Mayo GAA Discussion Thread

seligehgit · 26-08-2013 12:22PM

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

I have always thought that Mayo would make the final but have not been as positive about them actually winning it.

And I am still not sure about it after yesterdays game.

From the positive side I think that both Dublin and Kerry play a more open brand of football than Tyrone did and that in a way will help Mayo and their more expansive game.
On the negative side I think that if Mayo are as unsettled in the opening quarter or half v Dublin as they were v Tyrone then it will be lights out.
I would not be a worried if Mayo got off to a poor start v Kerry, I am not convinced that this Kerry team have the stamina for a hard 70mins and in that scenario I would be more optimistic of Mayo doing as they did yesterday and coming back at them and seeing out the game.

Obviously the Cillian O' Conor injury is a concern but the managed have to have been expecting something like this happening at any time in the last few months and now have 4 weeks to work on getting someone confident with frees.

Not sure about Andy Moran, he is not back to the way he was pre the injury.
I would love to see Conroy start, he was brilliant in 2012 I though and still thing he can make an impact.

I was very impressed with the back when Tyrone came looking for goals late in the game, they really snuffed them out, and one key part of it Higgins was back there.
Should they persist with him at half forward or just put him back where he belongs and possibly put Carloan in the half forward line.

Oh and everyone can drop the 'they haven't been tested' line now please.

Ah sure father we still haven't been tested!:pac:
Noticed some individuals on the match thread gloating in the first half that Mayo were choking as per their expectations, pathetic stuff.Seeming to take great pleasure in same, really poor sportsmanship.
Changed their tune in the second half and were offering their congratulations, laughable.
Hopefully a more open affair against Kerry or Dublin will lead to the requisite improvement in our forwards as I'm not sure if we continue to rely on scores from elsewhere.
I do not think that either Kerry or Dublin would go out to provoke Aidan o Shea and willingly sacrifice one of their own players, pretty insulting to both counties me thinks.

Loafing Oaf · 26-08-2013 12:35PM

seligehgit wrote: »

I do not think that either Kerry or Dublin would go out to provoke Aidan o Shea and willingly sacrifice one of their own players, pretty insulting to both counties me thinks.

But you concede he could well manage to get himself sent off entirely on his own initiative?:p

Padkir · 26-08-2013 12:44PM

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

I have always thought that Mayo would make the final but have not been as positive about them actually winning it.

And I am still not sure about it after yesterdays game.

From the positive side I think that both Dublin and Kerry play a more open brand of football than Tyrone did and that in a way will help Mayo and their more expansive game.
On the negative side I think that if Mayo are as unsettled in the opening quarter or half v Dublin as they were v Tyrone then it will be lights out.
I would not be a worried if Mayo got off to a poor start v Kerry, I am not convinced that this Kerry team have the stamina for a hard 70mins and in that scenario I would be more optimistic of Mayo doing as they did yesterday and coming back at them and seeing out the game.

Obviously the Cillian O' Conor injury is a concern but the managed have to have been expecting something like this happening at any time in the last few months and now have 4 weeks to work on getting someone confident with frees.

Not sure about Andy Moran, he is not back to the way he was pre the injury.
I would love to see Conroy start, he was brilliant in 2012 I though and still thing he can make an impact.

I was very impressed with the back when Tyrone came looking for goals late in the game, they really snuffed them out, and one key part of it Higgins was back there.
Should they persist with him at half forward or just put him back where he belongs and possibly put Carloan in the half forward line.

Oh and everyone can drop the 'they haven't been tested' line now please.

Who do you drop though? Cunniffe and Barrett have been brilliant! Carolan was like a man possessed when he came on yesterday, same with Conroy. I suppose once Cillian went off it really struck home that there is a clear vacancy to be filled.

One of the best moments of the match had to be Carolan putting Cavanagh back on his hole!!

Fr Tod Umptious · 26-08-2013 12:57PM

Padkir wrote: »

Who do you drop though? Cunniffe and Barrett have been brilliant! Carolan was like a man possessed when he came on yesterday, same with Conroy. I suppose once Cillian went off it really struck home that there is a clear vacancy to be filled.

One of the best moments of the match had to be Carolan putting Cavanagh back on his hole!!

You would have to drop Barrett
No offence to the guy but if you are facing Dublin or Kerry with their tendencies (early in Kerry's case) to run at defences and create chances then you need to have one of the best backs in the country playing in the backs to negate that threat.

I'd love to be wrong but I don't think they would have that luxury to play Higgins forward.

Assuming that O' Connor is out then the half forward line would be McLoughlin, Dillion and Carolan, with the full forward line being Conroy, Freeman and Moran
Now that is a very risky set of forwards as it would be a big jump for Carolan to be starting, Conroy has only had a few cameo's and Moran is not on song.
It's a real shame that Doherty has not had any game time, I thought he was a guy who was really improving over the course of the league

Cosmo Kramer · 26-08-2013 01:59PM

You can't drop Barrett, another 70 minutes at his current level of form and he'll win an All Star. The full back line seems fine to me. Higgins will get back there when he needs to but will be able to bomb forward without exposing the defence if he's picked in the half forward line.

seligehgit · 26-08-2013 02:21PM

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

You would have to drop Barrett
No offence to the guy but if you are facing Dublin or Kerry with their tendencies (early in Kerry's case) to run at defences and create chances then you need to have one of the best backs in the country playing in the backs to negate that threat.

I'd love to be wrong but I don't think they would have that luxury to play Higgins forward.

Assuming that O' Connor is out then the half forward line would be McLoughlin, Dillion and Carolan, with the full forward line being Conroy, Freeman and Moran
Now that is a very risky set of forwards as it would be a big jump for Carolan to be starting, Conroy has only had a few cameo's and Moran is not on song.
It's a real shame that Doherty has not had any game time, I thought he was a guy who was really improving over the course of the league

Can definitely see a logic to your thinking but as Cosmo said it is probably unthinkable to drop Chris Barrett, not too sure re Tom Cunniffe's hamstring,possibly Zippy would need to drop back then.
As already mentioned is Andy even as captain a certainty to start,Carolan has been superb when he has come on or possibly Richie Feeney?
Suppose another 4 weeks will make a big difference to Andy.

Cartman78 · 26-08-2013 02:36PM

Have an awful feeling about Kerry...they've been well under the radar all year really and if they schnake their way past Dublin you could see them breaking Mayo hearts yet again.

BUT...there's deffo something different about the Mayo team this year (eg. I think every Mayo team in the last 30 yrs would have crumbled yesterday) so hopefully the past failings won't have an influence.

Freeman may have grabbed the headlines y'day and had a great game, but the contributions of Keegan and Barrett in the 2nd quarter were critical also.

Hopefully the lads can ignore the inevitable hype (painted sheep, cattle, round bales etc) in the county over the next few weeks. Stranded down here in Limerick so will miss the hulla-balooo i guess

Fr Tod Umptious · 26-08-2013 02:52PM

Cartman78 wrote: »

Have an awful feeling about Kerry...they've been well under the radar all year really and if they schnake their way past Dublin you could see them breaking Mayo hearts yet again.

BUT...there's deffo something different about the Mayo team this year (eg. I think every Mayo team in the last 30 yrs would have crumbled yesterday) so hopefully the past failings won't have an influence.

Freeman may have grabbed the headlines y'day and had a great game, but the contributions of Keegan and Barrett in the 2nd quarter were critical also.

Hopefully the lads can ignore the inevitable hype (painted sheep, cattle, round bales etc) in the county over the next few weeks. Stranded down here in Limerick so will miss the hulla-balooo i guess

You are giving Kerry far too much respect.
They just lost their starting half back, with no obvious replacement.
There are questions about Thomas O' Se's fitness, and even more about Aidan O' Mahoney's, they will have two guys in the full back line in their first championship season
All that against one of the most high octane attacks in the championship next week.

It would be the greatest disappointment in the history of Mayo football ever if they were to loose the final to this current Kerry team.

Padkir · 26-08-2013 02:57PM

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

You would have to drop Barrett
No offence to the guy but if you are facing Dublin or Kerry with their tendencies (early in Kerry's case) to run at defences and create chances then you need to have one of the best backs in the country playing in the backs to negate that threat.

I'd love to be wrong but I don't think they would have that luxury to play Higgins forward.

Assuming that O' Connor is out then the half forward line would be McLoughlin, Dillion and Carolan, with the full forward line being Conroy, Freeman and Moran
Now that is a very risky set of forwards as it would be a big jump for Carolan to be starting, Conroy has only had a few cameo's and Moran is not on song.
It's a real shame that Doherty has not had any game time, I thought he was a guy who was really improving over the course of the league

Would have to agree with the two posters above on this, you can't drop Barrett, he hasn't put a foot wrong this year. As said, Higgins at half forward will get back and defend when needed and can then bomb forward without (much) risk.

I know he's captain, and I have massive respect for him, but Andy Moran's position has to be in serious doubt... He's been a passenger for the last two games. His movement is good and he's usually out in front but just doesn't have the speed and ability to turn that he used to have and ends up either letting the defender get a hand in ahead of him or having to head away from goal. He just can't go by a man like he used to. Not his fault of course, purely down to injuries but he might have more of an effect as an impact sub, when defender is getting a bit tired his loss of pace might not count for as much if he was fresh.

The problem is who to bring in... Not too many great options for corner forward with Cillian gone. I suppose you could go 2 man inside line (Freeman and Conroy) but I'd prefer to stick with 3.

Can Carolan play corner forward? I don't know much about the lad but he has pace to burn so could be a handful for any corner back... In saying that he seemed to do his best work all year when at half forward running at the defense.

Horan has a few big calls to make.

Cartman78 · 26-08-2013 03:07PM

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

You are giving Kerry far too much respect.
They just lost their starting half back, with no obvious replacement.
There are questions about Thomas O' Se's fitness, and even more about Aidan O' Mahoney's, they will have two guys in the full back line in their first championship season
All that against one of the most high octane attacks in the championship next week.

It would be the greatest disappointment in the history of Mayo football ever if they were to loose the final to this current Kerry team.

Yeah...but Kerry are still Kerry. Teams like that in all sports (like Man Utd in recent years) seem to win titles almost on muscle memory.

Anyhoo, hopefully Dublin blow them away and then get enveloped in their own wave of hype and over-confidence

Fr Tod Umptious · 26-08-2013 03:16PM

Padkir wrote: »

Would have to agree with the two posters above on this, you can't drop Barrett, he hasn't put a foot wrong this year. As said, Higgins at half forward will get back and defend when needed and can then bomb forward without (much) risk.

I know he's captain, and I have massive respect for him, but Andy Moran's position has to be in serious doubt... He's been a passenger for the last two games. His movement is good and he's usually out in front but just doesn't have the speed and ability to turn that he used to have and ends up either letting the defender get a hand in ahead of him or having to head away from goal. He just can't go by a man like he used to. Not his fault of course, purely down to injuries but he might have more of an effect as an impact sub, when defender is getting a bit tired his loss of pace might not count for as much if he was fresh.

The problem is who to bring in... Not too many great options for corner forward with Cillian gone. I suppose you could go 2 man inside line (Freeman and Conroy) but I'd prefer to stick with 3.

Can Carolan play corner forward? I don't know much about the lad but he has pace to burn so could be a handful for any corner back... In saying that he seemed to do his best work all year when at half forward running at the defense.

Horan has a few big calls to make.

I don't want to drop Barrett either but from what I saw in the latter stages of second half yesterday Higgins, who was then back at corner back, was instrumental at stopping Tyrone progress.
They seemed to run at Mayo quiet easily but came up short and Higgins was key to that.
I will watch it again on TV and see if it was as I recall seeing it live, and I hope I just being too pessimistic.

The problem with the forwards is that so many have been injured, the likes of Conroy have little match practice and sadly Doherty has less, if Higgins stays in the forwards then they would look like this I think

McLoughlin Higgins Dillion
Conroy Freeman Moran

I know there are questions about Moran but I would give him the benefit of the doubt and start him.

Fr Tod Umptious · 26-08-2013 03:18PM

Cartman78 wrote: »

Yeah...but Kerry are still Kerry. Teams like that in all sports (like Man Utd in recent years) seem to win titles almost on muscle memory.

Anyhoo, hopefully Dublin blow them away and then get enveloped in their own wave of hype and over-confidence

But they are not
They have not won anything since 2009.
They have a poor record in Croke Park since then and they are riddle with injuries and old age.

I don't expect them to get past Dublin either but as I said it would be a sad day for Mayo if this young dynamic, hungry team were not able to put Kerry away in an All Ireland final.

tacofries · 26-08-2013 03:21PM

For me there was 2 sides to the fence yesterday. ..

On one side you had a mayo team shooting wides, with no work rate and no intensity or plan of action when moving the ball forward. they seemed to be playing as individuals, not as a team, with no support from each other in both the affence and defence.

On the other there was a team displaying the courage and determination to not give in and continously chip away at the scoreline.

Not as confident now as I was previously about winning the final however we know the mayo team have the skill and nerve if they just play to their abilities!

Is it to early to start looking for possible tickets? ?

Syferus · 26-08-2013 03:22PM

Cartman78 wrote: »

Yeah...but Kerry are still Kerry. Teams like that in all sports (like Man Utd in recent years) seem to win titles almost on muscle memory.

Anyhoo, hopefully Dublin blow them away and then get enveloped in their own wave of hype and over-confidence

Kerry are not 'still Kerry'. That's the point. Put a fork in them because they've been done for two years now.

No shame in that, at their peak they were easily on the the all-time great teams and they had a remarkable consistency and longevity. It already over, whether they want to admit it to themselves or not.

Seans_Username · 26-08-2013 03:23PM

Cartman78 wrote: »

Yeah...but Kerry are still Kerry. Teams like that in all sports (like Man Utd in recent years) seem to win titles almost on muscle memory.

Anyhoo, hopefully Dublin blow them away and then get enveloped in their own wave of hype and over-confidence

Tod said it all about the injuries in their squad. This semi-final isn't the same as the quarter final in '09 or '10 when Kerry were expected to be brushed aside and proceeded to set the highest winning margin in a quarter final. It will take a HUGE performance for them to overcome Dublin, and luck isn't on their side with the injuries in the team.

As for Andy, I was shocked at how many times he lost the ball or didn't win it cleanly. He was out in front plenty but he just didn't have that final touch to control it or go past the defender.
Although I thought he did a great job defensively in the forward position. He's been excellent in his tackling/blocking as a forward and this is something that has been very useful in the last two games. His work rate can't be faulted, but he'll need to prove he's worthy of a starting place in the next 4 weeks. Otherwise, I'd say he'll be a better option as an impact sub

Padkir · 26-08-2013 03:30PM

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

I don't want to drop Barrett either but from what I saw in the latter stages of second half yesterday Higgins, who was then back at corner back, was instrumental at stopping Tyrone progress.
They seemed to run at Mayo quiet easily but came up short and Higgins was key to that.
I will watch it again on TV and see if it was as I recall seeing it live, and I hope I just being too pessimistic.

The problem with the forwards is that so many have been injured, the likes of Conroy have little match practice and sadly Doherty has less, if Higgins stays in the forwards then they would look like this I think

McLoughlin Higgins Dillion
Conroy Freeman Moran

I know there are questions about Moran but I would give him the benefit of the doubt and start him.

I would imagine that's probably the most likely 6 forwards at the minute anyway.

Conroy, despite the fact he hasn't had much game time, has been chomping at the bit since he got injured and put in unbelievable work to get back in contention. He'll start, and you will probably get 50/55 good minutes out of him.

Carolan must be sickened that McLoughlin and Dillon are his direct opponents for a starting position! That said, himself and Feeney off the bench could be the difference.

I asked before, has Carolan ever played corner forward?

InchicoreDude · 26-08-2013 03:31PM

Padkir wrote: »

I would imagine that's probably the most likely 6 forwards at the minute anyway.

Conroy, despite the fact he hasn't had much game time, has been chomping at the bit since he got injured and put in unbelievable work to get back in contention. He'll start, and you will probably get 50/55 good minutes out of him.

Carolan must be sickened that McLoughlin and Dillon are his direct opponents for a starting position! That said, himself and Feeney off the bench could be the difference.

I asked before, has Carolan ever played corner forward?

I'm a big big fan of McLoughlin. But was hugely disappointed with his performance yesterday, even in the 2nd half. Was it one of his worse days in a Mayo match?

Seans_Username · 26-08-2013 03:32PM

Also I was watching the game again today and Freeman really was superb. There were plenty of chances for him to get more than one goal. IF he was spotted by his teammates.

Vaughan was running through and kicked a silly wide with his left when he had at least 2 tyrone men on him. If he knew where Freeman was (I'm fairly sure it was Freeman anyway) there was a clear goal scoring chance.

When Aidan O'Shea ran along the end line and fisted a point over the bar, Freeman had pulled off at the back post and was free for another chance.

There was at least one more chance when the midfielders/backs were running through and didn't spot the forward in space. Which worried me a bit cos this team are normally savages for getting goals

theequaliser · 26-08-2013 03:33PM

Perhaps Mayo should look to put Barry Moran at full forward and bomb the Dublin full back line(OOPS, sorry Kerry), as they are suspect under the high ball. He should play in place of Alan Dillon who is well off his game.
Yes Higgins should be in defence as was proved in the second half yesterday.:cool:

threebeards · 26-08-2013 03:40PM

theequaliser wrote: »

Perhaps Mayo should look to put Barry Moran at full forward and bomb the Dublin full back line(OOPS, sorry Kerry), as they are suspect under the high ball. He should play in place of Alan Dillon who is well off his game.
Yes Higgins should be in defence as was proved in the second half yesterday.:cool:

Why would Mayo even give the slightest consideration to removing Alan Freeman from a position he's excelled in all year, to be replaced by a midfielder who's much more comfortable with his back to his own goal?

threebeards · 26-08-2013 03:43PM

InchicoreDude wrote: »

I'm a big big fan of McLoughlin. But was hugely disappointed with his performance yesterday, even in the 2nd half. Was it one of his worse days in a Mayo match?

Yeah, I'd find it hard to disagree with you. He's been so dependable all year, as he was last year, but yesterday was as poor a performance as I've ever seen from him. His shot selection was very poor, handling wasn't near the standard required, and missing the 13m free was beyond belief. Like you, I'm a massive fan of his but couldn't fathom his performance yesterday.

threebeards · 26-08-2013 03:51PM

blowitupref wrote: »

Yes Darragh Doherty was the best forward on display.

Yeah, I thought Doherty was top class today. I also thought young Conroy had a great game - showed for the ball well, has pace to burn and took his goal really well. Liam Irwin, who to my mind has been the biggest threat in the Mayo forward line all year was quieter yesterday than he has been. He needs a big performance in the final. I think this is a serious Minor team though, and I'd be confident of them beating either Ros or Tyrone. Hopefully the Mayo fans get in early on the 22nd and get behind them

Fr Tod Umptious · 26-08-2013 03:58PM

InchicoreDude wrote: »

The fact that Mayo did hammer Galway or did hammer Roscommon is irrelevant. Fans going with the assumption that they are going to hammer them is over confidence. The team should not go in with that attitude so why should supporters?

In Galway's good times, I do not remember Galway being tipped to "hammer" any team by their fans in any match. Actually, in the '98 & '01 all irelands, it was quite the opposite where people were saying that Galway would have to be at their absolute best to win those matches.

Also, you state that you are confident Mayo will get to an all-ireland final. But you have no idea on who they will actually play in the quarter final or semi final yet. So can you be confident about this? The only way you could be confident about that is if you believe Mayo are the best team in the country - do you? I would have them in the top 6 (just as Spillane said on Sunday) but I certainly wouldnt have them at number 1 in that 6.

Mayo fans wonder why people think they hype up the team. The reason is that certain fans from there start talking about all-irelands in June! You wont hear Kerry people talking about all-irelands until August!

Anyway, I think we are just going round in circles on this. And that we are not gonna agree!

I'l have my apology now thanks

yop · 26-08-2013 04:06PM

threebeards wrote: »

Yeah, I thought Doherty was top class today. I also thought young Conroy had a great game - showed for the ball well, has pace to burn and took his goal really well. Liam Irwin, who to my mind has been the biggest threat in the Mayo forward line all year was quieter yesterday than he has been. He needs a big performance in the final. I think this is a serious Minor team though, and I'd be confident of them beating either Ros or Tyrone. Hopefully the Mayo fans get in early on the 22nd and get behind them

V true, unlike yesterday. It does highlight the "day tripping" Mayo fans versus the genuines when they couldn't be arsed

InchicoreDude · 26-08-2013 04:36PM

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

I'l have my apology now thanks

I stand by my point that I think the day you win the semi-final is the day you start talking about All-Ireland finals.....

tacofries · 26-08-2013 04:45PM

InchicoreDude wrote: »

I stand by my point that I think the day you win the semi-final is the day you start talking about All-Ireland finals.....

So what do you think for the finals lads #Mayoforsam

Defiler Of The Coffin · 26-08-2013 04:47PM

Padkir wrote: »

Carolan must be sickened that McLoughlin and Dillon are his direct opponents for a starting position! That said, himself and Feeney off the bench could be the difference.

I asked before, has Carolan ever played corner forward?

Don't recall him at corner forward unless he was placed there in the league? Very impressed with him yesterday, really dug into Tyrone and kicked a brilliant point at a crucial stage in the second half. He's down as an impact sub now but you can guarantee he'll be a key player for Mayo in years to come. (Might even get a start in the final if Horan makes a few big calls).

InchicoreDude wrote: »

I'm a big big fan of McLoughlin. But was hugely disappointed with his performance yesterday, even in the 2nd half. Was it one of his worse days in a Mayo match?

Yeah, that free he missed after the disallowed goal was a howler, his usual steady concentration seemed to have deserted him yesterday. Let's hope he's got his bad day out of the way from here on out!

Defiler Of The Coffin · 26-08-2013 04:49PM

yop wrote: »

V true, unlike yesterday. It does highlight the "day tripping" Mayo fans versus the genuines when they couldn't be arsed

Left my seat with 20 seconds to go in the second half for a cup of tea and an oul woman was giving out to us, asking us "where ye going". Was it your mother by any chance?

Fr Tod Umptious · 26-08-2013 04:49PM

InchicoreDude wrote: »

I stand by my point that I think the day you win the semi-final is the day you start talking about All-Ireland finals.....

So you would not partake in any sort of pre season prediction discussions about possible champions or anything like that then ?
Because going by your logic, if a final cannot be discussed until a team reaches it so how can a championship title be discussed at all.

Fr Tod Umptious · 26-08-2013 04:50PM

Defiler Of The Coffin wrote: »

Left my seat with 20 seconds to go in the second half for a cup of tea and an oul woman was giving out to us, asking us "where ye going". Was it your mother by any chance?

Could have been 'yop' herself

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