Mayo GAA Discussion

crusd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120301942#Comment_120301942

 Oisín son of Fionn mac Cumhaill wouldn't even make this team!

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120308629#Comment_120308629

I've a feeling that O'Shea could get found out in the championship.

Kicking high, diagonal ball into a big man inside has been snuffed out plenty of times before.

If you have a fit O'Connor, O'Donoghue and Conroy I don't see why that would not be your full forward line.

Keep O'Shea as an impact sub.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120308626#Comment_120308626

I really don't care for the poster I replied to, but I think it's worth discussing if this team an sustain what they have done so far and into the championship in different conditions against better teams.

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120308894#Comment_120308894

We're not exactly kicking high diagonal balls into him. Or at the very least, it's not all about launching balls into him.

There's much more work gone into it imo. In the past, it often seemed like a tactic/plan B that we worked on, in a state of panic, in the week between big games. I think McStay is quite rightly taking the league to work on it.

It looks like they've done a lot of work on patterns of play and specific movements to get O'Shea the ball and to then have runners feeding off him. In an awful lot of cases it's a relatively short foot or hand pass into his chest.

It still might not work if we get to CP, but it's a much different approach this time around imo.

There has been no real signs that O'Donoghue will be playing in the full forward line. He's playing much deeper so far.

RedDevil55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120308609#Comment_120308609

Mayo are one point worse off than the same stage last year. It's not unusual for us to be towards the top of division 1.

Green&Red

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120308894#Comment_120308894

I'd disagree on AOS, when he was played in there previously he has always done well. He got awful abuse for his display in the '21 final but he won pretty much every ball that went into him but there was no support for him when he came down, so he was expected to turn and kick it over the bar which isn't his game.

TsuDhoNimh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120308905#Comment_120308905

Funny. If I was Kevin or the team I'd be coming at the that from the opposite side.

Lucky to scrape a draw against a missfiring Galway side. Threw away a win against a not firing Armagh side. Got two relatively easy wins against Kerry and Tyrone sides that didn't show up. Wouldn't be overly worried about looking to sustain the current form so much as aiming to push on a few levels with it ourselves over the Provincials and Round Robin.

Great to see lads like Diarmuid, Jordan, Enda, Aidan or James having fun, moving well and striking the ball well (at times.... that 'rocky' 20 minutes against Tyrone where we dominated the game but had nothing on the score board from dropped or fumbled balls, mistakes and poorly hit shots shows how easy things can turn) but none of them will be getting too excited yet. I'd well imagine they've all had tougher AvB games this year than we've seen so far in the NFL.

All we can really ask for at this stage of the season, especially the new condensed season, is lads to avoid injuries (Eoghan making his way back from concussion from Sigerson duty and knocks picked up by Darren and Rory suggest we'd hope for a little better luck there) and beat what's put in front of them. All the better to do it with a little swagger, throwing in a few goals and managing to keep a clean sheet or two to help build a little confidence. Plenty of positives to build on, especially the movement and creativity we've shown, but nothing that should be making ourselves or the lads too giddy.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120308894#Comment_120308894

Can't remember Aido winning many (or any) high diagonals this year? James has won a couple but can't remember Aido taking one above chest height to date (and even low diagonals only the single one against Armagh springs to mind). Very open to correction there but none stand out.

His ball winning abilities and strength have been a huge part of his play inside but not the old fashioned hoofed ball in and high fielding stuff that has failed for us/him in the past. It's mostly pop passes and chest high stuff where the defence just can't stop him turning or laying off to whoever is on his shoulder for him to cause chaos.

Pretty easy stuff to stop inside by playing a sweeper directly in front... but that's fine too. The setup isn't looking for Aido to be a dominant scorer just to link things up and if they tie up two defenders on him it leaves a lot of extra space for runners from deep and lads looping around. Taking it 1v1 I'm not sure there's a player in the country that can stop him winning more than his fair share of clever balls (was surprised to see Foley swapped with Casey in the Kerry match.... though that could have been hoping Foley would do a more impactful job elsewhere rather than expecting Casey to do better on Aidan directly). He's just too big, too strong and has great hands for it to be easily stopped 1v1. So while it can be stopped, relatively easily, it would always be coming at a significant cost for opposition that would allow advantage elsewhere.

That said, lovely to have options with Ryan/Tommy/James/Cillian (Conor and Paul hopefully also stepping up to push those) to pick from. Wouldn't have any strong feelings on who should be starters or finishers there. A combination of form and match ups should allow decent decisions to be made game to game. I'd expect to see a couple of them turning up outside of 13-15 from time to time.

PressRun

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120309279#Comment_120309279

He got way too much abuse for that final when he wasn't even close to being the worst performer on the day. There were a few others I could name who didn't exactly show up.

The O'Shea positional thing is being bedded in atm which is definitely markedly different to how it was tried in the past. Previously, it was just throw him in and see what happens sort of thing with no real gameplan behind it. There seems to be more of an attempt being made to construct a plan around this. Aidan is winning ball and laying it off, and he has great hands which is being utilised well. James O'Donoghue made the point recently that an O'Shea type figure who draws defenders towards him and just lays it off nicely to another person inside to pop over the bar or into the net is the dream situation.

The situation with him at the moment is certainly better than it has been in recent years. He looks re-energized and clearer in what his role is. He isn't being dragged all over the place and being asked to do everything. He has a clear job. Now maybe it won't work in summer, we'll see, but it's worth finding out and seeing how it goes. It's a long time since he influenced games and at the moment he is.

MacDanger

Unchanged team named

Audioslaven

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120308894#Comment_120308894

I would have these concerns as well. Its the speed that I would feel is where it could fall down on drier pitches and defenders been faster to get in front and win ball ...add in sweepers as well. With a tactic like this known by all, I think teams will focus on it and have a plan in place. We will probably get days where it will work and others where it will just fall down.

The good aspect is that we are not doing it all the time so we are very open to how we attack and look to the best option..... There is a more natural feel to how this is happening. It early days so it is working at the moment.....We won't really know until you hit CP so time will tell.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120308894#Comment_120308894

It all about the way you do it and what supports you put in place. One of the main advantages is you can tie up two or three defenders when the other team.go on the attack. But you have to be willing to keep players in the forward position. Manny team might let O'Shea man on man in the back as he is not fast over short distances. However if he was in there with another player ROD for example you might need three defenders. The temptation is for forwards to get sucked back when defenders go up in support of attacks.

Either way it's can be a high risk strategy for both sides

Fr Tod Umptious

I remember when O'Shea ran riot at FF in the 2015 Connacht final v Sligo people suggesting that Horan's biggest mistake was not playing O'Shea at FF.

We have been here before.

I am wary about getting too excited about stuff that works in spring, because it may not always work in summer.

I hope I'm wrong, but the proof will be in the group stages, not in the league.

happyoutscan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120312702#Comment_120312702

But was his ff role properly defined by Horan? He could be named at ff and would be found from midfield to our own square. Tactically, his role at ff under Horan just never seem to be properly orchestrated. With the new management, I would have faith in them changing a system during the game if something wasn clearly not working. Not something Horan was particularly astute at.

RedDevil55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120313651#Comment_120313651

In fairness, O'Shea has played a good bit at full forward under Holmes/Connelly, Rochford and Horan so it's nothing new. I don't see much difference in what McStay is doing. O'Shea still drifts out at times to the middle third - that's where he done most damage vs Armagh. Also the kick pass he played into Carr for the goal last week.

There's always so much focus on O'Shea. After the Tyrone final he was the main problem in the team. Now he's apparently been reinvented as a top class inside forward. The truth is always in the middle somewhere.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120313651#Comment_120313651

But in 2015 it was H&C not Horan.

That was the point people were making, was not playing O'Shea at FF part of Horan's failure to guide them to a title ?

Was it the missing piece ?

Obviously not in the end but that was the narrative going into the 2015 quarter finals.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120314278#Comment_120314278

After the Tyrone final he was the main problem in the team

I think a lot of that was from people outside Mayo who like to come out of the woodwork and comment on these sort of things after a final.

Daragh Maloney mentioning early in the game that O'Shea had never scored in an All Ireland final was fuel for them.

Far less would have been said about O'Shea if they had not heard that.

That's nothing against Daragh Maloney by the way, it's something any good commentator that had their homework done would say.

crusd

Anyone know the story with kids entry at The Hyde tomorrow. Had assumed u16s are free entry and didn’t require a ticket however Roscommon GAA had a post up saying the game is All ticket. Bringing two young lads to their first away game

irishgeo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120314486#Comment_120314486

It's u16s free.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41047232.html

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120314486#Comment_120314486

Hyde park has a maximum attendance level of 19k so it's all ticket because of that. It should fill tomorrow

crusd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120314738#Comment_120314738

But does that mean that kids who don’t have tickets might not get in? Contrary to what has been said for ticket arrangements this year.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120314803#Comment_120314803

Kids get in free if they have a ticket. Just because U16 are free is not a gaurantee of admission. Austin Stacks in Kerry is only 15k capacity. They have to allow for annual sales and stadia below 20 if not 25k will be all ticket I imagine

crusd

So ticketmaster leading people astray so?

windy shepard henderson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120312702#Comment_120312702

the only flaw i can see from an outsider looking in is the drop off in performance late in games , other wise all boxes are being ticked

Carol25

Mayo are the best performing team in the league so far, to some they’re ‘peaking too soon’. To others there are areas they still need to work on. I think they’re playing fantastic, the new management team has put together a great set up for the league, defensively they’re much tighter overall. More forwards getting scores each game and much more variety to their attack.

Do they have another gear or two come championship? I think they do. What about players such as O’Hora, Durkan, Conroy? I think they’ll have to earn place on the current team but great to have them and such competition for places. There is no easy answer as to should Mayo go on and win the league - my own view is they should, get that monkey off the back of the young team in Croke Park. Go up the steps and lift the cup. The gamble is if they lose - it’s another final loss just ahead of Championship. More teams will have their Championship panels together by then. But from what I’ve seen so far, Galway, Armagh, Kerry, and maybe Derry and Dublin are the only real obstacles to Mayo winning Sam this year if they keep playing as they do. Roscommon & Donegal will have some good performances as will Tyrone, maybe Cork too. Dublin won’t have a proper top tier game until they exit Leinster. All the teams are beatable just as Mayo are on their off days - the competition is wide open and it’s a great opportunity for any of these team to step out ahead of the pack and go for it.

happyoutscan

Men against infants here.

Jarhead_Tendler

Strength and conditioning coaches need to be praised. Your lads are built like tanks and well able to play as well.

Of course the players too must be praised for the dedication and commitment to get into such shape

PARlance

Gone fairly sloppy. Rossies giving nothing away anyway.

happyoutscan

Going to be a frantic finish. Roscommon have grown into this.

PARlance

Diarmuid in the right place at the right time again.

I think we're seeing a lot of freedom going forward but a lot of naivety in not killing off games under McStay.

Carney is really staking his claim, great to see.

PressRun

Got away with that. Poor second half display. Very sloppy, getting turned over way too easily and two terrible goals to concede. The performance was a lot less composed than the previous two games, more reminiscent of the Armagh performance tbh.