Mayo Football and Hurling - Discussion pages

[Farrandeelin]

I believe it's about the failings since 1951. I've a book about it and don't want to hear it. So why don't we ever talk anything positive about Mayo football?

[AbbeySider]

I believe it's about the failings since 1951. I've a book about it and don't want to hear it. So why don't we ever talk anything positive about Mayo football?

Its about more than that Farrandeelin.
Some good stuff about Ted Webb and interviews with JOM, Willie Joe Padden, TJ Kilgannon etc. Its a good listen if you have a few minutes.

[RedandGreenSniper]

I believe it's about the failings since 1951. I've a book about it and don't want to hear it. So why don't we ever talk anything positive about Mayo football?

Its about more than that Farrandeelin.
Some good stuff about Ted Webb and interviews with JOM, Willie Joe Padden, TJ Kilgannon etc. Its a good listen if you have a few minutes.

Yeah but the overbearing theme is about how much heartbreak we've had, Ted Webb is linked to that. WJP, TJ etc are all interviewed about why we lost. It is a worthy subject because we've been more unlucky at the top level than anyone else but you wouldn't want to have to listen to it if you wanted your buzz lifted.

[Davitt Man]

Looking forward to the draw...

THE GAA have outlined details of the All-Ireland football quarter-final draw, which will take place in Thurles on Sunday evening, shortly after the second All-Ireland hurling quarter-final between Galway and Waterford. It marks a return to a more civilised hour following the late, late broadcast of last Sunday's fourth round qualifier draw – something which the GAA say "won't happen again".

The actual format of the quarter-finals will follow that of recent years in that the four provincial winners – Dublin, Cork, Tyrone and Mayo – will go into one bowl, and the four winners of the fourth-round qualifier in the other – Antrim or Kerry, Kildare/ Wicklow, Galway/Donegal, and Limerick/Meath or Roscommon.

The only precondition is the provincial finalist will be kept apart. Therefore, should Kildare beat Wicklow, they can't be drawn again against Dublin. Likewise, should Antrim beat Kerry, they can't be drawn against Tyrone, and similarly, if Galway beat Donegal, they can't meet the Connacht champions Mayo.

However, if Kerry win, they can be drawn against Cork again, as their previous meeting was in the provincial semi-final. Likewise, Dublin could well meet Meath again – should those teams progress.

While originally all four quarter-finals were due to be played on the weekend after next, August 1st/2nd, the delay to one of the fourth-round qualifiers – the meeting between Limerick and either Meath or Roscommon – means at least one of the quarter-finals will be postponed until the following weekend, August 8th/9th.

[muppet]

Looking forward to the draw...

THE GAA have outlined details of the All-Ireland football quarter-final draw, which will take place in Thurles on Sunday evening, shortly after the second All-Ireland hurling quarter-final between Galway and Waterford. It marks a return to a more civilised hour following the late, late broadcast of last Sunday's fourth round qualifier draw – something which the GAA say "won't happen again".

The actual format of the quarter-finals will follow that of recent years in that the four provincial winners – Dublin, Cork, Tyrone and Mayo – will go into one bowl, and the four winners of the fourth-round qualifier in the other – Antrim or Kerry, Kildare/ Wicklow, Galway/Donegal, and Limerick/Meath or Roscommon.

The only precondition is the provincial finalist will be kept apart. Therefore, should Kildare beat Wicklow, they can't be drawn again against Dublin. Likewise, should Antrim beat Kerry, they can't be drawn against Tyrone, and similarly, if Galway beat Donegal, they can't meet the Connacht champions Mayo.

However, if Kerry win, they can be drawn against Cork again, as their previous meeting was in the provincial semi-final. Likewise, Dublin could well meet Meath again – should those teams progress.

While originally all four quarter-finals were due to be played on the weekend after next, August 1st/2nd, the delay to one of the fourth-round qualifiers – the meeting between Limerick and either Meath or Roscommon – means at least one of the quarter-finals will be postponed until the following weekend, August 8th/9th.

Obviously it was just an oversight that you didn't mention that Mayo could meet Roscommon again.

[Davitt Man]

dont shoot the messenger, that piece is from the Irish Times

[muppet]

dont shoot the messenger, that piece is from the Irish Times

I was justing baiting (batin'?) the Rossies.

[Tubberman]

I see Kevin McStay is back penning an article in The Mayo News.
Good to see him back, I always liked reading his stuff when I'm meant to be working on a Tuesday morning.

Mayo need to improve quickly


Kevin McStay

IT'S only a matter of living long enough – eventually you will see everything. And the GAA seems to insist that history repeats itself at every opportunity.
Mayo had five possible opponents lined up as the countdown began for the championship quarter-finals draw. I had a 'live feed' into the sitting room, and as each provincial winner was paired off with the round four loser, it soon became clear that fate would set us opposite our old friends from Meath. I peered out from behind the sofa and noted a smiling Christy Cooney – his Cork boys had avoided them but Mayo would face them down!
I know, I know – there is the not-so-small matter of Limerick for the Royals this weekend, but surely you can feel it in your bones? There can be little doubt! We might select Galway as our traditional rivals, the team we most enjoy beating, but for more recent generations of Mayo men, the possibility of meeting Meath will allow them park their animosity with the border badlands for a few weeks. Yep, count on it – we will be facing the county with which we have unfinished business from way back when. 
Personally, I felt matching up with Kerry would be the best result. We have a little recent history with them boys too, and if there is ever a good time to play the Kingdom, it is now. Various words are being used to describe their current state: dead men walking, weak pulse, long deep breaths – take your pick. But I felt if we wanted a psychological edge ('going forward!') the aristocrats were the boys for us. For now, we must mark time and see who emerges from the final qualifier game of 2009.

A Connacht final for the ages
FIRST, a look back at what was a Connacht final for the ages. The finale was fantastic but in the broad daylight of sober analysis, the end result failed to convince me either side were good enough, at this stage, to win the All-Ireland. Already, Galway have confirmed that opinion, and unless Mayo show substantial improvement, the semi-final will draw a line under this championship year.
Mayo won the Connacht final because their manager and the players needed the buoyancy of a title win more than Galway did.
I fancied Mayo all along, but had anticipated a five- or six-point win over their fiercest rivals. Such a winning margin would make a similar statement to the one announced by Cork during the replayed Munster championship game against Kerry.
Some days you have to stand up tall and scream your arrival on the main stage, and Mayo needed to do this against Galway once and for all. And with the Mayo men leading by seven points with eight minutes left on the clock, the message coming from Salthill was this is a different Mayo outfit.
At that stage all the Mayo midfielders and forwards had scored – the majority classy ones from play. The lazy, stale stereotype of Mayo footballers lining up outside Specsavers was not applicable on this day.
And Mayo had a wing back waiting to contribute on the scoreboard if things took a turn for the worse ... Mayo being Mayo, inevitably, they did. Set up defensively for the final quarter, they started to cynically foul at their own 45m line and beyond, and in doing so, 'invited' Galway on to them.
And then to put the tin hat on it, Mayo began a mini game of 'keep ball' with a full three minutes yet to be played. 'Keep ball' depends on speed of hand, movement, and pace, and the pretty obvious rider that you don't start that craic until the game is almost up – say a minute or so on the clock would be just about right. Mayo started showboating and there was still time for Michael Meehan to scorch the sod with a bullet to the net, and of course still time for the indefatigable Peadar Gardiner to score a beauty against a strong breeze.

We tick three of the four boxes
MAYO have strong prospects of making a real impact but that opinion is predicated on an immediate and serious improvement in just about all lines of the team.
John O'Mahony will know that, will know that most teams improve from the provincial cauldron, but the players must make things work from here on in. Mayo are physically in great shape with a lot of natural pace and athleticism to call on and so, if the football they play can match those standards, they will be fit for all-comers. If the football stays close to that we witnessed in Salthill, this journey will end at the semi-final stage and perhaps earlier.
It must be recalled that only two Galway players, Joe Bergin and Nicky Joyce, hit Connacht final standard. Meanwhile, their un-rated midfield won this key sector marginally. And playing poorly, Galway were level in time added on. Need I say more?
Mayo's full-forward line is far from the massive threat many observers are arguing. I said as much after the straightforward win over Roscommon when that inside line went missing for almost two-thirds of the game. In the provincial final, following an opening burst, only young O'Shea really measured up. A full forward line that scores 1-2 in total is hardly 'The Twin Towers Mark II'. Sure, the much-maligned Conor Mortimer scored that himself in the second half!
But Mayo has a very good defence, and if there is a place still up for grabs there, that competition will keep all on their toes. They were tight, tough and very mobile, with great covering evident throughout. But Mayo's midfield was disappointing.
On a day when they expected to dominate the Galway pairing, it just did not happen, and the introduction of Tom Parsons changed little in that area. Yes, both Heaney and McGarrity scored and contributed besides. But, not enough.
Plenty to be getting on with then; now is the time of the year to time your run to the summit – four or five real weeks of serious momentum could see a team in the All-Ireland final. Brian Clough, one of my favourite managers, always maintained that a winning team needed four elements: application and ability, discipline and determination. Mayo tick three of those boxes but the football ability needed to win All-Irelands needs to surface now.

[AbbeySider]

I see Kevin McStay is back penning an article in The Mayo News.
Good to see him back, I always liked reading his stuff when I'm meant to be working on a Tuesday morning.

Different paper... almost the same article!

From the herald.ie (quoted here: http://gaaboard.com/board/index.php?topic=12733.msg600014#msg600014)

Herald.ie
Connacht finalists are unlikely to go all way
By Kevin McStay
Wednesday July 22 2009

...

I fancied Mayo all along, but had anticipated a five- or six-point win over their fiercest rivals. Something similar to the Cork statement during the replayed Munster championship game against Kerry. Some days you have to stand up tall and announce your arrival on stage and Mayo needed to do this against Galway once and for all. And with the Mayo men leading by seven points with eight minutes left on the clock, the message coming from Salthill was this was a different Mayo outfit.

At that stage, all the Mayo midfielders and forwards had scored; the majority were classy ones from play -- the lazy, stale stereotype of Mayo footballers lining up outside Specsavers was not applicable last Sunday. And Mayo had a wing back waiting to contribute on the scoreboard if things took a turn for the worse. And, with Mayo being Mayo, inevitably they did. They set up defensively for the final quarter and started to cynically foul at their own 45m line and beyond.

And then, to put the tin hat on it, they began a mini game of keep ball with a full three minutes yet to be played. Keep ball depends on speed of hand, movement and pace, and the pretty obvious rider that you don't start that craic until the game is almost up -- say a minute or so on the clock would be just about right. Mayo started showboating and there was still time for Michael Meehan to scorch the sod with a bullet to the net, and of course still time for the indefatigable Peadar Gardiner to score a beauty against a strong breeze.

Both teams have strong prospects of going further in this championship, but not the whole way. I expect Galway to beat Donegal this weekend and Mayo should be fit for all-comers out of the Round 4 bowl. But the journey will end for both at the semi-final stage unless immediate and substantial improvement arrives.

And the MayoNews...

Mayo need to improve quickly
Kevin McStay

Mayo won the Connacht final because their manager and the players needed the buoyancy of a title win more than Galway did.
I fancied Mayo all along, but had anticipated a five- or six-point win over their fiercest rivals. Such a winning margin would make a similar statement to the one announced by Cork during the replayed Munster championship game against Kerry.
Some days you have to stand up tall and scream your arrival on the main stage, and Mayo needed to do this against Galway once and for all. And with the Mayo men leading by seven points with eight minutes left on the clock, the message coming from Salthill was this is a different Mayo outfit.
At that stage all the Mayo midfielders and forwards had scored – the majority classy ones from play. The lazy, stale stereotype of Mayo footballers lining up outside Specsavers was not applicable on this day.
And Mayo had a wing back waiting to contribute on the scoreboard if things took a turn for the worse ... Mayo being Mayo, inevitably, they did. Set up defensively for the final quarter, they started to cynically foul at their own 45m line and beyond, and in doing so, 'invited' Galway on to them.
And then to put the tin hat on it, Mayo began a mini game of 'keep ball' with a full three minutes yet to be played. 'Keep ball' depends on speed of hand, movement, and pace, and the pretty obvious rider that you don't start that craic until the game is almost up – say a minute or so on the clock would be just about right. Mayo started showboating and there was still time for Michael Meehan to scorch the sod with a bullet to the net, and of course still time for the indefatigable Peadar Gardiner to score a beauty against a strong breeze.

We tick three of the four boxes
MAYO have strong prospects of making a real impact but that opinion is predicated on an immediate and serious improvement in just about all lines of the team.

I suppose he is not the worst although I went hard on him lately because I dont think he gives Galway enough credit for their comeback lead by Bergan and Nicky Joyce who were fantastic. Also playing in Salthill is worth a few points to them... and as I said... the Cork team that he holds in such high regard (laying down this marker against Kerry) were lucky to scrape past Limerick....

But I can see that he is playing down our chances and you have to respect that I guess.

[AbbeySider]

...
McStay
...
Brian Clough, one of my favourite managers, always maintained that a winning team needed four elements: application and ability, discipline and determination. Mayo tick three of those boxes but the football ability needed to win All-Irelands needs to surface now.

Thats a great quote...

[Tubberman]

Some might think McStay is a bit of a pessimist about Mayo from time to time (I think he's just trying to keep expectations realistic) at least he doesn't go to the other extreme like Anthony Hennigan in this week's Western. We won the Connacht final by 1 point, against a Gaway team proven to be mediocre by their subsequent loss to Donegal and supporters calling for Sammon to step down.

Yet in the Western, the lead sport article looks forward to the possibility of a Mayo v Tyrone All-Ireland final 
Is it any wonder people lose the run of themselves when this is what's written in the local media

Mayo for Sam? It's just a matter of time, says Harte
By: Anthony Hennigan

A MAYO versus Tyrone All-Ireland final? "It's not unthinkable that it would happen," admits Tyrone boss, Mickey Harte. Okay, so there's an awful lot of football to be played in the meantime, with both teams only finding out their quarter-final opponents on Sunday night last, but placed on opposite sides of the semi-final draw, two wins apiece for both teams would guarantee that exact pairing on the third Sunday of September.

"If we manage it I don't mind who's there. If we can get to the final it would be great, I'll be delighted, but it's one step at a time," Harte told the Western People, as Mayo were drawn to play the winners of next weekend's Meath/Limerick All-Ireland Championship Round 4 qualifier.


"Mayo are on the other side of the draw from us and it's not unthinkable that it would happen. Cork, Kerry, Dublin all have designs on that too, but we'll wait and see. It could be interesting," stated the three-times All-Ireland winning Tyrone boss, his team due to face Kildare in one of next weekend's three quarterfinals. The fourth will involve Mayo one week later.


On the same day (last Sunday week) that Tyrone defeated Antrim to regain their Ulster senior football crown, Mayo had a much tighter scrap, in Salthill, beating Galway to the Nestor Cup. With it being their first provincial title win in three years, that victory represented progress for the Green and Red, however, Mickey Harte says he has noticed definite improvements in Mayo football over a much longer period.


"I've seen progress in so far as Mayo are always there or thereabouts, and bringing on new players and still staying there or thereabouts. Their team has gone through quite a transition maybe in the last 10 years, but all the while they're still up there near the top table, maybe just not making that final breakthrough. But that's a strong basis from which to make your next step. They're in a much stronger position than most other teams.


"Many people cite this example of how many finals Mayo have lost as if it's a negative thing but in many ways it's a very positive thing because who else has that to acclaim, that they lost that many finals? They can't, because they were never in them. It's all about how you look at these things. It's (for Mayo) to be positive about what they've done," he insists.



Mickey Harte joined Kilkenny hurling boss Brian Cody, Ireland's triple crown winning coach Declan Kidney and three-times Major winner Padraig Harrington as a guest speaker at 'Preparing to Perform', last Saturday's multi-sports conference at Dublin's City West Hotel.


Prior to becoming senior boss, Mickey Harte oversaw the All-Ireland success of Tyrone's minor and U-21 winning teams and sees no reason why Mayo can't build on their similar achievements. The Green and Red contested numerous minor and U-21 All-Irelands around the turn of the Millennium but much more recently, were 2006 All-Ireland U-21 winners, finalists in 2004, and contested both the 2005 and 2008 minor finals, losing only after a replay last year to Harte's home county, Tyrone. So why is Mayo yet to progress it's All-Ireland successes at underage and club grades to success at senior level?


"Yet is the word you've used, so that's an optimistic word and it means you're on the way to doing it and I think that's the way you've got to look at it," observes Mickey Harte.


"It doesn't matter what's happened in the past, that's history now and you can't change that. The only thing you can change is the present which will give you a different future.


"I think it's about people dealing with where they're at, believing that the success that they've had is the building block or blocks for success further and again, just learning from the success they've had and bringing that to the next level.


"The basis for quality is there in Mayo. They've always been there or thereabouts and they've proved at underage that they can do it. It's just a matter of time, it's not a matter of can they do it, it's a matter of when they do it."



All-Ireland SFC draw


All-Ireland SFC Quarter-finals


• Mayo v Meath or Limerick


• Cork v Donegal


• Tyrone v Kildare


• Dublin v Kerry


All-Ireland SFC Semi-finals


• Mayo or Meath or Limerick v Dublin or Kerry


• Cork or Donegal v Tyrone or Kildare

[AbbeySider]

There is a comment on a post on the HoganStand that said Barry Moran broke his wrist at training last night.
I doubt its true, I hope its not...

[Tubberman]

There is also one saying Ger Cafferkey is going to St Kilda on a 2-year contract 
Surely that's BS - I'd have thought he's too old, hasn't the pace or physicality.

Edit - that's not meant as a criticism of Ger by the way! He has been excellent at FB all year and it would be a major setback if he was to go anywhere.

[AbbeySider]

Some might think McStay is a bit of a pessimist about Mayo from time to time (I think he's just trying to keep expectations realistic) at least he doesn't go to the other extreme like Anthony Hennigan in this week's Western. We won the Connacht final by 1 point, against a Gaway team proven to be mediocre by their subsequent loss to Donegal and supporters calling for Sammon to step down.

Yet in the Western, the lead sport article looks forward to the possibility of a Mayo v Tyrone All-Ireland final 
Is it any wonder people lose the run of themselves when this is what's written in the local media

Going back to you point about the local media, the hype machine locally is unbelievable.
It sells papers I know, but some of the build ups can be overbearing.

Look at me talking about build ups after reading that article 

We are only in a quarter final, and we dont even know who we are playing yet.
I think the Dublin, Tyrone, Cork or Kerry still have an edge on us, some more so than others, so talk of and All Ireland final against Tyrone is premature.

If anything previous outings has thought us; its to be less naive.
JOM has been good at keeping expectations low in his interviews, and rightly so.

[rosnarun]

just as well you got your apology in before the ballina mafia put a hit out on you