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Man Vs ManUre until 9/05/23
Assuming he stays injury free, I think you can be much more confident of Carr than Jason D. I was shocked he made the panel this year. 33 years old, two cruciate injuries in recent years, minimal championship football played in the past 3 seasons - actually hasn't scored in Championship since the day he did his cruciate against Donegal - and he's competing with Cillian, Aidan, Ryan, Carr, Conroy, Towey, and Orme for inside forward positions.
Sorry - the lack of strength.
Kev Mc was/is very smart but his biggest asset was his acceleration over a few yards - would get him out of any trouble and also create chances. Boland is a very clever player too and hugely courageous. I think the Feeney and Nally comparisons are a bit unfair as well. Boland is well ahead of them in terms of level of talent, relatively speaking.
I'm a big fan of Boland as a player but sometimes you just have to accept that the management get to see an awful lot more of these guys and they're an awful lot more qualified to make the calls. He wasn't exactly a go to man for Horan. Rochdord was probably his biggest fan iirc.
Playing well in club games mightn't translate for some. Players who mightn't stand out in club games may be well suited for a very specific job for the county etc etc.
We're fairly lucky that we've had a long spell of managers who seem to be looking at/giving most players a fair chance.
I don't think McDonagh or Boland would come into the equation near the championship myself.
In Flynn, RO'D, CO'C, Conroy, AO'S, Carr, Jason Doc and KMcL we have 8 very strong players there (I might be jumping the gun a bit on Carr).
Outside of that, all I would be looking at is for a couple of lads to really put themselves forward from the likes of Carney, Tuohy, Towey, Orme, McDonagh, McStay etc etc
If you had 10 forwards you were confident in come championship, it would be some turn up for the books.
Which part don't you agree with?
I have watched him loads and I just don't agree with that but obviously the management think he is seriously lacking in something not to make the panel - not as if we are blessed with good half-forwards. Again maybe I don't understand modern football that well but I watched all Westport's games this year and you'd never have picked Fionn out as county standard. Then you watch Aghamore and Boland is always one of the top players in the game. I think it is very different to Richie Feeney thing. Anyway, we need a new number 10 for Championship. You can say 'oh he tracks back well and covers space for Loftus' but that's not going to cut it if you want to win an All Ireland - sure Diarmuid and Kevin Mc have been doing it for years.
We have to be really up for the challenge that Tyrone may bring tomorrow night. The most recent time we played them at MacHale Park – during Covid in October 2020 – they relegated us, in 2018 they hammered us by twelve points, they had four points to spare over us in 2015 and a single point in 2013, we drew in both 2009 and 2006 and they humbled us by nine points in 2004. The game before that was the 1992 meeting, which we won by 2-12 to 1-11. They beat us by two points in Omagh last year. They defeated Kerry by one point last year down in Killarney. Tyrone can always pull out a big performance and we have a bad record against them in MacHale park, last win there against them was 1992.
Doc was away on his honeymoon and is only getting up to speed from what I hear, didn't travel to Armagh, another week or two before hes in contention.
Impact subs I'd be guessing for both lads
What are people's thoughts on McStay's possible thoughts on the likes of Kevin McL and Jason Doc? Probably seen as impact subs at this stage?
I presume we'll start to see both getting worked back into things over the second half of the league. If both came back to anywhere near their former strength, it would be a massive plus.
Fionn for me made too many mistakes the last day to justify his 51 minute inclusion. He kept slipping and making the wrong decisions going forward from what I could see on the Telly. I didn't see the actions Boyler mentioned but if thats what he was able to contribute, then fair play. He does work well on the opposition kickouts and I have a recollection of him doing very well in this regard in one of the FBD games I believe against Galway so perhaps he earned his stripes from that.
On the Boland thing - great lad to score a point or 2 but just not physically strong enough, was too easily pushed off the ball in my view. I spotted this in a number of the pre match warm ups too - most particularly when we played Kildare in the League last year. He was just being shoved out of the way too easily by the likes of O'Hora and Coen (as would most humans but that's what you're up against) and I'm sure in full blown training it would have been the same. There could be no comparison between him and Kevin McL, Kevin was a far smarter footballer in my view.
We do have a habit of bigging up lads who don't get games, the "Richey Feeney effect" I've seen it referred to. We had the same with Shane Nally who I recall watching him vomit on the pitch in Tyrone in the league in 2017. Now the lad could have been ill or perhaps he just wasn't up to the pace but when I saw that I did wonder if fitness was the issue with him. The following year he started the game against Monaghan and was rooted to the same spot for most of the game before being subbed off.
I'm making an example of Nally which is perhaps unfair as he had a wand of a left boot and was very capable of scoring from distance but the point really is there are aspects of a lads game who if he's only getting a short period in games and looks decent then people wonder why he isn't getting 70 minutes every game when in reality, they may not be up to the 70 minutes or just don't have the skills needed to play the game the manager wants to play.
Chipping in with point or 2 is great but if the opposition keeper is going to kick your direction each time because he knows' your opposing number has the edge on you and can create scores from it isn't going to help your case.
We can be quick to criticise players when they don't do what we expect them to do, but they may be doing exactly what the manager has asked of them.
I was sitting around Fionn McDonaghs wing forward position for the first half of the Kerry match. I said to my Da at half time that he was no-where near the pitch of the game needed for inter-county standard. He didn't seem to have any real desire to get on the ball. When he did look for it, the Kerry backs were able to outpace him to it, even coming from a position behind him. Maybe Fionn is showing well at training, and maybe the nerves of the big-day games gets to him. I don't know. But based on recent performances, he is not the answer for number 10 or 12 in my opinion. If only we could get another Jordan Flynn type addition - physical, energetic and enthusiastic for the ball. When I was watching the team doing the warm-ups before the game, he stood out to me. He has far greater speed than I ever credited him with. He is at the height of form now. Hope to god he stays free from injury. I know it might seem extreme to pencil our hopes on one man, but I think it is key to have him continue that sort of form if we are going to have a good run in the championship.
I believe Oisín McLaughlin stepped away from the panel himself. Boland is an accurate shooter but I wouldn't have said he's great at winning breaks. McDonagh is much better at that and competing for kickouts.
Not a huge McDonagh fan either but Boyler mentioned on the Mayo News pod that he was dropping back into the HB line to mark Moynihan which freed up Loftus to play a sweeper role - I wasn't at the match so I can't comment myself but it might be worth keeping an eye on him (and Carney) in the next couple of matches, maybe they've been asked to play a particular role in defence and that's why they're not as prominent on the ball as we might expect. I know in the Galway match, Orme played a lot deeper than I've seem him play before (e.g. setting up at wing back for the Galway kickout at times)
The media have been pushing it a bit in fairness. I noticed a few articles from the Examiner in particular that seem to be blowing things out of proportion.
I did see a lot of cheap jabs about the pitch being invaded as if we'd won an All Ireland flying around social media... but that pitch would have been invaded if we lost as well. Anyway, I think most Mayo fans are long enough in the tooth now not to be getting (too) carried away.
Regan is an out and out corner forward. Agreed on Loftus, he's also too slow for an 11 - I'm not sure of him at 6 either but I prefer him there than in midfield or forwards. Boland doesn't have the physicality - does/did Kevin McLoughlin? Boland is tough as nails and so good at picking up breaking ball. You could have a half forward line of Boland, Touhy, Flynn. Plenty height and physicality there. McDonagh is such a strange choice, he's not even the best half forward on the Westport team - that's Oisin McLaughlin.
Boland doesn’t have physicality for inter county I enjoyed watching a big and strong half forward line Well able to win breaking ball and compete In the air Not a fan of the light forwards (loftus,boland, Regan etc
Agreed on Ruane. In 2021 right up until the final, he was outstanding. Then he had an absolute shocker in the final and I don't know that he has quite come back from that. He hasn't played as well since imo.
On the calendar, the GAA have made a **** up of the whole thing. The condensed season is a mess frankly and I wouldn't be surprised at all if it doesn't last. The chickens will come home to roost with injuries eventually. However, if we were to find ourselves in a situation where a league final was in sight, we should go for it. Why the hell not.
As for Tyrone, it's a tricky one for sure. No better team for giving everyone a land. I think they enjoy upsetting the apple cart and it will be a bit of a dogfight this weekend. Will need a lot of patience for this one.
Ruane is a strange player. When he's good he looks like one of the top midfielders in the game. When's bad, like against Kerry, he looks so average. Goes from 5/10 performances to 9/10 performances. He's just not consistent. Though he always gives 100%. Diarmuid on the other hand is like the Denis Irwin of Mayo football, absolute minimum of 7/10 and regularly 8/10. He's way more talented than Ruane but just doesn't have those 9/10 games enough. Here's hoping they dovetail at midfield because they are both massive scoring threats.
Why do they pick McDonagh over someone like Boland? His football skills are not intercounty standard.
Not aimed at you specifically, just an observation on things I've been hearing (including the media)
Personally I'll start worrying about whether being in a league final is such a terrible thing once we are safe with no major injuries.
I agree we shouldn't be taking our foot off the gas at all. We should be going to win the league without a doubt! I really find the Tyrone game hard to call and Roscommon are on a high at the moment so i don't know how that will go either.
But Donegal without Michael Murphy are not the same animal, we have managed a number of draws in Ballybofey over the last few years and Id be confident of at least a draw there again this year.
Monaghan are without doubt the relegation fight experts but they have been hanging on by a thread for a few years now. McManus is 36 this year, will they hang on again this year?
If that's aimed at me, I certainly wasn't saying we are safe. Neither were The Sunday Game or Ah Ref, who I mentioned.
They were both saying that achieving safety would be the number one goal for McStay, and that another win was needed for that... and only then McStay might have the freedom to try new players out.
I wasn't saying that we'll win the league, but I think the right attitude is to go out and try to win the league. I just don't get the "it might be best to take the foot of the gas" approach if safety was secured.
There has been a lot of talk about Mayo fans getting ahead of themselves. I think that day is long gone tbh. The only people spouting that kind of stuff is from people looking to land cheap jabs.
People were happy with the Kerry result, we played very well but I think everyone recognised that Kerry aren't at the races yet. Happy, but not losing the run of ourselves imo.
The assumption that Mayo are safe in the league and the worst thing that could happen to us now is making the league final is worrying to me.
We should be safe but I've never seen Tyrone lose at MacHale Park.Then you have the high flying rossies where anything could happen and then up against Monaghan who will be fighting for their lives and are the relegation dogfight experts. Lastly we have Donegal in Ballybofey who will also be fighting relegation,when's the last time we won there?
I'm certainly not being negative but Mayo fans are getting ahead of themselves a bit I think,get to safety first at all costs.
That first half v Kerry was as good as I've seen Mayo play in many years. Laois man here.
I’d agree with the above, I think that feeling comes from a general assumption that the League Final might be seen as a hindrance. Odd that a national title is viewed that way but I think it’s a demonstration of how the GAA can make a balls of the fixtures to the extent that the “secondary” competition is taken so much less seriously.
I’m coming around to the idea that in such a condensed fixture environment we should be going all out to win every game, carry the momentum and go from there. We’ll have the time to rest if we beat Roscommon in the first Round of the championship.
There's a general feeling that McStay will start experimenting a bit once we're safe in the league. That the likes of Towey, Orme etc will get their gametime then. That was the general feeling on The Sunday Game and Ah Ref podcast anyway.
I wouldn't be so sure at all. I can't see McStay building momentum, only to risk losing it just before the Championship.
7 or 8 decent quality league games is nothing really for a new management team in terms of trying to implement new patterns of play, new defensive systems etc... There's really not an awful lot of scope for giving too many new players time imo.
You just have to look at what O'Connor did with Kerry last year for a blueprint. It was full speed ahead for the league and Championship. He wanted them finely tuned by the championship and you don't get that by experimenting in the second half of the league imo.
You could say the same for Paul Towey or Conor McStay, with Conor getting that game time. I’d say Cillian was brought on to see out the game, slow it down and protect the lead, being the ideal old dog for that hard road.
Where was Orme Saturday night?
Was he injured?
If not why did he not get a run I wonder.
I would have thought a double digits lead would have been an ideal time to bring on a guy and get him scoring a few points.
Or is he done in managements eyes ?
Interesting about JP. I know little about him though I’ve seen a few rants from him about the CB. I’ve seen his stuff be repeated by others who I would categorise as being a bit off centre and as such, I’ve taken his musings with a pinch of salt.
I see JP Kean was on Ah Refs pod this week. He was lamenting what I'll call the county board mafia and how he thinks they shut him out and put a stop to his Midwest appearances and writing in the Western People.
Funny that
In 1993 Ray Dempsey got injured playing in a league match against Fermanagh, a week out from our All Ireland semi final against Eire Og. Early 1996 we were in the same position and the Knockmore lads refused to play in the league because we had Eire Og in another semi final.
The result was that no Knockmore players were invited to JP Keans minor trials. The club wrote asking for a teammate of mine to be considered. No reply. No representation on the county minor team.
I guess it's different when you're the one outside the door JP?
I'd agree he could have done better for both of those, no doubt he's learned from both of those now too.
Thought he was very flat-footed for the goals against Galway and kerry but I take your point about the excellent defence.
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