Mayo GAA Discussion

I don't think many last year would have considered the championship that open at the start of the year. At the start of the year, the majority were tipping Dublin, and it was only as it became obvious that they were sort of dragging themselves through the gears in the championship that people began to wonder if someone else would win (and that someone else was Kerry in most people's books). I think it's clear even at this early stage that it's up for grabs.

The management had us set up well last night imo. Our kickpassing was well rehearsed and well-executed in the conditions and we played some lovely stuff. A nice mix of Horanball and a kickpass game.

The only concern I had was that I felt some of the youth were fairly easily out muscled at times.

To be honest, even after everything that's happened over the past decade, I still dislike Meath more.

Kerry will always be top of mine! I always ended up shouting for Dublin in the finals where we weren't playing them, probably because i have a lot of friends among the Dublin fanbase and as well as that, I always wanted it to be us to beat them!!

Kerry

Meath

Dublin

I don't think it's fair to include the Rossies on any list.

They deserve a list all to themselves.

Diarmuid was excellent the other night and hopefully he'll continue in that form for the rest of the year. It doesn't change the fact though that he has been pretty poor in general for the previous 2-3 years

It’s performances like Saturday night from Diarmuid that give us so luck hope for him. But they don’t come often enough . Be great if was more consistent this year. Would solve a lot of problems in the middle sector

A word for Robbie as well as I’ve often been critical of him. He has been absolutely superb . His kicking of the 45s if he can keep them going could be the point or two difference we need ……….

Rory Byrne will need a game before end of league though just in case . We were spoilt for years with Clarke and Robbie. It brought its own problems but we were so lucky to have a back up of almost equal quality

Colin Sheridan had a good piece in the examiner, talked about Hennelly, it kinda articulated my thoughts on Hennelly a lot better than I could

"So then, to Robbie Hennelly, the Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music of this Mayo team. 

His recent run of good form has led some critics to declare him the best goalkeeper in the country at the moment. 

While this hyperbole will likely be ignored by the Breaffy man, it feeds into a paradoxical equation for Mayo, that best sums up their own perennial existential predicament; do you stick with something that so often works, sometimes beautifully, even poetically, but ultimately fails? 

Or do you twist, scared by the muscle memory of visceral losses for which you only have yourselves to blame?

Hennelly's abilities as goalkeeper, with both boot and hand, have never been in doubt. It’s only been in the red hot heat of finals that his vulnerabilities have been so brutally and cruelly exposed. "

I'd have plenty of respect for Galway football to be honest.

I think that's a bit of lazy journalism that can be thrown at us myself. He has of course suffered in the hot heat of finals, he has also gone some way to putting them to bed as well. But like Mayo, he hasn't gone all the way... and until then, there'll be many an easy article written.

Agree 100%. Practically the entire team underperformed in the final against Tyrone. Yet the spotlight came on the keeper because it was deemed that he should have taken ball and player out when McShane got the goal. Very little about Oisin Mullen getting wrong side and letting McShane get goal side of him. Why was Mullen even marking him at that time. Complete mismatch in height. The poor lad will always be labelled with that first half meltdown in the replay with Dublin and which, as I 've said here before, he shouldn't have been put into that situation by Stephen Rochford.

I'm delighted that he is so on top of his game again. But one mistake again, and he will be back in the firing line. Nice interview with him too when he was receiving the man of the match award. Said that he thought a few other players might get it.

IMO, he's been only okay for most of that period and he's a player I would have (rightly or wrongly) expected to be one of our standout performers. I had a look back at the 2020 match reports on WJs blog where he runs a poll for MOTM to see how Diarmuid has fared in them:

v Dublin, 5th on 7%

v Tipp, 10th on 1%

v Galway, not in the top 10

v Roscommon, 6th on 5%

v Leitrim, not in the top 10

v Tyrone, 7th on 3%

v Galway, not in the top 10

v Kerry, 4th on 9%

v Monaghan, not in the top 10

v Meath, 7th on 2%

v Dublin, 5th on 7%

v Donegal, 5th on 6%

So he's been in the top 5 in 4/12 games.

I also had a look at the same data for 2018 where he was in our top 5 in 6/10 games:

v Kildare, 1st on 43%

v Tipperary, 5th on 8%

v Limerick, didn't play

v Galway, 10th on 2%

v Donegal, 10th on 1%

v Tyrone, 2nd on 15%

v Kildare, 5th on 6%

v Dublin, 7th on 6%

v Galway, 3rd on 10%

v Kerry, 1st on 24%

v Monaghan, not in the top 10

I'm not trying to be negative about Diarmuid here, I think we all know the potential he has and hopefully he'll show it more consistently because a lack of scores from our HF line has been a weakness for us in the last few years

Agreed, keep him central. He is a threat for opposition kickouts there, he is hugely effective on dirty ball and we seen flashes of creativity and ingenuity at the weekend that will create goal chances and put defenders in tough positions. Intelligent use of space and movement also. Its exactly what we have been missing.

Orme was impressive also. Very goal-conscious and crafty, touch of the gooch to him in that regard. That sideline ball at the end was a thing of beauty.

Re the most disliked county, galway at 1 for me due to the toxic attitude displayed by many of their fans.

Dublin probably at 2, again due to their fans point blank refusal to acknowledge the obvious re the investment the gaa directed their way, and the nature their media stuff has taken over the years.

3 probably tyrone - bad losers and overly hostile in the crowd at games. Also, made cynicism a tactic on the pitch yet see themselves as victims basically all the time.

Have good time for kerry, they do it the right way and rarely any media stuff in the run up to games etc.

Like donegal also as they are decent in general and quite like ourselves in a lot of ways.

You're correct, they're the Nottingham Forest of the GAA

Best not to engage, some users don't understand what a threadban means.

And I have heard similar from galway fans, seemingly all unaware of the fact that 2001 is now over 20 years ago, and that this win is not any more relevant to today than one from 70 years ago.

Galways all ireland final every year is the game against mayo, that is the reality.

The same supports were quick to abandon following Galway footballers where the success stopped. For all the abuse The Rossies get on here at least they travel and support their team through thick and thin.

FairPlay to Mayo though...The likes of Keegan and O Shea after losing seven all Ireland finals still coming back for more...great sportsmen...

Agree, two decades is along time without success..... Hopefully things will change soon.

team and subs named.

Frank Irwin in for Paul Towey. Conor Loftus for Jack Carney, Fionn McDonagh for Brian Walsh, and Sam Callinan for Donncha McHugh.

Bench includes Aido and Conor O'Shea along with Paddy, Kevin McL, Fergal Boland and Brendan Harrison. Notable absences from the 26 from earlier teams this year - Jason Doc, Eoghan McLoughlin, Enda Hession and Brian Walsh.

• Rob Hennelly
• Lee Keegan
• Rory Brickenden
• Michael Plunkett
• Oisín Mullin
• Stephen Coen
• Sam Callinan
• Jordan Flynn
• Matthew Ruane
• Fionn McDonagh
• Diarmuid O’Connor
• Conor Loftus
• Aiden Orme
• Frank Irwin
• Ryan O’Donoghue

SUBS:

• Rory Byrne
• Donnacha McHugh
• Brendan Harrison
• Paddy Durcan
• Padraig O’Hora
• Conor O’ Shea
• Aidan O’ Shea
• Kevin McLoughlin
• Paul Towey
• Jack Carney
• Fergal Boland