Mayo GAA Discussion

In one way I am surprise by you when you say they can't shoot from distance. I am not disagreeing with your points, but this is how we play, ball through the hand and get into the D before you shoot - back and forth, try a runner etc… groundhog play. This was how we were last year and got choked by it. I don't know can they do it but it is hindered by McStays strategy and you won't know until you change how you play. I expected more from McStay when he was appointed. He has been a real disappointment. We are also clearly not cute - a good example is Reape card for the shoulder into Clifford and when Clifford does it, Reape gets up like he took a bullet for the team with a smile, when he should have rolled on the ground and bitched like Clifford did. Also I expect players to become naturally cute as they gain experience but we don't. I don't know why tbh. We don't seem to know when we can sense blood and put the knife in, like hit it long when you win back possession deep in your own half. Its not in us and we only really had one man who did this but he is on the SG now.

A different manager could easly transform a team on how they play, Donegal is a good example.. We just need to ride out the season and "hope" it works out or "hope" they had a hard training session before the game and we were flat. All in all, it was good that they got to the final. There is a clear sense of reality hitting home, which is a good thing.

The reason I reckon they can't shoot from distance is because we never see them do it with consistency recently.

I was hoarse on Sunday evening from roaring "shoot" at them from the Cusack Stand.

The need you describe there is very much what the need was back in 2010, a manager to harden them up, to make them more cute, let's even say cynical, to change the narrative around Mayo football.

And Horan did that, Horan transformed Mayo, he brought a level of consistency never seen before.

But slowly that has been lost.

For me a decent performance in a quarter final or better would be a good outcome, then look forward to a new manager and hopefully something new for 2026.

Winning Connacht, getting a 1st seed and winning a group to help prepare for that quarter final would be good too.

Ya. McHugh did ok. He wasn't helped by the fact that Paudi Clifford was given the freedom of Croke Park to allow him plenty of time to send in pass after pass to the forward line. That should have been nipped in the bud.

Enda Hession had a lengthy spell on the sidelines. When he came back, he had another setback. When he did play last year, there was no conviction in his play. But in the last few games so far this year, he looks like a new man again.

Hession picked up a fairly bad injury last year in the league versus Tyrone. That was the reason we didn't see much of him iirc.

One thing Sunday made very clear imo is that stopping D Clifford (and Kerry in general) is nearly more about stopping Paudie than David - he's the one who really made them tick last Sun even if David racked up the scores

The last time Kerry played Mayo in a league final Clifford roasted O'Hora, that did not happen to McHugh this time.

Now from everything I have heard about O'Hora he seems to be a absolute stand up guy and I am sure he is, but he was never an inter-county defender of the level required.

And that is one thing I will give McStay credit for, he fixed a back line that got destroyed that day v Kerry (lost by 15) and again in two QFs by Kerry (lost by 8) and Dublin (lost by 12) and hardened them up a bit.

They re certainly not leaking as many goals or being opened up like they used to a few years ago.

The problem of course on Sunday as another poster says is that even though McHugh made it difficult for D Clifford, P Clifford got the run of the place.

Lots of talk locally of Seanie O'Shea not coming back.

Fully agree with you on this and the narrative around the lack of quality players and the squad in general. 2010 qualifier defeat to Longford was our lowest point in recent history however 12/15 that started that game would play huge roles in the subsequent transformation for Mayo football, incl multiple all stars and a player of the year. The prevailing attitude at that time was that the players we had were nowhere near good enough.

I'm not suggesting we're at such a low point as 2010 now but feel with the right manager, belief system, tactics etc in place we have a much higher ceiling and could be genuine contenders.

What ROD did to Sean Kelly in Pearse Stadium was worse than any of those...Hard men

Your post was implying ye had no lads in the current team that could dish it out by whatever means necessary...ROD is well able to...

That's true, Reape being an example of it Sunday when Clifford was acting the maggot on the kick out. Either book the two of them or none …

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Yeah. TG4 seem to have a new deal with 1 of the Connacht u20 games a week on their YouTube channel, Mayo fortunate enough getting both of the 1st two games.

This week, their game is Sligo vs Galway ( https://www.tg4.ie/en/irish-tv-schedule/live-sport/ ) so we'll be behind the paywall.

U20s motoring nicely with 3 wins from 3, sligo in the last round in 2 weeks

Really impressive to see the lads putting those wins together in the manner they have. 3 very different types of performances across the 3 games, with different areas of the field providing the mainspring for the wins.

You'd make a case for us being short up to 7 or 8 possible or probable predicted starters if not for recent injuries or other complications (Dolan, Coghill, Slattery, Silke, Clarke, Maheady & Hurley [with Beirne not yet starting]), so a real vote of confidence in the strength & depth across this group for the future.

The likes of MacMonagle & Hurley already raising their hands for a much closer look. With Lydon, Beirne, Mortimer & McGreal all pushing in the right direction too despite still being underage next year.