Mayo v Down - March 11th

[Mayo Mick]

We are a few notches above Down who are hardly a Division One team. Yet this could be tricky enough - a bit like Armagh v Kerry. No one believes that Armagh are better than Kerry yet on the night they played above themselves while Kerry under performed. Something similar could happen on Sunday. Down know it is a big game for them and will throw everything at it from the off. If they can put some early scores on the board then we will have it all to do especially if we are any bit flat.
We could end up winning this one easily or just scraping a draw.  Feel it might be the draw. At this time of year we won't be at full throttle every week.

[rosnarun]

Cillian o connor is a great prospect but he need to  very carefull on fitness and weight . he seems to have put on a fair few pounds over the winter which is worrying for such a young player . Aidan oSé has similar issues but its not as important for a midfielder. but for a decent career its something that needs to be caught in the bud.
and for all the pedants I am talking about elite levels of size and fitness not not pub and chipper level

speaking of pedants
Mac2 I know im a lousty speller , teachers have been telling me that all my life , never bothered me then.........

[mannix]

God bless your enthusiasism mick, but down are in division one on merit. They beat most others in division 2 last year, and were  all Ireland finalists very recently with a lot of these players. Mayo could  never be overconfident of beating any division one or two team.
I am looking forward to hearing it on midwest, still looking for a way to not go nuts when billy fitz keeps saying that mayos opponents were very unlucky or that should be a free against mayo!
He drives me nuts.
On  o Connor weight gain, I doubt that lad would not be really minding himself, especially with o Neil watching their every move in that concern. He probably has gained muscle which is no harm. We have a few more that could do with some weight and muscle.

[Chimley]

I have a feeling that we could be heading for our first defeat in 2012 in this one. Down need the points too and will be up for it. Mayo will be strong favourites for the first time in the league this year and we could be caught out. Every one is predicting a win, expectation is rising,  and that is when we have messed up in the past.

[Keane]

I think Cillian O'Connor has a great head on his shoulders but he was no where near as impressive as people made out last year, he was able to accurately take frees and I suppose with Mayo's previous problems in that area it reflected very positively on him. He was a solid but completely unspectacular presence from play. It'll be another couple years yet before any team is particularly worried about facing Cillian O'Connor. I'd certainly rate Conor Mort higher than him at this moment.

Strongly agree with this. O'Connor was young player of the year last year basically due to a complete lack of competition for the award. He's certainly a decent player with a lot of potential, but that accolade has completely bloated peoples' idea of his current standard.

There are a fair few teams around he wouldn't be getting on.

[rosnarun]

im not having a go at cillian but i dont think he has the basic bodyshape of a footballer . many great ones don't and plenty of shapers do that come to naught, Just that he need to be careful and maybe his slow start to the year might mean the Mayo management are thinking along similar line.
it would be a major blow to lose to Down a team going backwards and looked very poor last week . not looking for a big win just a win

[Cosmo Kramer]

I cant understand everyones rush to get conor mortimer off the mayo team. hes been our most consistent forwrard for the last ten years and one of the best free takers in the country .  A legend surely Deserving of repect nbot peole looking for a quiet jalf from him in order to drop him..
can it really be  that some people Still cant get past the bleached hair?

Its Peter Stringer/Robbie Keane syndrome transferred into gaelic football I think. Fellas that have been around so long that you take all the positive things they do for granted and focus on their weaknesses too much. It's only when they're gone that it is realised what they did so well in the first place, and then they're missed. Until such time as there is someone out there who offers more from open play than Mort and can kick frees with as high a success rate on the right hand side as he can, he should be in the team.

For me, the one out of the older guard in the forwards who should be most at risk based on form is Dillon, but I just cannot see Horan dropping him. He is not a centre half forward and the likes of McLoughlin and Freeman are doing more than him in the wing half forward positions at the moment. I'm struggling to think when Dillon last had an outstanding game for Mayo - I'd say its been a year or two.

cillian o connor. I rest my case(also Cil's work rate is 300% higher....doesn't get pushed
off the ball at the first nudge .......shines in Croke Park.......'nough said)

Cillian's a right footer though, grand for frees on the left and in the middle but he wouldn't be as accurate as Mort is on those tricky ones he makes look so easy on the right hand side of the pitch. Which is part of the reason why, until I see other corner forward options that are clearly better, I would start Mort and O'Connor at 13 and 15 either side of Andy Moran and have the pick of Varley, Doherty and Kirby to come on and pick off tired defences in the last 20 if either of them are having an off day.

Don't get me wrong, Mort is far from undroppable and when we have two corner forwards that are clearly proven to be better then him he shouldn't start, but as yet nobody has ousted him from his starting spot in my view.

That said, this Sunday would be as good a time as any to look at the alternatives and I think either Doherty or Kirby are due a run in the full forward line to see how theyre shaping up this year. Presumably we'll go easy on the 21s this weekend though as they have a big game Wednesday night - so it may be Doherty's turn to start against Down.

[snoopdog]

We wont bother showing up so. after all we havent a hope. someone contact HQ and announce a walkover to Mayo.
After all they are leap years ahead of Down, sure their All Ireland medal tally suggests that.
Very confident for a team that never achieves anything bar the odd hiding in an All Ireland final.

I have no doubt you are currently on form a better team than Down and with home advantage should get the win, but some of you are very arrogant  and very dismissive of Down.
Maybe rightfully so, but lets see what happens on sunday.

[Captain Obvious]

We wont bother showing up so. after all we havent a hope. someone contact HQ and announce a walkover to Mayo.
After all they are leap years ahead of Down, sure their All Ireland medal tally suggests that.
Very confident for a team that never achieves anything bar the odd hiding in an All Ireland final.

Haven't you heard within the next decade Mayo will win 3 or 4 All Irelands?

[Benny Sweeney]

We wont bother showing up so. after all we havent a hope. someone contact HQ and announce a walkover to Mayo.
After all they are leap years ahead of Down, sure their All Ireland medal tally suggests that.
Very confident for a team that never achieves anything bar the odd hiding in an All Ireland final.

I have no doubt you are currently on form a better team than Down and with home advantage should get the win, but some of you are very arrogant  and very dismissive of Down.
Maybe rightfully so, but lets see what happens on sunday.

This is the kind of shite we have to put up with in Connacht all the time. Such arrogance from a mediocre county.

[muppet]

I think Cillian O'Connor has a great head on his shoulders but he was no where near as impressive as people made out last year, he was able to accurately take frees and I suppose with Mayo's previous problems in that area it reflected very positively on him. He was a solid but completely unspectacular presence from play. It'll be another couple years yet before any team is particularly worried about facing Cillian O'Connor. I'd certainly rate Conor Mort higher than him at this moment.

v Kerry, in Croke Park, in an All-Ireland semi-final.


Not bad for a completely unspectacular presence from play.

[ross4life]

Cillian O'Connor is a top talent both from free's & play. He's displayed his class at minor,U-21,senior level & if he keeps injury free who knows how good he'll get.

While it was a good showing by a 19 year old v Kerry in All Ireland semi final it wasn't the best I've seen, 1991 Derek Duggan v Meath scored 1-8 (also only 19 at the time) & his goal was one of the finest goals seen in Croke Park.

[Farrandeelin]

I wouldn't rule out a Down win at all. Yes, that's all a few wins on the road has to do for the likes of Mayo Mick to get carried away. Mayo being Mayo often disappoint somewhere in the middle of a good run. Hopefully not this weekend though.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

We wont bother showing up so. after all we havent a hope. someone contact HQ and announce a walkover to Mayo.
After all they are leap years ahead of Down, sure their All Ireland medal tally suggests that.
Very confident for a team that never achieves anything bar the odd hiding in an All Ireland final.

Haven't you heard within the next decade Mayo will win 3 or 4 All Irelands?

A well this is the league not the championship. Mayo have been in Division 1 since 1996, played in 3 League Finals, won 1 League Final in that time, have won 11 League all-together and have won more matches in Division 1 than any other in the last decade.

[sans pessimism]

I cant understand everyones rush to get conor mortimer off the mayo team. hes been our most consistent forwrard for the last ten years and one of the best free takers in the country .  A legend surely Deserving of repect nbot peole looking for a quiet jalf from him in order to drop him..
can it really be  that some people Still cant get past the bleached hair?

Its Peter Stringer/Robbie Keane syndrome transferred into gaelic football I think. Fellas that have been around so long that you take all the positive things they do for granted and focus on their weaknesses too much. It's only when they're gone that it is realised what they did so well in the first place, and then they're missed. Until such time as there is someone out there who offers more from open play than Mort and can kick frees with as high a success rate on the right hand side as he can, he should be in the team.

For me, the one out of the older guard in the forwards who should be most at risk based on form is Dillon, but I just cannot see Horan dropping him. He is not a centre half forward and the likes of McLoughlin and Freeman are doing more than him in the wing half forward positions at the moment. I'm struggling to think when Dillon last had an outstanding game for Mayo - I'd say its been a year or two.

cillian o connor. I rest my case(also Cil's work rate is 300% higher....doesn't get pushed
off the ball at the first nudge .......shines in Croke Park.......'nough said)

I think Cillian O'Connor has a great head on his shoulders but he was no where near as impressive as people made out last year, he was able to accurately take frees and I suppose with Mayo's previous problems in that area it reflected very positively on him. He was a solid but completely unspectacular presence from play. It'll be another couple years yet before any team is particularly worried about facing Cillian O'Connor. I'd certainly rate Conor Mort higher than him at this moment.

Christ its no wonder we dont win All-Irelands!!!