Mayo GAA Discussion

Club team, Tullamore

Robbie Brennan seems like a good manager, (even if that Kilmacud Crokes team was fairly star studded), in that he has at least got Meath looking more like a team than a bunch of individuals.

If there was one team I thought under these new rules someone would be keen to manage it was Meath.Especially when they were at such a low ebb.

They are like that saying on fashion that no matter what the item of clothing, if you hold on to it long enough it will come back into fashion. Meath at club and county level never changed their style of football. They always played at county senior level with a lot of big strong players around the middle, played catch and kick, long balls into their forwards, shot from distance, and that is basically what is needed under the new rules to be competative.

The rules have come back around to suit Meath.

McConville staying with Wicklow it seems....not sure if he was ever a realistic option for Mayo tbh 🤔

For me it`s more a case of the new rules going back to the style of football that Meath won All Ireland`s playing and a style they never changed from at club level. They totally blew the Leinster Final, but had probably over celebrated beating Dublin and then under estimated Louth.

I have said here before, if you want to re-build a team for championship, Div 2 is the place to do it as you can experiment much easier there and do so out of the glare of headlights. I suspect their falling away in Div 2 was much to do with them eyeing the championship with Dublin sliping back somewhat.

The blip in Leinster may have been their blessing in disguise if Leinster was their main aim as they got their act back together quickly, toping their group beating Kerry and then took out Galway. They may not win an All Ireland this year, but they are a coming team.

The fitness and conditioning of Donegal is what you would expect from a McGuinness managed team, but Meath do not seem lacking in that area either, and may not need to be at the same level as Donegal as they kick long rather than run the ball. Donegal will need to be very careful running the ball through hands and getting turned over. With Meath`s kicking game they could easily get caught out at the back. I heard on the radio today that both Meath and Tyrone were complete underdogs. While I cannot see Tyrone beating Kerry, I wouldn`t class Meath anywhere close to being underdogs to that extent.

No coach, no matter how good he is, will make a team competative at All Ireland Senior Championship level unless the players available to him have the skill sets required.

Brennan is a good coach, he has them well organised, motivated and at a high fitness level. Where he and Meath are blessed is that Meath at county and club level have always played the brand of football that is now required to be successful under the new rules.

The mixed year and results for Meath continued right up to their final game. Fitness and conditioning was on a different level for Donegal today as was their physicality. Now in hindsight the through the hands style has proved to be more of success than kick passing especially when you are as extremely fit as Donegal are to make it a success.

Donegal`s fitness level may be at a better level than Meath`s, but I wouldn`t say that applies to their physicality. Meath are quite a big strong physical team, especially around the middle, which with the new rules can be an advantage if you can won ball cleanly there. Donegal negated that by breaking anything in that area and moping it up. It was working so well for them that even when Conor Gray went in to replace Brian Menton they didn`t send in Jason McGee

Long kick passing can work in that you can transition quickly from defense to attack, but you need players free to kick too. If you haven`t then you are kicking a 50/50 ball to a marked player with his back to goals. Donegal increase that percentage in their favour by carrying the ball out of defense at speed, with their 3 up forwards most often just pulling their defenders wide to open up the center with any of those players coming through able to kick a score.

Sure this is how its going to be for the next while until they appoint somebody!!!!

I really can't see Donaghy taking on Mayo! But who knows!

He started of in Derry, then Louth, Cavan around lunch time, on to Mayo and finished up in Galway

With Reape taking a year out he must be favourite

Well he hasn't taken out an ad in the western but hes taking a year out. AFAIK it's common knowledge

Taking a Yr out with a new manager being appointed shortly is madness what's to say he will get a look in with the new manager he should hold tight until Maughan I mean new manager takes up his position an see where he is then.

Is today not the closing date for applications?? I have to say, I'm both surprised and shocked that there hasn't been any rumours worth talking about or any leaks from the process so far! If today is the closing date though, and if history is anything to go by, I'd say the names will be out before the weekend is over…….