Mayo Football and Hurling - Discussion pages

[highking]

Sniper - Thats a comprehensive lineup. Good to see ure keeping ure finger on the pulse. Im assuming you have inside info. Myself, and Im sure all the other posters here, would be greteful if you could keep us informed of incomings/outgoings from the panel. You can take it that you are appointed official PRO for the Mayo football panel on this site for 2007 (review after first year)..... Any seconders for that?

[stephenite]

You can take it that you are appointed official PRO for the Mayo football panel on this site for 2007 (review after first year)..... Any seconders for that?

Ah politics - I'd need to know what club he is from before I could consider voting on this particular issue

[Maradona]

Comprehensive panel maybe, but there are a few in there that have been tried and tested before and didn't produce. I really don't think M&M left anyone out unjustly last year, so the real additions are likely to come from players involved last year that come on a lot (potential there for the likes of Barry Regan, Howley, Kilcoyne, Barry Moran, Higgins, etc) and from some of the new U21 additions (Campbell, Barrett, etc). Unfortunately no one in that group has the attributes the team are crying out for in the physical stakes. We need to address our lack of physically throughout the team, but particularly in the FB and FF lines. Suggestions for these lines would be:

FB: Heaney Brady Higgins
FF C Mortimer P Harte C McDonald / T Mortimer

I think Brady should put his money where his mouth is – we have been hearing for the last 3-4 years about how he has been battered and bruised, not much left in the ould legs, etc. Well if he wants to be involved, then he needs to be able to play for 70 minutes. I mean the lad isn't THAT old! There is much less mobility required in FB than in MF. Whatever he lacks in pace, he could make up in fear factor to his opponent. A sort of Mick Lyons maybe. Only thing he would need to be much more disciplined. Think Heaney should play alongside as a good big mobile support, To be honest I am tired of seeing fellas as small as myself in the FB line. It don't work.

Equally so we need a physical presence at FF. Would hate to have to sacrifice Harte from MF, but he is the only one that has the physicality, mobility and scoring power to fill the role. Don't think Barry Moran has that ability.

And above all we have to get more physical and play with controlled aggression. We are too f*cking nice! You don't have to workout for 3 years solid to be aggressive......it comes from the soul!

[Mayo4Sam]

I would say its an absolute stone clad certainty that harte will not be midfield next year.
Lyons has played him as a wing forward as will continue to do so, and rightly so according to the stephenite lads, meant to be his best position by far

[Maradona]

How could it be so stone clad given that he was our find of the season in MF last year but had not managed to break in as a forward? No point in moving him to the HF just because he has played there for Ballina (actually saw Ballina once this year v Shrule and he was playing MF) as we are reasonably healthy in the HF with whats there and with whats coming thro. Mentioned him for FF cos we really heed to address our lack of ball winning capability up there. Plus these days you also need some mobility in that position. Dont see anyone else that might succeed other than maybe a more physical Barry Moran. Harte could beacome a vicitim of his versitility (a al Heaney)

[RedandGreenSniper]

High King as honorable as your nomination is I'll have to withdraw. Don't worry if i hear anything I'll mention it here. Was talking to someone involved, that's how I got most of those names.
It'll be interesting to see who is tried out in what positions.
At full-back now there is two alternative options in Ger Cafferkey and Paddy Navin. Whether either can step up remains to be seen. Of course there is also Liam O'Malley but I get the feeling he could, and this is something I completely disagreed with a year ago, be Mayo's next centre-half back.
Tom Cunniffe is an option there but like Cafferkey might need more time. Brendan Prendergast has been excellent there for Tourmak' but pace could be a problem on dry ground. Trevor Howley possibly but think he will be better in the corner.
I think Harte will be a wing-forward for Mayo, probably at Billy Joe's expense with McGarrity alongside Moran probably but either Barry Kelly or Seamus O'Shea could make the step up too. Think DB will just be used off the bench.
Full-forward, think Trevor is due another go.

At the minute, and an awful lot can change, I think this could shape up to be the Mayo team for the start of the league

David Clarke
Trevor Howley  Paddy Navin   James Nallen
Keith Higgins   Liam O'Malley  Peadar Gardiner
  Ronan McGarrity   Barry Moran
Pat Harte  Ger Brady   Alan Dillon
Conor Mortimer  Trevor Mortimer  Kevin O'Neill

I think McD may be rested for a while in the league but that eventually he will be looked at as an orthodox number 11, and not drifting from 15. The same goes for Heaney. Think Keith Higgins best suited to wing back, Nallen may be given a run at corner back but could be on the bench come championship while Aidan Higgins may just miss out

[Mayo4Sam]

Cafferkey isn't ready yet for senior inter-county but the experience of training with them will do him the world of good and apparently his injury isn't a s bad as he thought and is coming along nicely

My team for the championship, and theres a long way to go yet,

David Clarke
Liam O'Malley  James Nallen   David Heaney
Keith Higgins   Trevor Howley Peadar Gardiner
  Ronan McGarrity   AN Other
Pat Harte  Ger Brady   Alan Dillon
Conor Mortimer  Trevor Mortimer  MacDanger

Midfield i'm still not convinced by barry moran, I dont think seamie o'shea has come on as he was expected to.
The 2 options in my mind would be DB, like someone said stop being a fat b@stard and get out and play (I'm paraphrasing  )
He's not that old
or barry kelly

[OkeyDoke]

I can't see how T Howley will be at no.6 before Nallen or Heaney -  he's not ready for it yet. I don't know if he has the temperament to make it to the top as i've seen him playing a few times last year and he mixes the very good with the very bad. He seems to lack concentration at vital times.
I know you said that he's very good at club level but inter county is miles ahead of it.
I would like to see him start in the corner and if he proves himself there foe a year or 2, then bring him out - kinda like an apprenticeship
Also, Heaney at corner back

[Mayo4Sam]

I dont think TH will ever make it as a corner back, he lacks the height, a trait that kerry have twice keyed in on in our FB line.
And i'll expect ye to be saying "we were wrong, u were right, we're the worst, ur the best" some time next summer 
Just as rosnarun had to do this year on chuckie!

I think heaney can be a corner back, why not?
Has good height, and solid enough not to get turned, donaghy excepting

[Farrandeelin]

Would you be confident to see Nallen marking Donaghy at full-back Mayo4Sam? I don't think I would.

[OkeyDoke]

I just don't think he's a good enough man-marker for corner back - the same goes for J Nallen at No.3. My full back line would prob be     K Higgins   L O Malley  A Higgins/T Howley
They need to be tried out in the league but it is the only line on Mayo's team that needs a major shuffle

[Maradona]

Gees, you are going from small to smaller with that FB line! Thats why we need to put big men in that line once and for all. Of course Heaney Brady Higgins(A) would be my choise - all teams are going to be targeting FB lines in terms of high ball given the success that Kerry had this year. I know Brady played not even a full game there in his career, but he lived with Donaghy more than anyone did. You would have to say that Donaghy had some fear once DB was introduced - he had absoutely non before. But above all Mayo have to start becoming ruthless in every position. I'm a purist, but Mayo have always played fairly pure and non agressive and it will never pay off. We have to look at sacrificing players who just may not be able to provide that agressiveness, even if they have the required football ability. I can only say IMHO the only players of the current squad that play with anything near the level of agression required are D Brady, L O'Malley, P Harte, T Mortimer, K O'Neill.

[MacDanger]

I can only say IMHO the only players of the current squad that play with anything near the level of agression required are D Brady, L O'Malley, P Harte, T Mortimer, K O'Neill.

I wouldn't rank Kevin O'N up there as an aggressive player or even a ball winner. He needs good supply to do the damage rather than balls he has to work too hard for. You're right though, we do need more aggression all round, more players like Brosnan/Galvin/Cavanagh/Dooher are needed. Billie Joe and Ger B are supposed to be filling this role at the moment but maybe not well enough??

DB will never play full back for Mayo. Why?? Because he is not a natural defender; Joyce, O'Neill, Keaney would all skin him alive. Brady is best played at midfield with maybe twenty minutes at FF if he's knackered.

The way people are focusing on Donaghy (i know he was the big star of the year), you'd swear the high ball was a tactic invented by Jack O'C this summer!!! Donaghy (or any wannabes) won't have the same effect next year when teams are better adjusted - this doesn't mean finding a 6ft 7 full back though. Not sure who we will stick in there but if nobody new comes along, I'd go with Nallen and play heaney on the 40. Hopefully some of the younger crop will step up.

What about Billie Joe at FF?? He played 30 minutes there in the 05 connacht final when no high ball came in to him and since then the tactic has been abandoned. I would like to see him playing in there for a few games, he can catch the ball and despite some of his shooting last year, he is still a good man to get a score unless he has completely lost his accuracy from underage.

What about any of the Ballagh men?? Anybody know if any of them - backs specifically - are good enough to step up??

[dodo]

Haven't seen him mentioned in relation to FF but surely Austie O'Malley is deserving of a go. MM stuck by him through last years league when his form had dipped and  he repaid this faith by starting to score again. I know he had his injuries but he didn't feature really during the summer. There has been a school of thought that the dry pitches don't suit him but surely he is deserving of a chance.

As regards Brady at full back I agree totally with MacDanger. He'd be ate there. A specialist FB is preferable but of course we have to play the cards dealt to us. Playing James Nallen at FB is IMO not going to work either. When the legs are gone they are gone, sentimentality is undeserving of a place. He has been a huge servant to Mayo over the years and I sincerely hope he doesn't regret staying on for a year too long. I have faith in O'Mahoney that he will sort out the defence as best as he can.

[Bod Mor]

Lads playing James Nallen at Full back is definetly not an option and O'Mahony would be digging his own grave if he chose that option.
Here is an example, I remember watching the League semi final against Armagh last year. I was on Hill 16, Nallen was moved into Full back to mark Ronan Clarke, he got an awful roasting from him, Clarke caught everything that came in. There were 2 guards in front of us and they turn around and said to us "wha in the namez of jayzusez is tha nuumba 6 doin at full ba" (or something to that affect( they were right though, as little as they knew about football even they could see that he was out of sorts there).
Nallen a mighty servant to Mayo football over the years but i'm afraid Full back is not his forte.
I would have Navin or Liam O'Malley blooded there during the league with Heaney as centre half back.