16 Votes)
- Draw (2%, 8 Votes)
Total Voters: 322
Loading ...
Can’t wait to get going again. I expect a similar game to last year. Nip & tuck until last 15 minutes.
I’m also expecting a lot from our front 6, with the additions of regan & Loftus and return of form/fitness of Andy and the 2 Alan’s.
If we are to play a sweeper then I think D O’connor could potentially be the best in the business in that role.
As a Galway man let me be clear and this isn’t trying to be cute. Mayo will win this by 4 or 5 points. I watched Galway against Cavan and while they have improved they did not win or get to Division 1 because they are not quite at that level. I’m not sure have Mayo improved but it will be interesting to see how they play, I think we will see Rochfords style for the first time. His style with Corofin(who I saw play quite a bit) was a lot different to how Mayo have played in recent years. Finally, a couple of tight bruising encounters in Connacht could be the winning of an All Ireland for Mayo. Remember Galways last 2 All Ireland’s, we were beaten in Tuam by Ros in 01 and very lucky to beat Mayo in Castlebar in 98 and then needed a replay and and extra time to win the Connacht Final. Here’s hoping for a good game and the very best of luck to the Mayo hurlers this weekend.
Nice post Mike. I really hope you’re right about all of that. And tony, that bit about diarmuid as a sweeper could be the biggest piece to securing our goal. But how do we play sweeper and also have all the likes of , oh , let’s say , Dublin for example defenders all marked up for their keepers kickouts? Am I right thinking that we would have a half forward going forward to do the marking job and racing back after the kickouts ?
Dave, I have to agree with you there. I think the biggest mistake made last year was a tactical error sacrificing a corner forward to add a sweeper, whats worse is that this mistake was repeated in the replay. This error allowed Cooper or McMahon to move across to double team AOS. It also gave Cluxton a free man to kick too all day and Mayo couldnt press up or the freeman would be a half back.
The sweeper really needs to come from thehalf back line, preferably the centre back with midfield covering back.
I was footing turf the other day. It is a boring, tedious, back-breaking enterprise as anyone who has ever done it will testify. I was thinking about how to beat Cluxtons kickout ( for want of something better to think about!) And guess what? I figured it out. Dead easy, simple and almost bomb proof. I said nearly bomb-proof mind you!
Dublin and Cluxton need space inside their 65m line for his kicki to hit the target. Even if you mark every player as tight as possible he can still hit the space either in front of or either side of his target team mate. The answer – kill all that space by crowding them out in that zone! All you do is push all your players (bar the goalie) up to between their 45 and 65m line. it is then a 50/50 situation. If they win posession – foul them before they can break forward.
Does that mean leaving their hotshot forwards unmarked in front of our goal. No! They will have to follow their men back or else we have a numerical advantage in front of their goals. If they do win the kickout you have to make a mad scramble back to cover.
Mmmmmm?
I know there’s something wrong with this strategy but it might just be the kind of radical approach that would screw up the seemingly unstoppable Dubs!
Oh and I nearly forgot we have to beat Galway first and thenRoscommon and then……
Diehard, good plan but you’re forgetting that Dublin have very pacy forwards that would beat us over 50 meters. Can you imagine the foot race from midfield when dublins midfield holds the ball and hits it into the space where our defenders should be? A bloodbath unless we get sprinters in as defenders.
Mayomad, that’s an interesting view point on reflection I agree with you, Mayo need to be aware what’s possible. Galway may very well play with a sweeper and we will have to adjust accordingly. Big Mick, I disagree with you about 98, Galway in my opinion were far superior on that occasion, I have seen that match on a number of occasions, mostly because I was on the telly I few times during that match myself, I had a long day and night on Saturday starting off in the Mick Byrnes and ended up in the TF, I taught at the time when I seen the Sunday Game that night how terrible I looked, recently I seen the same match repeated on the TnaG4,and I taught how well I looked, no wonder the women were after me then! . But that’s what time does. Back to the match Galway had easily 60+% possession and chances and didn’t convert as much as they would have liked to from the chances they had , very unlike Galway! Mayo on the other hand had done well to be in the game as we entered the final quarter, Ciarian McDonald was on a hat trick when he hit a ‘rasper’ off the underside of the crossbar into the Albany end late on in the game, did it go over the line or not? That was the debate after the match, a bit like Geoff Hurst in the World Cup final of 1966, neither were goals in my opinion. Derek Savage clipped Mayo keeper Peter Burke off the underside of the very same bar late in the first half for a superb and legitimate goal, only for Mayo to reply with an excellent team goal finished by Super Mac himself to leave us all breathless at halftime. Where have 18 years gone? Frightening!
I hope you get the turf out before the rain comes or Mayo are beaten. (If they are)
I think it would be a mistake to use Diarmuid as the sweeper. He would still have to push up on the opposition to try and win their kickouts. Then if we fail to win the kickout, he would have to sprint back in front of our FB line before the opposition have transitioned the ball to attack. Diarmuid might be the fittest player in the country but that is not sustainable over 70 minutes.
Using him as sweeper would also take away from his attacking qualities. He is one of our most reliable long range point scorers and has a knack of ghosting into goal scoring positions.
I think Tom Parsons is a better choice because he wouldn’t have as far to sprint back if we fail to win the opposition kickout. He is also physically better able to mark a big target man e.g. Damien Comer, Donie Shine, Murphy, Donaghy etc.
My preferred plan to deal with Cluxton’s kick outs is very simple and very cynical. Stop him taking them. Use the rule book (by my reading) to our advantage. Stand someone right on the penalty spot in front of the ball for every kick out and block his vision and ability to kick out the ball. It’s not a yellow card offence/caution-able infraction – all that happens is the ball gets moved up 13 yards after the ref blows it, but that would be enough time to get set and force him to kick long. The rule states:
4.20 For an opposing player to be less than 13m from the ball before a kick-out. PENALTY – Free kick 13m more advantageous than place of original kickout.
Do that all match and see how happy he is.
KMc did exactly that a coupleof years ago in the league, Cluxton got annoyed, kicked Kevin and got red. Could be a plan.
Nice stuff there Big Mike, with a lot going for it.
I’m not as sanguine as a lot of posters here. No problem at all of course in getting tight barely-able-to win games. I know Galway have some withdrawals and the mood may not be great, but there are good footballers there, with U21 and club championship medals in their back pocket. Yes, I know we dumped these guys on their arses before, but they now have a few years of senior stuff under their belts, Kevin Walsh is no mug, and, as I pointed out before, Galway had the winning of that Donegal match last year, and can learn from it.
I feel our panel has definitely improved this year, but injuries are a big worry at the moment and we haven’t delivered a proper 70 minutes of football this year. So, changing the style won’t make for a smooth performance next week and that could be a big opportunity for Galway.
Any updates on the injured players? If all fit hope rochford selects:
Hennelly
Harrison caff Higgins
Keegan boyle durcan
Pasons Seamie
Mcloughlin aido diarmuid
Regan cillian loftus
I wouldnt be so sure that there is little or no chance that the Rossies will trip themselves again.
Sligo apparently haven’t lost to Roscommon in Hyde Park since 1989 and the rossies are injury hit with Diarmuid Murtagh,Ultan Harney,Enda Smith,Cathal Shine,Ian Kilbride,Kevin Higgins etc all unable to start this Sunday.
Sligo management and players are taking big they really fancy their chances of causing another upset and why shouldn’t they.
Just heard Galway midfielder Fiontan O’Curraoin is heading to the US for the summer. Looks like the Galway camp is a shambles this year. A lot of their better players are either in the US or opted of the panel. We really should be winning this handy, probably by 7-10 points.
@Digits, Here’s the result of that scenario when Kevin Mc did that in the league 2 years ago in Croke Park!! ( I got a bit of stick from some people for putting up the photo of Cluxton walking down the Hogan tunnel)
http://michaelmaye.com/project/dublin-v-mayo-29th-march-2014/
Interesting reading here this evening but a bit of Shakespeare springs to mind. ‘Vaulting ambition that over leaps and falls upon itself’!in other words we gave to win four matches before we need worry about Clutton kickouts . I think Tyrone could put up a serious test in a semifinal. Donegal Cork also capable of overturning us on their day. So we need one match at a time and each will present it’s own opportunity and challenges. But with a professional performance we can expect a clear victory over Galway and then we think of next game.
Time to fill out prediction competition shortly and trying to work out how much roscommon will win by any takers for 8-10 points…
Cluxton’s kickouts are an asset to Dublin because most teams nowadays fall back into a defensive mode on a Dublin kickout. However the kickout style, with its low trajectory towards the intended receiver invites interception by an alert opposing attacker. It might not be intercepted every time but it need not be and if intercepted once it will introduce doubt into Cluxton’s mind as it did in that league game in Coke Park. If Dublin are to be beaten the concentration needs to be on Cluxton’s kickouts and defending in Dublin’s half of the field. Many have tried sweepers but none have succeeded with that tactic. Donegal’s win in 2014 was not based on a sweeper tactic. It was defensive with lightening breaks from defence but Dublin have adapted to cope with that since. Nobody that I can recall, apart from Mayo in that 2014 league game have really attacked their kickout. Attacking their kickout allied to Jim McGuinness’ twin towers approach in attack is, I think, the key.
Dont think you can have both, to attack and press on the kickouts you need a very mobile forward line to pick up corner backs stopping short kickouts. Twin towers would presumably be AOS and B Moran, not very mobile, corner banks will constantly be available.
Jaysus lads, the thread is about Galway. Since when did we get so mighty that we fast forward through 4 matches as foregone conclusions to the all ireland final? Are we Kerry men now? We haven’t been in the last two so perhaps for this week we might narrow the focus down a bit to talking about trying to get to a Connacht final before we go planning what town Sam will stop in first after Stephen Rochford utilises the mayogaablog tactical handbook on nullifying Stephen Cluxtons kickouts?
Galway are very quiet which always makes me nervous. Reality is we don’t really know what we are like yet. London was a workmanlike performance. League told us nothing much. People saying a 4 point win which I’d agree with but a 4 point win can easily turn into a 1 point loss if things go wrong, ref makes a few bizzare calls (black card for Cillian after 6 minutes) and the shooting boots aren’t on. In fact one of our consistent traits this season has been missing chances so let’s hope that has been rectified.
I don’t for a minute believe that what fans say or think reflects on players attitude. But the “it’s a formality” attitude from the majority of a collective audience at a home venue for a match can seep onto the field. 20 minutes in after a few missed chances and its 3 points to 2 and the grumbling starts. Galway start thinking they’re not that great, we have a chance here and the whole thing can start taking a different narrative. There’s nothing won yet, this management team have no track record in inter county championship, so let’s concentrate on beating Galway and support them next Saturday with the same passion we would if they do take the field to beat StephenCluktons kick outs in September.
Well said East Cork Exile. If there is not a laser focus on Galway and Galway alone we are heading for a trip into the unknown of the qualifiers in my opinion. The players are not immune to the mindset of the public, and a general sentiment that this is going to be stroll in the park can seep into the minds of the players. I’m sure Rochford will be doing his best to guard the team against complacency and hopefully senior players’ memories will not be so short as to forget the fate that they sealed last September. Either way still not sure if the team are fully ready to go at 100% yet with all of the interruptions from the sheer number of recent injuries. So unless our lads go into this game with a ruthless attitude and cut out the noise from the public the Galway ambush threat will become a reality
Good man East Cork Exile, agree 100% with your post. Since when did this blog turn into the “Dublin GAA kick out blog”? the smount of air time given to Steven feckin Cluxton is laughable. We’ve Galway a week today, a team that has beaten us more times than any1else on this Island, and we’re fast forwarding to September….
For what its worth, I think we’ll beat Galway by 4-6 points…providing we’re a bit more cohesive and stop spurning the majority of our chances. We have’nt put a full 70min performance together this year, its time to rectify that and lift the tempo.
East Cork Exile, I suppose the conversation turning to Cluxton suggests that’s theres not too much to say about Galway. No mayoman would ever take the feckers for granted because of our history against them. But I think Galway are in a poor enough shape right now. Galway people, that I know and who would be fairly well in the know, are downbeat at the moment. I do think Galway will come good again but not this year. They will of course give us a rattle but if we aren’t capable of beating them then we have slipped an awful lot.
All I want is a win and some semblance of an effective style of play that will take us much further.
Totally agree with East Cork Exile one game at a time concentrate on Galway and look no further
Sometimes people just want to talk about football in general.
Ah yes. Footing turf and thinking of a way to beat the opposition.
A field of hay down and keeping a closer eye on this forum than the weather forecast.
Wondering will the cow calf just as the game is starting next weekend.
Putting a bit of mustard on your food and then realizing that its not mustard at all and that the hens have been up on the table again.!!!
Only in Mayo.
As Willie Joe’s headline says it’s time to start thinking about Galway. Cluxton and his kickouts would be a million miles away from my thoughts at the moment.
Can anyone put their hand up and say we have delivered a sustained 70 minutes of football this year?
I think it’s about time we started to take Galway for granted, they’re just not at our level. I would imagine if Kerry were playing Waterford or Dublin playing Wicklow I doubt their fans would spend too much time talking about these games on similar forums to this. That’s the way we need to approach this game, we need to be confident that we will blow these guys away next Saturday.
We are right to discuss how we develop a strategy to counter Cluxton’s kickouts, because ultimately that’s where Mayo will be come September
Is Claxton starting in goal for Galway on Saturday? Otherwise people are getting way ahead of themselves on this blog… ?
I don’t think the tactics needed to beat Dublin are mutually exclusive of every other game. Nothing stopping from pushing up on the Galway kickouts and also try to perfect our sweeper system. If we play to our potential we’ll win with a bit to spare.
So no Cluxton talk for now! Fair enough so. So let’s talk about Galway. Ah……….let me think for a minute! Feckit I cannot think of much to say.
So Jim Flag I’m going to check on that cow and make her fully aware that if she decides to calf on Sat evening she’ll be on her feckin own. I’ll be in Castlebar licking my lips at the prospects of batin the living Jazus outa Galway………the way they used to bate us in the 60s when I first started going to games and wondering would we ever have the kind of swagger they portrayed in those days. Well we do have the swagger and I’m enjoying every minute of it. No more humility, self-effacing dialogue, béalbochtary or self-doubting parlances for me. And I do expect 70 minutes of top class play from our lads and a good win. So there!
We know we have the team to beat Galway and Sligo or Roscommon, what we don’t know is who we would get at quarterfinal or semifinal stage, that’s where the problem arises, cork, donegal, Tyrone, Monaghan, Kerry or anyone could be in the qualifiers and we would meet them at that point. Anything can happen on the day so I for one won’t be getting too carried away if we win Connacht
That being said I think it’s a good idea to mark gal ways kickouts as if cluxton was in goal and keep doing it regardless of opponent or score.
Not sure who that Claxton lad is Wayne Scales! Lookit, there’s no harm in idle speculation going on here about what to do with the challenges we may or may not have to face later in the summer.
Diehard Dan ! My words, and I’m off to round up those sods….enough said till I get back.
And what a win for the hurlers!’!!’!
They’re a credit to the county.
Win for Hurlers.
If we play to our potential we must be classed as one of the two teams in the country,so I see no reason not to be confident,all the best against Galway,and not forgetting the players who have left the panel,we owe them a great amount of gratitude
Claxton? He is Cluxtons less well known cousin! ?
If nothing else Stephen Rochford is supposed to be meticulous in his preparation. I would also expect that if anyone has the inside line on what is going on in the Galway camp.. he should have.. put these points together with the fact that if there is one team he would not want to loose against.. its galway. There would be no complacency for this game anyway but Stephen will make sure the team is in the right frame of mind. I expect that once again we will push up on the opposition kick outs, force them to go long and dominate from midfield. Interesting piece in the independent today with Thomas O Shea.. he believes most teams cannot implement Jim McGuinness blue print to take down the Dubs. He reckons the way to do it is give up the kick outs and retreat to half way line. I expect this will be most teams approach this year including Galway against us. It will be interesting to see how we counter this.. one or two big men on the edge of the square possibly. We need to be tested on these things sooner rather than later.. hoping for a good close entertaining game that we just edge rather than a walk over.
Mayo winning margin over Galway was 13 points in 2013, 7 points in 2014,last year it was down to 4 points even with Shane Walsh out injured. Ray Silke and Kevin Walsh are talking up Mayo. Mayo supporters here on this site are talking about on how Mayo can beat Dublin in a Final. Former Kerry players are also talking up Mayo (they have an agenda) .I believe Galway pose a stiff challenge and if Mayo are complacent,it will be back door for us. Mayo under Stephen were already complacent against Cork and Down in the League. Mayo defeated Down by 4 points in a game they had to win to remain in division one,the margin was down to one point with minutes to go, Monaghan defeated this Down team in the championship by 19 points. Prior to Tyrone playing Derry a few weeks back Peter Canavan spoke at length on the threat Derry posed, will we see any former Mayo players speak of the threat Galway pose?
What do people think the team will be for next Saturday ? I expect maybe 5 changes
People do not learn lessons.Any sports coach will tell you overconfidence is as bad as no confidence.
Far too many over confident here.Yes I think we will win but there will be anxious moments too.Expect Ros to handle Sligo today setting up tight Connacht final.Roscommon have plenty in the tank and I expect if we get over Galway it could be a close encounter later.
I like the look of the young lads but worry about a few of our established forwards..they owe us nothing but I think there are some dpubts over them now.Dont think I am allowed name them which is fair enough.
Think Coen Loftus should start.
It actually just shows the dearth of talking points in our championships so far. There has been no real talking points so far. That’s the real problem. All of the talk so far has been about:
1. Can anyone give Dublin a game
2. Have Kerry too many old players in their team
3. Will this be Mayo’s year
4. Joe Brolly v Armagh, lol
5. The championship structures
You’d surely think that today with games in all of the provinces that there will be something to talk about at last. There are teams like Kerry (who have introduced a few young fellas for today’s game), Donegal and Cork in action who will hope to go far in the championship coming up against Clare, Fermanagh and Tipperary, who are teams trying to improve their lot.
Our neighbours Roscommon and Sligo are in action too so that should make for interesting viewing. Offaly are another team who are trying to make forward strides and it’ll be interesting to see how they do. Also you’d wonder will Meath v Louth provide some fireworks after what happened the last time they played in 2010. We’ll see how today’s games go anyway, then it will be all steam ahead for the Mayo v Galway game next weekend.
I dont see why being confident of a win is a problem, I can see us win by a healthy margin as I believe we are a much superior team in all areas to Galway. Thats not over confidence, its based on where the two teams are at the moment.
I am struggling to see how people seem to think Galway are a serious threat other than the whole “they are way to quiet for my liking” argument. At the start of the year I did think Galway could pose a challange but after their league preformance and the list of players not available to them they simply are not at the level required to beat Mayo especially at McHale Park. So unless they develop super powers is the next 6 days its a comfortable win for a Mayo team who will not need to hit top form to achieve a result.
Well said mayomad, we will win this game pulling up. If we put in a good performance we will win by 8-10 points.
Galway are a mid table Division 2 team, like this team struggled to beat Waterford a few years ago. Time to start thinking ahead to Roscommon in the Connacht Final
Galway are too quiet this time alright. As opposed to all the other times when they were really loud.
I think it is healthy for us to have self-belief and confidence in our team that we will beat Galway but for some people to be almost suggesting that Galway are not worthy to be on the same pitch as us, I would see that as bordering on a sense of arrogance.
Even with all of the All-Ireland titles that Kilkenny have won you would still not see any of their supporters make some of the comments that some of our supporters make, no matter who they were playing. But hey they know how to win All-Ireland titles with humility and unfortunately we have some supporters who only know how to lose All-Ireland titles with arrogance.
It’s like waiting for the baler to come with the hay just in perfect condition and an ominous big monster of a dirty black cloud looming all of a sudden in the distant sky…..waiting for these games, that is!
You have it in your head that this team is going through v special times at the moment, ironing out some creases,having some new stitches put in and you expecting a totally satisfying new product to be presented next Sunday.And of course you are convinced of the soundness of your judgement and you don’t want to hear or read anything to the contrary. But nothing will be revealed until the balls are kicked and the final whistle sounds over in McHale.
And so it is…that cloud will hang there until it bursts down on some teams dead head!
Really and truly it ll probably require nothing more than a bit of tightening up in defence plus and a bit more astuteness up front to win the day well .
That’s what we all want but it’s the blooming waiting and the watching out for that cloud that is so kinda irksome!
Sligo going to sneak it today, Diarmuid Murtagh not on the panel. Sligo by 2-4 points.
Is the game on Saturday evening or Sunday? As far as the game itself goes, whatever is said here or in bars or factories around Mayo, it won’t matter one bit to these players. In fact I’d say Galway could be getting nervous about it going wrong early in the game and even more of them deserting the ship
Dave its Saturday 18th at 7pm in Machale Park. Juan.. Sligo foke I know don’t fancy their chances this year… wouldn’t surprise me if Ros give them a fair trimming.
Not being arrogant HopeSpringsEternal, but Galway nowhere near Mayo’s level. They will be on the same pitch next Saturday but will be steamrolled by the green and red machine. The more hammerings we give to Galway the better.
Really Galway have been a mess since 2001
I genuinely think Davitt51 is a galwayman in disguise here to big us up!! Even the greatest sports teams have been prone to overconfidence and been ambushed. Much better teams than this current Mayo side, in relative terms. Id tend to agree 100% with East cork exile above. We are not going for our fourth all ireland in six years like Dublin, or looking to win our 38th all ireland like kerry. We’re looking for a first title in nearly 70 years having accumulated a tragically poor finals record in the modern era, the likes of which is unparalleled in the history of gaelic games. So let’s tone down the arrogance please, and treat every team with the respect they deserve. Just like brian Cody or Jim gavin would actually, men who can both “put their medals on the table” so to speak. We were pretty average for most of the league, and in truth lucky enough not to end up in division 2. Evan Regan has been very impressive, and I expect him to step it up again next week and prove he’s a championship player. Our experience should give us the edge but the fans will need to be patient.
Being confident of a win against Galway is not being arrogant or being over confident. Can anyone actually make a case for Galway winning beacuse there is very little evidence to say they can. No one is on here saying Mayo will win the AI, that would be arrogant, people are voicing their opinions which is what the blog is about. Or is it a rule now that we all have to be PC and be afraid to say what we are thinking in case we run the risk of actually being positive and having confidence in our team.
Well said mayomad, if we can’t be arrogant now when can we be, it’s just being confident in our teams ability.
And btw Mac’ left boot I’m Irishtown born and bred
Poor enough quality at times.. a lot of basic errors. Ros should be concerned about letting Sligo put 2 – 13 past them.. neither of these two teams will be in the shake-up later in the year. Sligo players in defense and midlifield just too small and Ros are a bit like Cork.. just way too inconsistent. On another note the half time Cillian add is pretty damn cool
The wind kind of dictated the game. Ros really poor in the first half. They have nice forwards who when let play and get plenty of supply will score heavy. Ros have serious issues in defence where one good forward caused wreck all day, imagine what 4 or 5 would do. Also their midfield is very average, cant see them winning nearly enough possession to feed their forwards against Mayo.
Is there any game next week. According to the sunday game experts Ros have now qualified to play Mayo in Conn Final. Are Galway just concentrating on hurling this year.
Forget to ask what do you think of Tipperary and cork did not see that coming.
Good stuff mayomad.. we had the same thing last year with all this will we won’t we beat Galway.. and you know what we beat them. Nothing has changed this year that I can see that would lead me to believe Galway are going to pull something out of the bag. As you have said.. if there is let us know.. would love know what this X factor is that we’re all not seeing.
The result in Munster should put to bed the conspiracy theories that Kerry would lose to Cork in order to avoid Dublin. If the result goes to plan next Saturday evening, I’m relishing the thoughts of seeing Diarmuid, Tom P, Seamie, Aiden and Keegan running at that Roscommon defence.
Roscommon have a poor defence and no midfield. Sligo collapsed in that second half. Their goalie had a shocker too. Roscommon played well in second but against a division 3 team. If we beat Galway I wouldn’t fear them coming to Castlebar.
So could the quarter final be Connacht champions v Tipperary?
Assuming that is that Kerry dont lose the Munster final now.
Or can the Connacht champions play anybody at all that comes out of the hat?
Never got into this A and B nonsense at all.
Really surprised at that Cork vs Tipp result. What the hell is going on in Cork? They are awash with talented individual footballers, but collectively they are at sea.
Fecked up the predictions anyway except for the true prophets among us.
if tipp hadnt lost the quality they have lost in the last 12 months they would be more than a problem for kerry than they will be. Todays win is no surprise, roscommon kick 4-25 against cork in the league, 4-25? you would hardly kick that kind of score in 70 minutes if you had no opponents on the pitch and weren`t allowed kick for points inside the 21 meter line. Tipp also had SAM in Tipp by 2020 as their plan, they would be very close to pulling it off but for the players they have lost.
Ah Roscommon! They looked awful in the first half and brilliant in the second. I reckon when they harden up and get big game experience under their belts they will be a real force. But I don’t think they’re quite there yet. But they can play football when they decide to. They are well ahead of Galway right now and are a much bigger threat to Mayo. I certainly wouldn’t be taking anything for granted against them if we beat Galway.
The lads on The Sunday game were on about the black card again tonight. It was meant to cut out cynical play but when you think that players like Adrian Marren for Sligo, Podge Collins for Clare and Cillian O’Connor for us, all forwards, are the lads that are suffering, it makes a bit of a joke of the black card really. These players are the type of players that supporters go to matches to see. Its not really solving the initial problem that it was meant to solve.
HopeSpringsEternal;
In what way is it a joke? It has cleaned up the third man tackle no end. There’s no place for cynical play in any sport or walk of life. Marren made no intention to play the ball, his intention (stupidity) was to hit a guy 15 yards away to stop him having to follow. Podge took the legs off a guy to stop a counter, no intention to play the ball. Both deserved to go. Do you start picking and choosing red cards, on the basis of the guy that has commited the foul (sympathy) or the time at which is was committed? The referees deserve credit when they do get it right, because that’s not very often these days! P.s. I’m sure Cillians’ was warranted too, as much as we love him.
Black card should be banned. No way should Marren be put off for what he did
sorry for putting “the cart Before the horse” as they say but could anyone confirm where the Connaught final will be.
If Mayo V Roscommon will it be in Castlebar as in 2011 when we last played the Rossies it was in the Hyde on a wet and windy day.
flying home on the morning of the 10th of July so need to plan ahead.
@MR.T, it’s in McHale Park
Edward M, I would totally agree with you, all black cards mentioned were warranted and the players deserved to walk. In all cases it was obstruction, stopping players trying to play. It shouldnt matter who the player is. There are plenty of times the crowd in McHale were shouting for a black card to be issued and im sure there will be shouts again on Saturday.
Yellow card much more appropriate than a black in my opinion.
Forces the player to focus on keeping his bib clean after that and surely a second yellow (for whatever reason) and being a man down is appropriate censure for these offences.
In GAA, you are entitled to hold your ground. Did Marren take a step left or right before he hit yer man? I’m not so sure, but it would be difficult to judge from the angle the referee was standing at, which you can see from the replay.
It was obvious from the video replays after the match that Marren body checked the runner, no attempt to play the ball. IMO the black card is a good idea and is cleaning up the game. Yellow cards were in operation for these offences previously and they just didnt work, too easy to take one for the team and another player takes one the next time. no one likes to see forwards sent off but they know the rules, there are only a small number of offences that warrant a black card.
Rather than changing the black card I would much prefer the GAA to define the tackle better and limit the number of tackling players that can surround a player. Very tough for a ref in those situations thus resulting in very inconsistent decisions.
Can Galway bate Mayo, yes they can. Cast yer minds back to last year, Mayo were well on top and Galway score a cracking goal and Comer starts causing our full back line all sorts of trouble. 2nd half and we score a scuttery goal to keep a gap and inexplicably Galway take their danger man out of the danger area.
We haven’t seen our team click in the league. Last year Brolly criticised us for leaving it too late in year to come up with a defensive strategy and have it honed. He exaggerated the point but had a point.
I would like to see a ruthless performance against Galway and our shooting to improve a lot from the league. I would like to see Rochford’s style click if he plans using it with Mayo. Kerry or Dublin are typically ruthless in their provinces. I’m not convinced we can do that and its unlikely we’ll have our first choice 15 due to injuries. Galway are a division 2 team and we are lower division 1 team based on recent form. We feel our team is underperforming and time will tell.
The great Willie Joe Padden, as opposed to our one here, notes in the Western that Mayo have lost their last 3 Saturday championship matches – Longford, Kerry and Dublin. Galway, of course, will be well used to Saturday matches from all their years in the qualifiers, haha!
I dont know about everyone else but I cannot wait for Saturday to see what sort of game plan will be unleashed. Make no mistake, Galway are not to be underestimated and are well capable of causing an upset, but we go into this game as favourites and deservedly so. That is a tag our lads will relish and take confidence from. Its been hard earned over the last 5 or 6 years and I don’t think they are of mind to give it up easily by taking their eye off the ball or getting caught napping. Talk of our recent history in Saturday games should not, and will not, matter a jot in my opinion and I fully expect us to prevail on the basis that we have the stronger and more experienced side to do exactly that. Mayo Galway on a Sat evening in Castlebar in June? Stop the lights, sure it doesn’t get any better than this!
Digits – I’m pretty sure we beat down in 2012 on a Saturday!
I feel we will beat Galway with relative comfort. I base that on the fact that they have not beaten us in any senior match since 2008, the fact that we are stronger than them and the fact that they won a mere 2 games in division 2 this year. They are not improving in my opinion. That is not arrogance, it’s an assessment of the facts
You underestimate Galway at your peril. I hope we make some positional and tactical changes-what we are doing up to now was leaving us just short.I would like to see Coen start and Loftus get some game time.
Correct, Mayo Mark – the 2012 quarter-final was on a Saturday and so too was last year’s quarter-final against Donegal.
I thought that Tomas O’Se made a good suggestion as an alternative to the black card, what he said was that if a free is given for what is deemed to be cynical play, then the referee should move the ball forward by 40 metres. This punishes the offending team and gives an advantage to the team offended against.
What was a joke was what happened in the Kildare v Wexford game a few weeks ago. Kildare were one point ahead with time running out and Wexford were trying to mount a last ditch attack but one of the Kildare players took one for the team and dragged down a Wexford player and got a black card. By the time the black card was given out and the Kildare player was taken off and another player was brought on, the referee blew his whistle ending the game. Therefore the team committing the cynical foul, Kildare, gained and the team offended against Wexford, lost out. If the free Wexford had got was moved forward 40 metres then they would probably have equalised. The black card is not doing the job it was brought in to do.
HopeSpringsEternal;
That’s an idea a guy would come up with at the end of a bar. What do you do if the foul is comitted 39 metres from goal? 13 yard free? You’ll get a point but it will not help you if you’re losing by more than one.
You’re condoning cynical play by stating the black cards issued are not being warranted and then your stating that they are not working, which is it?
If a player drags another player down in the dying moments, there is no rule ever going to stop that. However, stopping cynical play and 3rd man/off the ball stuff throughout, it’s been universally accepted as a brilliant addition to the game.
Basketball has addressed cynical play with team fouls, why not GAA. Black card good except when refs cop out of giving it to Kerry players already on a yellow. Kerry 2014 were probably the most cynical team of the decade but they all took turns and avoided sanction. Refs need to be wise to systematic team fouling also so O Shea’s 40 yard penalty could be worth doing for that. Ironically might hurt his own county the most.
At the time the black card was being debated, I suggested the following penalty for cynical pull downs.
– If the offence occurred inside the attacking team’s own half, the attacking team is awarded free from the other team’s 45
– if the offence occurred between the defending half way and the 20m line, the attacking team gets a 13m free, directly front of the defending team’s posts
– If the offence occurred inside the 20m line, the attacking team is awarded a penalty