Mayo GAA Discussion Thread

27-09-2012 12:40am

davegrohl48 wrote: »

Overall I have alot of optimism that Mayo can be better next year but ... that may still only mean quarter final/semi final.
1. Midfield options - Two O'Sheas, Barry Moran only back from injuries. Jason Gibbons needs another year of strength work. He's come a long way already from a player who had no pace.
2. Full Forward - I expect us to operate there next year throughout FBD and League with a big man in the square. Any of Barry Moran/Seamus O'Shea.
3. Return of Andy Moran (fingers crossed)
I think Seamus O'Shea could be best option at full forward as he has the power to take on a guy like McGee or Shields.
Centre forward is an issue. Maybe a rejuvenated Darren Coen could be an option as he can pass accurately off left or right. Injured was last I had heard?
Plus you probably need one other big corner forward otherwise we lack height upfront. Possibly Conor O'Shea as he's probably the only option in the county who has the size and the skill.
The likes of Alan Murphy could be an exciting option.

AOS would be useful in as number 11, him using his strength to push through would draw the backs and release a forward to pass too. Our current full forwards are too small to both beat their man and score.

ColeTrain · 27-09-2012 12:46am

Deleted User wrote: »

AOS would be useful in as number 11, him using his strength to push through would draw the backs and release a forward to pass too. Our current full forwards are too small to both beat their man and score.

No harm in giving us options there but he was certainly needed in midfield this season. There's no reason why he can't be moved about though.

davegrohl48 · 27-09-2012 12:48am

Yes AOS might be useful at centre forward too. For winning frees and creating overlaps by bursting through the opposition half backline.
He wasn't fit in his first three years in the senior team. Now he's getting towards a higher level.
Another forgotten player is James Kilcullen of Ballaghadereen. It would be good to see him lining up on someone like Murhpy to match him in the size stakes.

Fr Tod Umptious · 27-09-2012 10:16am

Defiler Of The Coffin wrote: »

Still, disasters happen. Mayo have never reached the semi-final after moving through the qualifiers so I would be eager to see them lift the Nestor cup. Given the way they picked themselves up against Donegal however I would be more hopeful of a successful qualifier campaign if that's the way it goes

Well if they pick themselves up in the qualifiers as they did v Donegal then will will be out before they even see Croke Park.

Against Donegal they lost by 4 pts, they were never withing 3ots of them, and they fared worse in the second half than in the first.

For a team like Mayo and a trainer like Horan, who we are led to believe values preparation and focus and routine, a trip through the back door is not an option, it f**ks with your plans, you could meet anyone anywhere on any given Saturday or Sunday.

Barring injuries etc Mayo should not be contemplating the back door, and for a team going for 3 in a row in Connaught for the first time since you know when, a trip through the back door may be difficult to 'get up for' as we have seen before from Mayo.

davegrohl48 wrote: »

Overall I have alot of optimism that Mayo can be better next year but ... that may still only mean quarter final/semi final.
1. Midfield options - Two O'Sheas, Barry Moran only back from injuries. Jason Gibbons needs another year of strength work. He's come a long way already from a player who had no pace.
2. Full Forward - I expect us to operate there next year throughout FBD and League with a big man in the square. Any of Barry Moran/Seamus O'Shea.
3. Return of Andy Moran (fingers crossed)
I think Seamus O'Shea could be best option at full forward as he has the power to take on a guy like McGee or Shields.
Centre forward is an issue. Maybe a rejuvenated Darren Coen could be an option as he can pass accurately off left or right. Injured was last I had heard?
Plus you probably need one other big corner forward otherwise we lack height upfront. Possibly Conor O'Shea as he's probably the only option in the county who has the size and the skill.
The likes of Alan Murphy could be an exciting option.

I would be more if favour of putting Seamus O' Shea in the forwards as opposed to Aidan.
Unless Gibbons, Geraghty and Barry Moran are really stepping it up up we will need Aidan at mid-field, plus he has been moved around a lot in his senior career, I would prefer to see him cement a position rather than moving him again.

MayoForSam · 27-09-2012 11:54am

ColeTrain wrote: »

Has anyone heard anything about Pearce Hanley coming back? I heard it off two people at the weekend. Just putting it out there, could be 100% bullsh*t.

I doubt this very much, he seems to be doing well with the Brisbane Lions this year: http://www.joe.ie/sports/random-sports-stuff/video-pearse-hanley-shows-some-fine-form-down-under-0026483-1

He's a great loss to Mayo football, he would slot straight in with a Michael Murphy-like physique

. Maybe he'll do a Tadhg Kennelly and come back here in a few years to win an All-Ireland when it suits him?

Defiler Of The Coffin · 27-09-2012 1:17pm

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Well if they pick themselves up in the qualifiers as they did v Donegal then will will be out before they even see Croke Park.

Against Donegal they lost by 4 pts, they were never withing 3ots of them, and they fared worse in the second half than in the first.

For a team like Mayo and a trainer like Horan, who we are led to believe values preparation and focus and routine, a trip through the back door is not an option, it f**ks with your plans, you could meet anyone anywhere on any given Saturday or Sunday.

Barring injuries etc Mayo should not be contemplating the back door, and for a team going for 3 in a row in Connaught for the first time since you know when, a trip through the back door may be difficult to 'get up for' as we have seen before from Mayo.

Of course we should not be contemplating the qualifiers unless we're in them but the Kerrys and Tyrones of this world are able to pick themselves up and power on so why not Mayo? As David Brady once said we should be thinking about the championship like the Champions League, one loss doesn't mean the end of the whole campaign. You're twisting my comments about the Donegal match, previous Mayo teams would have been beaten out the gate after going 7 points down but this Mayo team came back to within a goal, that's why I think we are in a better position to make a successful run through the qualifiers, there is a toughness to this team that hasn't been seen in Mayo for a long time.

keane2097 · 27-09-2012 2:11pm

ColeTrain wrote: »

Has anyone heard anything about Pearce Hanley coming back? I heard it off two people at the weekend. Just putting it out there, could be 100% bullsh*t.

Not a hope, had an utterly superb year for Brisbane.

ColeTrain · 27-09-2012 2:16pm

MayoForSam wrote: »

I doubt this very much, he seems to be doing well with the Brisbane Lions this year: http://www.joe.ie/sports/random-sports-stuff/video-pearse-hanley-shows-some-fine-form-down-under-0026483-1

He's a great loss to Mayo football, he would slot straight in with a Michael Murphy-like physique . Maybe he'll do a Tadhg Kennelly and come back here in a few years to win an All-Ireland when it suits him?

keane2097 wrote: »

Not a hope, had an utterly superb year for Brisbane.

Was thinking it would be too good to be true.

Syferus · 27-09-2012 3:01pm

MayoForSam wrote: »

I doubt this very much, he seems to be doing well with the Brisbane Lions this year: http://www.joe.ie/sports/random-sports-stuff/video-pearse-hanley-shows-some-fine-form-down-under-0026483-1

He's a great loss to Mayo football, he would slot straight in with a Michael Murphy-like physique . Maybe he'll do a Tadhg Kennelly and come back here in a few years to win an All-Ireland when it suits him?

:eek:

Pearce'd have to drink a field of cows dry to be as wide as Michael Murphy. His game is as much about finesse and running as it is about size and he's probably best suited to a half-forward role at this hypothetical stage.

And sure Pearce is waiting to come back and represent his native Rossies anyways

Fr Tod Umptious · 28-09-2012 9:57am

yop wrote: »

Agree totally, BUT wouldn't it be better if we "sneak" in again,

well if you wish to believe Damien Stack in this weeks Kerryman newspaper then I think we may well 'sneak' in again next yaer

In a piece he has about Cian O' Neill moving from Mayo to Kerry he says (and I am paraphrasing) '...what he brings......may well help Kerry challenge Donegal and Dublin and Cork for next years All Ireland'

TonyStark · 28-09-2012 5:21pm

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

yop wrote: »

Agree totally, BUT wouldn't it be better if we "sneak" in again,

well if you wish to believe Damien Stack in this weeks Kerryman newspaper then I think we may well 'sneak' in again next yaer

In a piece he has about Cian O' Neill moving from Mayo to Kerry he says (and I am paraphrasing) '...what he brings......may well help Kerry challenge Donegal and Dublin and Cork for next years All Ireland'

We'll be flying in under the radar at least..

Hulk Hands · 28-09-2012 6:04pm

Syferus wrote: »

And sure Pearce is waiting to come back and represent his native Rossies anyways

He was always a mayo fan to be fair. Andy Moran on the other hand...

Davin Stand · 28-09-2012 8:04pm

Bad form by the Mayo County Board to pull out of the FBD Final against New York. Such short notice shows no respect for New York players or Board.

MaroonAndGreen · 28-09-2012 9:34pm

right sickener for the New York players!

Defiler Of The Coffin · 28-09-2012 9:37pm

Davin Stand wrote: »

Bad form by the Mayo County Board to pull out of the FBD Final against New York. Such short notice shows no respect for New York players or Board.

What could they do? They couldn't field a team

Davin Stand · 28-09-2012 10:02pm

I would be very surprised if you could not get 20 Mayo footballers to travel to New York to play a match.

ColeTrain · 28-09-2012 10:20pm

Money is tight obviously.

Defiler Of The Coffin · 28-09-2012 11:56pm

Liam McHale has come out and criticised the management - http://www.hoganstand.com/Mayo/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=178250

MaroonAndGreen · 29-09-2012 12:04am

McHale will have to wait a while for his chance, Horan is there for the long term

Clareman · 29-09-2012 12:14am

Mr. McHale would be better placed examining his own performance this year in charge of a county rather than commenting on others.

Syferus · 29-09-2012 1:06am

Pfft, being a selector for Brigid's is a far bigger responsibility :pac:

eddiem10 · 30-09-2012 12:17pm

I see Brolly is ensuring huge sales for the Mail On Sunday in Mayo today. He really is a nasty journalist. I would gladly take a ban for saying what I really think of him but then no one would get to read it!

Defiler Of The Coffin · 30-09-2012 12:20pm

Clareman wrote: »

Mr. McHale would be better placed examining his own performance this year in charge of a county rather than commenting on others.

Why can't he do both?

MaroonAndGreen · 30-09-2012 1:02pm

When are the senior club semi finals being played?

ColeTrain · 30-09-2012 5:51pm

eddiem10 wrote: »

I see Brolly is ensuring huge sales for the Mail On Sunday in Mayo today. He really is a nasty journalist. I would gladly take a ban for saying what I really think of him but then no one would get to read it!

Joe Brolly is just looking for attention. He comes out with bullsh*t statements just to be controversial so his profile will increase and the money will keep rolling in.

I bet any money he doesn't even believe what he writes.

If RTE want to employ him then they should make him wear a rainbow wig with a red nose so the casual viewer knows what he is. Personally I'd find it very hard to get riled about a clown giving his opinion on about Gaelic Football.

Fr Tod Umptious · 01-10-2012 11:35am

ColeTrain wrote: »

Joe Brolly is just looking for attention. He comes out with bullsh*t statements just to be controversial so his profile will increase and the money will keep rolling in.

I bet any money he doesn't even believe what he writes.

If RTE want to employ him then they should make him wear a rainbow wig with a red nose so the casual viewer knows what he is. Personally I'd find it very hard to get riled about a clown giving his opinion on about Gaelic Football.

Donegal have really given Brolly ammo this year.

They are the perfect team for him to build his season long attention seeking BS monologue on.

They are from Ulster, they have been 'put down' by 'traditionalist' etc, they are winning.

And at the same time teams like Kerry and Cork are struggling.

Mayo are just caught in the middle.

I keep going back to him league final analysis, where he went on a rant about Vaughan going down to easily, because there was nothing else to be controversial about.

You would hear a lot less from Brolly about the likes of Kerry or Mayo if the likes of Dublin and Galway (for example) were winning the All ireland

Defiler Of The Coffin · 04-10-2012 8:02pm

Galway v Mayo in the preliminary for next year.

cgpg5 · 04-10-2012 8:04pm

Deserved a tough draw after this year tbh!

But have to beat Galway, Ros and Sligo to win Connacht. Won't be easy but if Mayo want to contest the AI again they need to be beating these teams

Fowler87 · 04-10-2012 8:58pm

Galway in Salthill urgh. If its anything like the last time it il be another hour to just get out of there with traffic!

Tough draw but need it to keep momentum going from last year

happynings · 04-10-2012 9:25pm

Great draw. We should be good enough to win Connaught and if we do it'll be done the toughest way possible. We may find out a few things about players that an easier route to Croke Park didn't teach us this year

Defiler Of The Coffin · 04-10-2012 9:26pm

happynings wrote: »

Great draw. We should be good enough to win Connaught and if we do it'll be done the toughest way possible. We may find out a few things about players that an easier route to Croke Park didn't teach us this year

Exactly, our route through Connacht this year didn't stand to us in the end

Syferus · 04-10-2012 9:40pm

Defiler Of The Coffin wrote: »

Exactly, our route through Connacht this year didn't stand to us in the end

You made it to the AIF and lost on sucker punch early goals

I think you can put to bed the notion that an easy Connacht draw had any effect on your performance this year.

Defiler Of The Coffin · 04-10-2012 9:44pm

Syferus wrote: »

You made it to the AIF and lost on sucker punch early goals

I think you can put to bed the notion that an easy Connacht draw had any effect on your performance this year.

Who's to say it didn't? Previous All-Ireland winners have had tough routes through the qualifiers and provincials and it stood to them in the end. It probably wasn't a huge factor but if we can get through this year's Connacht championship I think we will be in a much better position for the All-Ireland than we were last year.

naughto · 04-10-2012 10:04pm

Fowler87 wrote: »

Galway in Salthill urgh. If its anything like the last time it il be another hour to just get out of there with traffic!

Tough draw but need it to keep momentum going from last year

will it def be in galway thought it might be in castlebar

Syferus · 04-10-2012 10:08pm

Defiler Of The Coffin wrote: »

Who's to say it didn't? Previous All-Ireland winners have had tough routes through the qualifiers and provincials and it stood to them in the end. It probably wasn't a huge factor but if we can get through this year's Connacht championship I think we will be in a much better position for the All-Ireland than we were last year.

Expanding out that would mean a semi-final meeting against Donegal (or very likely, whoever beats them) in an AI semi-final. I think the third year is the toughest of all for a team that's coming off two successful seasons, very few can string three campaigns together.

Even in Connacht three-in-a-rows are quite a rarity - even the great '98-'01 Galway team didn't manage it and you have to go back to 82-84 for the last time it happened. For Mayo the last two times it was achieved were 1950 (and '51 for a four-in-a-row) and 1937. In other words, they were the periods ye won each of your All-Ireland titles. That's the caliber you generally need to be at to hold the Nestor Cup for three seasons.

Utopia Parkway · 04-10-2012 10:34pm

naughto wrote: »

will it def be in galway thought it might be in castlebar

Will be in Galway. Last game was in Castlebar in 2010.

happynings · 04-10-2012 10:42pm

Syferus wrote: »

You made it to the AIF and lost on sucker punch early goals

I think you can put to bed the notion that an easy Connacht draw had any effect on your performance this year.

2-7 of 2-11 that Donegal scored in the final came directly off the ball not sticking in the Mayo inside forward line, a weakness that the wins over Leitrim and Down and to a lesser extent Sligo didn't show up. I'll exclude the Dublin game because all our 6 forwards probably had their best games that day. The Galway and potential Ros games you'd imagine will be tougher.
It does also highlight how big a loss Andy Moran is to the team.

Defiler Of The Coffin · 04-10-2012 10:43pm

Syferus wrote: »

Expanding out that would mean a semi-final meeting against Donegal (or very likely, whoever beats them) in an AI semi-final. I think the third year is the toughest of all for a team that's coming off two successful seasons, very few can string three campaigns together.

Even in Connacht three-in-a-rows are quite a rarity - even the great '98-'01 Galway team didn't manage it and you have to go back to 82-84 for the last time it happened. For Mayo the last two times it was achieved were 1950 (and '51 for a four-in-a-row) and 1937. In other words, they were the periods ye won each of your All-Ireland titles. That's the caliber you generally need to be at to hold the Nestor Cup for three seasons.

Indeed, despite all the criticism it comes in for the Connacht Championship is competitive and teams have to fight hard to win it. We've had four different winners in the past 5 years which is in stark contrast to Leinster or Munster where there hasn't been a winner outside of Cork and Kerry since 1992!

blowitupref · 04-10-2012 11:00pm

cgpg5 wrote: »

Deserved a tough draw after this year tbh!

But have to beat Galway, Ros and Sligo to win Connacht. Won't be easy but if Mayo want to contest the AI again they need to be beating these teams

Apart from Galway in 2001.

Syferus · 04-10-2012 11:12pm

blowitupref wrote: »

Apart from Galway in 2001.

Lose to us and we'll meet up at the QF stage, then. Sure nearly losing to us and actually losing to us in '98 and '01 were at the heart of Galway's AI wins

ColeTrain · 05-10-2012 12:05am

Was happy when I heard the draw because it will be a great game to start with but playing Galway in Galway is always a tight affair.
If Mayo are to do 3 Connacht titles in a row then we will have earned it.

Fr Tod Umptious · 05-10-2012 5:17pm

I was happy with that draw for Mayo

Barring injuries and immigration Mayo should be the striongest team in Connaught and shoudl win it.
galway in Galway will not be straight forward but still a game mayo should win.

Waht it also means no is that it's not a big deal if they fail to make the last 4 in the league for whatever reason.

In 2012 the extra league games were vital as it would have been a huge layoff between the last league game and the first championship game, 11 weeks in all.
In 2013 they will probably play Galway in late May, much betetr than starting in late June.

Syferus · 05-10-2012 7:26pm

Really is disconcerting to hear that level of confidence, at least from a Mayo perspective.

The quick rebuilding of Donegal and Mayo are very much replicable by Galway and indeed ourselves. Gaway already have an excellent manger in situ and it'd take a very foolish Mayo-man to look beyond Galway in Salthill. For ourselves much depends on our imenient appointment and if he can get the panel to buy into his vision for the next two or three years. If our panel is fully engaged there's more than enough talent there to cause plenty of trouble to whoever wins the QF. Sligo would appear to have a quick route back to the Connacht final (although we only need to look back to last year to see what happens when Sligo look beyond Leitrim) and will likely be a very under-rated quantity coming into the final.

I'll go back to my earlier point - only the very best teams to come out of Connacht have ever retained the Nestor Cup for a third year. The draw means that achieving that is going to be as hard as it possibly can be. The law of averages dictates against Mayo repeating the trick. We'll see.

Fr Tod Umptious · 05-10-2012 9:02pm

Syferus wrote: »

Really is disconcerting to hear that level of confidence, at least from a Mayo perspective.

The quick rebuilding of Donegal and Mayo are very much replicable by Galway and indeed ourselves. Gaway already have an excellent manger in situ and it'd take a very foolish Mayo-man to look beyond Galway in Salthill. For ourselves much depends on our imenient appointment and if he can get the panel to buy into his vision for the next two or three years. If our panel is fully engaged there's more than enough talent there to cause plenty of trouble to whoever wins the QF. Sligo would appear to have a quick route back to the Connacht final (although we only need to look back to last year to see what happens when Sligo look beyond Leitrim) and will likely be a very under-rated quantity coming into the final.

I'll go back to my earlier point - only the very best teams to come out of Connacht have ever retained the Nestor Cup for a third year. The draw means that achieving that is going to be as hard as it possibly can be. The law of averages dictates against Mayo repeating the trick. We'll see.

What you call confidence I call expectation (sp).

The thing about the Mayo and Donegal rebuilding is that they were done in weak provinces, so winning a championship was not a huge ask.

The problem for Galway and Roscommon is that even if they rebuild and get a motoring at the same pace sd Mayo and Donegal did, they will still have a bigger challenge to win Connaught than Mayo had, because they will have to beat a top 4 team (Mayo) in the process

blowitupref · 06-10-2012 12:53am

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

What you call confidence I call expectation (sp).

The thing about the Mayo and Donegal rebuilding is that they were done in weak provinces, so winning a championship was not a huge ask.

The problem for Galway and Roscommon is that even if they rebuild and get a motoring at the same pace sd Mayo and Donegal did, they will still have a bigger challenge to win Connaught than Mayo had, because they will have to beat a top 4 team (Mayo) in the process

Expectations has brought down many Mayo teams and you must remember Mayo were a "top 4 team" going into 1990,1998,2005,2007 Connacht championships.

cgpg5 · 06-10-2012 12:03pm

blowitupref wrote: »

Expectations has brought down many Mayo teams and you must remember Mayo were a "top 4 team" going into 1990,1998,2005,2007 Connacht championships.

It's debatable whether they were actually a top 4 team going into these years. In 05/07 Kerry, Dublin, Tyrone were all certainly a step above Mayo and you could say the same for an improving Cork side at the time. Mayo were always capable of losing to lesser teams at this period too.

However after reaching a semi followed by an AI final it is safe to say they are surely a top 4 team now. They made a league final too for good measure. I just can't see this Mayo team making the mistake of Mayo teams before them and losing stupid games. I really think this Mayo team is a step above that

davegrohl48 · 06-10-2012 12:23pm

Its the perfect Connaught championship if Mayo really want to find out about players early Big thing this year is OSheas (all three) n some new talent upfront Maybe Alan Murphy Darren Coen Maybe Kilcullen back in the defence? Anyone know why he went off the scene after 07 League Thought he was decent Big enough to mark likes of Murphy

cgpg5 · 06-10-2012 12:46pm

davegrohl48 wrote: »

Its the perfect Connaught championship if Mayo really want to find out about players early Big thing this year is OSheas (all three) n some new talent upfront Maybe Alan Murphy Darren Coen Maybe Kilcullen back in the defence? Anyone know why he went off the scene after 07 League Thought he was decent Big enough to mark likes of Murphy

There is zero need to make many changes. Conor O'Shea is nowhere near up to it yet, and the defence is fine as it is. I wouldn't mind seeing him trying out 1 or 2 at CB in the league but apart from that it's fine. We've a plethora of options at midfield and while we mightn't have the best forward line in the country, there is only one spot up for grabs if everyone is fit imo. Conroy, Andy Moran, Dillon, McL and COC are deserving of their places.

Never thought Kilcullen was up to it, 07 was a time when Mayo were in a bit of a full back crisis and were simply trying out people for the sake of it.

SomethingElse · 06-10-2012 12:53pm

davegrohl48 wrote: »

Its the perfect Connaught championship if Mayo really want to find out about players early Big thing this year is OSheas (all three) n some new talent upfront Maybe Alan Murphy Darren Coen Maybe Kilcullen back in the defence? Anyone know why he went off the scene after 07 League Thought he was decent Big enough to mark likes of Murphy

I think he played against London in the championship last year.

It would be interesting to see what Alan Murphy would offer, but Horan may opt to stick with developing younger players

MaroonAndGreen · 06-10-2012 2:31pm

very excited about Mayo v Galway in Salthill..

Its never a proper Connacht championship without the meeting of Mayo and Galway!

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