Mayo’s footballers are on two wins from two outings in their Allianz Division Two North campaign and this coming Sunday they put that 100% record on the line when they face fellow table-toppers Meath at MacHale Park. In this episode of the Mayo News football podcast we review last Saturday’s win over Westmeath and we look ahead to the Meath game.
Mayo News editor Mike Finnerty is back in the chair for this episode, where he’s joined by Mayo News columnist Billy Joe Padden and Colm Keys of the Irish Independent. Billy Joe and Colm reflect back on Mayo’s win over Westmeath and describe in fascinating detail how and why Paddy Durcan is not just one of Mayo’s most important players but is also one of the best half-backs in the game. Colm explains why Paddy didn’t win an All-Star last year while he and Billy Joe also reflect on Cillian O’Connor’s current form.
Mike then catches up with Marty Clarke, whom he met last weekend at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh for the Down/Meath game, to hear his views about how the season is shaping up, what Down made of their opening round defeat to Mayo and his views on the return of spectators to matches in the North this weekend.
Back with our panel, the lens is widened as Colm puts forward the case for why he thinks it will be a Dublin-Kerry All-Ireland final this year. He also brings us up to speed on when supporters across the island might be back at grounds watching games again and he outlines why the GAA needs to take action in relation to so many inter-county managers not releasing details of starting teams before games, or squad lists before competitions.
Turning the focus towards this coming Sunday, Billy Joe and Colm – who is, of course, a Meath man and so is well positioned to provide plenty of background detail on Andy McEntee’s side – set the scene ahead of Mayo’s third round match against the Royals on Sunday, with a place in the Division Two semi-finals already assured for both teams.
This episode of the Mayo News football podcast is now online and is available to listen to on iTunes, SoundCloud, Podomatic and Spotify. You can also listen to it, via SoundCloud, on the Mayo News website as well here on the blog using the player below or the one on the panel on the right.
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The Mayo News football podcast is sponsored by Ceramic City and Swinford Motors, two fine Mayo businesses with whom we’re proud to be associated.
Great podcast this week. Interesting what Marty had to say on his feedback. Colm Keyes is a great addition and I will agree with him and what he had to say about Con O’Callaghan. I disagree with him on the team presentation. You think the hurlers are going to change their ways and playacting any time soon
Excellent Podcast again very interesting… Disagree with Colm Keys with his idea of Croke Park, punishing County Teams financially for not giving the correct line up for the official match day programme , that wouldn’t hurt the likes of an already financially doped Dublin County Team, one bit, but would be a serious hit to the likes of Leitrim or indeed Mayo, as we seem to be pretty strapped for cash for years now.. A better and fairer idea is what Colm suggested first, that any changes would be regarded as a substitution, then it’s the same santion for every County.. But I agree it’s pretty annoying, and happens on more days than it dosent, many is the double header at Croke Park I was at, and of the 4 senior team’s playing, it’s unlikely that any of the 4 teams took the field as selected in the Match day programme.. Don’t know what team I expect to see from Mayo on Sunday.. But I’m reminded of 2010 when Mayo needed to go to Cork and win to qualify for the League final, which Mayo did,.. Cork didn’t put out their strongest team for that game because they had already qualified for the league final,.. A week or two later, a different and first choice Cork team met the same Mayo team in the league final and gave us some hockeying… A few weeks after that Sligo beat us in the Connacht Championship, and a few weeks after that Longford ended or interest in the 2010 Championship altogether.. It was John O Mahoney last game in charge of Mayo .. I watched that particular league final from the Hogan Stand, and I am still convinced that our performance in the day drained any confidence from Mayo, and if anything we went backwards for the subsequent Championship.. The real game is the one after next, win that one and we will have achieved something tangible for the season.. Lose next Sunday, many will be giving out on this Blog, I might be the one who gives out the most, but we are in the exact same position regardless of whether we win or lose… What we can’t control is which County we will be meeting from Division Two South,.. If people could actually attend games, I would want it to be the team from Div Two South who has already played two home games, giving Mayo a home fixture for the promotion Semifinal which has always been the game we want to win the most in Division Two.. If it happens to be Cork that we meet, Cork will not be allowed to play the semifinal in Cork because of breaching Covid 19 restrictions, so it might be a neutral venue or maybe Mayo might play Cork in Castlebar if that’s what transpires.. The same goes for Dublin for a league semifinal But should Dublin make the final they are garunteed a home from home fixture in Croke Park.. Which begs a very serious question for Croke Park, why will Dublin be garunteed a Croke Park fixture for the final should they make the final, which they probably will, when no crowds will be allowed to attend the league final in any case?.. Maybe the Dubs are just like the Isrealites who are God’s chosen people?
Colm Keys highlighted the difference between Kerry and Dublin in the way Dublin can create goal chances out of nothing. Can Kerry bridge that gap between now and August.
Very deserved praise for Matthew Ruane, a consistancy creeping into his performances.
The return of AOShea in the near future will probably mould our set of forwards as a unit.
I expect Meath to be a more potent outfit on Sunday, so in terms of measuring our progression it is a game, as WJ says, that matters.
The podcast was excellent always good to hear the opinions of national commentators.
In relation to announcing teams, i would be quite happy to have an accurate 26 man panel on a thursday evening. Starting team announced one hour before kick off. Thats fair enough imo.
Totally agree on the panel, subs and team publishing.
Squad should have to be submitted day before match and team by 10am on morning of the game.
Gaa should then publish these online.any changes to either result in one less substitution.
one thing on the Dubs it’s not just their ability to score goals its their ability to not concede goals also.
There was a match a fews years ago where they conceded a goal and they were supposed to have spent a couple of hours working on how to stop conceding that type of goal again in the next training session
onetheditch i’m not so sure.
Fenton and McCarthy looked subdued enough at the weekend don’t think they were at full throttle and Cluxton to come back.
Personally think Kerry could get caught again before the final if they keep defending like that
https://punditarena.com/gaa/conor-mckenna/gaelic-football-player-rankings/
Saying Clifford is best player currently and potentially of all time..
Think you might disagree with this anslysis WJ..
Tthougt our own Cillian or Michael Murphy for example should get an honourable mention..
@centrrfield, very valid point, Dublin do not cough up goal chances easily. I suppose defending against such a potent forward line in training and set pieces keeps them sharp.
At least Kerry are finding out their inadequacies well in advance of championship. Also they should have strength in depth, and forwards starting to look like a consistent unit.
Realisticaly, we are at a different place, but hopefully we will see progress.
I agree ontheditch. If they had 1 or 2 stoppers at the back they’d be a serious side