The minor team to face Down in Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park (throw-in 1.30 pm) has just been named. Ray Dempsey has made two changes to the side that overcame Tipperary in the quarter-final at the start of this month, with Garrymore’s Caolan Crowe coming in at left half-back instead of Michael McCormack while Knockmore’s Daryl Herbert starts at top-of-the-right in place of Jack McDonnell. Otherwise, there are a number of positional changes from the Tipp game, with the two corner-backs swapping places and with Ciaran Charlton moving from left to right half-back. In the half-forwards, Andrew Farrell and Darren Coen swap places. The side is captained, as it has been all year, from midfield by the Mitchels’ Aidan Walsh.
The team in full (including substitutes) is as follows:
MAYO (MFC v Down, 30/8/2009): Michael Schlingermann (Kiltimagh); David Gavin (Breaffy), Keith Rogers (Ballaghaderreen), Michael Walsh (Ardnaree); Ciaran Charlton (Kiltimagh), Shane McDermott (Burrishoole), Caolan Crowe (Garrymore); Danny Kirby (Castlebar), Aidan Walsh (Castlebar, captain); Andrew Farrell (Killala), Darren Coen (Hollymount), Fergal Durkan (Castlebar); Daryl Herbert (Knockmore), Cillian O’Connor (Ballintubber), Alex Corduff (Ballina).
Substitutes: Conor Campbell (Swinford), John Carney (Swinford), Ian Costello (Carramore), Danny Geraghty (Ballintubber), Michael McCormack (Ardnaree), Jack McDonnell (Swinford), Brian Ruttledge (Knockmore), Alan Stadler (Knockmore), Brian Walsh (Garrymore).
Hopefully like last year our minors will improve with each match and they need to do that, make no mistake. The Connacht final draw was a poor performance. Indeed we were lucky and it’s fair to say there has been no blitzing performances from this team so far. But at this stage of teh competition that could be a positive because at minor level blitzing performances can be a bad thing sometimes as fellas can get carried away.
Down are a bit of a bogey team for sure but true to form Ray Dempsey is not taking anything for granted and that’s the way to go about it. Minor matches can be even more unpredictable than senior so basing expectations on the last match and so on is not always a reliable logic.
It is better to look at the size and skills of the players and how they are coming along as a team. I see the Clubmayo site has a run down of the players on http://www.clubmayo.ie/331.php and by the looks of it the team isn’t short of physical presence around the pitch – quite a few 6 footers in there. Then there are a few players with that bit of experience (Walsh, Corduff and Charlton) from last year which should help. So we have the presence, the skills , the experience – all that is needed is the team work rate and game plan. That’s Rays department and he has shown in the past that he can do that.
If Ray can get the work rate out of the team like he did last year and some of that improvement from match to match we have every chance against Down.
Good Luck to Ray and all on Sunday !!
Whats the story with Schlingermann? German ? i remember reading Kerry had a German on the panel too ? The Kids of these people who moved over in the eighties and nineties coming online?? Be a few years yet until the Polish lads are pulling on the Green and Red.. Great to see..
Both of his parents are German, from what I’m told and have been living here for some time. It’ll be interesting alright to see how the changing demographics impact on the kind of players we’re likely to see lining out in the years to come. Personally, I’m more than a little worried about all those Brazilians in Gort: let’s hope they veer towards the hurling!
I suppose any comparisons with last year are irrelevant ..but I wonder just how important O’Shea was to that teams efforts and “success”
Also I saw John Carney Play a number of times last year and felt, injury aside that he was a player of the tenacious caliber needed by us. I’m curious that again this year he hasn’t got first team action yet.
Now is the time for the big performers on this team to come to the fore and as usual with Minors we may see a couple of unknowns raise their game.
Maigh Eo Abú