Mayo GAA Discussion Thread

davegrohl48

km79 wrote: »

That's where we were. Swing around and go out the way ya are supposed to drive in ! Finally did that after 20 mins and got straight out

Just don't go near the launjeret section .... its Irelands biggest I understand

davegrohl48

km79 wrote: »

Traffic mental so said I'd post my thoughts !
Hennelly is a massive worry now . Every high ball is panic stations. It can't have been missed by managers and he will continue to me targetted in the summer.
Harrison is a good addition but it's time to get Higgins back in his best position.
Half back line is best in the county. Keegan is a joy to watch.
Not fully sure of gibbons is up to championship level but a decent cover option.
Forward wise it's time to forget about Varley and Conroy ! What do they offer ? How many more chances will they get.
If we need a score to win an all ireland I would not like to see either coming on.
Conroy can not seem to go for a ball without sliding to the ground. Cost us the 3rd goal.
And Varley is generally anonymous.
There are other options now who deserve a chance more than them .
The 2 gallaghers , Sweeney, Tom King , Evan Regan are all pushing for a squad place ahead of them. Or should be ......

Brian Gallagher seemed to play well when he came on Conroy is a poor option given his total lack of linkup Last years goal in the final notwithstanding he is head down n into trouble Varley quiet today to add to many other days Doherty seemed to be losing ball alot Three players n between them they have no form of two/three games back to back Shooting stats alone n use of posession should surely be obvious to mgmt team They struggle to make 50% o their attempts They dont goal They dont catch kickouts or high ball n they dont win too many turnovers or link the play too well They give it their all but just dont seem to be Division 1 standard

ColeTrain

I'm still drying off from that, the rain never stopped!

We started very well and it looked to be over but they got a soft goal and seemed to grow in confidence. Couldn't believe we were two behind going into halftime after being nine up at one stage.

We just had too much for them in the end though. Great to see cillian back, kicked a belter of a free. I thought drake was very good when he was brought on. Freeman had another strong showing. Aos was good in spells, as was zippy and kev mc.

Overall plenty to improve on but with that being said, the conditions were terrible for a game of football, very hard to get going in that weather. We should be just happy to take the points today

homewardbound11

Just back home . Great to see cillian back. Looks a tad heavier than last year gave a few testing shoulders as if he was showing us upper recovery. Point was excellent.
We need to stop messing with Higgins. A back true and true . He was through on goal 15 mins into the second half and looked for the pass. It takes a LOng time to build that confidence and we just don't have the cover in the backs.
Hennelly was weak under high balls but the cover was weak.
We need to concentrate on keeping our opponents scores down. I'd be happier if we stayed up and conceding less than 12 rather than this shoot out we have now. Too many we're committing to the attach and it was easy to find Dolan with such loose marking.

Defiler Of The Coffin

In fairness to both teams the playing conditions were brutal but it was like two different Mayo teams in the first half, I really thought we were on for a rout after Sweeney got the second goal but then a soft goal (how many times must we write this?) brought Westmeath back into the game although even at that stage they shouldn't have been able to get within sight of us. It's hard to see Keane keeping his place after this one and bringing on Drake when he did was the right call and tightened us up at the back considerably. Given that the half-backs seem to spend most their time in the opponent's half it's very important we get the back line stabilised, we've conceded a lot of big scores so far this year and it's obvious Horan hasn't found the right balance yet, we can't rely too much on Cunniffe and Barrett and Cork will be merciless if we give them an inch in the forwards. Keith Higgins played a blinder today but he was badly needed in the backs in the first half.

AOS and Gibbons had a storming first 15 minutes but they really seemed to have drifted out of it by half time, SOS has been a serious impact sub in the previous two games.

Happy enough with how we closed out the game and I think we're well able to deal with Cork.

Fowler87

Cant complain after a decent showing in fairly poor conditions for football. Dirty rain but at least it wasn't too windy so fair play to the two teams for putting up a good game. Our start was fantastic, got bit too casual again and let Westmeath back into it but they deserved to be leading at halftime. Cracking 2nd goal for them in fairness. We stepped it up really well in the 2nd half and with Cillian back, looked like we'd steamroll them. What a player the lad is. Unreal defence splitting ball to Keegan (who was immense again) for one of his scores. Fair play to Mikie Sweeney too, great performance with him back in the fold again. Good position for pushing on now in the league if we really want it.

manofwisdom

manofwisdom wrote: »

Westmeath should be stronger at home, Dublin only bet them by 4 points, this game might be closer than you think.

Told you lads it would be closer. Derry (H) Cork (h) Dublin (a) still a great chance to Mayo reaching another semi final.

yop

Not sure what to take out of today, except for a flu.
A win is a win and weather was poor, the start was crazy, thought Mickey Sweeney had a cracking start and Keegan was immense.
There were positives again for sure, COC back was great to see, really settled the team, Freeman improves game on game and AOS was effective as usual. Gallagher played well when he came on.
Of course higgins was superb, but I think his loss at the back is just too much of a sacrifice as our defense is quick shocking at the moment.
Our fullback line is shipping too many easy scores and once more we concede a soft goal, brought them right into the game.
Gibbons as said above is at a level, I don't think he is full championship material and I have to say at this stage we have to add Varley and probably Keane into this category.

In a game where we were expected to win easily, maybe it got to their heads after the savage start. Though the kick on in the 2nd half was great to see.

Cork game is going to tell us a lot, come away with a win there against probably the form team in the Country, then I think we are up there and on the right direction, though after watching us now so far in the league I fear we could ship an awful score.

But again though looking at Kerry today, like Jekyll and Hyde.

We need 2 more points to be in there with a bit of confidence of staying up, Westmeath are gone, so Kerry V Kildare is important, if Kerry beat Kildare then we get 2 more points against Derry we will be safe.
Win against Cork and Derry and we could be in a semi!!!!

I do think we need to get into a semi final now, we need the competition as Connachts other teams, Roscommon aside dont' seem to be up to much. (I could regret saying that!)

Sorry for that long speil, I'm cold and trying to warm up!

Cosmo Kramer

blowitupref wrote: »

You could say they strolled past the rest in Connacht because Mayo hit the ground running last summer and then arguably peaked against Donegal.

Or you could just tell it like it was and say that Mayo were considerably better than any of the other Connacht teams in 2013.

Anyway, I was in Mullingar as well today, crowd of 6,600 - I'd say at least 4000 from Mayo. Awful day for football and Westmeath are a division two team really. Would agree with the points made repeatedly on here about the corner back positions - we have three very good corner backs but for different reasons none of them are playing there at the moment. Need to get Keith Higgins back there for the Cork game as the half forward line experiment is not working out, a bit like the AOS half forward line experiment last year.

Everyone in this division will beat Westmeath so all we did was hold our own in that regard today. We need a win against Cork to be comfortable but it will be tough. It is vital that we hold our place in the division - playing the Westmeath's of the game every week in D2 next year would be very restrictive in terms of championship preparation, there is a big advantage to be had by going into the championship off the back of a decent division one league campaign.

blowitupref

Cosmo Kramer wrote: »

Or you could just tell it like it was and say that Mayo were considerably better than any of the other Connacht teams in 2013.

Everyone knew Mayo were considerably better before a ball was thrown in however there is always two sides to a hammering and Galway,Roscommon both gave a better account of themselves against Cork,Tyrone later in championship.

Cosmo Kramer

blowitupref wrote: »

Everyone knew Mayo were considerably better before a ball was thrown in however there is always two sides to a hammering and Galway,Roscommon both gave a better account of themselves against Cork,Tyrone later in championship.

Fair enough.

James Horan doesn't sound like a happy man in today's match reports (not surprising). Hopefully he is seeing the same thing everyone else is and will have Higgins back in position for next weekend. There's a lot of work to be done in terms of our defence adapting to the new rules. The return of a couple of key players in the next few weeks should make a difference also.

GBXI

Was in Mullingar as well yesterday. There were actually as many if not more Mayo people there than Westmeath, crazy county!

Mixed performance, some very good, some very bad. Lee Keegan is without doubt the best wing-back in Ireland, and one of the best overall footballers to boot. Was just looking at his stats - so far, in 2 seasons of championship football he has scored in every game bar one (AI Semi Final v Dublin 12', where he went off with a broken finger earlier in the game). We are blessed to have him. Also, Colm Boyle isn't that far behind Keegan - his shoulder in the 1st half was one the best I've ever seen!

Harrison looked good in the corner. Caff was fine again in general but I'd agree Keith Higgins should start in the full back line against the better teams, as he's needed more there (still a decent half forward though!). Rob was at fault for the 1st goal but his kick-outs were excellent bar one in the 2nd half.

AO'S was very good, much improved from the Kerry game. If we keep him fit he'll have another great year - much more suited to hard ground. McLoughlin is really coming back into form, Freeman was good again. Sweeney looked decent in tough conditions. I think Varley is best as an impact sub.

Would be great to beat Cork next week, and I think we will.

Wolf Club

MaroonAndGreen wrote: »

Our best 15 imo is:

1. Hennelly/Clarke
2. Barrett/Cunniffe
3. Caff
4. Higgins
5. Keegan
6. Vaughan
7. Boyle
8. Aidan O'Shea
9. Seamus O'Shea (ran close by Gibbons)
10. McLoughlin
11. Moran
12. ?????
13. O' Connor
14. Freeman
15. Conroy

There is a vacancy in the half-forward line that someone needs to grab, at the moment Adam Gallagher looks the most likely to do so. Alan Dillon when he makes his return will have something to say about it though (find it astounding hes being written off by some without even seeing him yet this year). But the likely solution IMO is Keith Higgins to be played in the half-forward line with Cunniffe and Barrett taking the two corner-back spots when they return to the panel.

Im not convinced by Adam Gallagher yet, yes he has the talent, but is a little light. And its alot of pressure for a 19 year old in his first season.

I'd put Cillian at 11 and Moran at 15. I think Cillian would influence the game more at CF, the pass he played for Keegan's second point yesterday was superb and proved this I think. If he could do a similar job for us as Gooch did last year for Kerry that would have the most positive impact on the team IMO.

Oldtree

That rain was slippy the great leveller. I thought Westmeath put on a spirited game and did very well, good accurate passing and some lovely points from play and we got caught with some lovely one twos again. We had another dream start with highs and lows in the game and a strong finish. Funnily enough I really enjoyed the match.

What I really like about the mayo players is that even after a hard match they stayed out on the pitch for photos and autographs for the kids, I really admire that.

Imo they are moving on strength to strength as it would appear is the management decisions issue, cant wait for the next one.

davegrohl48

OConnor could be great option out around centre forward or half forward. Sending ball in on top of Freeman or linking up effectively with the counter attack. That would be further development in his game which I would say he can do well this season.
Lee Keegan, he's just on such a high level right now. He gets the ball whithin 35 yards of goal you're shocked if he'd miss.

padd b1975

I don't think a conscious decision should be made to play through Cillian. Obviously if it's the best option then do it, otherwise it becomes very predictable very quickly.

I would like to hope we have moved on from the days where everything inside an opponents half had to go through Ciaran McDonald.

davegrohl48

padd b1975 wrote: »

I don't think a conscious decision should be made to play through Cillian. Obviously if it's the best option then do it, otherwise it becomes very predictable very quickly.

I would like to hope we have moved on from the days where everything inside an opponents half had to go through Ciaran McDonald.

Yes would agree with that If he is in a particular movement, great. But not seeking him out constantly He will probably lift our return from frees by 1 or two points per game

seligehgit

Oldtree wrote: »

That rain was slippy the great leveller. I thought Westmeath put on a spirited game and did very well, good accurate passing and some lovely points from play and we got caught with some lovely one twos again. We had another dream start with highs and lows in the game and a strong finish. Funnily enough I really enjoyed the match.

What I really like about the mayo players is that even after a hard match they stayed out on the pitch for photos and autographs for the kids, I really admire that.

Imo they are moving on strength to strength as it would appear is the management decisions issue, cant wait for the next one.

Great bunch of lads,I'd expect nothing less off them.

seligehgit

padd b1975 wrote: »

I don't think a conscious decision should be made to play through Cillian. Obviously if it's the best option then do it, otherwise it becomes very predictable very quickly.

I would like to hope we have moved on from the days where everything inside an opponents half had to go through Ciaran McDonald.

Totally agree,the days when everything went through Ciaran Mc were at times overly predictable.However gifted Ciaran Mc was,at times he'd take too much out of ball and prevent quick ball inside.

NabyLadistheman

The real worry has to be the form of Cafferkey. Himself and Keane were run ragged in the first half. He is letting his man have possession and seems to be bit off the pace. Don't think we will be seeing Kevin again, just doesn't look mobile enough for that position. Wit our struggles in defence I think it is inevitable before we see Higgins brought back

Padkir

Suarezistheman wrote: »

The real worry has to be the form of Cafferkey. Himself and Keane were run ragged in the first half. He is letting his man have possession and seems to be bit off the pace. Don't think we will be seeing Kevin again, just doesn't look mobile enough for that position. Wit our struggles in defence I think it is inevitable before we see Higgins brought back

Bit harsh on Cafferkey I think; if there's good ball coming in then any corner back is rarely going to be able to be out in front of the forward. I think he's fantastic at standing a man up and making them turn back when one on one.

Of course he's not up to the same pace as last year yet but at the end of the day it's only March. I think he'll be fine; he's actually one of the most defenders I'd be confident of adapting well to the new rules.

Keane has been fouling far too much and just doesn't seem to be living up to the promise he showed; which is a pity.

davegrohl48

Padkir wrote: »

Bit harsh on Cafferkey I think; if there's good ball coming in then any corner back is rarely going to be able to be out in front of the forward. I think he's fantastic at standing a man up and making them turn back when one on one.

Of course he's not up to the same pace as last year yet but at the end of the day it's only March. I think he'll be fine; he's actually one of the most defenders I'd be confident of adapting well to the new rules.

Keane has been fouling far too much and just doesn't seem to be living up to the promise he showed; which is a pity.

Cafferkey divides opinion Id prefer Cunniffe full back Think he's quicker n stronger Cafferkey plays too much content to allow his man gather Under new rules I think that style is not great as the forward can drive at you

seligehgit

Ger Cafferkey is still an outstanding full back but seems to be struggling a little bit this year.Although the ball delivery has been excellent into his markers.He's definitely standing off his markers a bit,probably fearful of the dreaded black card.
The uncertainty in the rest of the full back line is'nt helping him.Sadly Kevin Keane does'nt appear to be good enough to start.He lacks mobility and is found wanting as a result.
Hoping common sense will prevail and Keith Higgins will revert back to the corner and shore up a creaking full back line.

ChevChelios90

What is the story with Chris Barrett anyhow? When is he back? Pity to see Kevin Keane having a tough time, looks like a player with low-confidence.

ColeTrain

ChevChelios90 wrote: »

What is the story with Chris Barrett anyhow? When is he back? Pity to see Kevin Keane having a tough time, looks like a player with low-confidence.

Haven't heard anything about Barrett, I'm sure him and cunniffe will come straight back into the full back line along with caffererky.
Maybe Higgins will start half forward and drop back for a bit of protection when the half back line are bombing forward.

Fowler87

Suarezistheman wrote: »

The real worry has to be the form of Cafferkey. Himself and Keane were run ragged in the first half. He is letting his man have possession and seems to be bit off the pace. Don't think we will be seeing Kevin again, just doesn't look mobile enough for that position. Wit our struggles in defence I think it is inevitable before we see Higgins brought back

Bit harsh on Caff imo. Mayo were all over the shop during Westmeaths purple patch with no tactics in play whatsoever. Literally had 2/3 defenders trying to cover the whole Westmeath attack with the half backline, midfield gone AWOL up at the other end. If it wasnt for some great cover and interceptions from Cafferky, Mayo would have been more than two points down at half time which is crazy considering our start to the game. No wonder Horan wasnt impressed with the 'showboating' as he called it after

ChevChelios90

ColeTrain wrote: »

Haven't heard anything about Barrett, I'm sure him and cunniffe will come straight back into the full back line along with caffererky.
Maybe Higgins will start half forward and drop back for a bit of protection when the half back line are bombing forward.

Hmm, I'm not convinced by Cunniffe. He had a decent year last year but wasn't he subbed against Dublin after Eoghan O'Gara was giving him a horrid time? I remember him having a bad time in the AI semi final with Kerry against Cooper also. Its Barrett, Cafferkey and Higgins for me in the FB.

Syferus

ChevChelios90 wrote: »

Hmm, I'm not convinced by Cunniffe. He had a decent year last year but wasn't he subbed against Dublin after Eoghan O'Gara was giving him a horrid time? I remember him having a bad time in the AI semi final with Kerry against Cooper also. Its Barrett, Cafferkey and Higgins for me in the FB.

Awful rough on poor Turbo Tom. Senan Kilbride did skin him in the Connacht club final too, though.

GBXI

ChevChelios90 wrote: »

Hmm, I'm not convinced by Cunniffe. He had a decent year last year but wasn't he subbed against Dublin after Eoghan O'Gara was giving him a horrid time? I remember him having a bad time in the AI semi final with Kerry against Cooper also. Its Barrett, Cafferkey and Higgins for me in the FB.

Just to correct an error here - Cunniffe went off injured at half-time in the AI final, not due to O'Gara giving him "a horrid time". No doubt he would have played the full match if fit.

mayo.mick

Guys, looking for a favour.

If any of you season ticket holders are not planning on going to the Club finals on St Patrick's day, don't let your season tickets go to waste. Please pass them on to Castlebar Mitchel's supporters. You can also send them on (pdf's) to Mayo Club 51 and they will pass them on to a Mitchel's club representative. Full details on how to order and download the tickets are on http://mayoclub51.com/season-tickets-free-entry-club-finals/

Thanks for your help.