Say what you want about the qualifiers but they give us days out to remember. Today was another one which, now that we’ve won it, we can savour but, like so many back door contests we’ve been involved in, the enjoyment only came after a period of stress – which lasted a good fifty minutes of today’s game – during which it looked like we might be in deep trouble. Ultimately, though, it was trouble we were able to handle and when we put the foot to the floor in the final quarter this evening Tipp simply had no answer.
We got the start we would definitely have been wishing for. Four points to no score up after around six minutes, it looked then like we might steamroll them.
Two Cillian frees – the first for a foul on Keith as he bore down on goal, then second a pull off the ball on Andy – got us going. Aidan O’Shea got our first from play, Stephen Coen withstanding a shuddering shoulder-charge to offload to Aidan who came around the back before shooting over. Seamus O’Shea bagged the fourth, collecting the ball from Chris Barrett in acres of space and clipping it over.
Tipperary finally settled when they bagged their opener from the restart, a neat point from play. They were well settled soon after, when Michael Quinlivan found the net following a truly horrendous mix-up in our back-line. The goal had eerily strong echoes of the one we conceded in the 2013 All-Ireland final. David Clarke and the man detailed to mark Quinlivan, Paddy Durcan (I know I said it was Ger Caff on the audio but it was Paddy) both contested the ball, leaving the Tipp full-forward the opportunity to flick it over both of them and into the net.
The score transformed the home team and from then till half-time they really let us have it, raiding forward rapidly at every opportunity. These forays came mainly down the right-hand flank and time after time they opened us up via this route.
Quinlivan had a chance for a second goal but David Clarke was equal to the shot, though the play was then called back for an advantage which Tipp pointed.
Just after that Seamus O’Shea, stooping to collect a misplaced pass, fell heavily and it was clear immediately that the big Breaffy man was in trouble. It was sickening to see another key midfield player of ours being ushered from the fray and word came through afterwards that he’d suffered a dislocated shoulder. That’s another heavy blow for us, as well as for Seamie himself.
Seamie’s departure saw Diarmuid O’Connor take the field and by half-time we found ourselves having to make a second enforced change. Colm Boyle got into a tangle with one of their players, which Maurice Deegan deemed to be a black card offence and so the Davitts man’s 100th appearance for the county ended prematurely.
We hadn’t time to replace him before the half-time whistle sounded – Cian Hanley came on for Boyler after the break – but when the break came we were two in arrears and looking in a bit of bother. The final point of the half came from Quinlivan from the tightest of angles, a shot which left the umpires undecided but Hawkeye declared it a Tá and so Tipp were 1-7 to 0-8 up as the teams retired to their dressing rooms for some much-needed respite.
Immediately on the resumption it was evident that we had upped the gas. The tackles were becoming fiercer, leading to a number of stirring turnovers, and soon we had the two-point deficit wiped out.
Our first point in the second half was a booming, morale-boosting strike from Jason Doherty – who was excellent today, especially in the second half, and picked up the MOTM award on Sky – and the second was a long-range free from Cillian.
We had chances then to turn the screw but two bad wides, from Chris Barrett and Evan Regan (on as a blood sub for Kevin McLoughlin), saw us fail to up the pressure on them.
Instead it was an increasingly confident and gutsy Premier County team that took the fight to us. Maintaining their hard-running counter-attacking game-plan, they hit us with three points on the spin to open a gap on us. The pick of these was the third one, the ball worked quickly down the field and knocked over after Chrissie had lost it in traffic out around the middle.
We responded with a lovely bit of quick hands and running ourselves, in a move that ended with James Durcan firing over. But was the goal on? Maybe.
At the other end, the contest now becoming ever more helter-skelter, both sides fumbled possession before McGrath claimed it and fired over to put Tipp three up once more. It looked then that they were beginning to claim a decisive toe-hold in this frantic contest.
But, all of a sudden, the game then turned on its head. James Durcan was probably aiming for a point with his weighted shot but it dipped at the last minute into the corner of the Tipp net. Out of nothing and, let’s be honest, against the run of play, we were level.
This was the opportunity we’d been waiting for. Tipp, suddenly no longer looking confident, were dazed and, sensing this, we went for them.
The last 25 minutes was, for us, a delight but for them it must have resembled a car crash. We literally bulldozed their challenge away completely, scoring 1-8 without reply in a dazzling spell to leave us rather handsome eight-point winners at the finish.
A Kevin McLoughlin floater – causing another earth-shattering roar to erupt in the Ardan O Riann – put us ahead for the first time since the sixth minute. This time, though, there would be no way back for the home team.
Jason Doherty belted over two absolute screamers to push us three clear. Then Paddy Durcan, whose day job was quelling Quinlivan, came raiding forward at – give or take – a million miles per hour, collected the pass and fired over.
Andy might have had a penalty – he was certainly fouled in the square as he got his shot away – but the ref let him play on and the ball went over.
The Tipp lads now started to cramp up and on those odd occasions when they got the ball they seemed bereft of ideas about what to do with it. Every time we got it, in contrast, we went for the throat.
Jason Doherty got pole-axed as he burst through – a straight red foul, all day long – but Maurice Deegan had to show us his incompetence at some point and giving nothing for this assault was, I guess, his way of doing this.
A long period of keep-ball for us then ensued before James Durcan – who else? – fired over. A Conor Loftus free and one from play deep in stoppage time closed out the win for us.
So, even though we struggled to contain Tipperary for a good fifty minutes today, that blistering finishing spell was more than good enough for us to win the day. The loss of Seamie – most likely for the rest of this championship run – will be keenly felt but we’re still standing and we’re back in the draw once more on Monday, with another qualifier hurdle facing us this day week.
This is how it is in the qualifiers, as we know full well from the last two years. Today’s often enthralling contest in a sun-kissed Semple Stadium on a perfect summer’s day has given us another memorable on the road adventure to add to the collection.
Mayo: David Clarke; Chris Barrett, Ger Cafferkey, Keith Higgins; Colm Boyle, Stephen Coen, Paddy Durcan (0-1); Seamus O’Shea (0-1), Lee Keegan (0-1); Kevin McLoughlin (0-3), Aidan O’Shea (0-1), James Durcan (1-2); Jason Doherty (0-3), Cillian O’Connor (0-5, frees), Andy Moran (0-1). Subs: Diarmuid O’Connor for Seamus O’Shea, Cian Hanley for Boyle (black card), Evan Regan for McLoughlin (blood), Eoin O’Donoghue for Barrett, Evan Regan for Cillian O’Connor, Conor Loftus (0-1, free) for Moran, Danny Kirby for Diarmuid O’Connor.
Audio report:
Man of the Match poll:
Who was our MOTM against Tipperary? Pick your top three performers.
- Jason Doherty (27%, 382 Votes)
- James Durcan (17%, 235 Votes)
- Kevin McLoughlin (15%, 214 Votes)
- Aidan O'Shea (12%, 175 Votes)
- Diarmuid O'Connor (8%, 110 Votes)
- Lee Keegan (5%, 77 Votes)
- Paddy Durcan (5%, 70 Votes)
- David Clarke (1%, 21 Votes)
- Keith Higgins (1%, 21 Votes)
- Ger Cafferkey (1%, 16 Votes)
- Cillian O'Connor (1%, 16 Votes)
- Danny Kirby (1%, 12 Votes)
- Seamus O'Shea (1%, 10 Votes)
- Colm Boyle (1%, 10 Votes)
- Eoin O'Donoghue (1%, 9 Votes)
- Andy Moran (1%, 8 Votes)
- Cian Hanley (1%, 8 Votes)
- Stephen Coen (0%, 6 Votes)
- Chris Barrett (0%, 4 Votes)
- Conor Loftus (0%, 3 Votes)
- Evan Regan (0%, 2 Votes)
Total Voters: 896
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We desperately need an easy draw next round. Now lost our first choice midfield pairing.
James Durcan an asset, Hanley weak in possession, Keegan good second half and fair play to Doc for ‘standing up’ when needed.
A Moran should now be used as impact sub (he’s 34 after all) and COC from open play.
Kerry look really impressive…..oh is it time now to split Leitrim in half after that 25 point showing?
Is Coen the answer at HB?
We certainly could do with an easy draw on Monday.
But we are still there.
Well done to all. So sorry for Seamie. A great workhorse.
And Colm hard done by. But well done to all.
We are not done yet.
Well head spinning after that!! Great to get the win. Awful for Seamie – how are we going to manage without our 2 midfielders? heart stopping when Tipp went ahead. Thought it was slipping on us. How good of a player is Michael Quinlivan. Jason Doc was excellent as was Kevin Mc. Did ye see that sublime pass from Lee into J. Durcan for goal – class. What about the Mayo support – amazing. Through that second half, never gave up. Long journey home but great to have the win! Tough on players having such a short turnaround for next Saturday. MAYO FOREVER
A hard fought win but again we showed great character. In fairness Tipp played well for the guts of 55 minutes but the goal changed everything. While a good number of our lads did not play all that well others stepped up to the plate when needed. Tipp provided a stiff challenge but we move on Really hope we get a decent draw. Best wishes to Seamus Really unfortunate for him and for all of us A huge loss now along with Tom. Thought Diarmaid was excellent when he came on. Gave my Man of the match to Jason.
I wasn’t there today. How did coen and regan when he came on play?
Well Done WJ. Can you tell me is the next game at a neutral venue ?
When we are still in it we can still win it. Not many counties would make the same claim.
That was a great win. Aside from our injuries which are the real problem going forward there is no doubht they would be contenders to win it this year.
I thought Cian Hanley was sharper today
Thought the management team made some bad errors playing one of the best half backs in the country in the FB line complete waste of Paddy’s talent.
Also how many chances does Evan Regan get don’t see any basis he is one of subs coming in
Great spirit, some real leaders out there today but continued concerns. Aidan was superb, Jason and Kev Mac outstanding in second half. James Durcan did well, paddy excellent in second half and recovered well from difficult first half. Diarmuid excellent when came on.
Cillian continues to offer no scores from play unless opponents are very poor and baffling how loftus is overlooked so much.
We’ll be fine roll on next week whoever it is.
A handy draw yes but no need to fear anyone, let them fear us!
Great result we never do it the easy way and I’m very sorry for Seamus O Shea such a huge loss. This was a typical Mayo qualifier performance really: they lead, concede unusual goal, lose key player, black card, score unusual goal, pull away at the end. In years to come they’ll turn it into Mayo the Musical if we do finally land sam! A handy draw on Monday would be nice but they are all going to be tougher from here on in.
Best wishes to Seamus. He has been a great servant to this team. Hopefully he gets back this year
The seven other teams in the draw will all be saying” please not Mayo!”
Can’t say I thought Cian played well and Regan was hardly on long enough to make a judgement on. Cillian has had better days but 1 19 is a good score.
Best wishes to Seamus. Agree with most of the above analysis. But wouldn’t be writing off Cillian and Andy just yet. Andy in particular showed and distributed well, there just weren’t many chances for either guy with the Tipp traffic at the back and the ammount of unforced turnovers especially in 1st half was killing our attacks.
Boyler’s black was deserved and another of our players deserved one too but got lucky with the ref. Diarmaid played really well and did a mountain of work as well a plucking a few great catches from the sky, he could be a midfield solution. Hanley worked hard but offered no scoring threat. Showed a clever way of getting the ball out of trouble a few times by hand passing along the ground. Skill let him down on one occasion.
James Durcan showed well and uses the ball well but (going by pointed goal miss) needs to work on his goal shooting practice. 2 of his 3 scores had luck involved but hopefully will add to his confidence.
I’m in the photo above with the flag in my hand. We may struggle from now on in midfield . Mind you midfield was lost on us today , half back and full back lines were skinned today . Forwards worked well in the second half when space opened up. Great to see Lee back in full flow, Durcan was 50/50 . Andy started on the basis of 2 goals 2 weeks ago but today would of been better off the bench. Roll on Monday.
Pace, pace, pace is whats required to cut through defences, as James Durcan and Stephen O’Brien displayed in Thurles & Cork. Lateral fumbling & stumbling is for the slow & indecisive. So its time to unleash a few speedsters & start running opponents ‘off their feet’ with Durcan, Hanley & maybe Loftus. Well done today & good wishes to Seamus O”Shea.
Well done, Mayo. Make no mistake Tipp always a proud footballing county, so good to come out of there. As regards injuries- it’s going to be a bit of a lottery. I’ve just heard that Ciaran Duggan got injured in club game. I’ve also noted that a lot of these injuries are shoulder/collar bone. There is huge upper body intensity in exchanges now – skilful players, in general, seem to have the capacity to evade the full impact of these challenges, but our “all duck or no dinner” competitors are being caught out. I would be an advocate of coaching players to quickly analyse options before fully committing to “the man and ball” option. I mean Keith is the best example o f “intelligent” defending I have ever seen. And as I said before, his tussle with James 2012 in Killarney was a joy to behold.,
Some of the decisions by management today has me more worried than anything else.
I just couldn’t understand Paddy Durkan basically being played full back on a man a foot taller than him and worse again being left on him for the whole game . Even more bizarre when Caff was in good form beside him. And then there were the substitutions………..I’ve seen enough now to think it’s simply too soon for Hanley this year . It’s not happening for him . Basic skills are not there again for him yet .
Seamies injury is a devastating blow. I felt this year the new kickout rule would suit us more than any other team but the heart has been ripped out of our midfield. Even our back ups are injured !!!!!!
Still a great effort by the lads again . And none more so than Kevin Mc and Jason Doc. When the need was greatest they delivered. I was ASTONISHED to be told this evening Kevin Mc has never won an All Star
Roll on Monday and please not Monaghan or Tyrone
Best wishes to Seamie
So who coulg we get Monday , can someone list out the teams ?
What can say about this team. Balls of steel despite our a list stars not playing well or getting going Jason doh James Durkan diarmuid Cian Hanley step up big time.
A win is a win is a win but that’s a charchter winning game a reason to believe in the depth of the squad a reason to put some pep in weary minds more so than legs.
Seamus is a massive loss whilst he might not be a man to do 70 mins in Croker if we get there he is a leader and a solid campaigner.
Our midfield going forward whoever it may be needs to be about strength in a unit than individuals. Tom and Seamus could really inspire with individual class but in diarmuid Vaughan Aidan and Leroy we need to alternate and maybe be more dynamic
Maybe I’m looking at too many of the positives but iron out some of the off games of our dependable generals and make a few hard decisions on the caffs Coens Regan’s and we have new energy and pace around the middle with Loftus Hanley Kirby o Donoughue all showing well from bench.
A softish draw should further inject confidence into us. We are not the team of old but if this team can reach its collective potential then we won’t be too far away once more, maybe with harrison and Vaughan back to fitness we are actually better placed to beat the dubs or Donegal’s of this world
Hanleys ball skills are very poor. Looks fit and fast but not comfortable on the ball
Look if Rochy doesn’t make 2 serious changes down the spine of our defence it will be a short summer.Ger Caff looked so nervy today and Stephen Coen is just far too one paced and makes too many basic errors he would get a right going over if he was marking Sean O’Shea of Kerry this evening ,Tipp ran right at our centre numerous times today.Thought McLoughlin and Doherty were the standout performers for us, great to see Doc back at what he does best after a poor run of form since the All Ireland.James Durcan showed really well and that goal will do his confidence a world of good.I would hold my judgement on Cian Hanley thought he was fair coffed up possesion easy enough twice in the 2nd half.Thought Boyler, Cillian and Andy found the heat tough going today.Sad to see Seamies season come to an end with a dislocated shoulder.Would love to see Nally get a chance in Midfield next week where he plays all his best football for Garrymore.
Spotlight, there’s only 2 easy draws the next time (Leitrim and winners of Offaly Clare) and a few ok ones Cavan and Armagh. The other 4 are tough enough. Kildare were down but could be benefiting from the back door. Cavan would be an OK draw too but not too different in standard to Tipp and could 50 50 give us a home draw. If we do get a so called easy draw maybe rotate a bit e.g
Crowe and O Donoghue in backs, Nally in midfield or HF. Loftus in CHF could unlock a few doors presuming AOS plays midfield while Seamie is out. Also was Barry out injured? we could do with him as a midfield option now.
Strong opening 10 mins and even stronger for the last 20 mins but in between Mayo were lets be honest their less than convincing selves as has been the case for plenty of qualifiers now over the years. At 1-11 to 0-10 it looked like curtains, really should have found themselves further behind as Mayo were flat looking two key players off the field and some others looked uninterested. A fluke goal then totally changed the course of the game, a poor shot for point somehow dropping into the net. It energized Mayo after that while Tipp folded easier than a pack of cards. Talk about turning point in a game!
Still hard to know where Mayo are at but one thing is for sure this group of Mayo players never know when they are beat and it will take a brave man or woman not to predict Mayo from reaching the last eight now.
Very sorry for Seamie. It’s a pure bastard. All the effort and commitment and end the season like that? Is there any God up there at all?
I’m guessing it will take a few months to get it right to play again so that’s that. Perhaps Shane nally or the like will be given the jersey now and asked to give it a shot. It was a good win against a very talented tipp team, well done lads, but I feel sick about Seamie getting injured.
Couldn’t make the game today as the trip home was prohibitively expensive.
Turned the phone off and just watched it. Was worried at half-time. Great start but lost all momentum after their goal. I’m afraid of the keeper comes there he has to take all with him. Kind of ended up scraping at thin air.
When we needed a lift it was Aidan O’Shea, McLoughlin and Doc that stepped up.
Andy and Cillian were quiet inside so we really needed them.
Wouldn’t be too hard on Hanley. He got caught in posession once or twice, but he handled a lot of ball and still showed a lot of potential.
Great finish to what was a rollercoaster game. Some exciting football from both sides. Mayo looked nervy in the backs after a good start. Losing possession from a turnover cost us a goal from a Tipp break. Thought we were in a bit of trouble at half time. Second half Mayo took control and we dominated following the goal from Durkan. Tipp struggled once we pushed up on their kickouts. Sad to see Seamus O Shea going off. A great servant to the team and the heart of a lion. Durkan was impressive, as was Doherty, Keegan, O Shea and McLoughlin in the 2nd half. Thought O’Donoghue and Diarmuid O C played stormers when they came on. Worryingly we were cut open a few times when Tipp ran at us in the first half. Better opposition would have punished us. Was expecting more from Hanley. Loose in possession in this game and vs Limerick but was slightly better this week. Should have done better when Keegan played him through on goal. Onwards and upwards – hopefully a nice draw on Monday! Up Mayo!
Well done on the win lads!
Spluttering and stuttering a bit still but that should be the last of the dirty diesel out now, I hope. Premium grade from here on in.
Wishing Seamus O’Shea a speedy recovery.
Good to grind out win . No Tom or Seamie means no All Ireland . Sorry but that’s just my opinion . Handy draw like Leitrim would be good but at business end Kerry or Dublin may give us a lesson (especially Kerry) in direct football if you have pace and skill in the team . Still love and respect this bunch with all my heart .
Agree with much of the above.
We were worringly leggy in the 1st 50 minutes.
Keegan needs to man mark oppositions main men, perhaps a fully fit Harrison can do this in the future.
I’d prefer O’Donoghue over Caff.
Cillian stuggles to make an impact from play against good opposition.
Fergal Boland contributes more than Cian Hanley.
James Durkan played well.
We have a few too many holes to plug to win an All-Ireland such as full back, balanced midfield, over dependence on Andy Moran, poor discipline and poor game management.
Get well soon Seamie O’Shea, superbly dedicated man. Sadly, could this be the injury to break the camals back . . .?
Predicted an 8pt min winning margin so happy with that. Tipp put us to the pin of our collar for a long period and that challenge will be of benefit the players going into the next game. Seamie an awful loss – hard to see us get through the super 8’s if we even get that far. We certainly don’t look ready for a Tyrone or Monaghan just now and with our midfield shredded we’re going to be in deep trouble in that sector as the quality of the opposition ratchet up significantly. Praying for an easy draw on Monday.
Tipp were always going to make us fight for a win today, they are a decent team with several solid players but they ran out of steam and all the hard running at us killed them.
We played ok, some players were excellent, some weren’t, I’m not going to name check.
I’d take a lot of positives from today and wouldn’t fear anyone next.
SOS is a big loss but injuries occur. I walked the pitch post game and it was rock hard.
Long summer ahead yet.
Today always had the potential to be a banana skin, and thankfully we got the job done.
I agree that it was a curious choice to put Durcan on Quinlivan. He wasn’t suited to mark him and it took from his own game. The Tipp defense had the measure of our forwards for a significant part of the game.
The score flattered us somewhat but it was great to see the team closing out the game when they got ahead.
SOS s injury is quite worrying, we are already depleted in that sector. I hope Seamie has a speedy recovery for his own sake. He seemed to be in severe pain when he hit the deck, and he isn’t one to exaggerate an injury.
While we can crib about what went wrong today, the manner of the claw back and putting Tipp to the sword when it mattered was really heartening. We are still in the championship whichvwas the objective for today
What surprised me more than anything with Tip was that they won a lot of the physical battles . Not just size/height but the big hits . Maybe Vaughan and Harrison will be available next week . Thought we struggled big time at 6 . D,O ,Connor made a huge difference.
SOS injury is a hammer blow. Need Donie and Harry back. DOC was immense in 2nd half. Overall team play poor for a lot of game today. We were wide open when Tipp ran at us with a lot of players not tracking their men. Good with.in the end but think we will really struggle without our engine room of Parsons and SOS
It’s more and more like mission impossible now, with the run of games and injuries. At this stage Kerry and Dublin will be hoping we do make it through as they would fancy giving us a right hammering. We simply can’t sustain any more injuries and hope to compete with them. The subs are simply not up to the standard required.
Personally thought that Caff had a good game. Tipp lad beside me was in awe at the 2nd half performance from Aido and the amount of unselfish and dirty work that he got through.
James Durcan seemed to slip a lot, needs to look at his footwear choices. Fitness really is coming along. Leitrim in Carrick please.
Tipp opened up our defence time and time and time again. A better team will knock us out if we play like that again. It’s as simple as that.
Dec M ..much as it pains me to say it I agree with your summation of our All Ireland aspirations with our 2 midfielders gone for the season..Remember seeing Seamie in Breaffy gym a couple of years back and holy hell the training bike nearly took off with the power of him.The training that has been put it cant be overstated by supporters.We will be borrowing from Peter to pay Paul from now on..Fark it anyway.
Bit shocked at the low vote for AOS for MOM. Thought he was superb. Involved in probably half our scores at some stage in the build up. Got two masterful steals of the ball. Our last big man standing at this point. God protect him!
Best wishes to Seamie on his recovery and Well Done to all that travelled and the noise they made when the lads needed them.Plenty of time tomorrow for analysis.
In fairness, but for a complete fluke goal we were in right trouble. I genuinely thought our goose was cooked midway through the 2nd half, they sauntered through us time and time again and were playing with supreme swagger and confidence
Still standing but need a soft draw monday. No midfield left and some of the more experienced players were completely anonymous today.
Very despondent about our chances but look its one game at a time, bring on next week and all that
What a bunch of men. Been said so many times but sure ill say it again…
Look done for when they went 3 down but they are never beaten no matter what
The odds appear in a match. Leaders were needed and leaders stood up.
Aiden, doherty, kevin,lee, keith, paddy, diarmuid, coen led brillantly.
Caff did well and eod v good when brought on.. regan is so frustrating..
Hanley seems to be struggling with the basics but sure hes been playing with an oval ball for the last 4 years,.. be next year i suspect before he gets to grips with it
Cillian and andy were quiet today but different leaders on different days.
Few gobshites saying cillian dosent deliver against good opposition.. ffs have you been to the last 2 all irelands .. quiet today but the soon to be ALL TIME TOP SCORER will be back on it the next day im sure
Losing seamie on the back of tom (not to mention harrisson/vaughan) is probably too much and an early exist is a distinct possibility now but you just never know with this team
A blistering start by our lads to be fair today (not every day we start as quick) we pushed up well on the kickouts which is what mayo do so well. Causes keepers to panic big-time as we saw today.
For the 1st time in a long time we saw what our defenders can do when they come flying off the shoulder going forward (back to the good auld days)…..keegan, Barrett, durkan and Higgins caused chaos when they done it!
Cillian needs abit more from play even though I feel he is getting there……delighted that he is avoiding all the off the ball stuff.
Need Harry and donie back to strengthen up the squad sooner rather than later now due to the huge loss of seamie o Shea who I felt was haven a huge game up until that incident.
The ‘little’ bro stepped it up a gear around the middle in the 2nd half assisted by the very hard working DOC when he came In!
No words needed to talk about Jason Doherty in the 2nd half…..hats off!!!!!!
So into the bowl we go Monday morning and let’s face it no1 wants us and our 16th man!!!
First off, best wishes to Seamus O’Shea.
Secondly, our supporters are the best in the country, I spoke to a man who drove 5 hours from belmullet to get to the game. We really got behind the lads when things looked bad.
Lastly, the subs really looked hungry so the future and the rest of this season looks bright.
Congratulations to the team, personally hoping for a big gun on Monday so we can ditch them out. Tyrone away.
There is no doubt Diarmuid has to be in the midfield from now on. I’ve been saying that for a while. Why he didn’t start the game is just amazing and was one of a number of decisions by Rochford &Co that I don’t understand.
I’ve also been saying Cillian needs to be at CHF as well. He needs to be involved far more and that means being in the middle as a playmaker. He can also score from distance. It’s not working for him inside and hasn’t been for a while.
In general I thought we looked jaded and listless for long periods and then suddenly we lit up the place! I’d love to see us blitz the opposition in the first 20 mins and put them away like most great teams do.
A handy draw on Monday please with a home game ( for a speedier recovery).
Not good that Seamie O Shea is injured, the high mileage over the years is taking its toll, Seamie is a great powerful presence in this team.
Im slightly worried now, Kerry hammered Cork today and Cork hammered Tipp, Vaughan, Harrison still to appear, Nally left out in the cold or is he injured. Onwards and upwards.
That game played out just like I thought it would but it was still slightly more nerve-wracking than I think any of us would have liked. I think I am going to have nightmares tonight about the way they opened us up time and again down the right, and that disaster of a goal.
That said, we put them to the sword when it counted and it was a fantastic sunny day to be on the road with friends. That was my first time in Semple and I thought it was a gorgeous ground. One of those lovely days you won’t forget in a hurry.
Very, very sorry for Seamie; it’s just devastating to see a player’s season get cut short like that and to me he really is one of those unsung heroes – you don’t hear too much from him, he just gets on with the job and ploughs through an immense load of work with great efficiency. He is a massive loss to us and I’m so disappointed for him on a personal level. Wishing him a speedy recovery.
Despite the fact that I should know better I can’t help sharing some of the despondency above about our chances long-tem; losing one top midfielder is difficult but losing two is an utter disaster. Now instead of optimising our team we are plugging gaps and we are already starting to feel threadbare. Diarmuid made a massive contribution today when he came on, but I think it would be remiss of us not to give Nally a chance at some point in the centre. Perhaps too this forced evolution will pay off in ways we might not have anticipated.
The crowd today was something else. Raised the roof, especially when the chips were down. And well done to the Mayo Independent Supporters’ Club for their great giant flag – what a statement!
Would quite fancy a wee trip to Carrick next weekend; but have a sinking feeling it will be Omagh or Clones we’re headed for and another defensive nightmare. But sure if it is, it is!
Terrible hard luck on poor Seamus O ‘Shea and what a blow it is for Mayo going forward, Management will have some serious thinking to do now as winning the midfield battle will be crucial if we’re to survive to the super 8.
Mondays draw will now be crucial and here’s hoping we can avoid the big two in Monaghan and Tyrone, after that it’s a toss-up between Kildare, Cavan and Armagh with maybe Leitrim and the winners of Offaly v Clare the weaker of the teams left in the draw. Another win in the third round and we would then be in the hat with the provincial losers, Cork, Roscommon, Laois and probably Fermanagh – doesn’t get any easier, but here’s hoping……
Is Donie Vaughan still a mamber of the mayo panel?
Wow, the goal attempt saved our bacon, Kerry would have wiped the floor with us, if they were only playing at half throttle. Just as well they ran out of steam, or we would be snookered big time, No disprect to them mighty men, but the game is over.
Of course he is Sean! He’s still recovering from injury.
Sound , wish people would stop telling me lies about the mayo panel
Haha-Anne Marie. I was listening on Midwest and when Tipp went 3/4 up the Mayo crowd upped the intensity and drowned out the home support. The commentators even mentioned it
@diehard – lots of management decisions I didn’t agree with but I can see the sense in not starting diarmuid. Rochford has been pretty consistent on not starting a player coming back from a suspension and makes them earn their spot back on the pitch. Hopefully he’s physically fit to start the next day.
[Deleted].
Watched both Kerry and Mayo tonight.. Kerry looked superb….
Definately a mixed bag today v Tipp. Seamie’s injury is a huge blow coming on top of Tom’s. On the other hand Jayo’s coming up trumps with those outstanding points just when we needed them was a huge plus. At three points down in the second half I was worried but James’ goal set us up and we never looked back. Hopefully we have no more injuries after the day. When one remembers that we have Harrison, Vaughan, Parsons and now Seamie O’Shea out we are suffering. Is Conor O’Shea able to add heft and skill to the mix?
The ‘Mayo Away’ support … Is the best in the land… Many times talking to many various Mayo supporters, of all ages, women, men, boy’s and girls.. They are absolutely fantastic, good humoured, with thousands of different opinions, no two the same…and if ‘John Mullane’ believes he loves his county, and he definitely does, he should meet up with some of the Mayo Away Day supporter’s and compare note’s!.. Wouldn’t want to change them in any way at all!… Several excellent displays today.. Paddy D, second half, Kevin McLoughlin, what’s new there, Jason Doherty, Jinking James Durcan and AOS… But my word, what a complete footballer is Quinlivan, absolutely incredible….. Best wishes to SOS, I don’t know how bad his injury is, but he will be out for a while…. We are getting very short on experienced Midfield talent… Donie Vaughan, still not fully fit… If he was, he could do a job there, but he’s not… Danny Kirby came on late on, needs must he may have to play a part for us in the middle… What about a telephone call to, Jason Gibbons?…. Could be an idea!… Don’t know who I hope for on Monday, Leitrim in Carrig sound’s alright to me,!
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Mayomessi – I thought Cafferkey done well today. Sweeney is a very good forward and what did he score, 1 point I think.
Don’t matter who we get it has to be a win.dont fear any team.think positive,be positive.mayo 4 Sam 2018
I thought Hanley was alright. Seems to be getting a bit of stick from some fans but he’s a clever enough player who gets on plenty ball in dangerous positions. Yes he Needs to improve his skills and bulk up a bit, but the raw materials are there to make a very decent footballer in time. Those are easy fixes with a bit of time playing the game. For me he’s well ahead of the likes of Regan and kirby.
Ya think we are in big trouble too , loosing Tom now sos is huge
Very harsh there mayomessi. Caff did pretty well on a guy who played for Ireland last autumn in the international rules. Nally seems to be the new Richie feeney. He’s too slow for this level especially at midfield. Saw him in league this year against kerry (I think) and it was very evident. The thought of him labouring after the likes of Fenton or jack Barry is a bit depressing to be honest. The only place Nally could be useful is against someone like Galway or Monaghan where his long range point kicking could be effective to kick over a blanket defence. Matthew Ruane was on the development squad – maybe with a look? Barry will surely come into the 26 when fit too now?
Diarmuid was an excellent minor midfielder and should step into the role effectively the next day now. Expect him and Aido to start at 8 & 9.
Interesting to see Jason doc back on top form – it appears these rapid games really suit him. Some people here last week were leaving him out of their selections altogether – they look foolish now as he’s one of our most important forwards at this stage. Is there any u20 forward who could join the squad I wonder? Ryan O Donoghue maybe??
To be fair to the lads, they showed incredible heart as always to pull this game out of the fire, seamie a huge loss, the gods are not favouring us this year on the injury front! Can we bring in new players to the panel at this stage of the year? If so, any good midfield options out there?
Good win sorry for Seamie a real top class player for us the last few seasons but as for the motm today give to jod who had a great day at the office but for me it was Kevin McLoughlin hands down the man is unreal gets no credit every big play in today’s game turnover crucial scores involved him he is a class act .as for the criticism on management I think that is for another day it’s very easy to come on here and hide behind a keyboard and give out look at the enjoyment there giving us there a credit to the county
Is nobody going to mention the ref? He was getting dogs abuse on here before the game.
Boyles black card was correct decision, discipline issue again in team.
Thought he let game flow, brilliant spot early in first half to see pulling up the pitch on Andy and gave us the free in . Didn’t look like a man out to destroy us which was the picture that was painted in here last week.
The only game Nally played Midfield was against Monaghan. He marked M Burns against Kerry. Darren Hughes is no slouch and he didn’t get away from him. He wouldn’t have the raw blistering pace of say a Stephen Coen but won’t matter because it’s evident Rochy doesn’t fancy him.
The Kerry supporters were calling for Seanie O Shea all last year, if we were from Kerry would we have been calling him the new Richie Feeney.
A lot of negative comments above on our performance, and how we were cut open by tipp. The way I viewed the game was, we started well as tipp went man v man, allowed us the space to move and we were 4 up in no time, their fb line all over the place. They get a chancy goal, (and if anyone has any doubts, try looking directly into the sun and see how you fare!) and a point straight after, now they withdraw back behind the half forward line and offer us the ball to run back into them, instead now the fb line is blockaded off and the half back line is claustrophobic forcing us to hang onto the ball and make mistakes in possession which we do, and then the run hard at us and pick off scores! Not exactly rocket science!
It changes when we get our chancy goal and we follow it up with a point directly after and force them back man v man and we absolutely mill them!
On my negative note, I don’t see what coen brings to our side. He regularly loses his man, can’t track him back. Paddy d was a strange decision man mark, was cleaned in the air. O Donohoe would be a better option, my god is he getting better! Absolutely no fear that lad. Boyle was very poor and his black card saved rochie a decision!
Caff was very solid, Hanley was better today than v Limerick, probably next year before we see his real value, duirmuid was a monster when he came on, aiden was good. Again I wasn’t overly impressed with James durkan, tried hard but was pushed around a few times and lost the ball. That being said he’s getting better and isn’t afraid to mix it so he is becoming a good option!
We’ve lost our midfield duo now, we’ve been accused of having a weak bench in the past, this now is the ultimate test! We need our old warriors like donie, big bird and young ones in Harrison to come back to the fold or we will be very idle in July and August!
I saw Boyler and Chris Barret going through some sprinting drills after the game in the back pitch. Both – especially Boyler- looked way off the pace. I think bringing in Boyler with 20 mins left is his role now.
Not sure how “having high mileage ” has to do with Seamie falling awkwardly on a hard surface and hurting his shoulder ?
Caff getting criticised for his performance yday too? Sometimes people just see what they want to see. He was solid. Easily the most solid of our full back line. Not helped by Higgins “sweeping “. I don’t know what he was sweeping but isn’t wasn’t the space in front of Caff and Durkan anyway !
I’m very concerned about our midfield going forward. We are lacking both pace and physicality there now, and we don’t have like for like replacements. The squad is very thin. We can’t cope with the injury list. Harrison is no closer to match fitness and I have no idea what the story is with Donie, so we’re short at the back as well. The way we were cut open time and again yesterday was shocking. I could imagine some of the bigger teams licking their lips. We’re in a position where a bad beating could be on the cards the deeper we get into the championship.
Caff’s man got one score yesterday. One. And it was his only clear chance too. Baffling, some Mayo fans just love a good routine. A man beside me criticised Caff as soon as the first ball went in. A ball he won. Very strange.
On second viewing last night, we were awesome in the final third of that game. We can still reach a level that very few can live with, and ten minutes of that level was enough to see this one through.
Tipp didnt score for the last 20 or so minutes either, so we sealed up massively second half. Conceded only 4 scores in the second half.
Atmosphere was class, great noise and we really are worth a point or two in the stands at this stage. When we are on the crest of a wave, the noise really drives us on and it can absolutely hammer the opposition. There was a spell yesterday that finished Tipp and the crowd played a massive role in that.
Lovely Leitrim in the sunshine next week please and thank you!
We didn’t have that much of a scoring threat from midfield as we were. We do have some players that can change roles to fill in and shuffle around.
It’ll be interesting whether any players will be joining the squad for training. That’s if they’re not already in place.
Brian Gallagher of Claremorris has got a mention here before. Might be an option.
Heal well SOS
– I had hoped for a 6 or 7 point win so happy with end result.
– The Tipp goal was down to a blinding Sun which meant Clarke totally blinded by it. Nevertheless it was worrying how easily it took the wind out of our sails.
– AOS and Kevin MCL joint men of the match as they played well in both halves. Doherty and Keegan stormed into the second half.
– Harrison is the one guy we need back urgently as that is the third game in a row Durkan has been stuck.in corner back and he is wasted there.
– What is the thinking behind the tactic of putting ball continually into the corner for our forwards. ..too much work to do and nobody making runs for a pass across the goal.
– Remember SOS was only ever going to give us 50 mins in any game this year and Tom is only there for past few years. AOS and Diarmuid are the two readymade replacements.
– Fitznaurice looks like he is going with the plan to outscore the Dubs with the fastest most skillfull set of forwards …Philly and Johnny could be in for a runaround soon
– Finally let nobody come on here ever again and give out about Mayo supporters.. the size of the support and the actual support given to the team was immense. .
Our full forward line was very poor. The goal got us back in it…tipp collapsed. I’m usually optimistic but really worried with all hear mounting injuries…
Aidan and Diarmuid at midfield. Boyle and Andy on bench. Tullamore would be nice venue next week. Cork in round 4. Now 2to5 to reach super 8 is a good bet
Job done, but some collateral damage. Looks like we will have to operate without our two first-choice midfielders from now on. That would be challenging for any county and it may ultimately be our undoing.
Tipperary played at about the level of their standing in the League and we Mayo were deserving of the win. Unfortunately, we have unearthed nothing by way of a scoring forward and it’s hard to see how we can overcome the top teams if we get to the later stages.
Where does Kerry get all those naturally talented two-footed players? Whether they can lift Sam this year remains to be seen but they will dominate this game for a long time when they are fully tuned. The pace and accuracy off the boot is a joy to watch and they have re-energized the older lads on the team. I begrudgingly admired their display against their old enemy yesterday evening.
You would have to wonder what rulebook that ref was operating from though and Martin Carney and Marty Morrissey were confused and embarrassing with their lack of knowledge of the rules.
To Seamus I extend my best wishes and hope he is back on the playing pitch again very soon.
lost our first choice midfield pairing for the year, but I actually think we could have an excellent, dynamic pairing in AOS and Diarmuid.
Unfortunately Boyler doesn’t seem to have the massive energy levels he had which were such a big part of his game.
Barrett was poor as well but I’d hope that was a once off because the signs haven’t been there for him in the way they have for Boyle
Will Barry Moran have to be brought into the team now or is he up to speed at all ?
Great audio report and analysis Willie Joe yet again a great read.
Funny game, excellent start we looked really tuned in. That Tipp goal brought me straight back to ’13 Jesus the memories. I think the sun caught David Clarke out more than anything else. Had Tipp not scored that who knows it may have been over shortly after as we were clicking up front before it went in. But some response from Tipp who played all the football for the next 40 odd mins. I felt before the match that experience would see us through yesterday but I have to say I was doubtful before that lucky break for us. Tipp were tired and when McLoughs kicked that beauty the wind disappeared from their sails.
Great to see the scores came from all over the pitch, Tipp wrapped up Andy and Cillian inside so promising to see other lads stepping up. Did anyone arose think Chris Barrett looked sluggish? Terrible for Seamie he was motoring well, Lee looked at home at midfield and Diarmuid did ok as well.
We’re in the draw that’s all that matters, onwards and upwards.
Best wishes to Seamie and as always,
Maigh Eo Abú
Rochford now needs to call in more players to bolster our mid field options for whatever remains of our season. James McCormack has the attributes. A call back for Jason Gibbons must surely be on the cards. Conor O’Shea has the height and strength but probably lacks the footballing brain to be any kind of force against the top teams. Either way we need to get more players in asap.
If Barry and Donie weren’t fit enough for the bench yesterday I can’t see them starting for another couple of weeks at least. They’ve both played very little football this year.
If we move Aidan to midfield we then have the option of playing a more natural forward at #11, like Cillian or Loftus. Maybe a small silver lining to our injury nightmare.
Watched it from a pub in Portugal, and overall more positive than after watching our win last year versus Derry in a similar bar. I think that the team took a chance in the heat to not track as much as normal to conserve energy. Glad to see some players really step up, including Caff, DOC and Jason.
People are criticising Coen, this is a player that has captained three teams to titles, he may not have pace to get him out of trouble but is learning the game and I think will become a key member of the team. Higgins uses his pace to cover some of the chances he takes, and would prefer to see him further up the field. Btw, good to see that ref was not influential.
Injuries are a concern, unlikely to have sufficient strength in depth to win out but can still get to super 8’s, and from there anything is possible.
While Dublin and Kerry look good lets see how they get on against teams that are not beaten before they get on the pitch, I think that Kerry may come up short this year even though super 8’s may actually suit them as they will learn alot about themselves. Dubs I know, would like us to lose, as we are a fly in their ointment.
Either way, will be back to the heatwave next week to support the lads irrespective of where they are playing, and will enjoy the journey for jowever long it continues.
The loss of our two starting midfielders is without doubt season changing and while I feel we still have a good chance of reaching the super 8”s (if we avoid Monaghan and Tyrone) I believe we will be undone by a more experienced midfield and lack of strength and depth later in the competition. But saying that.. we won’t role over and die either. Last time I checked we are allowed to put 15 players on the field. Rochford is going to have to be creative. But you never know.. from this there could be a new star in the making. Don’t give up hope
Mayomessi – you’ve been posting comments here long enough to know that that steaming pile of muck you contributed to the debate at 2.32am isn’t acceptable and isn’t welcome here. To turn your own phrase back on you, it “wasn’t up to it.” It’s hard enough keeping on top of moderation with all the loons and trolls out there without long-standing contributors going rogue as well.
I usually watch early round games in pubs around London, as it’s not practical/financially viable to fly home, but having had a few bleak encounters for Mayo’s last few live games over past two seasons with Dubs and Kerrymen sinking pints, thrilled at any sign of “Mayo bottling it again”, I was delighted to have the opportunity to watch this match on Sky in the comfort and solitude of my own home.
It seemed impossible to imagine after 8 minutes that we’d be biting our finger nails for the much of the rest of the contest. We looked so assured to begin with – comfortable on the ball, turning the ball over with ease, finding overlapping players in acres of space – that I let out a satisfied sigh after Seamus knocked the fourth point over. When you see Seamus O Shea galloping through with no pressure on to tap the ball over, you know things are going well. How quickly the tide can turn.
One thing that struck me was the profound effect the goals had on both teams after they were conceded. The goal seemed to sap us of confidence, whilst Tipp – more on that later – utterly collapsed after our fortuitous score. Tipp’s goal exposed the rather surprising decision of throwing Paddy Durcan, one of our quickest defenders and one of our most productive from a scoring perspective, all the way back to FB to mark Tipp’s talisman Quinlivan. In the first half in particular, Durcan looked uncomfortable at best, but sometimes completely out at sea, as the Tipp full-forward dictated things. I think it was striking to see David Clarke make such an uncharacteristic error – yes, evoking those harrowing Hennelly memories of the Final against Dublin .- which put me in the mind that even he had little confidence in the makeshift full back.
Tipp suddenly began dictating things, and their sweeper Fox was not just sweeping up, but really building from the back, akin to what Kevin Mc did a few years ago when he was entrusted to sweep for us. This really hurt us, and Tipp were overlapping our lads with ease. As a side note, I never fully understood why, after investing so much in Kevin to do this job is 2016 – and taking a lot of stick for it before supporters began to see his utility in this role – this no longer continued last season or this season. Don’t get me wrong, Kevin Mc is a brilliant all around player and played excellently yesterday, but I believe he has the footballing intelligence to actually be able to play this role to better effect than the likes of Boyle or Higgins who have been put there previously and since. Anyway, let’s get back to the topic at hand.
I felt in the first half that as a defensive unit, we really were all over the place. It was hard to know who was playing where, who was to pick up who, and exactly where Higgins, as the supposed sweeper, was meant to be “sweeping”. Boyle looked worryingly leggy, Coen’s pace masked his difficulties in interpreting and anticipating pockets of play, and we have already spoken about Paddy Durcan both struggling to contain his man and completely lacking the ability to go on those meandering runs we’ve come to love about his overall game. In addition, Lee Keegan was being given the run around in the first half by Austin. [As an aside, I read a few baffling comments above about Caff having a poor game. I’m not sure if I’m biased because I have always admired him – though of course remember some of the high balls he struggled under in the past, the Kerry semi-final not being one as he was penalised for a penalty that never was and then looked too scared to contest anything further – but I thought he looked assured and made some telling interceptions in the first period.] Going in only two points down was lucky, though losing Boyle – self-inflicted having been shouldered fairly to the floor 2 minutes before and simply losing his cool – and Seamus looked like bigger body blows than Tipp’s slender lead.
After a strong start to the second half, we again seemed to be struggling. There were no tactical changes made to the back line – again a worry given how the first half had gone – and when Tipp pulled 4 points clear it really was starting to look worrying. On other days you would have seen the likes of Cillian, Andy, Boyler be the ones to pull the team kicking and screaming over the line, but this time we had different leaders – Jason Doherty kicking scores like he was Mayo’s all-time top scorer, Kevin Mc with a pep in his step, AOS putting in such a shift of toil, energy, and determination. We then had a willing support cast – James Durcan certainly scored a very lucky goal but his pace and movement was causing all sorts of issues, Keegan seemed to get stronger as the game progressed, and certainly did not look like a man who had not started a match in 3 months, and Diarmuid O Connor’s introduction before half-term was telling. He looked stronger and more assured in that more central role, won a lot of ball, and did the simple things right. Paddy Durcan also began leaving the full back line more in the second half, scoring a peach of a point and generally making life harder for Quinlivan who as we know does not like chasing back.
We pulled away in the last 20. Tipp had the challenge of weathering the storm and maintaining the energy levels they had shown in the previous 50 minutes. It was a bridge too far for them, but thankfully, in spite of being on a sinking ship, none of their players started making dirty or dangerous challenges. We can think of other counties that would leave the boot in out of nastiness to try to change the game, but in fairness to Tipp, they went down fighting the right way, and I always admire that in a team.
What now? As we expected – back-to-back fixtures and a possibility of a horribly tough challenge in Ulster. My main worry is not the opposition so much as ourselves. I genuinely don’t think Rochford knows his best 15 – especially with the injuries we now have – and one reason for that may be that he has not seen enough of the squad players in Championship matches before. Midfield, as many of you have correctly pointed out, is now looking threadbare, some turn around from the beginning of the Championship when it was arguably our most stable area of the pitch in terms of consistency. There has been some chopping and changing of the full- and half-back lines already this summer and we’re only 3 matches in, and we really need more consistency there – particularly with back-to-back matches that allows little time to be able to tinker things on the training field.
I don’t believe we are using the sweeper role effectively, and think we are asking Keith Higgins to do too many things. He is a monster of a player, but even he shows occasional signs of struggling to multi-task in all of the roles that are asked of him. Unfortunately, given the quick turn around I’ve mentioned above, it looks unlikely that there will be any significant changes here.
I’m less worried about Cillian and Andy being quiet and more thrilled that others stood up and were counted. This is the basis of a team sport – it’s rare to have the same stars perform week in week out, and to reduce that dependency and reliance, it is vital there are others that pick up the baton as required.
A final word on Seamus: What a stellar performer he has been – nearly ever present over the last few years. We will sorely miss him for the rest of the season, but perhaps the lads lucky enough to be togging out will look at Tom and Seamus on the touchline and find some additional steel, determination, and inspiration. They may both not play another minute on the field this season, but I have no doubt they will continue to be a massive influence behind the scenes.
Onwards and upwards…
@olive. Very good game analysis as always. A
My concern remains the strength of our bench, how some fringe players have regressed. Comparison to dub or Kerry is scary.
Super analysis, Lost in London. Thanks for showing – so well – that it’s possible to analyse performances, positively and negatively, in such reasonable and considered terms.
Given the midfield situation with TP and SOS out Rochford is going to have to start using the likes of KH, PD and LK around this area. These guys are all game changers and when they attack the opposition (even Dublin) cannot cope with them.
Willie Joe, you lead by example. It’s a pleasure having such a resource available to us, and I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say how grateful we are for all of the content, analysis, and insight you provide.
Can anyone tell me is the next round at neutral venue
Jp2, next round is home or away, round 4 though is normally a neutral venue
It’s not, JP2. Same rules apply as for Rounds 1 and 2 – the team out of the hat first is at home unless it’s a Div 3 or 4 team, in which case they’re automatically at home. It’s only Round 4 games that are played a neutral venues.
Cheers mikey and wj
I am an avid reader of your brilliant blog WJ. It’s the go to forum for all of us who love this wonderful Mayo team. It was a win but it felt like a defeat after the sickening injury to SOS and Tom P’s injury a few weeks ago. They are giants of men and there leadership qualities will be sorely missed. I wish them both speedy recoveries. Boyler black card was deserved but I think he took 1 for the team because if Tipp went on to score a goal it was game over. Some of the match ups were mind boggling. The obvious one was Durkin on Quinlevan. If it was bleedin obvious to all of us surely management could see it too. The ease with which Tipp forwards cut through our defense was worrying. We need Donie and Harry back and fast.
The goal J Durkin scored was a bit fortuitous but we will take all the luck we can get. He had a good game and will be a big player for us. Jason and Kevin Mc stepped up with brilliant scores at crucial times. AOS was immense around the middle. DOC made a big contribution when he came on. Loftus must now surely be an excellent alternative for mid and long range free kicks. COC missed a few fairly easy frees. It’s deflating and it lets the opposition off the hook.
Ideally we must avoid any of the 4 Ulster teams left in the draw, especially Tyrone and Monaghan. Leitrim would be lovely and Laois would be sublime the following week. Onwards and upwards boys!
Excellent post Lost in London I enjoyed reading it. I think credit has to be given to our lads yesterday for the way they dug deep in the heat and got themselves out of a 3 point hole in the second half. Lesser Mayo teams would have and indeed have in the past caved in after going 3 points down. Obviously midfield is a worry but we are still alive and I think we will make the super 8’s. Maybe Brian Gallagher and Matthew Ruane will be called into the panel now it will be interesting to see but whatever happens this Mayo team have given us great days out and let’s enjoy every game and where it leads whether it’s Armagh next Saturday or Drogeda or maybe even Castlebar
Anyone know the official status of harrison and Vaughan? Rochford said 2 weeks ago that Donie is back and harry was looking at end June. Any update on that?
Great to see the younger lads standing up yesterday. Diarmuid, Eoin, Stephen, Conor, James and Cian are really adding the strength we need to push on. Was speaking to a guy in Dublin on Friday night who said Mayo were not bringing in new players. Clearly he’s just listening to the lazy media who trot out the same inaccuracies all the time.
On our centerfield options, I think Lee and Aido are the best bets with Diarmuid or Conor as an orthodox No 11 with Donie as 1st sub for centerfield.. Keep Andy, and Boyler for the last 20 mins. Start James and Eoin.
Brendan Harrison, when fit, should come into the full back line. At present that line is made up of lads from the 2006 U21 team so there is a real danger of being caught for speed. Maybe Chris at No 6 flanked by James and Stephen with Eoin back in the corner. Caolan 1st sub in the full back line. Cian 1st sub in the half forward line.
Really sorry to see Sheamie get injured. These lads have busy lives outside football and they put that on the line every day they pull on the jersey. They carry the whole county on their young, strong backs and we can never thank them enough for the great journeys we follow them on.
That is the best analysis Lost in London. Really articulate. And I agreed with every word. In a bad way over Seamie’s loss. How cruel. And stuck in a hospital. Long rehab back. Devasting.
People critical of management but they make decisions and stick with them. It’s called trusting your players. So they made the surprising decision to put Paddy on Quinlivan. It didn’t appear to work but he stuck with it and Paddy was excellent in second half. He played James instead of Hanley .It worked. He played Caff . I thought he did well. Last year he put AOS on Donaghy The whole GAA world said he was mad.6 days later he did the same again. It worked. Yes he gets some of his unusual decisions wrong but at least he is prepared to do the unorthodox. I think team and management deserve huge credit. And one last point stop judging players on a one game performance. Cillian could do no wrong v Limerick. Yesterday was not one of his better games. Boyler was not himself v Tipp but usually excellent. In fairness someone always steps up. We know how difficult it is going to be now. Playing every week, serious players out injured and if we get past next Saturday then we play against teams that are fresh and have had breaks. It’s highly unlikely we will make it all the way but this team have given us great days out and yesterday like so many of the games last year was so enjoyable.
Well done WJ on an excellent blog and astute observatips We don’t say it often enough but it is of great therapeutic value to be able to vent our opinions from game to game
We’re not done till we’re done and yestdays performance reiterates how far off the top table we are at this stage. I still hope bench players can make an impact. I definitely like Eoin O Donaghues attitude,he is well tuned in mentally,when introduced…
Some of the comments here are amusing for sure. Cillian not scoring from play even though he played most of the game in the middle and away from the scoring zone. AOS was immense he always is. He has changed his game for the better a while ago and it is evident every time he takes to the field. He has become a class act. Keep it to yourself. I would not moan about our perceived weakness at midfield. Stick in AOS, DOC, Nally, Coen, Vaughan and get on with it. Parsons and SOS are a big loss. Andy was double marked, he has to be, sometimes there were 3 on him. No body mentioned the ball in he received today?. Leave him on the bench, is the best comedy line you will ever hear.
To the people saying leave Andy on the bench. Who starts in his place, Regan? Loftus? Nobody close to taking his place in the team.
However, we have a few decent options to replace Boyle if his form doesn’t improve.
LostinLondon,very good view of the game i am always puzzled by poster’s who are all the faults in our management and team,but I prefer to see the best in them,a lot of posters were calling for P Durcan to mark D Comer but yesterday it was wrong,I felt he got to grips and the second half was outstanding,as for criticism of Ger give it a rest,very unfortunate for Shamie and hope he makes a full recovery,a fantastic player for us,our fringe players are stepping up so we are still in the hat for Monday and believe that all other teams will want to avoid us thank you again Willie Joe and up Mayo
Well done Mayo are supporters are brilliant great atmosphere and fab weather.
Not exactly same rules Willie Joe
Repeat pairings to be avoided for rounds 3 and 4 so sadly Monaghan and Tyrone can’t draw each other
I also had it in my head that the div3/4 Home advantage thing was only for round 1&2 ?
You’re right, Km79, on the repeat pairings, which I guess increases the probability of a hard draw for us. The same home advantage rule definitely applies for Round 3.
Would be surprised if lads like Brian Gallagher or Jason Gibbons been called into the panel at this stage as they wouldn’t have the same fitness levels. It would be more likely someone from the development squad would be promoted.
Lost in London, excellent analysis as other’s have said.. Agreed Cafferkey was very good yesterday, delighted to see it.. I hope his good form continues… I think when you are at the match, as opposed to watching it on SKY (which is what I would be doing if I was in London as well).. You get a different perspective.. The Tipperary player whom I took particular note of was of course ‘Michael Quinlivan’.. Paddy Durcan certainly had an excellent second half on Quinlivan.. But I think you had to be at the match to really appreciate just how good Quinlivan really is.. In all the match’s that I have been at this year, Quinlivan was to me the best individual player that I have seen… And I include, all the player’s of Dublin, Kerry, Tyrone, Galway, Donegal and Monaghan,.. Anyways next time I see a post from ‘Lost in London’.. I certainly will pay particular attention to it as well,.. Brilliant Stuff!
Regan playing for Ballina. What is rule with league games? Seems be very ad hoc.
Does that mean he’s been released after last night ?
Don’t think so must be given dispensation. But rules need be outlined as when they can play and can’t for clubs