Mayo GAA Discussion - Part 3

Open the game up, run at them, run and don't stop running.. Make it a case of we will score more than you ! Mayo have Athletes to match Dublin and it is all about taking your scores on the day.

The first fifteen minutes of the final could be the winning of the game in my opinion. As good as Dublin are, they haven't played a properly competitive match in 11 months (unoess you count the league final, I don't because I believe Dublin wouldn't perceive it as a hugely important fixture) so they'll need a little bit of time to settle in and get to grips with our intensity, an intensity we brought right from minute one in both Kerry matches. If we build up a nice lead (4 points minimum) in that period, we are in with a real shot. If it's close heading into minute twenty, we're really up against it but never out of it all the same.

That's just the way I see it, and of course there's a lot more to the game than the opening stanza. The gap in fitness and quality from the bench between them and us (and every other county) isn't half as wide as many make it out to be. This year, we have really good options from the bench to call on like Loftus, Coen and Durcan. Maybe not quite as polished as the likes of Brogan, O'Gara and company but these are options we didn't really have last year, I don't recall any subs making a huge difference for us in 2016 but it's an area that needed to improve and so it has (although Dublin obviously have more high quality subs than ourselves, so we have to make clever use of ours).

We're in a much better state heading into this final than we were last year, and even then there was only one point between the sides over 150 minutes, made even harder to take for our two desperately unfortunate own goals. We can beat them in a football match, I've no doubt about it, and after getting the Kerry monkey off our backs, the panel has never been mentally stronger and rightfully confident as they should be now.

I wasn't very confident last year, and was pleasantly surprised by the battle we fought in the two games, but this year is a different story and I can't think of many reasons why we can't push Dublin to the brink and then finally over it. We don't really do "cute hoorism" here, well I certainly don't anyway, and I won't apologise to anyone for really believeing we will go that one step further at last in three weeks time.

Bambi wrote:

Tyrone have up until today.

Tyrone haven't played good opposition though.
They really needed to play monaghan in the ulster final to help bring them on. A blanket defense when teams are pushing up on kick outs now? It was so easy for Dublin. All they had to do (and did perfectly) was keep Tyrone pegged back in their own half and get the turnover/loose pass - madness tactics.

Tyrone's approach was obviously wrong today.

Dublin, the most technically gifted team in Ireland, were given time and space in midfield and defense, and vitally were allowed to go short for so many kick outs. Tyrone thought it acceptable and even rational to simply sit behind a blanket defense without pressing and matching Dublin for intensity.

I think Mayo can genuinely trouble Dublin by using their approach which is a more aggressive, fitness driven and fiercely physical approach by hitting a Dublin player every time he gets the ball.

I suspect that, without such easy possession, Dublin will struggle to play such excellent football.

Donal55 wrote: »

Could equally be said no team good enough to test Dublin.

Agreed but no team will test dublin sitting back and trying to keep the score down like most of their leinster opponents, or just operating blanket defences like monaghan and tyrone and let dem stroll up pitch from uncontested kickouts and pick off scores.

We have to run at them with pace and numbers while pushing up on cluxtons kick outs as much as possible. Play the game on our terms not theirs!!

Roll on 3 weeks time!!!!!!!!!!!!!

seligehgit wrote: »

I'd agree with this,I thought Dublin were exceptional in the first half today.Very controlled and measured with great intensity.Probing patiently until the opportunities arose and some quality long distance scores.

Don't buy for a minute the narrative that Tyrone have suddenly become a bad side,possibly not as good as one had been led to believe but they were literally blown out of the water in the first half.

Dubs pulled away in the second half whilst in second or third gear whilst bringing in a bench of All Ireland winners.

Brings one bang down to earth after the elation of yesterday.Still think we'll give them a decent game!:D

They didn't become bad overnight, they were just never as good as the media would have had everyone believe to begin with. Their style of play was never going to beat Dublin and once they fell behind, they were incapable of fighting their way back into it because the way they​ set up prevents them from doing so. Once Dublin got themselves in front, Tyrone didn't have the tools to stage a comeback. That conservative style is not going to beat Dublin and frankly I'm surprised at Mickey Harte's naivety in that regard. They set up to contain Dublin rather than go at them and going at them is really the only way to take the game to Dublin.

jr86 wrote: »

Look, are Dublin untested this champ? Yes.
Is it their fault? Absolutely not.
Do we know can they dig out wins when a game is in the melting pot? Absolutely.
Am I deep down clutching at straws behind it all? Probably.

But forgive me for coming into a mayo thread and taking the optimistic view. After all and sundry telling us we were making up the numbers last year and the majority of pundits and fans countrywide saying we couldn't beat Kerry, I sure as can be will believe that this is the year right until Dublin win the cup

I'm going to be as optimistic and deluded as I can be and fk the begrudgers. Being in an all Ireland is what it's all about and we're the envy of 30 counties.

I probably won't post much in the build up as it'll be a trolling goldmine and full of petty tit for tats about who was tested and how much of a jail sentence aidan o'shea should serve for provoking Donaghy but would encourage everyone to stay positive and believe in the lads and savour all of it

Tldr: mayo4sam

I think we are going to win too

jr86 wrote: »

Look, are Dublin untested this champ? Yes.
Is it their fault? Absolutely not.
Do we know can they dig out wins when a game is in the melting pot? Absolutely.
Am I deep down clutching at straws behind it all? Probably.

But forgive me for coming into a mayo thread and taking the optimistic view. After all and sundry telling us we were making up the numbers last year and the majority of pundits and fans countrywide saying we couldn't beat Kerry, I sure as can be will believe that this is the year right until Dublin win the cup

I'm going to be as optimistic and deluded as I can be and fk the begrudgers. Being in an all Ireland is what it's all about and we're the envy of 30 counties.

I probably won't post much in the build up as it'll be a trolling goldmine and full of petty tit for tats about who was tested and how much of a jail sentence aidan o'shea should serve for provoking Donaghy but would encourage everyone to stay positive and believe in the lads and savour all of it

Tldr: mayo4sam

Sure, we'll be lucky to keep the ball kicked out to them, but we'll head up for the day out anyway.

Blackjack wrote: »

Me three.

Make that four.

Mayo are no Tyrone.

jr86 wrote: »

But surely if we lose we're complete bottlers, no?

Oh yeah, of course we are.
Dublin will win by about 20 points, maybe more if they really decide to go at it. And Mayo will just roll over and let them cos they've no backbone.
We'll go up for the look anyway, even if only to have the pleasure of being in the presence of this Dublin team.

DDC1990 wrote:

Best of luck. I know that it was probably a blessing in disguise for Kerry to have been beaten on Saturday. I think ye are better equipped to deal with the Dublin threats. I thunk they'd have minced us and relished it to win their 3 in a row.

Oh we would, would be more difficult with Crowley and Morley dragging out of the half-forward line like the best of them than it was today.

I agree Mayo are certainly better equipped than Kerry, always have been in my book and I've questioned the rubbish about them not being a top three team here before. They only get moving in the Semifinals.

What impressed me most yesterday was the performance of the management team, they got nearly everything right, that in itself is the biggest concern for me as a Dublin supporter as largely speaking these are the same players as the last two years.

Stephen Coen was super when he came on