We’ve just named our team to face the Dubs tomorrow evening. Here it is:
Mayo (NFL Division One v Dublin 6/2/2016): Robbie Hennelly (Breaffy); Brendan Harrison (Aghamore), Ger Cafferkey (Ballina Stephenites), Caolan Crowe (Garrymore); Donal Vaughan (Ballinrobe), Colm Boyle (Davitts), Shane Nally (Garrymore); Tom Parsons (Charlestown Sarsfields), Jason Gibbons (Ballintubber); Conor O’Shea (Breaffy), Aidan O’Shea (Breaffy), Diarmuid O’Connor (Ballintubber); Evan Regan (Ballina Stephenites), Jason Doherty (Burrishoole), Mikey Sweeney (Kiltane).
So it’s just two changes, both enforced, from the team that lined out against Cork last Sunday. Out from that one go the injured duo Lee Keegan and Kevin McLoughlin and they’re replaced by Aidan O’Shea and Mikey Sweeney, with Donal Vaughan – named at 14 the last day – shifting to the half-backs.
Compared to the team that last played Dublin – in the All-Ireland semi-final replay last September – there are more significant changes, seven in all. Out from then go Keith Higgins, Lee Keegan, Chris Barrett, Seamus O’Shea, Kevin McLoughlin, Barry Moran and Cillian O’Connor (all, bar Bird, due to injury) and the lads coming in are Brendan Harrison, Caolan Crowe, Shane Nally, Jason Gibbons, Conor O’Shea, Evan Regan and Mikey Sweeney.
As usual, we haven’t named our list of subs as yet. And of course the Dubs aren’t exactly bursting out the gate with their pick either – no word on their team as yet. Dublin have now named their team as well and it’s unchanged from the one that started against Kerry last time out – details here.
Best of luck to the lads tomorrow evening.
On paper a weaker 15 than last week can only hope the performance is better. The good news is the 3 week break is coming at a good time and Mayo could have up to 12 championship starters available for round 3 v Donegal.
Dub team is named on dublingaa twitter
Anyone think it might be a draw Sunday everyone dubs will hammer Mayo but you never know.
I wouldn’t dwell too much on the Dublin selection. Gavin’s form is to make two changes to the starting line up.
Mikie sweeney Kiltane I think,thank you very much Willie Joe for your blog and news it is a pleasure to read everyday
Oops! Thanks for that Corick Bridge, that’s what happens when you’re trying to rattle off a post too fast – I’ll correct it now.
No, thanks to you a thousand times Wille joe for all the news
Strong enough looking Dublin team. Its up to our lads now to stand up and make a right contest of it tomorrow evening.
Best wishes to all the lads tomorrow night. Great opportunity for the lads to taste senior inter county football at the highest level and gain some valuable experience. Really looking forward to a great night win loose or draw. I wouldnt worry about what team Dublin named, last year they named one team and then played another team.
Im usually positive on this blog, but i think we are gunna get annihilated tommorow evening, on the simple basis that most of the team named is’nt fully fit and some others are probably not championship starters for us. I hope ta God we can come out fighting and rough them up and drag them into a dog fight, but on all known form we will be looking at a 15+ point hammering. Will be watching this with one hand over my eyes, and rosary beads in the other….but, if we are hammered theirs no need for panicking, as we basically have a skeleton team out tommorow. We’ll still be there or there abouts come september.
Its a really big ask for players like Shane Nally and Caolan Crowe with only a few weeks of county training under their belt coming up against some of the best players in the country. Thats what you call tough! Best of luck to them and to the rest of the team. Based on the no. of players that we have out, there probably wasn’t many alternatives for this game.
It’ll be interesting to see how Mickey Sweeney gets on as well, he scored a goal and a point when he came on in the League game against the Dubs in 2014 in Croke Park. We drew with them that night. We have three regulars both up front and at the back, along with three at each end of the field who will be fighting hard to win a place in the team or panel. Same with midfield, one regular and one player looking to make an impression. We’ll see how it goes. We want to see a bit of fight in our lads anyway!
A month or two ago this is a game I would have put down as a mayo win thinking the team and management would be really up for it. Obviously were in a different situation now due to injuries etc and a dublin win looks likely. What I will be interested in is what is our Taticacal approach . Can we show signs off being able to innovate and adapt our game to knock dublin off their game a bit. It will give an indication if the new management can really add something extra that might make the ultimate difference later in the year. I think dublin will win tomorrow night but wouldn’t rule out the possibility of an upset due to complacency and up until recently they never travelled well as well as the fact that mayo will want to make amends for last week. Regardless I think Mayo will pick up 6 points to stay up in division one although they lose the first 3 games. Best of luck to the team and enjoy the occasion everyone.
15 Mayo men against 15 Dubs in Mc Hale Park. We need to stand up and show that we are serious contenders for Sam. All the talk of anniliation is embarrassing. Hon Mayo!
I disagree with those that think our lads are generally a long way behind on fitness. I think that Rochy is trying out new things and that the lads have to think a bit more about what they are doing while they are adapting the way they play.
As they get more practice and Rochy’s way becomes more natural to them, their play will speed up significantly. As the man said before Christmas, the first weeks and months won’t be the way we’ll be playing in Summer.
We just need to survive in Div 1 and as little as 5 or 6 points could be enough to do that this year
Not their best back 6 but less experimental than us and their forwards all good. Brady may not be natural forward more a midfielder but Mannion really had a cut against Kerry and Andrews still flying.
I agree with packing the backs. Management must see something in Crowe but I half expect Donie or Boyler to play in corner. Sweeney maybe unsuited for winter football, see what happens. O Sullivan an athletic midfielder so hopefully our 2 can match him and Bastic should be suited for winter football.
Hope we’ve a few impact subs and Connor OS should be able to help midfield and nullify Brady.
A plus is they’re without McCaffrey whose long range passes and running is worth a few points. Brogan missing is compensated by a lively looking Mannion.
Perhaps as suggested we’re not as far behind in training as assumed. Let’s hope the lads are fired up to put last Sunday behind them.
I don’t think Rochford’s style of football will maximise our chances of winning Sam (or any trophy). We don’t have the ball players to compete against Dublin or Kerry at their own game. We have to play an intense running based game with selective kick passing in order to stand a chance of reaching our ultimate goal (with the current crop of players). Rochford will need to cut his cloth to suit our best players skillsets; not the other way around.. Players are a lot more important than manager. Especially when we have a relatively limited playing pool (20 top class players)
Fitness, not the relal issue in cork
Match fitness and knowing each other and the new ways.
Looking forward to match
Hope Lee mending
This is the process, 7 games 7 points, don’t care where, don’t care when.
Let it be a long lovely year
Nowt won in Feb
Can someone give an update on the injury status by Player in the Mayo Panel at the moment
Expected nil points in first two games. That team confirms my expectations. No offence to those selected just think we well behind dubs re strength in depth. Hope they come out fighting and give it everything as we have done in last few years and would be delighted to be wrong. Regardless of saturday still think we can stay up. Just need to keep right side of Ross and Down though scoring difference may yet prove a problem
By God, if there was ever a time for our lads to stand up and be counted, tomorrow night is it.
The logical assumption here would be an annihilation; I have a suspicion that we might give a good – or at least, better than expected – account of ourselves.
We’ll either go for damage limitation and try to play defensively and lose anyway (because we are just not a defensive team) or concede the win outright and persist with the attacking approach, which would be risky because we don’t have the shooting power up front, and a clattering might not do morale or confidence any good. Or we could just take them by surprise, but that’s unlikely, because this Dublin team is not naive.
It’s an oddly intriguing game, this.
People totally over estimating the number of Mayo starters missing. Higgins, Keegan, O’Shea, McLoughlin, O’Connor. Versus Dublin’s McMahon, McCaffrey, McAuley, Flynn, Brogan. That’s pretty much like for like, the big difference is the Castlebar contingent that weakens our bench options.
Our only excuse is that we haven’t had all the group together yet for training and getting used to a new manager’s ways. But it’s not a good enough excuse for expecting a hammering. That Mayo team is strong enough to win. If they think they’re good enough, time for Harrison, Nally, Gibbons, Crowe, Regan and Sweeney to show it.
Just Outside Ballagh, I couldnt agree more with you. Well said.
4 points and the head to head with Roscommon will be enough to stay up. Down will lose every game I think. Roscommon will get one or two wins.
No way Roscommon are getting more than 4 pts in this division.
I’d go with just outside ball agh and mayonaze , it’s one thing to be up against it but to be accepting defeat before the ball is thrown in is ridiculous . Sure I may get off this coach now just before I leave busarus rather than travelling all the way down to see my team lose! Erm no scrap that , hon Mayo ta fuck.
Good to see Donie back in half back line and Aiden starting as he looks like he needs game time ,, great opportunity for lads to show what they’ve got as we will need strong panel come championship ,, don’t agree that it’s weaker team than last week as most players are playing in their natural positions and aos and Jason D will be able to rotate in and out ,, would be interesting to see how what I regard as to clever corner forwards could feed off aiden in at full forward ,,, heading west later ,, safe journey to all and let’s hope we give them a good rattle !
We have two club teams involved in All-Ireland finals and the Dubs are coming to town today. Feb 6th could be a great day for Mayo GAA or it could be a day to forget. Best of luck to all of the players, management and back-room teams that represent our great county today. Everyone supporting our teams today should hold their heads up high and be very proud of where we come from. Roll on the games!
Any Ardnaree’s on here? I heard good things about Ronan Doherty? Quick is what Im told anyways.
Quick is what he is like a lot of the rest of them. They ll be entertaining and they ll fight to the end as is laid down in the name Ard na Rioch!…the hill of the slaughter,recalling one of the many massacres which took place in the area in times gone by.
The great Joe will be a proud man today and also the great Johm Ford will be close by their sides.
We need to make this attritional. I think we will and might come away with a result.
Nothing better than facing a cock sure Dublin team. I saw a bookie up here blasting on the screen a “special” Dublin 13/2 to win by ten or more.
That ad should be nailed to the dressing room wall this evening.
“Dublin 13/2 to win by ten or more”?.
That is the type of thing i like to see. Just what we needed. A big thank you to that bookie. We could not have done it without him.
Question for anyone UK based. I see Premier Sports are not showing the game live (deferred coverage at 3.45 tomorrow afternoon! FFS…).
Any good sites where I can stream Setanta Ireland?
Hope you don’t mind me asking here WJ.
Have to say this Irish TV service is very professional. Thought it was just going to be much more low tech.
Great coverage. A grand freshness about it!
Thanks very much Lorrie, I’ll give it a go
GB XI u say injuries are overstated the following is a potential mayo 15 which are arguably stronger than currently available so bang goes ur theory
1. Clarke
2. Cunniffe
3 Keane
4 higgins
5 Keegan
6 Barrett
7 Durkan
8 SOS
9. B Moran
10.K. mac
11. COC
12 S Coen
13Andy
14 Freeman
15 Dillion
Subs
Kirby
Darren Coen
Douglas
E reilly
That’s some hammering Ardnaree got.
Goals are killers…..sap the blood outa ya! Well done Ardnaree.
That Templenoe side look good enough to be playing in the Intermediate final. They are all young lads also. They must have just got lucky that a bunch of players grew up together given their small player base. Ardnaree never got a look in im afraid. Its hard get the better of the Kerry lads. Hope Hollymount get on better in the next one.
Unfortunately predictable from the get go. It was stated that a lot of that Templenoe team had played Senior championship through their careers. You could see that experience standing to them especially in big games.
Why oh why can the county Mayo not adopt some sort of similar strategy to at least give the club teams who will come through a level playing field?
It is just nothing short of a disgrace at this stage. Unless you are willing to continuously accept second best all of the time which really seems to be the way Mayo football folk in charge at club and county level are willing to do.
Glasshalffull, my theory still stands. Dublin are missing the same amount of important players. As I said, if we are going to have a strong enough squad, Harrions, Nally, Crowe, Gibbons, C O’Shea, and Regan need to stand out because Small, the Byrnes, Bastick, and Mannion will for Dublin. Posters here could be a bit me positive.
Hollymount going well. Should be leading by at least two points. I think Hollymount look a slight bit fitter. They should try n keep the tempo high for the second half.
Darren Coen looks very very ordinary in this game. Missed a really easy score just there and been caught behind his man all throughout the first half.
Fair play to the senior team, should be getting hosed by the dubs but seem to have got the tactics right, i.e., making the most of what they have. If they can hold it tight or even win it I think we can be more than happy with management. Who cares what it looks like, just do what you have to do.
Condolences to the two beaten clubs, never easy to lose and even worse to lose a final.
Any update on that game folks, what strategy have they gone with. It would be lovely to turn them over !! Their fitness made a noticeable difference in the second half last week ,,
Nothing beats pure effort and desire…unrecoverable from last week
Mayo were once again full of energy and heart gave the dubs plenty we lacked a bit of luck and thought Aiden held on the ball way too much ..diarmuid was outstanding
holy cow! Same tactics in the second half with a gale force wind on their backs.The
mind boggles.
God what a night.Did well in shocking conditions…hailstones like real stones.
Bit of an improvement…serious tackling and hunger and point diff good.
Could have snatched a goal maybe but ball to Aido too predictable.Nally best of newbies but Regan ok.Scored in spite of what @mayogaa says!
Think we need to improve but on right track.
Great heart and desire shown there. A reaction after last week was vital. We got it.
A truly outstanding display from Diarmuid O’Connor, what a player we have in him.
Hard luck to Mayo, a great display from them all, and against the champions. A rough day for any Mayo fans with our clubs both losing, sometimes I just wonder if we are playing the wrong style of football or are we too scarred from all those finals that we’ve lost?
The days of it being “great” to just get to the final are truly over, it’s now a case of us needing to re evaluate why we lose so many. There’s something definitely wrong for a county to suffer as badly as we do.curse or no curse.