Mayo GAA Discussion - Part 4

Martina1991

Rockfish wrote: »

Car is in the garage so going to take the train, be a new experience for me, going to a match this way. Have pre booked a seat, am i daft or will it be a free for all? Ticket booked from Ballyhaunis but thinking i might go to Castlebar instead and get on there? Im sure there will be no check etcs. Years since ive been on the train :cool:

I'm taking the train as well. It's great craic.
Everyone is wrecked from a poor nights sleep.
The hang sandwiches are packed.
There's a gang of young ones skulling cans as soon as they've pulled out of the station.
Some people have the tabloids with them, speculating who'll mark who and if this is Andy's last year.
The tidal wave of green and red pours onto the Luas stop at Heuston.

And we all have about 6 hours to kill before throw in.

homewardbound11

Trying to make comparisons with 2017. I’m also trying to be optimistic and realistic also .

In 2017 at half time mayo were leading. In the 76th minute we were level only for that rock free .
Bookies had us at 40:1 on that day for mayo to lead at half time and a draw .So comparisons made , we weren’t given a snowballs chance, yet we were agonizingly close to success.

Saturday is no different . Mayo should aim for plus 3 at half time as a target minimum and have the reserves like Diarmuid/ Andy to come in. Our bench will then be the winning or loosing of this match . If we manage to be in the position of+3 at halftime time we will most definitely have a more experienced panel to carry us forward .

DDC1990

FYI Restricted View tickets on Sale on Tickets.ie. High in the Davin/Hogan I'd imagine.

€35.

Coillte_Bhoy

Martina1991 wrote: »

I'm taking the train as well. It's great craic.
Everyone is wrecked from a poor nights sleep.
The hang sandwiches are packed.
There's a gang of young ones skulling cans as soon as they've pulled out of the station.
Some people have the tabloids with them, speculating who'll mark who and if this is Andy's last year.
The tidal wave of green and red pours onto the Luas stop at Heuston.

And we all have about 6 hours to kill before throw in.

Actually im wondering the same, is it a free for all or do people respect the booked seats? Not too pushed but dont fancy standing for the journey. Anyway looking forward to it, haent been to a match by train for a while either

Coillte_Bhoy

OTB show from Achill was a decent listen, bit of crack. MacHale prediction, 3 red cards and Mayo by 2:pac: . Comer reckoned we'd be ahead at HT and lose it in the end,my fear too

Martina1991

Coillte_Bhoy wrote:

Actually im wondering the same, is it a free for all or do people respect the booked seats? Not too pushed but dont fancy standing for the journey. Anyway looking forward to it, haent been to a match by train for a while either

People generally respect the names above the pre booked seats.

For these match trains everyone should be pre booked anyway.

kala85

Was on the train I think two years ago for the Kerry vs Mayo replay and it was carnage.

People had pre booked carriages G and H for the train and then on the morning of the match , irish rail decided to cancel those two carriages and those passengers had to stand on the other carriages. There was people everywhere. Never seen it so bad.

Generally the train is fairly good but you would want to reserve a seat !

And also for the return train from hueston, you need to have the particular train that you are getting on booked - an open day return might not get you on the train home as priority is given to people who have a reserved seat on that particular train.

As I found out an open day return allows you to board any train as long as there is space on it. ( but an open day return doesnt guarantee you travel on on every train)

seligehgit

Another very good article by Eamon Donoghue.

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/gaa-statistics-who-should-patrick-durcan-and-lee-keegan-track-1.3980014?mode=amp

Stoner

seligehgit wrote:

Another very good article by Eamon Donoghue.

The issue I'd have with the current narrative about Keegan and Murphy is the suggestion that Murphy chose to move closer to goal to get away from Keegan, that is not an option a player has.

Keegan was taken off Murphy, just before the switch Murphy cleanly won a ball and popped it over the bar, Horan correctly switched men.

Murphy started well then Keegan had a good run on him, but Murphy adjusted and got the better of him again.

For the penalty they were both on the line as "close to goal" as you can get, for the next score they were out the field, Murphy brushed him aside before scoring, everyone knows that Murphy covers huge ground. If you were attempting to mark him you'd expect him in the square and anywhere in the middle third, that is how he plays, how he always plays.

Keegan is a defender why would he drop off a player that moved from midfield back into Keegans preferred zone and he didn't remain in midfield afterwards either.

I don't think keegans style suits midfield anyway, he'd get blown up or black carded there's too much attention on kickouts. He operates better in the cover of the halfback line.

IMO the job Mayo did on McHugh was excellent, Brennan and McBrearty too, but particularly McHugh who started well, but he was well marshalled. That's not really mentioned in the text linked.

Suggesting something similar happened with Murphy is not accurate imo. If Keegan was keeping him quiet he'd have been left on him if Murphy played in goal.

Keegan might be better off tracking McCarthy in the championship quater than anyone else. Or possibly MDMA if he comes on as a sub

My concern as a Dublin supporter is the Mayo corner backs, I'd be concerned that they might tie up O'Callaghan and Mannion. Funny enough Rock usually does well in these games, he's left out of the "tracking" and gets a bit of space.

AOS, I think he's a better player now, I thought he played very well against Donegal, read the game well held back a bit and got some great interceptions as a result.

Moran is moving well too, himself and COC gell well together.

I remember Johnny Giles talking about how everyone talks about you being old when you are 31, then when you hit about 33 they stop talking about how old you are.

Bunny Colvin

jr86 wrote: »

Stop, some posters on it are as odd as feck. As bunny said, talking in riddles and the likes. How on earth do so many of them congregate on that site? It's like some cult honestly to any outsiders - we're mainly normal in Mayo, don't worry

Haha as you say so many posts along the lines of "we'll win because we want it more". Haha did ya ever hear such rubbish. I'd doubt Dublin are too pushed about the 5 in a row alright!

Maybe some of them are complete wind up merchants laughing at everyone's expense? They have to be...

On the flipside there are some outstanding posters on it, but I'll be focked if I'm going wading through that comments section with its layout!

The brown nosing of Willie Joe is hilarious too. Good on him though, he never acknowledges it and - I'd imagine - probably completely cringes at it himself

Agree with Bunny, he can be precious with the moderation and I lost a bit of respect for him after his stance on newbridge last year and being so petty at people who disagreed with him. And his out of order accusations at Ronan Shanahan in the league.

But fair play to him, must be some nuisance to run and moderate. Respect to him for not packing it in long ago.

I'm convinced the majority of the poster demographic would be in the 50-75 age bracket. There's been day's after a game where I wouldn't have minded having a read to see what the knoweldgable guy's on the site had to say but you as you said, **** trying to find it in that wall of text and riddles.

Fair play to him alright though because it must be some job to moderate. I'd have some respect for him anyway because he's been doing it for year's and was putting in the work long before it was fashionable. But the cult status thing is hilarious. There seems to be people thanking him and agreeing with him on every post - afraid to go against the sermon of the day. It would be like us thanking Seligehgit and boards on every page. Ever play Resident Evil 4? To some people on that site Willie Joe is their Lord Saddler.

irishgeo

I think one change. Mcloughlin in and that's it. The gaa hour podcast has a good anaylsis on the game.

Who is the ref?

padd b1975

irishgeo wrote: »

I think one change. Mcloughlin in and that's it. The gaa hour podcast has a good anaylsis on the game.

Who is the ref?

Connor Lane.

PressRun

Rain is expected to clear before throw in tomorrow but I think a bit blustery? Might be slippery surface and ball and some wayward shooting with the wind carrying the ball. Could be low quality stuff on the day.

padd b1975

PressRun wrote: »

Rain is expected to clear before throw in tomorrow but I think a bit blustery? Might be slippery surface and ball and some wayward shooting with the wind carrying the ball. Could be low quality stuff on the day.

Lots of goal chances!

corny

seligehgit wrote: »

Another very good article by Eamon Donoghue.

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/gaa-statistics-who-should-patrick-durcan-and-lee-keegan-track-1.3980014?mode=amp

Really? I found it awful simplistic.

Keegan stood beside player X at the throw in. Player X didn't score therefore Keegan is a great man marker. Thats the great analysis we get in the GAA. Why we can't look at actual defensive actions (tackle, turnovers) in a game to judge effectiveness i'll never know. Its like no one actually saw Keegan being beaten to the ball every time last week. I'm sure Murphy missing a couple under no pressure was somehow spun as Keegan impacting the game too. The year he got player of the year for standing beside D Connolly was the same crack. Michael Quinliven taking him to the cleaners didn't actually happen.

Same for Durcan. He spent a huge amount of time nowhere near McHugh yet he too got the plaudits. Mayo as a team stopped McHugh and i'd say the two big bastards in the middle and Colm Boyle had way more to do with McHugh not being in the game than Durcan did.

flasher0030

irishgeo wrote: »

I think one change. Mcloughlin in and that's it. The gaa hour podcast has a good anaylsis on the game.

Who is the ref?

Who would you have picking up Brian Fenton tomorrow so. I know they are all good, but I think curtailing himself and McCaffrey is key. I think James McCarthy is a little overrated. He's very good and obviously needs to be watched, but I don't think he is this game changing super player that he's made out to be. But Fenton and McCarthy are athletes and will run all day.

moghrasa

flasher0030 wrote: »

I think James McCarthy is a little overrated. He's very good and obviously needs to be watched, but I don't think he is this game changing super player that he's made out to be.

I'm glad to see this. In RTE's buildup to the Ulster semi-final between Donegal and Tyrone, Colm O'Rourke said Joe Brolly sounded like "Nigel Farage on drugs" by suggesting that Michael Murphy is one of the most influential players of the last 20 years, and when queried on who was better, O'Rourke said ... James McCarthy.

Now don't get me wrong he's a fine footballer that would probably get on any team, but Jesus Christ there are faaar more significant players in the Dublin team alone than him, let alone the country. Take Fenton or McCaffrey out and they're in a spot of bother. Never got the extent of the hype around McCarthy.

flasher0030

moghrasa wrote: »

I'm glad to see this. In RTE's buildup to the Ulster semi-final between Donegal and Tyrone, Colm O'Rourke said Joe Brolly sounded like "Nigel Farage on drugs" by suggesting that Michael Murphy is one of the most influential players of the last 20 years, and when queried on who was better, O'Rourke said ... James McCarthy.

Now don't get me wrong he's a fine footballer that would probably get on any team, but Jesus Christ there are faaar more significant players in the Dublin team alone than him, let alone the country. Take Fenton or McCaffrey out and they're in a spot of bother. Never got the extent of the hype around McCarthy.

I could be wrong, but I think he goes down in folklore because he caught a ball at the end of one of the Mayo Dublin matches, I think it was the one where the Dublin forwards hauled down the Mayo backs. And he did something else good at the end of the game as well. I can't remember. But then the legend became that James McCarthy dragged Dublin over the line.
I think it was something like that.

seligehgit

corny wrote: »

Really? I found it awful simplistic.

Keegan stood beside player X at the throw in. Player X didn't score therefore Keegan is a great man marker. Thats the great analysis we get in the GAA. Why we can't look at actual defensive actions (tackle, turnovers) in a game to judge effectiveness i'll never know. Its like no one actually saw Keegan being beaten to the ball every time last week. I'm sure Murphy missing a couple under no pressure was somehow spun as Keegan impacting the game too. The year he got player of the year for standing beside D Connolly was the same crack. Michael Quinliven taking him to the cleaners didn't actually happen.

Same for Durcan. He spent a huge amount of time nowhere near McHugh yet he too got the plaudits. Mayo as a team stopped McHugh and i'd say the two big bastards in the middle and Colm Boyle had way more to do with McHugh not being in the game than Durcan did.

Corny I much respect your opinion as I know of old you so rightly study the minutiae of the game greatly whilst not always agreeing with you.

I thought he did a very decent article on our kickouts last week.

Re this article to the winners all the plaudits go and lionising of same.Totally agree with you re Quinlavin.I get the impression you believe there is a certain hype around our Keegan which he ill deserves.The journalist has only so many words per article and as you well know is in the business of trying to hype up contests.That's the context.Some of us are simple creatures and deal in brass tacks.

I have'nt watched the match back as yet but agree Murphy came out on top.He has been nowhere near his best this season.

Re Paddy,it's best said that Ryan McHugh is not expected to largely carry out defensive duties to same degree as less important players.So the two lads were largely left to their own devices and the three points on the scoreboard indicate Paddy came out well on top.TBH as you say it the O Sheas and Boyle and the team as a totality should get the plaudits.

The article is more interesting in terms of the attempt at lateral thinking/thinking outside the box in an attempt to nullify to of the greatest threats Dublin possess because that's going to be necessary if we're going to have a shot at winning this game.Tis like a game of chess.Keegan has played in varied positions which might be considered outside his comfort zone full back against Sean Kavanagh and midfield against Enda Smith.I am hoping Paddy is a good match up for McCaffrey.

Unfortunately I think your team possess too many threats for us to nullify.I think your first 15,McCaffrey,Fenton,O Callaghan and Mannion in particular have greatly improved and Howard has added a new dimension.Too many things at the moment will have to go right for us on the day.Most importantly we will likely need a conversion rate of 60+%.

I can't agree that McCarthy is overrated,he won the 2017 final for Dublin when it was there for the taking at the death.A wonderful footballer.

jr86

seligehgit wrote: »

I can't agree that McCarthy is overrated,he won the 2017 final for Dublin when it was there for the taking at the death.A wonderful footballer.

Outstanding in 2013 too if I remember correctly. Super player alright

wirelessdude01

The amount of people trying to unload unwanted tickets today is frightening. MadWest Radio is like a one stop shop for all your unwanted ticketing needs

corny

seligehgit wrote: »

Corny I much respect your opinion as I know of old you so rightly study the minutiae of the game greatly whilst not always agreeing with you.

I thought he did a very decent article on our kickouts last week.

Re this article to the winners all the plaudits go and lionising of same.Totally agree with you re Quinlavin.I get the impression you believe there is a certain hype around our Keegan which he ill deserves.The journalist has only so many words per article and as you well know is in the business of trying to hype up contests.That's the context.Some of us are simple creatures and deal in brass tacks.

I have'nt watched the match back as yet but agree Murphy came out on top.He has been nowhere near his best this season.

Re Paddy,it's best said that Ryan McHugh is not expected to largely carry out defensive duties to same degree as less important players.So the two lads were largely left to their own devices and the three points on the scoreboard indicate Paddy came out well on top.TBH as you say it the O Sheas and Boyle and the team as a totality should get the plaudits.

The article is more interesting in terms of the attempt at lateral thinking/thinking outside the box in an attempt to nullify to of the greatest threats Dublin possess because that's going to be necessary if we're going to have a shot at winning this game.Tis like a game of chess.Keegan has played in varied positions which might be considered outside his comfort zone full back against Sean Kavanagh and midfield against Enda Smith.I am hoping Paddy is a good match up for McCaffrey.

Unfortunately I think your team possess too many threats for us to nullify.I think your first 15,McCaffrey,Fenton,O Callaghan and Mannion in particular have greatly improved and Howard has added a new dimension.Too many things at the moment will have to go right for us on the day.Most importantly we will likely need a conversion rate of 60+%.

I can't agree that McCarthy is overrated,he won the 2017 final for Dublin when it was there for the taking at the death.A wonderful footballer.

Genuinely flattered. Thanks.

I don't mean to downplay Keegan or Durcan (especially not Durcan) as footballers. Both are brilliant competitors and great attackers but I do think Keegan is overrated as a defender.

There's an unquestioned group think at play that he is man marker extraordinaire. He's not. I don't see him make the interventions good man markers make. Quite the contrary, i regularly see him beaten when his man has the ball. Doesn't happen to great defenders. Johnny Cooper for example. He has made a career out of beating his man to the ball and being especially difficult to go around. Thats what a man marker does.

In a game littered with dispossessions how many were Keegans last week? He still came out with credit in some quarters. He's been anonymous all season if we're honest. Whats the bets he gets an All Star nomination.

Reputation counts for a lot in peoples perception in these things and its not just Mayo players that stand out for me. You probably remember my problem with Cian O' Sullivan the master sweeper and his 'unseen' work a few years back. Colm Cavanagh the same. Or Brian Howard who has been walking on water this summer and last. He hasn't established a huge reputation yet though. Last year he was wrongfully overlooked for YFOTY and this year despite being easily Dublins best player to date he's overlooked in the build up to this game and more than likely the end of season awards. The same for Mannion and James McCarthy. They had to forge a reputation before people actually acknowledged what they were doing on the pitch. I'm ranting now but Mannion scored 6 or 7 points from play against Monaghan a few years back. It was a display worthy of reverence. It was ****ing ignored in the media. If Andy Moran or Bernard Brogan did it....

Watch what Keegan does as a defender and don't rely on the fact his man mightn't score. Correlation and causation and all that.

NabyLadistheman

Anybody that calls James McCarthy over-rated needs there head examined

finisklin

McCarthy did a lot of the heavy lifting in the 2017 final, more so than Fenton. The final 10 minutes he came into it as Aido tired and Shemie was subbed. He's a danger for sure.

This Mayo team is fitter this year and certainly look leaner. I think the impact of last weekend on them is over stated. They will come in battle hardened from the start, for the tightest of tussels.

Jason Doherty is a loss for us. A hardy buck who did well in the 2017 final. He had a great goal chance that was saved by cluxton.

When will teams be announced?

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

The amount of people trying to unload unwanted tickets today is frightening. MadWest Radio is like a one stop shop for all your unwanted ticketing needs

Why?

Chalk McHugh

James McCarthy wasn't in the game at all in 2017 in first half. He was cleaned out in.midfield area. He came into the game in last 25 minutes scoring two crucial points. Great player over the years but he lacks the real stardust quality the likes of Fenton, McCaffrey and Kilkenny have.

flasher0030

corny wrote: »

Genuinely flattered. Thanks.

I don't mean to downplay Keegan or Durcan (especially not Durcan) as footballers. Both are brilliant competitors and great attackers but I do think Keegan is overrated as a defender.

There's an unquestioned group think at play that he is man marker extraordinaire. He's not. I don't see him make the interventions good man markers make. Quite the contrary, i regularly see him beaten when his man has the ball. Doesn't happen to great defenders. Johnny Cooper for example. He has made a career out of beating his man to the ball and being especially difficult to go around. Thats what a man marker does.

In a game littered with dispossessions how many were Keegans last week? He still came out with credit in some quarters. He's been anonymous all season if we're honest. Whats the bets he gets an All Star nomination.

Reputation counts for a lot in peoples perception in these things and its not just Mayo players that stand out for me. You probably remember my problem with Cian O' Sullivan the master sweeper and his 'unseen' work a few years back. Colm Cavanagh the same. Or Brian Howard who has been walking on water this summer and last. He hasn't established a huge reputation yet though. Last year he was wrongfully overlooked for YFOTY and this year despite being easily Dublins best player to date he's overlooked in the build up to this game and more than likely the end of season awards. The same for Mannion and James McCarthy. They had to forge a reputation before people actually acknowledged what they were doing on the pitch. I'm ranting now but Mannion scored 6 or 7 points from play against Monaghan a few years back. It was a display worthy of reverence. It was ****ing ignored in the media. If Andy Moran or Bernard Brogan did it....

Watch what Keegan does as a defender and don't rely on the fact his man mightn't score. Correlation and causation and all that.

I think you're definition of a good defender is way too narrow. You're talking about corner back style teak tight on your man, holding onto the shorts, jersey etc. The distinction between defender, midfielder and forwards has become a bit more blurred in the past 15 or so years, with rotation policies happening. You can't just judge a player that named in the backs because he hasn't XX number of dispossessions. for Paddy Durcan last week, he got 2 first half points against Ryan McHugh. Laid down a marker - to put that tiny bit of doubt into McHugh's head before he goes bombing forward. McHugh became disillusioned. Confidence drained. I think he only touched the ball 12 times in the whole game. Same with Keegan. He shadows people around, and looks to make the intelligent attacking run. See what he did to Ciaran Kilkenny couple of years ago. Connolly couple of times. It disrupts their focus on what their own principle role is.
Many players get sucked into the game, full swing, hammer and tongs. But a little intelligence can also get you a long way. Keegan has that in a game. Good composure. The incident with the GPS tracker device would have been genius if it had the effect he wanted it i.e. if it caught Dean Rock's eyesight. Who would have the wits to think of that in the last few minutes of a frantic all ireland final.

wirelessdude01

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote:

Why?

Because people were in a panic and bought as much tickets as they could and now have too many, also think the weather is changing some people's minds.

Looptheloop30

I'd rather them being advertised on midwest than on reservoirdubs

Lisbon67

Pride before the fall?

corny

flasher0030 wrote: »

I think you're definition of a good defender is way too narrow. You're talking about corner back style teak tight on your man, holding onto the shorts, jersey etc. The distinction between defender, midfielder and forwards has become a bit more blurred in the past 15 or so years, with rotation policies happening. You can't just judge a player that named in the backs because he hasn't XX number of dispossessions. for Paddy Durcan last week, he got 2 first half points against Ryan McHugh. Laid down a marker - to put that tiny bit of doubt into McHugh's head before he goes bombing forward. McHugh became disillusioned. Confidence drained. I think he only touched the ball 12 times in the whole game. Same with Keegan. He shadows people around, and looks to make the intelligent attacking run. See what he did to Ciaran Kilkenny couple of years ago. Connolly couple of times. It disrupts their focus on what their own principle role is.
Many players get sucked into the game, full swing, hammer and tongs. But a little intelligence can also get you a long way. Keegan has that in a game. Good composure. The incident with the GPS tracker device would have been genius if it had the effect he wanted it i.e. if it caught Dean Rock's eyesight. Who would have the wits to think of that in the last few minutes of a frantic all ireland final.

I just don't find any of that (especially the bold bit) convincing. What you're effectively saying is defending is judged on how many points you score against your man. Its not. Defending should be judged on how well you stop your opponent. Durcan made one tackle on McHugh. That was it. It was McHughs fault he couldn't get into the game and that can (and did imo) happen without any contribution from Paddy. It wasn't like McHugh was the only Donegal player with his head up his arse on the day. Durcan scored three super points, McHugh had an off day and henceforth Paddy Durcan will be known as a tight man marker! Thats the way these things are judged. Keegans/Durcans stock as a man marker rises when they score points. How does that work? Is scoring a point worth two tackles or interceptions or something. Its mystifying.

For balance and not to just pick on Mayo players Philly McMahon is another good example. Great man for a score, loads of football in him and that seems to mask the fact he is an absolute liability as a defender. Stands a mile off his man and doesn't seem interested in ever closing down space to get a tackle in.

flasher0030

I know kick-outs have been scrutinized - between Clarke & Hennelly etc. But what are our options for this one. I think we have to go with Hennelly. And even then, Dublin will put full press on them. I don't think it any way alleviates our problem. If Hennelly kicks it long, who does he avoid. Across the middle third, Dublin will have Fenton, Howard, probably MacCauley, Scully - all great fetchers of the ball. How does he avoid all of those. If he can bypass them, you'd have McCaffrey and Cian O'Sullivan running on to the ball. Probably Murchan or John Small on the other wing. I don't see any out-ball. Can't play it short. Mayo not confident enough for that type of game, and slippy ball. Goal or 2 for Dublin, and it's over.

Will it be a case of the big punt up to Aidan, everybody swarm around and scrap for the breaks, hoping that lady luck will be on our side.

EICVD

flasher0030 wrote: »

I could be wrong, but I think he goes down in folklore because he caught a ball at the end of one of the Mayo Dublin matches, I think it was the one where the Dublin forwards hauled down the Mayo backs. And he did something else good at the end of the game as well. I can't remember. But then the legend became that James McCarthy dragged Dublin over the line.
I think it was something like that.

He’s only one of many All Ireland winning legends we have :-D

flasher0030

corny wrote: »

I just don't find any of that (especially the bold bit) convincing. What you're effectively saying is defending is judged on how many points you score against your man. Its not. Defending should be judged on how well you stop your opponent. Durcan made one tackle on McHugh. That was it. It was McHughs fault he couldn't get into the game and that can (and did imo) happen without any contribution from Paddy. It wasn't like McHugh was the only Donegal player with his head up his arse on the day. Durcan scored three super points, McHugh had an off day and henceforth Paddy Durcan will be known as a tight man marker! Thats the way these things are judged. Keegans/Durcans stock as a man marker rises when they score points. How does that work? Is scoring a point worth two tackles or interceptions or something. Its mystifying.

For balance and not to just pick on Mayo players Philly McMahon is another good example. Great man for a score, loads of football in him and that seems to mask the fact he is an absolute liability as a defender. Stands a mile off his man and doesn't seem interested in ever closing down space to get a tackle in.

No, I'm saying throw off the shackles of labeling a player under a particular category e.g. good defender, good forward etc. Those days are gone. Keegan, Durcan, Cooper, McMahon – they are all good footballers. They have different skillsets, styles, some of which make some footballers better than others. I’d take Lee Keegan all day long, if he sores a couple of points in a game, whilst keeping his man scoreless, or might get one from play. And that is what Lee Keegan has done on a consistent basis. The article says that in the last 5 games that Durcan played, only one of his markers scored. That’s one game in 5. I’d take that all day long. Does Paddy have some supernatural force that causes all of his targets to have “their heads up their ar$e” and have an off day. It’s some coincidence that it happens almost every match. Durcan is not really known as a tight man marker (I think). He is regarded by us anyway as a lively player with good skills, good eye for a point, who can cause problems for an opposition attacker. In this case, I am referring to Jack Mc, who is named at wing-back, but who spends half his time attacking anyway.
Haven’t been monitoring Philly lately, but he was pretty close to Aidan O’Shea a couple of years ago when marking him in and around the square!!! They could have posed as Siamese twins.

Chalk McHugh

Lee Keegan is over rated imo. I'd rather Keith Higgins, Barret, Durcan or Boyle. I like and respect most of Mayo's players except two which i have little time for, that being Cillian OConnor and Leroy Keegan. I'm sure every Mayo person on here has a select few Dublin players they dislike. Possibly all 15 for some. I like K Higgins,Durcan, O Sheas, McLoughlin and A Moran but draw the line with Leroy.

seligehgit

Dublin Preview

https://themayonews.podomatic.com/enclosure/2019-08-07T12_03_19-07_00.mp3

spurshero

Chalk McHugh wrote: »

James McCarthy wasn't in the game at all in 2017 in first half. He was cleaned out in.midfield area. He came into the game in last 25 minutes scoring two crucial points. Great player over the years but he lacks the real stardust quality the likes of Fenton, McCaffrey and Kilkenny have.

Cleaned out . Lol. He got the man of match award

Pdoghue

flasher0030 wrote: »

Many players get sucked into the game, full swing, hammer and tongs. But a little intelligence can also get you a long way. Keegan has that in a game. Good composure. The incident with the GPS tracker device would have been genius if it had the effect he wanted it i.e. if it caught Dean Rock's eyesight. Who would have the wits to think of that in the last few minutes of a frantic all ireland final.

Seriously, you're saying that what he did with the GPS is to be lauded?

Chalk McHugh

spurshero wrote: »

Cleaned out . Lol. He got the man of match award

I should have clarified in the first half he was cleaned out.

Pdoghue

Pdoghue wrote: »

Seriously, you're saying that what he did with the GPS is to be lauded?

Absolutely. It was a selfless act for his County. It's well know that without that GPS Keegan got lost on the way home from Dublin and spent 3 days circling Mullingar.

That's what he was willing to sacrifice for the win!

ToBeFrank123

The closer we get to the game the less optimistic I am. I think this game will be a stretch too far for Mayo this year.
You'd want a full strength squad with players playing at their best. So far we've had numerous injuries, and still missing key players like DOC and Parsons who might be good for a short cameo. Doherty a huge loss, one of our few scoring forwards and a great tackler.
Happy enough with the year especially the league win and if someone said we'd be in an AI semi final after the Roscommon game, most supporters would have taken it. In fact most would have said it'd be a miracle.
Good luck to both teams. My gut says a 6 point minimum win for Dublin. Anything less than that would be another miracle.

charolais0153

When is the team out lads, spose it sinly a dummy anyway

PCeeeee

Good luck tomorrow men from a Galway man. I'll be below in the pub an hour early to get a seat.

Mayo in fairness keep on coming and whatever happens they'll give the Dubs a run tomorrow.

Lisbon67

No Brogan, ROC, or EOG

Carol25

I keep thinking about how Mayo put in a big performance against Galway this year and then proceeded to flop against Kerry when turnaround time was short, the only positive I take from it was the match wasn’t knock out and the stakes are much higher tmrw. I also worry about how quiet Dublin are in the media...like they’re waiting in the long grass.
On the positives, Mayo have taken a tough road to get to this semi and will certainly be battle ready. They’ve nothing to lose and can beat anyone when they’re on form. The weather could also affect this, what are people’s thoughts on a wet/blustery day? Who would it favour, Mayo or Dublin..

jr86

Connolly unsurprisingly set to feature

Will give the crowd some lift in fairness. Given his quality he had to be picked really

Martina1991

Coillte_Bhoy wrote:

Actually im wondering the same, is it a free for all or do people respect the booked seats? Not too pushed but dont fancy standing for the journey. Anyway looking forward to it, haent been to a match by train for a while either

Just after looking at my train ticket.

Seats are reserved for the outward journey but not on the return journey.

So it will be a free for all on the way home. May the odds be in our favour

Fann Linn

Lisbon67 wrote: »

No Brogan, ROC, or EOG

No sentimentality with Gavin regarding Brogan, not surprised about Rory however. He had a howler in Omagh last week.

cute geoge

jr86 wrote: »

Connolly unsurprisingly set to feature

Will give the crowd some lift in fairness. Given his quality he had to be picked really

Connolly on his performance against tyrone last sunday won't pose much problem,i also taught MDmC was fairly rusty .The dublin subs bench is awesome though

Lisbon67

cute geoge wrote: »

Connolly on his performance against tyrone last sunday won't pose much problem,i also taught MDmC was fairly rusty .The dublin subs bench is awesome though

Is it any better than Mayos bench