Mayo GAA Discussion

lawred2

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

franklyon

Mixed bag there, don't think we deserved the 2 points but sure we'll take it.

Never let Aos take another free please 'quick thinking from Rod for the winning point. Fergal Boland looking like a new man this season.

TsuDhoNimh

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."

flasher0030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121718434#Comment_121718434

If you take Paddy Durcan out of the Mayo team tonight, Mayo would not have come close to winning that. Unfortunately, the same extreme doesn't apply to the other top teams (well maybe Kerry to a certain extent with D Clifford - but they still have plenty of quality elsewhere). Most of the teams will get by without one of their top players. But Mayo did not have a whole lot else going on, apart from Paddy's penetrating runs which at least put a bit of fear in to the Dublin backs.

I was always a believer that Aidan O'Shea came in for far too much negative analysis. But from the past 2 games, I cannot see a place for him in the team. Last week, he wasn't involved for most of the second half (I had thought he was subbed). And this week, wasn't much better. And when he did try to get possession, he was fumbling the ball, or just too slow to gather anything.

homewardbound11

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 ?

TsuDhoNimh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121718475#Comment_121718475

Paddy was in super form tonight (the point stands completely) and last week but wouldn't at all agree with that as a general rule of thumb for us. We've had plenty of games where Paddy was relatively quiet (or sacrificed for an out and out marking role) and it was Enda/Sam/Eoghan/David/Diarmuid/Jack/Jordan/Tommy doing the majority of the damaging line breaking runs.

If anything our big fear is something happening to Ryan. Take him out of that forward line at the moment and it looks like it's losing it's spark completely (which seems odd to say when he's scoring quite low from play from his standards but doing SO MUCH of the work up there). Fingers crossed we can get some of the others clicking into form. Hopefully they're all saving it for Championship :P

Not sure I've ever seen stats like the kicking tonight.

https://twitter.com/somearagaa/status/1753893265739313222

"Mayo kicked 11 into blanket defence, scored 0- 1 (9%). Kept. 15 through hands and scored 1-7 (67%)."

If you'd told me before the game we'd be trying more of a kicking game I'd have been ecstatic. If you'd showed me the accuracy of the kicks going in I'd have cried at about half (straight into a sweeper/markers hands) but assumed we'd have done serious damage from the rest and come out well ahead. For it to end with 1 point (not 100% sure if that's the Bob one from play or the Aido one that ended in a free - I'd need to rewatch to see if the defence was set on either/both of those) is mind boggling. So many fumbled/bounced off hands that would stick 99% of the time. Aido stood out given he was the target of so many but wasn't the only one either. Was crazy to watch. Hopefully we've got that out of our system.

Green&Red

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

MacDanger

Great to get the win even if we didn't really deserve it. It takes the pressure off for the rest of the league

Paddy motm for me, he was by far and away our best player. Carney and Mcbrien the only others that stood out imo. Probably Aiden's worst ever game for Mayo, he just couldn't hold the ball (not the only one dropping it though)

In the 2nd half, almost every Dublin kickout went down their left side and we didn't do a thing about it, it allowed them a fairly easy out; would like to see the sideline sharper on that

One last thing, I thought the booing for Costello's free at the end of the first half was awful to hear, cut that shite out

spakman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121719078#Comment_121719078

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

Westernview

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121718475#Comment_121718475

Yes Paddy stands out a mile in terms of leadership. But we really need that upfront as well. Ideally it should be at number 11 but no one has nailed down that position for some time. Possibly Diarmuid when he comes back is the best hope of that.

Mcstay appears to have a policy of either Aidan or Cillian on the field at the one time but not both. I'd have to agree with that as neither appear to have the legs or pace to track their markers at this stage. 2 rampaging opposition defenders could do serious damage to Mayo. It's very noticeable at this stage how much Aidan slows the play and I'm not sure what role he can have now other than coming on late in a game to shore up a lead.

howdo1992

Even though we got the win that performance has me concerned. Seemed to have no idea how to unlock the Dublin defence. Same problem as last year. Got lucky with a few soft frees that kept us in it.

I’m usually very critical of Coen as a player but he won us the game. He made the goal and gave the kick pass to Ryan at the end. He actually seemed to be one of the few players who had the head up scanning for a long pass and actually was willing to kick it in.

I think we should drop O’Shea for a few games to see how we get on without him. We need fresh ideas in the forward line.

PressRun

Yeah there wasn't much shown last night that would fill me with confidence. Dublin were further away from full strength than we were and still probably should have won it. Didn't see much evidence that the problems from last year are being looked at and rectified.

MacDanger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121719405#Comment_121719405

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

irishgeo

Everyone was giving out we roared out of the blocks last year and then fell apart in the summer. Now we have started slow and people are still giving out.

flasher0030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121719557#Comment_121719557

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.

PressRun

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121719557#Comment_121719557

Was that because of Dublin not exploiting space or because of good defending though? I felt they still looked loose at the back and giving plenty of space. Dublin just didn't exploit it, which is a problem of their own.

TsuDhoNimh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121719375#Comment_121719375

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.

howdo1992

I think my main grip with Coen through the years was his risk averse approach when on the ball. Usually going for a very safe hand pass option. In fairness he does seem to have improved on this and willing to take more ownership in progressing the play up the field. Evident in the Tyrone AI, as he was one of the few who came out with any credit that day.

Funnily the man Coen replaced, Eoghan McLaughlin, is the polar opposite. The most hyper risk player I’ve seen in a long time. He can be the winning or losing of a game. He has that electric pace though, which makes taking on people a lot easier.

Agree with you on O Shea, he definitely is a good option and can offer a lot but he shouldn’t be undroppable either. He probably could do with a rest to, lots of mileage on the clock. There’s a few lads who would love a run of games in the full forward line and we need to figure alternative game plan options to the big man inside.

I do agree that most of the ball kicked into O Shea was poor and didn’t help him. Definitely works needs to be done on the training ground on the type of kick pass given inside and movement of the inside line. Hard to see on TV but looked like there was a lack of movement and separation from markers. I know this is easier said than done when facing a blanket but when it works it’s extremely effective, as seen with the Bob Tuohy score.

happyoutscan

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

Beagslife

Not trying to strir it but just heard the announcer in Breffni ask for a round of applause for the kids on the pitch entertaining us during half time.

Horses for courses 😎

IMG_20240204_164712_HDR.jpg

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121720004#Comment_121720004

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.

Westernview

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121727835#Comment_121727835

I agree that Dublin were a big step up. I thought it noticeable in the first half that some Mayo players looked out of breath trying to get the ball back off the Dubs as they sprayed the ball around. They eventually adjusted though.

Aidan has a lot of attributes but mainly in the areas of ball winning and tackling. I'm not sure he ever fully developed his game outside of that in terms of movement and understanding how to work with his team mates to create opportunities. I think that has been evident with Breaffy as well as Mayo. He has given great service in fairness but maybe the bench is his best place now.

MacDanger

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

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121727873#Comment_121727873

In an ideal world, as @TsuDhoNimh mentions, someone would grab that starting spot. Nobody claiming it just yet though.

But on the other hand, I'm not sure if both Aidan and Cillian can be impact subs. You're bringing down the pace of the team if both are coming on late.

Westernview

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121728063#Comment_121728063

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.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121728092#Comment_121728092

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.

RedDevil55

We're constantly told not to overreact when winning during the league, the same surely applies when someone plays poorly!

I think Aidan played quite well vs Galway. Was out in front the whole time in the first half winning ball and laying it off. He was still out in front of his marker a lot last Saturday too. Unusually for him he had several handling errors which shouldn't happen too often again. When Reid went off injured we only had 5 forwards on the pitch so Dublin constantly had a sweeper cutting out kick passes to our full forward line. That obviously limits what Aidan can do as he's not going to come out on the loop taking shots.

He's not a natural free taker but what other option have we for left footed ones?! Teams will be wise to us going short after the last night too!

Westernview

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121728655#Comment_121728655

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.

HBC08

Good to be able to have a reasoned discussion about it anyway,the Mayo blog has finally tipped the balance of more eejits than rational people.

Aido isn't really there to take scores,he's not or never has been an out and out scorer. His job is to win ball,creat chances for others,disrupt defenses and tackle.

I'm not confident with him taking the right sided frees and neither is he it seems (similar to Kevin McLoughlin before him) Being left footed doesn't guarantee the skill,execution and mindset of a free taker.

He's definitely off the pace in the first 2 league games,whether that's form,getting on a bit,fitness or match sharpness we don't know.Hes just back from holiday so behind everyone else in work done.

I think he's earned the right to see if he comes good.

RedDevil55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121729547#Comment_121729547

Wouldn't disagree much with that, but ultimately it's up to someone else to grab the jersey off him.

Cillian hasn't shown any form yet, jury still definitely out on Towey, Carr is on the way back from knee surgery I believe. Who else is there that deserves to start alongside Ryan and Tommy C?

Lukekul

On Saturday I thought it was very apparent how light Towey is compared to Top intercounty players. Even smaller players like Fergal Boland and Ryan O'Donoghue have physiques capable of battling with these defenders. Its a shame if he can't figure out how to deal with them because he is sensational for scores at club level.