Mayo GAA Discussion Part 2

PressRun wrote: »

I think Keith's red card made the pressing game more difficult and we were lacking real penetration without him. Pressing made us weak in the middle (though I didn't think Seamie and Tom were functioning all that well anyway). Keith's runs often give a lot of momentum too aned often provide a platform to get things motoring going forward.

Diarmuid had a very poor game, imo, and could have been subbed at half time. He has looked very out of sorts.

Couldn't give a flying **** what outsiders think of Cillian and his antics. Every team has at least one player who is on the edge, some have more than one.

Similarly to yourself seligehgit, I also don't feel overly downbeat. Have seen more worrying performances than that from Mayo.

Most definitely,I've seen far more below par than that what I viewed in the flesh today.Much to improve.

Totally agree with the sentiments expressed about playing Lee Keegan at number 5 and allowing him a freer role.After all he may not need to take up his man marking on his old nemesis this year.:)

The qualifiers add one additional game to the schedule and I believe a possible meeting with either Donegal,Tyrone,Monaghan or the losing Munster finalists.Nothing easy and then a probable meeting with the Kingdom in the quarters unless the rebels upset the applecart.

On Cillian,irrespective of the merits of the foul(definitely not a black card) his reaction afterwards appeared theatrical.I am mindful of the fact I have not as yet watched back the contest.He was a tad niggly today and as was always the case will never win any popularity contest with outsiders although he was as always our real go to man in the attack.

Steve The Barman wrote: »

100% correct, he mad an ass of himself at half time tho

Extremely foolhardy.

Barlett wrote: »

Well we played 50 minutes with 14 men & still only lost by a point . Galway were alright , not sure if they've improved that much from last year . We on the other hand have gone backwards under this management team

I wouldn`t be overly impressed with some of the management decisions either, but what is really killing ye is a shortage of forward talent, other than Cillian O Connor who I hope reins it in a bit for both his own and the teams sake.
Refs will have taken note that he made Mc Quillan look foolish today with the black card.

Strangely enough for two counties so close to each other, while ye have excellent backs and a lack of forwards, Galway is the mirror opposite.
Although when it comes to keepers you both have a fair bit in common.

Stoner wrote: »

It lowers the bar for your team to that level if you like it or not. Again Mayo supporters don't have a history of painting their teams as angels and that's fair enough. It's annoying when other counties do it though while ignoring their practitioners.

It's not within mine or any other Mayo supporter's control what people from other counties say or what they believe. Frankly, anyone who thinks that teams at the top are all innocent don't understand the game.

I've never claimed Mayo were angels and I've heard plenty of people doling out abuse to Mayo players because they're not angels while ignoring the transgressions of others. I think social media plays a part because it feeds the outrage brigade and echo chambers of people who hear that certain players are above and beyond 'bad', when what's going on at county level is no worse than what's going on in club games up and down the country week in and week out.

I'm happy enough that we have players who get stuck in and fight fire with fire. What I don't like is people launching into lectures about how Cillian O'Connor is this and Lee Keegan is that without acknowledging that those players are on every team. Many of them get picked because they play like that. Do people think that Jim Gavin likes Philly McMahon because he's all sweetness and light? No. He picks him because he has that hard edge, he bends the rules a bit and he's not going to be bullied. Every team has them, just some like to pretend they don't or that their county is above it.

Guys get tagged for life though.

Higgins stuck his knee in a lads balls today, but he'll always be considered a clean enough player.

If Cillian did that there would be uproar. Some players are under the microscope, but unfortunately mostly not without cause.

Overall I thought Mayo looked off the pace today. Galway were worth the win but you'd have to think this things would be different if they met in a couple of months.

Regan won't get better though. I thought Kirby would impress when he came on with the benifit of hindsight leaving A Moran on would have been a smarter move.

The Mayo full forward line were successful when destabilising the Galway back line, that's one thing to take from the game anyway.


I didn't think SOS should have been taken off either and like others it would have been great to see AOS alongside Andy Moran in around the square. I thought AOS looked average enough and was below his normal level.

Is Barry Moran injured, it was crying out for a tall man in beside Kyne. There was a lot more scope for the Mayo lads to blow that game open, but it just didn't happen.

Down in the dumps but not as bad as some. Galway have proven themselves to be a very good team. You won't find much more in terms of real attacking threat in the County, they offer more danger than the current Dublin attack does imo.

It was a good physical game and being reduced to 14 for 50 odd minutes was a big blow.

The biggest blow for me today was that my faith in Rochford has taken a bit of a battering. This year was his year to put a mark on his team. We still don't know what that is. Seeing Aidan come on at MF and Kirby into the FF line was a sickener for me.

I'm not going to go back and find it but I had 3 wishes before the year:
Sort out the kickouts - still a major weakness.
FF line - Aidan & Cillian need to be in there (Andy to play his role too). With good ball they will cause problems.
Something different in HF - Try a Keegan or Durcan in the HF line to see if it would shake things up. Keegan is wasted at 6. Someone direct to run at defences. The attack was very laboured again today for periods.

We're the same team as last year basically. Something needs to change. It's not going to come from outside so a different approach needs to come from within.

I'm a Galway man and enjoyed good and bad days against mayo but the o Connor lads need to stop the drama queen acts if they don't get a free. Diarmuid went banging the ground like a ****ing banshee today just like his big brother, delighted to see it ignored

Good level-headed discussion on the way we perceive players who play for our own counties and rivals. I definitely agree that there's something extra infuriating about COC from a non-Mayo perspective, but anyone would want him in their team. I thought the same watching the Lions on Saturday, funnily enough. Owen Farrell seemed a lot less insufferable in a red jersey :pac:

I particularly don't like the diving, but little things like making it seem as if the Galway player wouldn't give the ball back to try and get the last free moved forward are exactly what you need in games with such small margins.

yop wrote: »

Like Comer you mean? For a lad who likes to throw it around he is a fair old queen himself! Pounding the ground in the second half when he was on his arse on the end line....

And this is what I'm talking about. The O'Connors are the baddies while we're led to believe no Galway player would ever do anything like that. Gimme a break.

km79 wrote: »

Incidentally Connolly is appealing

A pretty select taste I'd say:P

Right after looking at the qualifier route my optimism has returned BUT the key is to avoid Tyrone /donegal in round 3
We will beat every other team Ian's then into a probable quarter final vs Kerry
Better then than in the semis

yop wrote: »

Beat who we have to beat. I think we won't avoid either of those two.
That said the way we have played at home in the last few years even getting to the QF will be the usual heart stopping stuff.

Thought Boland had a good game yesterday, intelligent player.
They really need to look at our shot selection though, Regans 2 mind fart attempts and P Durcan twice and a few more are just not clever shooting.

Only one of them (the losers ) will end up on our side of the draw
The winners and the other ulster provincial semi finalists are all on the B side of draw
Likely round 4 opponents then are Cork
Hardly a daunting prospect
So basically avoid Donegal/Tyrone in round 3 and we would be heavily favoured to make quarters

http://www.con-telegraph.ie/news/roundup/articles/2017/06/11/4141459-so-whats-up-next-for-mayo-in-2017-championship-series/

jam83 wrote: »

I'm a Galway man and enjoyed good and bad days against mayo but the o Connor lads need to stop the drama queen acts if they don't get a free. Diarmuid went banging the ground like a ****ing banshee today just like his big brother, delighted to see it ignored

I'm a mayo fan and I've no time for this either! Slamming the ground with their fists - I'd give out to a child for that. I don't get too pissed with Cillian over the black card though, yes he probably got a favourable call on it but I was standing in the terrace right beside where it happened and a winced with the noise of the hit he got. He probably made a meal of it but it had to have hurt. No black card but doesn't mean he wasn't hurt from it.