We’ve named our team for Sunday. Here it is:
Mayo (Connacht SFC semi-final v Roscommon, 8/11/2020): David Clarke (Ballina Stephenites); Oisin Mullin (Kilmaine), Chris Barrett (Clontarf), Lee Keegan (Westport); Paddy Durcan (Castlebar Mitchels), Stephen Coen (Hollymount/Carramore), Eoghan McLaughlin (Westport); Matthew Ruane (Breaffy), Conor Loftus (Crossmolina Deel Rovers); Bryan Walsh (Ballintubber), Ryan O’Donoghue (Belmullet), Diarmuid O’Connor (Ballintbber); Tommy Conroy (The Neale), Aidan O’Shea (Breaffy), Cillian O’Connor (Ballintubber).
So it’s two changes from the side that started last Sunday against Leitrim. Into the starting fifteen come Chris Barrett and Diarmuid O’Connor, replacing Michael Plunkett and Jordan Flynn. Stephen Coen switches up to centre back with Chrissy slotting in at full back.
Roscommon have also named their team for Sunday, full details here.
Reasonably OK with the team. Hopefully Kevin mc will come into the half forward line and it would really strengthen the team. Roscommon team is strong. Mayo really need to get at them from the 1st whistle and hopefully our bench will finish them of.
This team looks good we have to go for the jugular immediately from the start like we did in Croke Park dont let them settle hit them with a fast running game like Liverpool does dont take our foot of the pedal and we will win
Is Kevin McLoughlin injured? Thought he would be a shoe in. Class player.
Nice changes defensively but would be happier with Keegan at 6. I don’t believe that half forward line will start though.
I expect DOC to play as third midfielder to give us some physicality and agree keegan would be far more effective in CHB.
I expect it will be about match ups at end of day.
If surface in Hyde is sound as Rossie contributors tell us, I think it would be to our advantage as we are quite slick moving going forward. Looking forward to game.
He must see something in Walsh???
Diarmuid must play in centre. Wasted if being deployed as an orthodox wing forward. Keegan in the corner???
Is Mark Moran gone off the radar now completely?
Massive game on Sunday. It’s the biggest game championship match in Connacht in a long long time. The team need our support even though we can’t be at the match. Just looking at Twitter comments the last few days. Mayo fans need to forget about the US president election and get behind the lads for Sunday. Come on Mayo. Mayo proud no matter what.
McLoughlin will start unless fit. I’ll be surprised if James Carr doesn’t start either. Rest of the team as expected from Mayo.
Roscommon surprisingly have 6 changes from the match last year in Castlebar. The Murtaghs, Harney, Killoran not named to start.
Don’t think this team will start.
Horan quite grumpy when asked about this after the Leitrim game. Whining about how he has to give a team to Croker early Thursday, with no real knowledge of who is 100% available. So expect changes
These are good backs but I still think 3 of the best backs in Mayo are not playing for reasons of retirement or whatever that is Drake, O Donoghue and Crowe. Cox needs watching and Smith needs to be curtailed.
If Kevin Mcloughlin is fit, he has to start this game. I hope to God Kevin starts in place of Walsh or Donoghue. Move Aido to MF instead of Loftus, and start Carr or Coen in FF line. If that happens, i’d fancy us to sneak it, but if we start as selected and Aido stays FF, it’ll be the rossies winning.
The forecast is to be dry and not too much wind for Sunday and in fairness since they replaced the pitch the Hyde pitch has gone from bog to a top class playing surface so we can have no excuses of not having a fast open pitch for our players.
AOS needs to be full forward, full stop!!
I fully agree with you MayoDunphy. I think that if those changes were made we would win by 4 or 5 points. I would also expect to see Boyler coming off the bench for the last 10 minutes.
I think that’s a good strong team and all should start . We have a great bench with the likes of mcloughlin, Carr and D Coen . I wish posters would stop doubting the abilities of Loftus and Walsh who in my view are skilful footballers and fully deserve their place on the team. I expect we will win and I look forward to us trashing Galway again. Up mayo
Surprised at this team and will be more surprised if this team starts. No changes made to add physicality at midfield and the half forward line apart from DOC can not help much. Have not seen much from Walshe so far. Nice footballer but not tough enough. Was easily pushed around by Tyrone. If Roscommon push up on our kickouts who collects long ball to the middle or the wings? Depending on fast open football is not a great strategy for winter.
Willie Joe, it’s so strange to see Clontarf after Chris Barrett!
i actually think that team will be very close to start, with 1 change, Kevin McLoughlin a cert to come in to start in that half forward line somewhere i reckon
Funnily enough, our traditional weak spot – our full forward line, is now our strongest line, with coen and carr ready to come in and add to it too we are well stocked there
Those people calling for Boyler will be disappointed id day, if he hasnt seen minutes in the past 4 games i suspect he isnt going to see gametime sunday
Best of luck to all
Would love to see the subs named
Yep boyler needs a few more years s&c to feature in white heat of championship . Sarcasm of course but I’m at a loss to understand why keep the likes of boyler round the panel from a strategic POV of building a new team , grand if you’re going to have him on match day panel at least but what’s the point if not ?
Agree with you sean burke, if Boyle is anyway near game time fitness levels and form , we must have incredible backs to keep him off the team.
Yeah hard to understand what’s going on with Boyler. You’d imagine if he was fit he’d have gotten some game time against Leitrim, like Barratt did ? Hope he makes the match day squad as he’d be a great man to have for the final push.
All I know is if we’d sprung him from the bench for the last twenty minutes in this fixture last year, I believe we’d have won that match.
Mayo by 2
I’d also be of the opinion that Boyler could be brought in, either starting or sub. As others have said, I wouldn’t stress regarding his lack of game time. I think he’ll be fine!!
A lot of talk about boyler but I’d also add Keith higgins to that list. Never let us down. Would he do a job in the half forward line for 20 min?
Big fan of Kevin Mcloughlin as a middle third player who can get on the end of a moves to score but also sweep at the back. However I’d rather see him on for the last 30 mins if play than the opening 40/45.
It’s not so long ago we were calling for managers to aim to finish with the strongest team on the pitch…
Just thinking that team is a long way from what we had in 2017 when we ran over Roscommon in the replay.
We just dont have that level of power now
Pat Boland that’s true but I think we have to rebuild that team couldn’t go on forever. Right now according to Kevin McStay on the podcast Roscommon are a settled team and have caught up to us in strength and conditioning. It would go good to see some of the older guard get game time on Sunday especially Seamus O Shea Boyler Parsons and Higgins but realistically youth is the way forward. I hope we win on Sunday but if we are to go down I hope we go down fighting like we did against Tyrone
We seem to be awful worried about Roscommon. They’re going to overrun us and dominate midfield.
There isn’t a word about how they’ll cope with our inside line? Or how they’ll stop Paddy Durcan raiding forward? Roscommon are a very good team but we need to get a grip and show a bit of faith in our own lads.
For what it’s worth I think McLoughlin and Carr will start.
Agree backdoorsam. An awful lot of posters looking for the old players back and I mentioned McLoughlin earlier. We were long enough saying too many miles in the legs now it’s time to bring on the next generation and maybe the old heads to steer them along from the bench..
Think my post is been taken out of context albeit I’d personally still have colm Boyle on match day panel but my point is if you’re building a new team with no intentions of including Boyle , Higgins , Seamie that’s grand but surely there is absolutely no sense in having them involved at all . If you’re going that route why not let more youth hang around the panel and gain the training instead ?
While we reckon we have strong subs so do Roscommon Our backs have been under pressure since the re start and I’d say they will have their hands full on Sunday We will need to score goals and Roscommon don’t concede too many. It’s a very hard game to call.Traditionally we do well against them but this team have won two Connacht since we last had the Nestor Cup and we have headed in opposite directions in the league as well It’s a huge game which would have drawn a huge crowd in other circumstances Maigh Eo abu
I’d imagine carr and mcloughlin will start for probably loftus and walsh, with Aidan moved to midfield
Have to say our forward line is looking brilliant atm, with the likes of Paul Towey, who was easily the best player on the pitch when the u20s lost to Galway on penalties, not even making the 26.
Hopefully the weather isn’t too bad Sunday, we’ve always been a tough team the last number of years but the way we’re playing now a day for football would suit us Sunday
All we need to do is give away no stupid goals like last year and give them nothing soft from frees
Mayo by a few
I think Mcstay was on the button, there’s 5 or 6 veterans there that are probably no longer at the desired level but are still demonstrating to the young guys the expected levels of dedication. On reflection it’s probably good we’re in division 2 next year, more room for the new team to develop. Sunday is 50/50.
I agree with a lot of that Sean, but we’re poor at the back at the moment and there’s a match to be won. Still a heap of youth in the team so a Boyler or two would be grand for a game or two!! We lack experience in the backs currently, Leeroy is woefully out of position, we don’t have a number 6., so bring in Barrett and/or Boyler. Hope Chris does in fact start.
Mcloughlin should be a starter but how much has Management used him in tbe last 18 months or so??
Can only assume there will be one or two changes on day as management generally name joke teams for some as of yet yet to be determined reason….
i don’t buy the Roscommon are solid at the back thing. completely based on D2 football. Looking at super 8 results they conceded heavily in all 3 matches. Their defensive personnel have not changed much since then. Their midfield pairing is also average.
If we protect our defence and don’t give away stupid goals we should be ok.Smith, Murtagh and Cox will do damage if they get space. Rossies will likely to go long and direct into our FB line with Smith running from deep to overlap after watching our wide open defence that’s the obvious strategy
I’m moving on a bit to the All Ireland final, imagine if one of the finalists were hit badly with Covid19, say 3 first team starters were all out. I wonder would the final be played, what may happen if a Covid19 case occurred in the winning team but was not reported to Croke Park prior to the final taking place ?
All very quiet in the Donegal, Dublin and Kerry camps, 3 of the Covid19 hotspots today.
A counter attacking game would suit us perfectly. That’s the way I’d line Mayo up for championship. Give away very few goals and use the pace of players to counter
Also hope someone reminds this lad about his quote this time last year….”We’ve been seen as the Mayo of Roscommon club football which is not a good thing really”. Good man Niall Daly.
Its all about 2020. Going back to lads who played in 2017 its sell by date is long gone. Time for management to try out new players. Tom P, S O Shea, Boiler, Higgins, and not forgetting D. Vaughan their race is run. And also Keegan and K,McL father time is fast catching up. They were in their day giants among men. Let the young up and coming players have their day. In fairness to JH he didn’t make many changes to the teams he picked for the last 3 matches, before the throw in. I cannot see any reason why he will not start Walsh or Loftus and bring in Mcloughlin and Carr. I think it will be a tight scoring game.
Against Galway Aido could do no wrong, Against Tyrone terrible, and this was the most day we needed him. We will need everyone firing on all cylinders the next day. Its now time to start rebuilding for the future.
Wow. Just listened to Kevin Mcstays interview on podcast on previous page. Best interview I’ve heard anywhere in a long time. Pace, athleticism, tracking. Key points! Especially in Championship. Essential listening folks. Those key areas are of course obvious, but he lays it out extremely well. Understandable James going for youth, especially if the older lads are lagging behind in the stats. Experience still counts for a lot, but maybe its time to just put trust in the young bucks. Sunday will tell a lot!!!
forget about the older guys, they don’t have the legs for winter football, the future is in the young fellows.
Best of luck to both teams & looking
forward to a cracker on Sunday & may the best team win ,
Mayonaze I can understand why you might feel aggrieved with Dalys comment and hes a rival club to myself but I dont think he meant it as an insult despite how it might have came across. His club had lost so many finals without getting over the line even when they deserved to win. I genuinely dont think it was in any was trying to be offensive. Anyway hoping we beat ye sunday have my doubts if you play like the second half against tyrone. Should be a cracker and I doubt there will be much in it. Anyway best of luck it’s a pity we cant all be there supporting our teams and bantering each other.
It’s the…”which is not a good thing really” bit that I found insulting. I can only speak for myself though. I’m sure there are other Mayo supporters who wouldn’t care at all but there was absolutely no reason for him to mention anything about Mayo in his interview. To me, it was a dig.
No more than the ros supporter on the pitch in C’bar after the game last year with his home made banner which read, ‘Sam dodgers are gone, Rossies roll on’. Like, this lad had to think that up…then go and make it. Or the rossies around me in Croker in 2006 cheering on Kerry…there is a common trend.
My biggest disappointment in football in the last 10 yrs was not seeing Mayo win Sam at least once
Thank you Rossie 68! Everybody, stop generalizing now.
The Mayo of Roscommon football? could be worse, could be the roscommon of roscommon football, never making a final at all.
We have young lads now who are pushing the older lads down the pecking order. We have lads like Higgins, Boyle, Seamie O’Shea, Kevin Mc who no longer are starters and that is fine. It would be a huge mistake though to say to these lads who have appeared in most of the big games of the last decade that they are no longer any use. The amount of experience that fellas like Higgins and Boyle can pass on to young McLaughlin and Mullins is invaluable.
Letting them just walk away would be a huge mistake.
Haha spot on Dave!. Every County has them type of supporters, we’ve plenty of our own aswell. To the Rossie supporters coming on here this evening, fair play for showing your colours in your user names, plenty of wum’s come on here making out their from Mayo, when they clearly are not. To the Rossie supporters above, may the best team win as they say, and sure look isn’t it all a great distraction from this constant covid misery!
I fully expect Roscommon to win, our starting midfield and half forward line (minus Ruane and Diarmuid) is the weakest i’ve seen in manys a year. Horan seems to be trying to put square pegs into round holes.
I dont which is worse a North Galway football sham or Rossie football fanatic, both hate Mayo with a passion!!
I am from Mayo and gladly say that I would and have supported a Connacht County on the big stage of an All Ireland semi or final in Croker, I was there in 2001 in the Hill to see Galway win, I was there in 2013 to see St Brigids win v Ballymun and I was there for all Mayo Senior finals.
It would make a great change to see any Connacht County win an All Ireland, this doesn’t happen very often.
Sure I want to see Mayo beat the hell out of Ros and Galway to win the Connacht final and try and go to the final and win, but if Ros or Galway get further in this championship I will be hoping they could win it outright.
Posters wondering about why some experienced players arent getting as much game time this year ,Have a look back at the game against Kerry in Killarney last year.For me that was the end of of that great generation of players, just could not keep up to the pace of Kerry at all that day, and thats why James has gone for youth and pace.
I’m with you there Mayo88…all the way. Mayo to my knuckles but Connaught all the way. Hope we do it tomorrow but may the best team win.
Roscommon are a good team . The Mayo Defence Will have to keep a close eye on Enda Smith & Conor Cox . Mayo will win but expect a tough battle .
I see we are featuring on RTE2 again on Sunday night, no, not on The Sunday Game but on Scannal. It’s Mayo Meath, presumably 1996, not 1951. Thank you RTE2.
Personally I’d rather see Glasgow rangers win Sam Maguire than Roscommon . But each to their own I suppose .