Image: @ONeills1918
We’ve just named our starting fifteen to face Roscommon under the lights at MacHale Park tomorrow evening (throw-in 7pm). Here’s the line-up we’ve announced:
Mayo (NFL Division One v Roscommon, 25/2/2017): David Clarke (Ballina Stephenites); Donie Newcombe (Castlebar Mitchels), Keith Higgins (Ballyhaunis), Paddy Durcan (Castlebar Mitchels); Stephen Coen (Hollymount/Carramore), Colm Boyle (Davitts), David Drake (Ballaghaderreen); Donal Vaughan (Ballinrobe), Jason Gibbons (Ballintubber); Fergal Boland (Aghamore), Kevin McLoughlin (Knockmore), Diarmuid O’Connor (Ballintubber); Andy Moran (Ballaghaderreen), Cillian O’Connor (Ballintubber), Jason Doherty (Burrishoole).
So, it’s two changes from the side that started against Kerry in Tralee a fortnight ago. Into the team for tomorrow night come Jason Gibbons, in at midfield for the suspended Tom Parsons, and Diarmuid O’Connor, who replaces Conor O’Shea to make his first start of the year.
The team above shows considerable change from the one we fielded for the Hyde Park mud-bath against the same opposition in March last year. In fact, just four of the starting fifteen for tomorrow night – Colm Boyle, Donal Vaughan, Jason Doherty and Diarmuid O’Connor – also were on the pitch for the throw-in last March. However, Paddy Durcan, Stephen Coen, Cillian O’Connor and David Drake – who all made an appearance off the bench that day – are in the team named to start tomorrow night.
The Rossies have just named their pick for tomorrow evening’s clash too – full details on their Facebook page here.
Crowley and Walsh named for Kerry. Surely the 2 Kerry players didn’t get off and 2 mayo players get suspended.
For those who can’t access that website;
1 Colm Lavin Éire Óg
2 David Murray Padraig Pearses
3 Sean Mullooly Strokestown
4 Niall McInerney St Brigids
5 Ronan Stack St Brigids
6 Sean McDermott Western Gaels
7 John McManus Roscommon Gaels
8 Shane Killoran Elphin
9 Tadgh O’Rourke Tulsk
10 Fintan Cregg Elphin
11 Ciaráin Murtagh (C)St Faithleachs
12 Enda Smith Boyle
13 Donie Smith Boyle
14 Tom Corcoran Strokestown
15 Conor Devaney Kilbride
Mayo team quite strong though I’d be surprised if Drake starts given how early he was taken off the last day. Far more likely that O’Donoghue or Nally will start.
I just seen that done deal , both listed , would appear Kerry county board were busy !
Unbelievable.
For those interested, this is the Roscommon team.
1- Colm Lavin
2- David Murray
3- Sean Mullooly
4- Niall Mc Inerney
5- Ronan Stack
6- Seanie Mc Dermott
7- John Mc Manus
8-Shane Killoran
9- Tadhg O`Rourke
10- Fintan Cregg
11- Ciaran Murtagh (Capt)
12- Enda Smith
13- Donie Smith
14- Thomas Corcoran
15- Conor Devaney
A big man named at full forward, but wouldn`t be that convinced he`ll play there.
[Deleted].
JP2 – I’m sorry but that’s just trash-talking. If you want to critique players, then you’ll need to provide some specifics to back up what you’re saying rather than coming out with a lazy putdown.
[Deleted].
Jeez, lads, ye’re all out tonight! RiseAgain – I’m deleting that comment from you on the basis that it’s trash-talking (county board this time, rather than players). If you want to roll out a reasoned argument, then please do so but that kind of blather you just posted has no place here.
Delighted to see Jason Gibbons named to play.. I was there last year when he got his horror injury. So all the best Jason on your return and hope ye get a good run of games under your belt injury free. We need as many big mobile experienced players around the middle of the field as we can possibly find.
I’d be very worried about this one to be hoenst. Gibbons hasn’t had a start in a long time and Vaughan was cleaned out at midfield in Tralee. I’d put that down to fitness and would hope he has put a hard too weeks in. But paddy durcan in the full back line and drake starting has me scratching my head. We bet them last year with our strength down the middle. Without the two O’Sheas and parsons we have considerably less power in the middle third. Win and we’re nearly safe, lose and the pressure is on again.
Hard to know what to expect, we have played well for one half and with 2 points. Roscommon seemingly have played well but list twice. Ultimately Tyrone won comfortably after Rossies had missed some good chances. Think that if midfield goes 50:50, then we could struggle, hope DOC plays like he did in U21 versus Ros last year. Tight win and one or two new faces would be good.
I cannot understand Willie Joe why you deleted my comment as it is quite obvious that the 2 players named were very poor in the first 2 games and its not only my opinion, I have seen far worse posted on this site as regards language and other critical comments.
Midfield looks very iffy.Would like to see Matthew Ruane drafted in on an occasion like this. I think o Donnell got sent back to his club. No news on keagans availability
Mayo will probably start this game as they finished the Kerry one with durcan moved into the half back line,Vaughan moved back into the half back line,Coen moved into midfield and Cillian O Connor moved into the half to forward line to supply Andy Moran.
The Roscommon team apart from Cregg McDermott and Devaney are apparently aged 23 or under its probably one of the most youthful and inexperienced Roscommon senior teams to play in MacHale park.
I don’t think it’s quite obvious at all, JP2, in particular in relation to one of them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you can’t criticise players but you need to quote chapter and verse to support your argument. Simply dissing named players isn’t acceptable and that’s a position I’ve tried to hold to all the time here.
Mayo Messi, I too would live to see Mathew Ruane drafted in, I believe we will in the future, Matthew unfortunately got injured towards the end of last year, so he too might not be just ready to take the stage. He looked some player in the All Ireland U21, final reminds me a bit like Diarmuid O Connor, on that day anyway when he won the MotM award as well. He’s still U21 and I imagine that’s his priority to be ready for that competition. We’re fairly well fixed with good young players to start or come in at the moment., with the likes of Coen, Diarmuid, Loftus, Boland and Reape, bearing in mind also that Paddy Durcan is still only 22, although he seems to around quite a while, and Brendan Harrison is only 23,. .But we got to be patient ,Kerry found to their cost last time out that too many youngsters no matter how talented might not bring home the bacon when the going gets really tough! But it is great that we have so many talented young to look forward to seeing in the Green and Red. How many of Westport ‘s very talented leaving cert students will we see for Mayo, mind boggling talent!
Delighted to see Jayo Doherty named nearer tge goal. He’s been wasted acting as an extra defender. Need him to get the scores in the full forward line.
No Loftus or Irwin ?
Its not as if we have 6 up front who all contribute plenty to the scoreboard. One or two there score next to nothing on a regular basis.
Cant we try out some proven scoring forwards who have already rattled the net in the biggest games of their lives down in Ennis. Rather than them warming the bench.
Disappointed with this.
I have to say that there’s an annoying conservatism to our forward selection- there’s not many of the younger players getting a chance which is frustrating. I must ask how Jason Doc continues to hold down a place because he’s not contributing on the scoreboard and to be honest he does not seem to create many scores either. I appreciate he’s a loyal servant and I don’t doubt his honesty but as far as I’m concerned he currently falls into what the journalists class as ‘doing a lot of unseen work’. I wish him well against Roscommon….but his name needs to start appearing on the scoreboard.
Glad to see Doc is on the full forward line. He should be more effective from there. He is a goal getter and has played far too far from goal for too long.
I agree that we need to gi e scoring forwards a chance. Irwin Reape Loftus, Gallagher, I hope they are on the bench and given a run. We need all forwards fighting for their placeon the team
Open to correction but Jason Doherty was our top scorer from open play in last year’s championship.
Looking at the two teams the biggest worry I have is that Roscommon use Corcoran at full forward as a target man, dropping high ball in to him. I don’t think that we have anybody in the full back line to deal with high ball and if he can combine with Murtagh and the Smiths we could be in a spot of bother. On the other hand if we get on top at midfield Rosc may find that they need Corcoran in that area. He is a player who impressed me at Minor and I was a bit surprised he was not on the senior panel until this year.
I don’t suppose some of their supporters will be terribly amused to see two Ballaghaderreen men wearing green and red. Hopefully both will make their point.
S R has been known to tweak his selections before throw in Nally had a good league last year and looked sharp when he came on in Tralee I expect him to start.I think Drake took a knock in Tralee and that was the reason for his early substitution. Kirby must be available if the 2 kerry angels were cleared of any wrong doing surely he would have to be cleared we’ve hardly resorted to fighting among ourselves the same 2 kerry boys play very close to the wind and in Crowleys case he should have been booked with kmc earlier. The Ross team are very young and probably a little fitter than our boys so hopefully we have a bit more cuteness after our journews over the years to sneak a win.
Agree with the comments regarding the full forward line. Nothing there to add a new dimension to our attack or develop some of the younger talent at this level. SR probably holding Nally as an option off the bench as players tire given our shortage of reinforcements around the middle.
You would expect to see some changes to the team before the throw-in, both personal and positional wise. As the balance of the team named is similar to the teams that struggled against Monaghan and in the first half against Kerry in Tralee.
You would be a bit concerned about our midfield options for this game. It is great though to see Diarmuid back. With no U21 football to worry about himself and Stephen Coen etc. can now concentrate fully on the senior team this year. We seen how that benefited the likes of Paddy Durcan last year. Hopefully Loftus and Irwin will be in the same boat as well. You’d think that Evan Regan will see some game-time too as the Roscommon game last year was one of his better ones for Mayo. Shane Nally looked lively against Kerry when he came on too, so it’d be nice to see him involved as well.
Mayo may be playing the long game as regards the suspensions down in kerry.appealing the Kevin Keane suspension against donegal a couple of years ago stood against us in regards connelly appeal in simi that year. Give them as little as possible to use against us come the business end of season.
Doherty is our most accurate player few play in the last 4 years with a conversion rate of 63%. The only players in the country with a better rate is rock, Connolly and o’donohue. I don’t think he’s ready for the scrap heap yet but a redeployment in a more attack minded role would be better for the team as a whole. Mattie ruane has been training with the seniors as far as I’m aware but as he’s still u21 can’t see him featuring until next year. Would like to see loftus get a good run. Apart from diarmuid and Coen I think he’s the next closest to making an impact at senior level
It’s probably me, but that Roscommon team looks, bar a couple, completely unfamiliar. Can all these newbies be hotshots?
Game day , I’m very nervous about this one . Not sure is it because we were pretty average in the last 2 games or the fact we are missing so many or the fact that I work with a heap of Rossies . I know it’s early in the year but please god – let us win !!!!!
Mayo to win by 8+ pulling up…
If we win today we will have 3 out of 4 games to experiment in. Have to go with our best today. Full tilt pace and power. The only games under Rochford we actually started full tilt was the Ros league game last year Tyrone and Dublin 1st game. All the back door games and the Galway, Down, Monaghan, should have been over long before the finish. We were very lucky last year only Galway got the luck to punish us. Today is the day to see that change.
Can’t understand why anyone would be nervous or worried. It’s the LEAGUE!??! Ok if it was a game that either risked relegation or indeed the league final where winning meant a trophy, but seriously, it’s still February! Yes, if we lose OR win but certain players or aspects of our style/approach/system don’t appeal then some of us criticise post-match, but I just don’t understand the mindset of supporters feeling nervous before a league game in Feb, regardless of the opposition.
I’d actually be slightly concerned coming away from a game this time of the year if our team, particularly if made up of mostly ‘regulars and experienced’ players, were firing on all cylinders. Yes, we always want to see Mayo win, naturally but not ‘at all costs’ at this time of the year. What I’m looking for at McHale Pk tonigh is to see new and fringe players impressing and maybe some more established players showing glimpses of class and/or being tried in new positions. Eg: Doc in the full forward line. He proved his goal scoring ability a number of years ago when he burst into the scene but as time went on he was deployed on the 40 and around the middle. Doc is tenacious and strong. I said in a post earlier this week that I’d like to see him tested in the full forward line, so hopefully he gets a game in there tonight BUT if it doesn’t go well I wouldn’t judge him on tonight alone. IMO Roch needs to give lads a proper and consistent run of games in a certain position before being able to judge their value. Of course, none of us know how players are performing at training. I’m a bit disappointed that neither Irwin or Regan aren’t starting inside. This suggests that management don’t have huge faith in a player just yet. This, of course, can change, but if a fringe or new player isn’t getting adequate game time in the league it’s unlikely we”ll see much of that person come the championship barring a drastic rise in form or a string of injuries.
On tactics, I’d like another look at O’Donoghue in the corner. I don’t mind management testing Durcan in there to see how he does but also on how it impacts on the team as a whole, particularly from a counter attacking perspective. Coen, centre back or midfield. He was without question more suited to no.6 in the u21 championship last year. I don’t know if he has the height or mobility to play in the middle? Jury is out on this. What I will say is he has something special and what he lakes in natural athleticism he makes up for in determination and leadership. I hope he continues to improve.
Nally is a better wing back than Drake. That’s my opinion.
Vaughan, I want him buzzing and in full flight come June/July…I don’t care if he looks off the pace now but I would like to see him in a settled position. Centre back? Wing back? Midfield? Or does Roch just see him as a utility player who will be switched around accordingly?
I think it’s inevitable that Kev will play a sweeper role in the summer. It worked well last year.
There have been plenty of comments here over the pas month in midfield. Championship winning sides tend to have a very settled midfield pairing. I’ve no idea who ours will be come the summer. I guess we are at audition stage at the moment!
Would be great to see Diarmuid in a slightly more advanced position. One where he collects possession closer to the opposition goal. He could be a real menace. His ball carrying abilities are 2nd to none.
I really want to see Cillian played much closer to goal and I’d rather not see Andy too much in the league. We know what he can do. Give others a chance.
I’d say Irwin will get his chance but he is probably working hard on his fitness at the minute. He looked very slow in the FBD and the intensity of league football now might not be the best thing for his confidence if he is laboring. Hopefully we will see him towards the end of the league when we are safe!!
Well said Mayonaze agree with you on every point there…..Its all about freshening up the squad and creating competion for places and having as strong as a team that finishes the match as started…
The super 8 motion passed in congress this morning is further proof that grey haired men in suits are destroying the game we love.
Great to see the super 8 motion passed. In this county we are never satisfied.
We want to win Sam (just once) and we want to have championship games every weekend. You cannot have both. We are always blaming senior manager for all our ills. 2016 we won A I under 21. Reached intercounty Junior A I final. Hollymount/Carramore reached AI intermediate club final, Ardnaree reach Junior club final, Castlebar reached Senior club final, Westport won AI intermediate final,
Louisburg reached Junior club AI final and Mayo Played in Senior AI final. Something must be right in our county when you look at the past 15 months. Sure we would love to see a change and lets wait and see what it brings with this new system. Just because a few people who have never tasted whats it like to reach a final they hate anyone else who has. Roll on 2018. Just looking at the comment from Mayomagic about grey haired men in suits destroying the game we love. Let him put his views in print to see his great plans. I,m sure the men in suits think their plan is good, and as it was voted on and passed it shows a way to see things for the next 3 years. The game itself has not changed so what is destroying the game he loves?