Higgins5473 wrote: » Very good article, a lot truth in it. December 19 2020 09:58 PM Dublin are all the things that are good about life and sport... Mayo are doomed until their celebrity culture is banished Joe Brolly Did you hear the one about Santa and the Mayo youngster? Santa: What would you like for Christmas little one? Child: A unicorn. Santa: Ah come on, be realistic. Choose something else. Child: Mayo to win Sam. Santa: What colour unicorn would you like? In the 50th minute Cillian O’Connor scored a simple free to bring Mayo level at 2-8 to 0-14. The rest was Dublin time. Paul Mannion and Brian Howard had come on. They went to battle speed and you know the rest. David Hickey said on Saturday morning that he had "no time for this Mayo team, they are a tragic outfit. They win All-Star awards and Player of the Year awards and all that sort of crap. Dublin win All-Irelands." Mayo have now played in five All-Ireland finals since 2012 and lost all five. The team embodies the culture of the individual that is at the heart of Mayo's dysfunction. Pat Gilroy, who watched the game with me, had a simple mission statement when he took over Dublin, who were at that time very similar to this Mayo group. "If you are not completely happy to sacrifice yourself for the team, find another pastime." The group talked about this incessantly. Gilroy ruthlessly culled those players who set themselves above the group. It was, as he says, nothing personal. "They just weren’t suited to serving a cause. It was not their fault. But they could not be accommodated. Otherwise, it is like a cancer. Leave even a little bit of it in and it will spread and eventually kill the culture," he said. When Darren Coen came on in the last quarter and kicked several pot-shots into Stephen Cluxton's hands and all over the place, Gilroy nodded at me and pointed. “There you have it, Joe. There you have it.” Aidan O'Shea, for example, was anonymous again, but this is not his fault. He is not built to serve a cause. A lovely, personable lad he is, but a serious footballer he is not. Like a number of others in this group, he succumbed at an early stage in his career to what Hickey calls "the curse of individuality". James Horan has a charmed group of untouchables. This is corrosive to the culture. The others feel they are dispensable and when they are unable to logically justify the disparity in treatment, they become aggrieved, the bonds of togetherness essential for serious success are not forged and the project is doomed. It would be patronising and dishonest to say Mayo played bravely and were only beaten by the greatest team the game has ever seen. In 2012, they were crushed by Donegal. In 2014, by a very young Kerry team who galloped through them in the semi-final replay. Kildare beat them in 2018. They shook their heads and refused to go to war in the dying moments against Dublin in 2015, 2016 and 2017. This group is doomed and will not win an All-Ireland until the celebrity culture is banished by a manager who is not himself a part of the celebrity culture. Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly tried but were ejected after one season by a coup spearheaded by the charmed inner circle. Stephen Rochford brought them closer than anyone with the excellence of his coaching. But they were doomed to fail, inevitably losing out when it came to the crunch, because Rochford did not have the courage to take on the problem. Instead, the players quietly got rid of him after three seasons, preferring to go back to the comfort of their first coach. Things would be just the way they liked them under Horan. Another three years of plucky failures, plenty of commercial opportunities, lots of TV time and a smattering of All-Star awards. Dublin were scatty on Saturday and by their standards poor in the first half. Cluxton’s kick-out was disastrous. He took six long ones, losing all six. He kicked one too short which was thrown up, then almost gifted Mayo a goal with a kamikaze short one. Even at half pace, Dublin reached half-time two up, courtesy of an easy training ground goal after 13 seconds and an astounding second goal from Con O’Callaghan, which underlined his all-round magnificence. The second half was depressing. Dublin's culture meant victory was inevitable and an easy victory at that. This Mayo group truly does not understand the joy of football, which is all in the journey, not in the anti-climax of a victory. They are a team that does not operate in the real world. They do not face the truth and deal with it. Instead, they are happy with the instant gratification that comes from awards and a victory here and there. A league title. A Connacht title. Dublin, meanwhile, are all the things that are good about life and sport. Like the All Blacks, they serve something bigger than themselves. They have total respect for the game and the opposition. They do everything in their body to achieve the perfect performance. The needs of others are considered ahead of their own. It is inspiring and humbling. They provide us with a guidebook not just for sport, but life. We are lucky to have them, this special, devoted, selfless collective, where the team is the star and tik tok is the sound of a clock. Online Editors Rock and O'Callaghan goals key as Dublin's history-makers overcome battling Mayo to make it six-in-a-row Gaelic Football
naughto wrote: » Did we hear if durcan was injured before the game cos he definitely wasn't him self or did it happen on the pitch??
CorkFenian wrote: » Saw the first few lines of Joe Brollys article today, don't buy Sunday Independent anymore anyone able to copy and paste it up here
awaywithyou wrote: » Mayo will win an all-ireland within 10years possibly 5.... stephen coen wil be captain..
Higgins5473 wrote: » The Mayo egos still seem massively overinflated. Are they hailed as heroes wherever they go in Mayo? Would love to know what happened in the tunnel but mayo, again Mayo are wound up like a tight spring and choke bad, seem to be the aggressors all the time, there just seems to be such a lack of humility and no keeping egos in check. Fitzsimons should've been sent off tonight. Awful tackle/assault. That said I am delighted Lee Keegan will never see an All Ireland medal for his GPS cheating, an embarrassment to your county and the GAA in general, a long term ban for bringing the game into disrepute at the very least for that. The desperation, egos, underhanded play and most of all this sense of entitlement of winning an AI seem to be your biggest obstacles. Best of luck next year, you've a few promising players.
irishgeo wrote: » I think most mayo fans were hoping for a win rather than expecting one. But with some good up and coming players in the squad who will have learned a lot about how to play in an all Ireland final and what it takes to win. You can't switch off and happened for the 2nd goal and players like Conroy will have learned a lot. The short turnaround till the next season might mean a few sticking around and no retirements. Anyone know what the semi finals line up is? It was supposed to Ulster for us this season but was changed to Munster so I'm assuming it's Leinster for 2021.
gormdubhgorm wrote: » I don't know about that. Mayo are just missing that cuteness shot selection it can be learnt. If they find two-three clinical forwards to what they already have. Mayo are a team that are almost there. They work like dogs and are a fit as anything. But even the fittest teams need a bench. If I was the Mayo CB I would be scouring the country for any quality forward. Not just from Mayo but other counties. It would transform Mayo. Two/three quality forwards. Mayo way too dependant on C'OConnor. Plus Aiden O'Shea seems to be living on reputation alone imo.
Fr Tod Umptious wrote: » I said earlier that this did not feel like that disappointing of a loss. But fcuk it I'm pissed off now. Not for this loss in particular but for the constant year after year after year year getting to finals only to be meeting the best team of a generation against you. I know getting to finals is good and you can't win them if you're not in them, and that you have to beat the best, but for once it would be great for Mayo to catch a break and face something other than a great team in a final. I look at Cork in 2010 as an example. Five years in a row they lost to Kerry in either the SF or final, and then eventually with Kerry beaten in a QF they get to play and beat Down in a final. Same goes for Galway in 98, they only had to deal with Kildare. Even Kerry's solitary win in the 2010s did not involve them playing Dublin. And don't any one mention. Donegal in 2012, they were a once in a generation machine. As McStay said, we have never been favorite. I'd just love to see some year Dublin get beaten an Mayo take advantage and win it out over someone way over their heads.
Trampas wrote: » Philly said mayo wanted murchan to do elf on the shelf for them but he said no
irishgeo wrote: » You'll find that Dublin player started it as usual. Dublin are great at the old cheating too. Dragging down players before they get goal chances is a prime example. Rolling around on the ground for a little slap. Even the lads in the u20 squad are at it. The fella in the Galway in the last minute was an embrassment with his dive to get a free. Mayo were beaten by a better team the Dublin bench was the difference. But as usual Dublin fans can't enjoy it and have to come out and attack as well. It's pretty sad. But this team will slowly wane like all others when a few of the older players will go.
Squatman wrote: » Great game. Great showing by 4 to1 outsiders, against the heaviest funded team in the history of the GAA, home advantage and a ref afraid to make a big call in a final. Looks like AIG was missing from the refs jersey. 🀣 well done, the better funded, better equipped, better facilitated, better hyped, home advantaged team won
Achebe wrote: » I think this is the only way Mayo will win an All Ireland.
padd b1975 wrote: » I found the amount of kickouts RTE missed from both keepers because of showing replays very annoying. Not as annoying as Ger Canning, but annoying all the same. Nothing really to complain about in the actual game, Dublin were comfortable enough pretty much all through the second half. Diarmuid and Aidan will be most disappointed with their contributions and losing Paddy Durcan at half time was a real blow. Oisín Mullin for Young Player of the Year.
Hulk Hands wrote: » Clarke's kickouts were excellent. I think it's the first time in history Cluxton went long on the majority of his kickouts. Mayo won the kickout battle absolutely hands down. Clarke can take credit in that. Getting beaten by 5 is just down to the gulf in quality. Mayo's tactics were spot on
wirelessdude01 wrote: » One positive for next year is that the league will be run on a regional basis so therefore no relegation or promotion at stake. Allows us to blood even more players and try formations.
TCDStudent1 wrote: » Would 2020 not have been a better time to do that due to the lack of games in McHale Park???
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