Mayo League Review/Championship Preview 2009

[Barney]

I know a lot of us have been critical about a number of things in the Mayo set-up over the last few months but the last few weeks have shown some positive developments and I think we can look forward to the Summer with some form of confidence. Sam will not be arriving on the last train to Westport on a Monday night in the middle of September but a Connacht Championship, and even perhaps an All Ireland semi-final are ascertainable goals if progress continues.

i was looking back on old posts from the Derry game thread (if we had won that one we would be in the league final) and this is what I was looking for from the league:

What I would like to see over the league is:

A. A development of a team for championship football.

B. A more commonsense tactical approach including some attempt at a defensive game plan.

C. Players taking responsibility on the pitch and digging in when the going gets tough with a never-say-die attitude.

D. A strong performance in Salthill/Tuam to lay down a marker for the Connacht Championship.

Suprisingly for a Mayo team I think they have met my expectations!! :

A development of a team for championship football.

While there are positiions still up for grabs I think we know most the championship line-up at this stage. It will be a mistake if any of the returning old-stagers and thrown into the starting mix. Keith Higgins and Trevor Howley do not have the match fitness for Championship football either, so at most one of the five i.e. Higgins is likely to walk back into the team, and that should be for Liam O'Malley in my opinion who got another roasting yesterday.

Central positions have been nailed down - Cafferkey, Cunniffe and O'Shea have all been excellent. Trevor has had a good league - he is frustrating, and not the best answer maybe at number 11 but he will be there. McGarrity, Harte and Parsons will all start - the way they line out will be interesting.

Aidan O'Shea has been phenomenal and has the ability even at this stage to make his mark this Summer. He is strong enough, hungry enough and is leading that team - none of the experienced lads are shouting and ordering about the pitch - it is an 18 year old that is doing it! Tweaking is required to bring Conor Mortimer into the game as a beneficiary of the balls going into O'Shea. Alan Dillon is of course our other class act. Personally I think it will be a mistake if either Austin O'Malley or Mickey Sweeney are there come the big games. They will not perform. And for all his endeavour the Tyrone match has shown that Mark Ronadlson is just too small at this level and would be a passenger in a big Summer game - in fact yesterday it was like playing a man short at times.

A more commonsense tactical approach including some attempt at a defensive game plan

The backs are a lot tighter, tougher, disciplined and focused. Some great work being done here. 5 mintues into the Donegal game we conceded our third and last goal of this league campaign. Last year we conceded 10! Speaks for itself.

Players taking responsibility on the pitch and digging in when the going gets tough with a never-say-die attitude.

The bad starts must be addressed urgently - it has been going on now for 3/4 years. But the lads are digging deep and coming back, they are hitting harder and their willingness to fight cannot be questioned.

[A strong performance in Salthill/Tuam to lay down a marker for the Connacht Championship.

We can tick that box as well - it was a big blow to Galway to miss out on the league final for the second year in a row. Their confidence about sealing the big deals must be low after that - when you add in their failure to win a Quarter Final since 2001, to throw away good league positions the last two years, and to let kerry away when they were on the rack last year, like ourselves they have demons to exorcise.

So those who are going to NYC have a great time - it is a good chance for the team to bond and think of the challenges ahead. If we can overcome Ros/Leitrim, JOM will be a very popular man if he can land JJ Nestor by the sea in July

[IolarCoisCuain]

We can tick that box as well - it was a big blow to Galway to miss out on the league final for the second year in a row.

I think they'll get it over it Barney. There have been no comments on the Kerry v Galway thread since Good Friday, which is a comment in itself. Those boys aren't worried about playing each other until August or September. Anything before then is just a training game.

[Bomber2312]

I think Mayo have progressed very nicely over the league and we are seeing some shape to the team, in my opinion we will have a very strong versatile bench for the summer with plenty of lads capable of coming in if the starters are struggling.

Barney i dont think you can dismiss ronaldson on yesterdays performance, wasnt at the game but have seen him on a couple of occassions and he has impressed me as an intelligent football, i also think higgins will walk back into that team but i think it will be moran or gardiner who will be struggling.

Based on what we've seen in the league i really would like to see JOM picking a team something like this:

Clarke
O'Malley
Caff
McLoughlin
Gardiner
Cuniffe
Higgins
MacGarrity
Heaney
Harte
Parsons
Trevor
Conor
O Shea
Dillon

strong half forward line to supplement our light enough mid field, can dillon play in the corner??
If you look at the players not on that team its a strong enough panel, Higgins, Nallen, Moran, Barry Moran, Billy Joe, Vaugan, COnroy, Ronaldson, Sweeney, Austin.

[Cosmo Kramer]

I think we're in a far stronger position than we were this time last year, especially in defence. I'd like to see a team along these lines at some point later in the year:

                   Clarke

McLoughlin   Cafferkey    Higgins (not sure which one)

Cunniffe       Heaney      Gardiner

   McGarrity           Parsons

Harte        T. Mortimer    Dillon

C. Mortimer   O'Shea       A. Moran

I've picked Andy in the corner but in reality I'd expect to see him further out the field with Harte chipping in at midfield. That defence looks far stronger than the one that got roasted by Galway in the first half of the Connacht Final. I rate Howley highly and would maybe like to see him force his way in there somewhere as well when he gets back fully fit.

That team still leaves the other Higgins, Howley, Nallen, Barrett and Liam O'Malley as defensive subs and Kilcoyne, Sweeney, Barry Moran, BJP and Ronaldson in reserve up the field.

Its not an All-Ireland winning team by any means, but the majority of those lads played under 21 on either the 2004 team or later, so theres a lot to be hopeful for in the future.

All in all, I'm a lot happier now than I was half way through the Donegal match in the league.

[FL/MAYO]

Any truth to this story in the Indo? More rumors about McD

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/mcdonald-in-frame-for-mayo-comeback-1706489.html

[muppet]

Good thread Barney and interesting blog there The Flame Still Burns.

I recall arguing here in 2004 with Barney that he/we should aim higher than a Connacht Title or semi final. I feel the same way again as other than Kerry in an AIF we shouldn't really be bowing to anyone. That doesn't mean I think we are better than everyone else, just that I think on our day we can beat them.

Why wouldn't we aim for the All Ireland? Why bother otherwise?

I think this team/squad can win an All Ireland.

I would look at the following XV with an interesting full forward line:

                  D Clarke

L O'Malley  G Cafferkey  K McLoughlin

D Heaney T Cunniffe K Higgins

    R McGarrity T Parsons

    P Harte T Mort A Dillon

   A O'Shea C Mort B Moran

Bench: A Higgins & Gardiner experienced defensive subs along with Barret & Boyle. If Howley is fully fit he might challenge for the most of the defensive positions.
Most of the midfielders would be already on the pitch but Seamus O'Shea would be worth a place on the bench.
Up front BJP/Andy Moran and Ronaldson/Kilcoyne would be covering the workers and the scorers respectively.

[RedandGreenSniper]

Perhaps we are too quick to rein in our hopes Muppet. I guess its once bitten, twice shy type stuff. Kerry are the only team we fear. But at this stage I'm not looking past a potential Connacht title for 2009 (some will say even that is getting ahead of ourselves). If we get to an All-Ireland quarter-final or semi-final then obviously we can reappraise then but I reckon a wait and see policy is wisest for now.

With regard to your team it is an interesting full-forward line. We might be too quick to dismiss Barry Moran because Aidan O'Shea is doing so well. You could be right - why not play both and that's how Mayo finished on Sunday. Can't see Gardiner being dropped personally but we're coming together fairly middling all in all.

[Cosmo Kramer]

I think this team/squad can win an All Ireland.

I would look at the following XV with an interesting full forward line:

                  D Clarke

L O'Malley  G Cafferkey  K McLoughlin

D Heaney T Cunniffe K Higgins

    R McGarrity T Parsons

    P Harte T Mort A Dillon

   A O'Shea C Mort B Moran

Bench: A Higgins & Gardiner experienced defensive subs along with Barret & Boyle. If Howley is fully fit he might challenge for the most of the defensive positions.
Most of the midfielders would be already on the pitch but Seamus O'Shea would be worth a place on the bench.
Up front BJP/Andy Moran and Ronaldson/Kilcoyne would be covering the workers and the scorers respectively.

I had considered the big two men inside (O'Shea and B Moran) as well, but in the end I thought there might be a lack of mobility in there with both of them, so I went for something else. I think the 15 position is a bit of a problem one for us actually, I've yet to be convinved that AOM or Sweeney are up to Championship standard (early days for Sweeney though).

That leaves you trying to stick one of the half-forwards into the full forward line. Someone out of Dillon/Andy/Kilcoyne/Ronaldson. I just don't think corner forward suits Dillon, so I went for Andy. But I'm still not sure if that's the answer either. Will be interested to see if Jason Doherty could step up in a years time.

As for the All-Ireland, I reckon that 15, plus one or two more of the young lads, could be good enough when the spine of the team - Cafferkey, Parsons and O'Shea get more championship football under their belts, but I think its at least a year too soon for them yet.


(ps Good work with the blog, TFSB, its a great read)

[moysider]

While I m pleased with a lot of what I ve seen this Spring I would nt be as optimistic as some. I think much of what has been positive  has been due the individual form of some and the arrival of likes of Cafferkey, McLoughlin and O Sé on the senior scene. Their cv s  have been loaded for years now anyway and its a relief only that they ve been as good as they have been.  But overall I m not convinced we have a team that will perform in Championship. I m not sure at all we have a spine of a team.... or should I say a spine that will last. But at this stage 3,6,8,9,11, and 14 fairly settled but not necessarily our best options.  Last 2 years we had a spine as well in Spring.

I attended 5 league games, Derry, Dublin, Wmeath, Galway and Tyrone. Only v Wmeath were we in control and comfortable. In the other 4 games we looked swamped at times but in fairness recovered well in the last 2. Worryingly with the aid of a good breeze in the last 3 games we struggled to close out the games we should have won and just got there in Tuam. Most worryingly Tyrone took charge of Sundays game in last 10 mins and created chance after chance from their own defence without a Mayo player landing a glove on them. It amounted to a collapse of sorts. From a position when we were 2 clear with a following wind.

The positives for me have been.

David Clarke.
Cafferkey and McLoughlin( though he looked like a tourist at times last day - stage fright I guess)
McGarrity( more of a hunch he s going to have a big year)
Harte and Parsons ( moves like Ferrari)
Dillon when he s been healthy.
O Sé obviously.

Negatives.

No proper freetaker.
Not enough 'dog' in the backs. If the new rules were left in place maybe we could go with them. No danger of anybody ever getting sent off. Not once the last day was any Tyrone runner stopped in his tracks. The runners were nt coming down the wings. They were coming down the middle.
Midfielders obsessed with high catching. This needs to stop and get proper ball winning strategies on our own kick- outs. Hughes broke all McGar ball ( not blaming McGar or Clarke, the culture has to change) the last day first half and Tyrone won the breaks. Parsons has to work when he does nt have the ball. In fact the whole team needs to learn how to track a runner.
We are shy forward options in the squad. We ll be very watery on the bench. Our forwards are Harte, Padden, Trevor, Andy maybe( all utility players to be honest)
Conor, O Sé, Dillon, Ronaldson, Barry Moran and Austin at a push. I know this sounds callous but cant see the sense of persisting with Kilcoyne or Mikey Sweeney(this year anyway)
Jason Doherty looks a better bet than Sweeney. He s a predator and hardy as well. I would have Freeman straight in as well as he is a proper wing man and knows his game.

Iffy bits.

Not convinced with Cuniffe at 6 or Trevor at 11. I counted five times v Tyrone when Trevor gave up the ball by either poor handling or poor passing in second half when we were in closing out the game territory. One kicked pass flew over the reciever s head by about 4 feet and over the sideline. Tyrone built and scored from the line ball. That cancels out his great point. Unforgivable in a close game. Rough but if we want to compete with the best we have to match their standards but not necessarily ape their style.
Ronaldson. He went from man of the match in Tuam to looking out of his depth against Philip Jordan. I dunno?
Peadar Gardiner does so many good things but shoots like a drunk. After landing 2 big ones in Tuam he was terrible against Tyrone. From 7 good attacking positions he made we got zilch return. Davy Harte got on the end of things twice and scored 2 points. Its differences like this that explain why 1 team wins silver and the other does not. So do we persist with Peadar or go with a player like Vaughan, McLoughlin( who can kick the football) or Cuniffe on the wing. Unfortunately we have not explored some possibilities in this league. Not blaming management because the U21 campaign was disruptive.

With the new rules probably binned for the championship we might be seen as easy meat for some. Our backs looked bullied in the Derry and Dublin games in particular. Our midfield are thoroughbreds in an area patrolled by warhorses. As I ve said already they re obsessed with trying to catch every ball.
There s not an awful lot wrong that selection and a bit of coaching would nt go a long way to fixing. We have to vary our game between our natural running game and using target men. Some of our attempts to hit O Sé the last day were a joke. We need a couple of players who can hit long early ball like Trevor Giles used to or attacking wing backs who can hit the big boys with accurate diagonal ball with a runner steaming in on support expecting an off-load. We have decent playing resources. The difference the last day was system, coaching and the belief/resolve that comes with success. How we do this year is in the lap of management and coaching. I think we re putting too much emphasis on who is picked where. I d like to see gameplan finetuned and workrate upped.

Other times v Tyrone  we hit hopeful ball in with free men in support. This was the case yesterday when Caff got forward and had about 40 yards clear in front of him and instead of being given a 5 yard pass the ball was hoofed down the throat of a Tyrone back standing all on his own.  Tyrone countered and cant remembered if they scored or not but its acedemic. We need to be much more clinical. Management could do worse than examine the Tyrone way. They hit the inside forwards early when it suits but when they need to get scores their default mode is a running possession game which in fairness they have developed to perfection. Its the gaelic equivalent of total football with everybody prepared to make a supporting run and make an extra man( Gormely s point) while everybody s prepared to funnel back and track runners as well. They offload to suppport at exactly the right time and passes go to hand. Basic stuff but we dont do it well. We try to beat players when it s not on, turn back, fling ( could nt call it a pass) the ball on the ground, ignore support etc, etc. Defensively the last day last quarter and inlast 10 first half we neither tracked our men or converged on the man in possession. Elbow grease needed here.

Unless the unthinkable happens we re likely to be meeting Galway in Salthill this year. In footballing terms I think we may be ahead of them at this stage. But we dont usually win there against them or anywhere else in recent years. Sammon will know as well that while Galway will play when they have the ball that he can up the ante on Mayo physically. The return of Colman will add more steel and with the likes of Blake and Burke there s plenty of iron behind the velvet. We have to be able to fight fire with fire this year. Not sure what team I would pick yet. I d like to see the form of the vets, Howley and K Higgins  but I ll assume they re as good as they were last year and go with this 15. Some of it is about stirring debate but I m going to drop Conor on the grounds that he does nt seem interested in playing with a target man, laying ball off, has not been able to kick 45s  and  freesfrom distance, has daft shot selection and has been goal-shy for years.

                                                         Clarke

 Aiden Higgins                                  Cafferkey                           McLoughlin

 Heaney                                          Howley                              Keith Higgins

                          McGarrity                                 Seamas Ó Sé


 Harte                                          Parsons                                   Trevor

Aiden O Sé                                   Barry Moran                           Alan Dillon  

Dillon to play off the 2 big lads inside. Trevor to dig and unleash hell among the enemy all over the place. Parsons in the forwards until he gets a defensive side to his game and because we need a footballer at 11 and he s the best we have. Howley and Aiden Higgins to add bite to the defence. Seamas O Sé because we need an animal with hairy hoofs around the middle and he d better come through.            

[kevmy]

I'd agree with a lot of whats said here as most of it is obvious enough. Improvements but not the finished article I think would be the verdict.

One think I don't get from most of the teams lining out here is why so many people are parachuting Heaney back into the team. I mean he's been a great stalwart over the years and I've nothing but respect for the man but one of his great assets was his mobility not his tough defending at 30ish is he able to still do that? Salthill last year would have shown not. I think he's a great addition to the squad but after missing all of the league I wouldn't risk him from the start.

For what it's worth here's my pick.

Clarke

L O'Malley
Cafferkey
McLoughlin

Gardiner
Cunniffe
K. Higgins

McGarrity
Parsons

Trevor
Harte
Dillon

C.Mort
O'Sé/B. Moran
Ronaldson

Gardiner would be lucky to hold on imo ideally I'd have Howley at CB and Cunniffe on the wing but it might be too soon yet to see that. K.Higgins will walk back onto the team if anything I reckon the rest would have done him good. All of our best midfield performances this year have came with McG and Parsons playing together (2nd half in Tuam, 2nd half last weekend, W'meath). Now McG needs to give us a 70 min performance without doubt but Harte isn't the answer at midfield and it's prob too late too throw either O'Sé in there.
Up front we have options and alot of midling players to chose from each with there own strengths. Against Tyrone Austie stayed inside and Mort came out further thats a waster of time. If Mort plays he has to be an out and out corner forward. Austie is prob better in the corner than at 14 but really haven't we seen this before from Austie a good league then disappointing when summer comes. I'd chance someone else and Ronnie has played fairly well throughout the league as good as Austie overall I'd say so give him a spin. O'Sé is too good to leave out but he won't play against NY or Ros I'd say due to exams so give it too B Moran and see how he fairs

[stephenite]

Conor out for 6 weeks with 2 broken bones in his hand

[OirthearMhaigheo]

Have to say I agree with Kevmy on the Heaney issue. I think he will be a big addition to the squad and a man you could throw in to steady the ship towards the end of a game as the backs are very young, but I wouldn't start him.

My team would be

Clarke

AN Other
Cafferkey
McLoughlin

Cunniffe
Howley
K. Higgins

McGarrity
Parsons

Harte
O'Sé
Dillon

C.Mort
B. Moran
Andy


I can't decide on right-corner back because O'Malley always seems to be in bother at some stage or other, I would put Howley in the corner, the problem is there is only one Howley and all in all I would put him centre back. He plays the position well, he sits and controls the area much better than Cunniffe. For the other corner I have gone for McLoughlin, he was a bit off the pace yesterday but he looks to have alot of potential, if he is going well come championship I would give him a chance.
Cunniffe is a fine athlete but he just doesn't command the centre back area so I would put him out on the wing. I'm afraid Peadar was up to his old tricks the last day so I would replace him with Cunniffe as he is the future. Nallen and Heaney have alot to offer yet so you could see Nallen being slotted into the corner yet, Vaughan is another option.
Keith Higgins is a class act and if fit must be in the team.

The 2 'thoroughbreds', as Moysider calls them, pick themselves. I personally think they are too similar but we haven't had a chance to see the best alternative (Seamus O'Sé) so we will most likely see them in the summer. McGarrity was class the last day which was very encouraging.

I've gone for Aidan O'Se at 11, that's actually his best position and in Barry Moran we have a brillant FF, I don't think we should have such an asset on the bench when we can use O'Se further out the field. I know he hasn't played there for the seniors but he knows the position so well and the lad is ready so that's what I would do.
Harte is a class half forward, that's where you will see the best of him IMO so I'd have him at 10 and the unsung hero Dillon the other side.
For me it has to be Conor in the corner, he's well able to adapt to playing off a big man and when he finds his form again he is lethal.

I've gone for Andy in the other corner simply because out of the other 13 outfielders I don't see a decent passer. Before he was sent off he was the only one capable of picking O'Se out with a good kick pass. I wouldn't play Andy in the corner as he doesn't score enough but he does create alot so he could play the roving role. He's not a back so I would get him out of there.
Ronaldson has had a fine league and is a handy player but I think Andy can do this job that bit better as he is a good deal stronger and has a similar appetite for work. I wouldn't pick Trevor to start, he would be a good impact sub but for every thing he does well there is a mistake (often costly) either side of it.

It's been a decent league all in all, we managed to stay up and we've found some answers to some of the questions (Caffs marshalling of Kavanagh yesterday was brillant to see for example!).
We could have a good summer, i.e. a Connacht and a good run after that IF this upward curve continues and we have a bit of luck. We would then be able for most teams 'on our day' and if Kerry have an off day we would even be able for them dare I say it. It's nice to have a bit of optimism going into the Summer, we need to focus on Ross and then if we get passed that our goal has to be a Connacht. The Summer will look after itself after that if a bit of momentum is built up.

[Foreverhopeful]

looks like aidan o shea & barry moran could be forming 2/3 of our full forward line as i suggested 1o days ago.. seems to be gathering a bit of pace, imagine if we had ciaran mcdonald supplying them ball along with dillon. tasty
we have a lot of options now in the backs

[IolarCoisCuain]

While I m pleased with a lot of what I ve seen this Spring I would nt be as optimistic as some. I think much of what has been positive  has been due the individual form of some and the arrival of likes of Cafferkey, McLoughlin and O Sé on the senior scene. Their cv s  have been loaded for years now anyway and its a relief only that they ve been as good as they have been.  But overall I m not convinced we have a team that will perform in Championship. I m not sure at all we have a spine of a team.... or should I say a spine that will last. But at this stage 3,6,8,9,11, and 14 fairly settled but not necessarily our best options.  Last 2 years we had a spine as well in Spring.

I attended 5 league games, Derry, Dublin, Wmeath, Galway and Tyrone. Only v Wmeath were we in control and comfortable. In the other 4 games we looked swamped at times but in fairness recovered well in the last 2. Worryingly with the aid of a good breeze in the last 3 games we struggled to close out the games we should have won and just got there in Tuam. Most worryingly Tyrone took charge of Sundays game in last 10 mins and created chance after chance from their own defence without a Mayo player landing a glove on them. It amounted to a collapse of sorts. From a position when we were 2 clear with a following wind.

The positives for me have been.

David Clarke.
Cafferkey and McLoughlin( though he looked like a tourist at times last day - stage fright I guess)
McGarrity( more of a hunch he s going to have a big year)
Harte and Parsons ( moves like Ferrari)
Dillon when he s been healthy.
O Sé obviously.

Negatives.

No proper freetaker.
Not enough 'dog' in the backs. If the new rules were left in place maybe we could go with them. No danger of anybody ever getting sent off. Not once the last day was any Tyrone runner stopped in his tracks. The runners were nt coming down the wings. They were coming down the middle.
Midfielders obsessed with high catching. This needs to stop and get proper ball winning strategies on our own kick- outs. Hughes broke all McGar ball ( not blaming McGar or Clarke, the culture has to change) the last day first half and Tyrone won the breaks. Parsons has to work when he does nt have the ball. In fact the whole team needs to learn how to track a runner.
We are shy forward options in the squad. We ll be very watery on the bench. Our forwards are Harte, Padden, Trevor, Andy maybe( all utility players to be honest)
Conor, O Sé, Dillon, Ronaldson, Barry Moran and Austin at a push. I know this sounds callous but cant see the sense of persisting with Kilcoyne or Mikey Sweeney(this year anyway)
Jason Doherty looks a better bet than Sweeney. He s a predator and hardy as well. I would have Freeman straight in as well as he is a proper wing man and knows his game.

Iffy bits.

Not convinced with Cuniffe at 6 or Trevor at 11. I counted five times v Tyrone when Trevor gave up the ball by either poor handling or poor passing in second half when we were in closing out the game territory. One kicked pass flew over the reciever s head by about 4 feet and over the sideline. Tyrone built and scored from the line ball. That cancels out his great point. Unforgivable in a close game. Rough but if we want to compete with the best we have to match their standards but not necessarily ape their style.
Ronaldson. He went from man of the match in Tuam to looking out of his depth against Philip Jordan. I dunno?
Peadar Gardiner does so many good things but shoots like a drunk. After landing 2 big ones in Tuam he was terrible against Tyrone. From 7 good attacking positions he made we got zilch return. Davy Harte got on the end of things twice and scored 2 points. Its differences like this that explain why 1 team wins silver and the other does not. So do we persist with Peadar or go with a player like Vaughan, McLoughlin( who can kick the football) or Cuniffe on the wing. Unfortunately we have not explored some possibilities in this league. Not blaming management because the U21 campaign was disruptive.

With the new rules probably binned for the championship we might be seen as easy meat for some. Our backs looked bullied in the Derry and Dublin games in particular. Our midfield are thoroughbreds in an area patrolled by warhorses. As I ve said already they re obsessed with trying to catch every ball.
There s not an awful lot wrong that selection and a bit of coaching would nt go a long way to fixing. We have to vary our game between our natural running game and using target men. Some of our attempts to hit O Sé the last day were a joke. We need a couple of players who can hit long early ball like Trevor Giles used to or attacking wing backs who can hit the big boys with accurate diagonal ball with a runner steaming in on support expecting an off-load. We have decent playing resources. The difference the last day was system, coaching and the belief/resolve that comes with success. How we do this year is in the lap of management and coaching. I think we re putting too much emphasis on who is picked where. I d like to see gameplan finetuned and workrate upped.

Other times v Tyrone  we hit hopeful ball in with free men in support. This was the case yesterday when Caff got forward and had about 40 yards clear in front of him and instead of being given a 5 yard pass the ball was hoofed down the throat of a Tyrone back standing all on his own.  Tyrone countered and cant remembered if they scored or not but its acedemic. We need to be much more clinical. Management could do worse than examine the Tyrone way. They hit the inside forwards early when it suits but when they need to get scores their default mode is a running possession game which in fairness they have developed to perfection. Its the gaelic equivalent of total football with everybody prepared to make a supporting run and make an extra man( Gormely s point) while everybody s prepared to funnel back and track runners as well. They offload to suppport at exactly the right time and passes go to hand. Basic stuff but we dont do it well. We try to beat players when it s not on, turn back, fling ( could nt call it a pass) the ball on the ground, ignore support etc, etc. Defensively the last day last quarter and inlast 10 first half we neither tracked our men or converged on the man in possession. Elbow grease needed here.

Unless the unthinkable happens we re likely to be meeting Galway in Salthill this year. In footballing terms I think we may be ahead of them at this stage. But we dont usually win there against them or anywhere else in recent years. Sammon will know as well that while Galway will play when they have the ball that he can up the ante on Mayo physically. The return of Colman will add more steel and with the likes of Blake and Burke there s plenty of iron behind the velvet. We have to be able to fight fire with fire this year. Not sure what team I would pick yet. I d like to see the form of the vets, Howley and K Higgins  but I ll assume they re as good as they were last year and go with this 15. Some of it is about stirring debate but I m going to drop Conor on the grounds that he does nt seem interested in playing with a target man, laying ball off, has not been able to kick 45s  and  freesfrom distance, has daft shot selection and has been goal-shy for years.

                                                         Clarke

 Aiden Higgins                                  Cafferkey                           McLoughlin

 Heaney                                          Howley                              Keith Higgins

                          McGarrity                                 Seamas Ó Sé


 Harte                                          Parsons                                   Trevor

Aiden O Sé                                   Barry Moran                           Alan Dillon  

Dillon to play off the 2 big lads inside. Trevor to dig and unleash hell among the enemy all over the place. Parsons in the forwards until he gets a defensive side to his game and because we need a footballer at 11 and he s the best we have. Howley and Aiden Higgins to add bite to the defence. Seamas O Sé because we need an animal with hairy hoofs around the middle and he d better come through.            

That's a wonderfully forensic piece of analysis from Moysider. There's lots to be happy about and plenty to worry about too. No shortage of turns in the road yet.

Moysider makes an interesting point about the backs. Most people have noted that Mayo aren't leaking goals like they used to, but the new rules, or enforcement of the old rules, or whatever you want to put it, has definitely been to Mayo's benefit. If things revert to being rougher, as they were before, will our lack of warhorses cost us? Will we have, in Seán Feeney's expressive phrase, too many "ladeens" who are liable to get pushed around?

[RedandGreenSniper]

That's a wonderfully forensic piece of analysis from Moysider. There's lots to be happy about and plenty to worry about too. No shortage of turns in the road yet.

Moysider makes an interesting point about the backs. Most people have noted that Mayo aren't leaking goals like they used to, but the new rules, or enforcement of the old rules, or whatever you want to put it, has definitely been to Mayo's benefit. If things revert to being rougher, as they were before, will our lack of warhorses cost us? Will we have, in Seán Feeney's expressive phrase, too many "ladeens" who are liable to get pushed around?

Claremorris' Willie Feeley has to take the credit for that one. You're right though Iolar, great review by Moysider. Moysider I'd go along with most of that. However I do think that David Clarke hasn't been a complete success. Clean sheets have been magnificent but, like Van Der Sar at United during their run, that's as much because of defence as actual saves he's had to make. I reckon his high, hanging kick outs are problematic and putting McGarrity and Harte under pressure (and making it easy for the Tyrones of this world to break ball all day). But he's still our number one 'keeper, don't get me wrong. But kick outs a definite issue.

I'd also be more happy with Cunniffe at centre-half back than Trevor at centre-half forward. Cunniffe has done well in a man marking job the last two games when asked to do that and not attack. He has what it takes. Trevor gives away too much ball however. I'd like to see the following team in championship:
Clarke;
O'Malley (just about), Caff, McLoughlin;
Gardiner, Cunniffe, Keith Higgins;
McGarrity, Parsons;
Harte, O'Shea, Trevor;
Conor, B Moran, Dillon.
Moran and O'Shea are interchangeable. I like Seamus O'Shea as a midfielder but he hasn't had enough game time to be in for championship. Liam O'Malley will be hanging on after the Tyrone game but I'd have him ahead of Nallen or Aidan Higgins unless either of the boys are 'flying' it in training. I reckon O'Shea's playmaking would be ideal at centre-half forward and that's a serious full-forward line and we've two men who can really get stuck in at wing-forward.