Mayo GAA Discussion

Yeah it doesn't make sense logistically, Tullamore is about the same distance from far west Cork as Galway so why not have it there?

From Facebook:

Sunday 18th of June

Double header in Tullamore

2:15pm Cork V Mayo

4:00pm Dublin V Sligo

There isn’t enough time between the games for that to be accurate for a start

My sister sent it into the family group chat.

Dunno what page it's from so I don't know how reliable.

It also had the Sunday 18th as a double header for

Kerry V Louth at 2:15pm and

Kildare V Roscommon at 4pm in Portlaoise

The venue, time etc will be announced tomorrow.

That is why it is vital we finish top. A "home" preliminary in the confines of McHale park against a Tyrone / Monaghan would not be something to look forward to. A QF at CP against those same teams is a different proposition

Definitely a weird game. We were in control with a 5 point lead with about a minute and a half left and I would have said we got the job done, even though it wasn't pretty.

That said, I felt we were laborious at times and scuffed goal chances yet again (we seriously need to work on this, it will be the difference between winning and losing a big game yet). The lack of shots from distance too is a concern. Nobody seemed too confident on that front and there was a lot of lateral, dull play.

The goal concession was a very silly lapse in concentration. I thought it was one of Reape's poorer games in terms of his positioning at times. Jordan Flynn really struggled to get into it too and was coughing up a lot of possession. Sideline was a little slow making changes too imo, we needed the injection of pace sooner given the shape the game took.

All in all, nothing much to be excited about, even though we still got the win Still lots to work on. Other teams are definitely going to play to this template against us down the line so we really need to start using our imaginations a little.

Very surprised if its Tullamore. Pretty sure it'll be Limerick, 1pm throw in.

Ennis would be great, small tight venue with a full house, be a good atmosphere but no it'll be Limerick with a half empty stadium or worse

Listened to half of the Ah Ref pod over the weekend, yer man Colm McNally is some bluffer:

"what advice would you have for Mayo this weekend"

"I think they should just get rid of the hype"

Lord Jesus, it's the kind of shite Spillane would have come out with 20 years ago and it was pure scutter even back then 🤣

apparently jersey launches are hype according to the lad.

that podcast is good at times but it’s starting to sound like the one of lads are taking themselves awful serious, they seem to have a very high view of their own opinions at times.

Petty snide remark

Apparently having flags up (which they tend to be up all year around) is “hype” too.

There was a brilliant atmosphere in the GG in 2017 v Cork and there was only 10k at it (all from Mayo)

One of the best atmospheres I remember with Mayo!

I'd be happy with any of Ennis,Limerick or Tullamore.

I didn't mean that in a negative way, there are indeed very few forwards in the country that can do it. It just that we don't have one.

I get the impression that McStay is less about the stats / gives the players a bit more encouragement and freedom. So I don't think it's a fear thing. I think it's something we need to put the work in on in terms of patterns of play.

We do need to open teams up but running into a good blanket defense doesn't work all that often, not if they're doing it right. Some teams have shown how you can (hand or short kick) pass into a packed defence and unlock it. Derry did it very well at the weekend where they overloaded one side, got the ball in close to goal and then switched to the other side where there was space created... We weren't making those kind of movements at all. It was over and back the 45 for far too long.

There was a few Cork lads giving it the bitter “I hope ye f*ckers are thrashed next day out” etc etc as I was leaving that day. Almost as if they were goading lads to react. And they weren’t young lads either. As toxic as I have seen from opposing supporters. Nearly as bad as some of our lads leaving the same venue 3 years earlier.

Well fuppit anyway....a Mayo game on my doorstep but I'll be in France for it 🙈

Anyway I guess most people are familiar with the place after recent visits but feel free to fire questions my way.

I'd advise parking in the Jetland, and if the weather is anyway half decent head for the open stand...been at a bunch of games this year and the Mackey Stand is not a good place to watch a match from...poles restricting views and if someone over 6ft sits in the row in front, you won't see a thing.

Was in the open stand for the Lim v Cork game the other week and it was a zillion times better

All that's missing is the concrete benches 🫤

The design of the Mackey Stand is appalling...JP poured millions into the stadium a few years back but neglected to add any elevation to the stand.

And it's cold in there no matter what the weather so layer up

My experience of the Mackey stand is that the elevation isn't good and there are some poles but the noise that can be generated in there is something else.

See Mayo v Cork in 2017 and Mayo v Galway in 2019.

Anthony moyles made an interesting point on OTB, that you need speed in the half back line when you're up against a blanket defence, people to break the line. Would be worth considering a HB line of Durcan, Hession and Callinan

I don't think that is ground-breaking insight. It was already a given that speedy half backs are required if trying the running game against the blanket.

But it takes more than speed. You need a half back that has confidence to really want the ball in that type of a situation. You can see some players make a half-ass attempt around the goals to call for the ball - the type of call where they want to be seen to be looking for it, but in reality they don't want the responsibilities that go with it. I don't just mean Mayo by the way.

That half-back would also need to be be proficient in terms of kicking a point from 30 yards out, and under a bit of pressure. If the half back is breaking the line, and taking a pass, a lot of the time they will end up out around 30 meters out, with opposition closing in on them. They will need to be able to compose themselves and quickly kick accurately for a score, like what Paddy Durkin did when he came on on Sunday. That is far easier said than done of course. And if they are not going to shoot, they need massive composure to lay off a pass to a teammate in better position, when they are about to be surrounded by the defenders.

I think the above rules out Sam Callinan from that. I think he is too young and inexperienced for taking on those responsibilities, and would get dispossessed. Enda Hession has developed at it in the last while, and is a lot more confident on the ball. At least he would ask some questions of defenders. Paddy Durkin is the man alright - he has the appropriate tools to carry out that role.

There were many times on Sunday where Aidan was making the run from the oppositions goal out towards the ball, and holding off the defender on him. An outlet would be to dink it into him - it would only be a 25 yard pass or so. Or even better, if it was kicked in properly and purposefully, he could take a mark. But every time the player with the ball would put the head down, and play it back out again for the lateral passing across the '45. Not enough use is made of the mark to beat the blanket.

I'd say they were fairly disappointed with their showing. They never really got into it at all, even when leading early on, Monaghan were still on top.

Great to have that momentum / strength in depth within the club. Things seem to be very much going the other way in Breaffy.

How are the likes of Dempsey and Holmes progressing? Could you see them breaking into county in a meaningful way in the next year or so?

I'd say Breaffy are in a similar spot to Balintubber, there doesn't seem to be the players coming through at the moment. It shouldn't really be a problem for Breaffy seeing the huge numbers now at underage, Balintubber wouldn't have seen that influx. Conor O'Shea has missed a few matches recently but he's still there.

Hadn't heard too much about trouble in Mitchel's but I'd say that's a hard balancing act there.