Mayo GAA Discussion

Well done lads. Nice to see a new generation of Mayo footballers picking up where the last let off

Great result.

Performance wise we weren't great and fortunate Dublin were only ever so slightly better than us (outside of shooting efficiency in the first 55 odd minutes which was fairly off the charts) and crazy fortunate we got the break on the goal.

Was worried a little about the application (we hadn't tried a hard press or putting Dublin under real pressure on the ball/kick/pass for far too long) until a solid 10 minute spell late/mid way through the 2nd (great to see the lads able to push to achieve that even if the legs aren't at 100%). Have to imagine tiredness/fatigue (notable mostly Sigerson lads or the crazy fit ones like Paddy/David that got near their usual potential) responsible for the looser defending (the first 15 minutes we were yards off and lads left wide open in the middle of the danger area time and time again) and poor skill execution up top (for once more often the fielding of the pass rather than the kicking of the pass or shots) leaving us at 1 point from 11 kicks a fairly staggering return (our return going through hands was surprisingly great).

That said, enough done to take a win and something sweet about managing to sneak over the line after a questionable performance. Too often we used to come out the wrong side of a tight finish after a great one. Loads of work to do after that but enough positives to take from it to (just about) keep us happy I'd imagine.

In more good news... from McStay chatting with Rob Murphy:

Mattie Ruane and Diarmuid - "They're going to be very close" for Kerry in 2 weeks.

Enda Hession and Pádraig O'Hora - "They've two field sessions behind them. They're really going to be pushing for minutes against Kerry or beyond that. Round 3 or round 4."

James Carr - "He's a little bit further off because he had knee surgery but he's out on the field which is good. It's a hard slog for him I've got to say and he's trying to get himself back in contention but we'd expect to see him in National League. Game 4 or game 5 something like that."

Wheelan is correct . We have or showed far too much respect tonight, there were numerous points where they got the shot off without being tackled . Sometimes we need to bully the opponents. We used to be good at that now we are looking like nice footballers again.

tactically Dublin had a high defensive line . 6 across the 45 to halfway knowing that any ball we put in would be easily dealt with . There were times when we had no one centrally between the 21 and .45. A gaping hole . If we can’t have possession in that area we can’t get a percentage shot off .

to me moving Oshea to 11 and having a Cillian at 14 in that instance would have forced a sweeper and 1 other and pushed their defensive line back .

our kickouts we lacking structure and as a whole we didn’t seem to have any visible structure to the way we played .

Cillian made a difference when he came on and fair play to coen for the goal .

overall a B for effort but a lot to work on .

who is their forwards coach this year ?

Diarmuid out until after the league is what I heard during the week from a reliable source. Completely at odds with what McStay said last nite apparently

My reliable source said he expected to play last night, which would be closer to McStays version.

I wouldn't say that - we haven't given away much in the way of goal chances this year which was a big problem for us in recent years. Up front is still laboured though

I haven't been able to go to the first 2 matches. Have seen them on TV, but not the same. How is McBrien getting on at number 6. He's a completely different player than Conor Loftus. Does it seem to be working? From watching it on TV, McBrien seems to be doing well - keeping things tight up the middle. But I'd be interested in the views of anyone who was at the matches, as you can get a better perspective. Fergal Boland at 11 is a good call so far. Suits him much better than on the wing, where you are generally expected to run up and down the wing and take on players. Fergal seems to have the composure for a more playmaker type role. Will be interesting to see how that develops.

Coen was doing a lot of that last year too, fair play to him. I'd have long been calling for options with faster legs back there despite the leadership/organisation he's always offered but delighted to admit he proved me wrong in terms of overall value back there. He's noticeably improved on his vision/distribution/scanning/shooting in the last few years.

The lads looked leggy from the off, so no more than Galway not panicking about last week (despite it being a repeat of many Championship troubles of the past to many of them) I'd not overly dwell on the creativity concerns from last night (despite them being ones that have haunted us for years). The quality of runs off the shoulder, quality of ball kicked in and ability to make use of both increases dramatically (along with much greater physicality and pressure on the kicker when defending) when the tank isn't so empty. No idea if it was heavy training block during the week (good) or just natural fatigue from the last few weeks (more worrying) but we were definately down from 90% against Galway to about 40% yesterday (very noticable how long it took for legs to get moving at the start of both halves).

Aido had a howler by his standards, dropping a few balls he'd catch 99% of the time. That said, he wasn't helped by a lot of what happened around him. He's there for receiving the kicks to chest (outside of the few he dropped/fumbled there were so many kicks put straight into Lee Gannon or another Dublin defender sweeping. So hard to make up for a mistake and get your head right when the next 4 attempts go straight to an opponent), fast hands for the quick 1-2 bouncing board for strike runners (we had none up front last night. The legs didn't look to be there between training/Sigerson) and winning frees when the defence can't handle him doing the first 2 (2 lads booked for fouling him, 2 more should have been, about a dozen potential frees for abuse on/off the ball not given - so a mixed bag on that one).

He was lucky to avoid punishment for the couple of high hits. Not sure if those were accidental or frustration, hopefully the former. Certainly wouldn't be writing him off on the back of the performance or anything (not aimed at you howdo, just the odd angry twitter poster that always seem out for Aidan). He'll be playing a huge role for us this year but as you say, great to let some of the alternatives have a little time together on the pitch. Be interesting to see if/when management go for mobile alternatives (Conroy/RO'D/Carr), alternative big men to have to be handled (Carney and Tuohy both used for this in the past), straight swaps (CO'C/Irwin/McHale in to play full forward differently) or something else.

Great vision from ROD and composure from Boland to get that point.

I think it was Dublin that made us look leggy at times. We might have had a hard weeks training or whatever but I do think the quality of opposition made a big difference in how we looked. They were a huge step up on Galway.

It'll be interesting to see how we use Aido by the time Championship comes around. I think the better teams have long since figured out how to play him and I think he needs to be an impact player for those games.

Aiden was brutal on Saturday evening but it's worth remembering that he was one of our best players last year in at FF (including in the 1st half v Dublin); with the right ball and better handling, he can still be a big player for us

He is apparently not long back from holidays in fairness so he will probably have a bit of work to do on sharpness and fitness. Even so I thought it was very noticeable against Galway how the play slowed when he got the ball. We really could do with a target man in there but if his marker is out to the ball before him and he hasn't the pace to go past a defender then his effectiveness will be very limited.

Yes I also mentioned last week that McStay doesn't seem to want both of them on the field at the same time. They would both struggle to track their markers and that's an important part of the modern game.

It could be viewed as overreacting if it related to one game but I believe Aidan's performances have dipped over a much longer period. He had a decent league last year when the pitches were heavier and the play was slower. But since then the scores have dried up. 1 point from a free against Dublin in the quarters last year and no score from 2 league games so far.

Paddy Andrews said that no matter how well the Dublin forwards played in general they all had to score or else they wouldnt make the team. So if Aidan isn't scoring he really needs to be featuring heavily in creating assists for others near the goal but that doesn't seem to be happening now either. I honestly can't see what role he has now.

I'd expect to see O'Shea getting the nod most of the year and if we play smart around him (unlike Saturday) us making hay from it. We didn't have the legs for runners off him, a huge part of why he's in there, and between shocking balls kicked at cover and the couple he slipped the catch on it'll be the perfect way to fire him up for Kerry. I'd feel sorry for whoever is picking him up at training over the break. He'll have a point to prove.

That said, always great to have options for every position and always nice to have nonsense to talk about so no harm a discussion around options in there....

Darren McHale one that has always oozed potential, started to deliver on it at times (consistently for Knockmore and flashes for Mayo), but keeps getting rocked with injuries to set him back. You'd love to see him put a run of fitness together. I'd well believe a run of form would quickly follow.

CO'C, Carr, D McHale, Towey, Irwin, Quinn, Duffy and McStay the ones you'd hope might start to push (Callaghan, O'Flaherty, D Quinn and Reilly we've seen involved too so potentially pushing). Lads like Tuohy/Carney/DO'C could be pushed inside as alternative (different) target men, someone like Hession used for a whole different setup in attack or potential for Sigerson lads like Fallon or McHale to make a late push and offer something. (I'd love to see young Niall Hurley brought in from the 20s but can only imagine the abuse he'd take given his style of play so probably the correct decision to leave him be another year or two while they get the base S&C needed done)

Can't say I've ever seen what James or Kevin obviously do in Conor McStay (be it club or county) to have him in there (I'd have a Regan, Cunningham, Heneghan, Moran, Hopkins or Reape ahead of him) but hopefully he can prove me very wrong this year. I'd be delighted if he does.

Is Ronan Clarke another option? He seemed to be a great prospect at minor alongside the Hurley lad when they reached the AI final a few years ago.

Yes Mahedy would be a wild card that could unsettle the opposition. He can score from distance too which is a valuable trait in this era of packed defences.

The talk about the minors from two years ago being able to add something this year is a bit premature I think. Clarke, Hurley and Maheady look great prospects, however minor is U17 not U18 now. They are only turning 19 this year. Long term we would be better served with them in the 20's this year and integrating into the extended squad next winter if the are up to it.

Thinking of heading down to Tralee next weekend.

Based in Limerick so could come back that night I guess but would prefer to make a weekend of it if possible.....but looks like I've left it a bit late maybe for accommodation 😬

Any recommendations welcome 👍

Presume that's their own apartments they've bought or are renting privately? If someone is making a profit from state-provided accommodation, they should be reported.

Currently there is availability in The Grand Hotel, stayed there for the game two years ago, great location in middle of town, good grub.

And a piece with colm boyle and his view on pitch invasions - not a fan. But then again he only played for Mayo for 13 years and won 4 all stars so what would he know.

https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/sport-opinion/colm-boyle-column-mayos-celebration-32082927

I would assume that when Laffey said Aidan didn't take frees previously he meant before McStay arrived and when he was in his 20s. Perhaps he was taking them for Breaffy but I think other players were taking them including Robbie when he was there.

I have felt for a number of years that it would be better to have Aidan on the bench to come on. And I'm now noticing that a lot of people around me that previously disagreed with me are now admitting that he isn't playing well and his lack of pace is undermining Mayos attacks.

You obviously believe that he should continue in the role but I'm thinking more about developing the Mayo team for the years ahead. I'd rather see an alternative up front before the league has ended. Otherwise it is almost impossible to develop a cohesive forward unit.