Mayo V Sligo - Connaught senior final - July 15th

[mrhardyannual]

With the ease that Mayo cut through the Sligo defences in the first 20 minutes I was afraid the game was going to be over before half time. That would have meant heading into the quarter-finals without a serious game so the poor shooting kept the game alive right through. I was never worried that Mayo would lose- they always looked able to step up a gear.

Lots of positives from a Mayo viewpoint:

Clarke is showing top form in goal. Kick outs were great and he acted as an extra defender.
Full back line was solid in the air and aggressive in defence. Did Sligo think they were weak there as they bombarded them with kicks in the first 15 minutes.
The half back line, though inclined to get silly bookings, was solid and injected great pace into our attack.
Barry Moran gave an outstanding show to back up the one against Leitrim that we were all dubious about. O Shea added greatly to midfield on arrival and with Gibbons and McG in reserve we must have our strongest midfield since Brady/Fallon/McHale and Colm Mac in the 90s.
Dillon and Andy showed great appetite for work and Mc Loughlinn was as busy as ever if not as effective. I thought Cillian was poor by his usual standards but he's a class act and will rebound. Freeman did well on being introduced. Doc won a lot of early ball but little came off it.
I would like to see us start next game with same defense, Aidan at midfield with Barry, Freeman on the 40 and Cillian inside with Andy. Last place is up for grabs. Personally i would love to see McG tried in full forward line in challenges or training  as Cork have done with N Murphy. It would be an extra string to the bow.

Onwards and upwards. summer has taken a turn for the better.

PS Can anyone explain the sense of Minors going through a work out from 11 20 until 5 minutes before the game. Thats the equivalent of playing a half a game before the contest. Some of these routines have more to do with the manager/trainer putting on a display of what he can do than anything it does for his players. Not having a cut at T Duffy. This craze is rampant nowadays.

[moysider]

I was sitting in the stand and had a pretty good view of Boyle's point - it looked wide to me. Would be interested to see it again but if they got that wrong then it's dire and very disappointing for Sligo.The wind made it difficult but Mayo seemed obsessed with going for goals in the first half when they should have taken their points and maybe could have won by 3 or 4.

I thought AOS did v well when he came on, made a big difference - contrasted with O'Hara who did nothing when he came on except throw a few digs here and there.

I'd give MOTM to B Moran or Boyle although 1 - 10 plus Dillon all did well.

We need to find some shooting boots before our next outing.

Good luck to Sligo in the 4th rd qualifier - they're good enough to beat a lot of the teams left in it - should have fed Kelly more though.

Feck that 's bad.

[Cosmo Kramer]

Spent much of the afternoon feeling very frustrated at proceedings but having had time to reflect I'm actually quite happy with the way we played in the last 20 minutes.

This was a game that a lot of Mayo teams down the years would have lost. The disallowed goal seemed to set us back and Sligo were dropping players back and making things tough. I'll need to see it again but the call on the pass for the 'goal' seemed incorrect at the time.

It has been previously mentioned on here that we are setting up to go for goals and we saw that today. Wrong option. We could have been ahead at half time if we'd just kept it simple and taken some easy points that were on offer. That strategy needs to be ripped up and binned - it could have cost us the game.

What impressed me though was our second half resolve when we kept going behind, we didn't panic, stuck at it in the face of fearsome defending (credit to Sligo for that) and eventually took our chances to get out of there with the cup. Even better was our downright cynicism when we got two points ahead, no way in hell were Sligo getting in for a goal. It cost us a man but won us the game. Some won't like it but nice guys come last and it had to be done - we didn't have that kind of steel in us before Horan became manager.

I thought the full back line in particular were excellent today, Keane has the makings of a top class defender and Cafferkey is really delivering in a way I wasn't sure he ever would. Big Barry has spent the last two games forcing me to eat my words about him (I pretty much gave up on him after his league final performance). Further forward there is a lot of work to be done and a lot of questions still unanswered, but there's three weeks now to try to find some solutions. We'll be going into the All Ireland Series way under the radar but it's great to be there again and it's no harm to still be an unknown quantity this late into the season.

[ross matt]

Congrats to Mayo on winning another senior connacht title and fair play to Sligo for being competitive right to the end. Horrible match to watch for a neutral. Very scrappy. Mayo looked poor but in fairness that maybe a reflection on how much pressure Sligo put them under. Hopefully Sligo will make a go of the qualifiers now. That point was wide according to the live coverage but Sligo were very fortunate that Andy Moran's goal was disallowed 99% of the time the pass leading up to it wouldnt be pulled up on.

[SLIGONIAN]

Absolutely devastated, congrats to mayo, won the war of attrition, scrap, dogfight, ross donovan is some warrior for sligo gaa.

[emmetryan]

I've put together tactical analysis on today's for anyone interested http://action81.com/blog/?p=5981

[macdanger2]

Not a bad piece Emmet but I'm not sure who you're on about here: "Mortimer's absence felt from long range".........Deadly from shorter distances, Mort was rarely the man for long range frees

[emmetryan]

True but they needed to try someone else to take the pressure off O'Connor and Mort was their only real option for a switch.

[From the Bunker]

Spent much of the afternoon feeling very frustrated at proceedings but having had time to reflect I'm actually quite happy with the way we played in the last 20 minutes.

This was a game that a lot of Mayo teams down the years would have lost. The disallowed goal seemed to set us back and Sligo were dropping players back and making things tough. I'll need to see it again but the call on the pass for the 'goal' seemed incorrect at the time.

It has been previously mentioned on here that we are setting up to go for goals and we saw that today. Wrong option. We could have been ahead at half time if we'd just kept it simple and taken some easy points that were on offer. That strategy needs to be ripped up and binned - it could have cost us the game.

What impressed me though was our second half resolve when we kept going behind, we didn't panic, stuck at it in the face of fearsome defending (credit to Sligo for that) and eventually took our chances to get out of there with the cup. Even better was our downright cynicism when we got two points ahead, no way in hell were Sligo getting in for a goal. It cost us a man but won us the game. Some won't like it but nice guys come last and it had to be done - we didn't have that kind of steel in us before Horan became manager.

I thought the full back line in particular were excellent today, Keane has the makings of a top class defender and Cafferkey is really delivering in a way I wasn't sure he ever would. Big Barry has spent the last two games forcing me to eat my words about him (I pretty much gave up on him after his league final performance). Further forward there is a lot of work to be done and a lot of questions still unanswered, but there's three weeks now to try to find some solutions. We'll be going into the All Ireland Series way under the radar but it's great to be there again and it's no harm to still be an unknown quantity this late into the season.

Have to agree with you, was disappointed with the performance. But on reflection you are correct in saying in the past we would have lost such a game. You have to look at the context of todays win. If we had beaten Galway by the same score we would be chuffed. So why are we not happy to beat narrowly beat a Sligo team who easily beat Galway.

What has happened to Barry Moran, he looks so much the part in midfield at the moment.

The cynical side that Mayo showed for the last couple of minutes will not please the gaa world or the media but who cares.

I think that the going for goals strategy was worth doing in the Connacht Championship, you have a second chance should things go wrong tactical wise at this stage of the championship.

Todays game as you say will keep us under the Radar. Everybody will be looking at the Leinster and Ulster finals as well as Kildare, Kerry and Tyrone in the back door. We will be forgotten (for now).

[Farrandeelin]

You know Cosmo, you have put a decidedly positive spin on my post and seen as it's getting late. I won't state anything negative in my brief synopsis of the game. I, like yourself am having to eat humble pie about Barry Moran. Also fair play to the lads for having the guts to come back to win. Under a previous regime where Mortimer's club, this more than likely would not have happened. Anyway, well done to the lads. True there are lots of things to learn from. I'll post about them tomorrow night sometime.

[Lar Naparka]

I've put together tactical analysis on today's for anyone interested http://action81.com/blog/?p=5981

Good analysis, emmet. I agree broadly with what you have to say with the single exception of your reference to our Conoreen and the difference he might havemade if he had been playing.
Like macd2 says, Conor was never the  man for long range frees and I'd add he wasn't noted for long range points from play either.
Even with short range attempts he had his off-days too; assloads of 'em.
Horan, IMO, is doing a mighty job in crafting a side together that will play a type of game is is looking for and he seems to be placing far more emphasis on teamwork and hard graft than on individual brilliance.He definitely needs an alternative free taker when O'Connor is off his form and he needs two corner forwards.
He still has a long way to go before he gets his preferred combination but he's doing grand as it is. When he has finished, who knows....?
Mayo will certainly be a formidable side but it may take some time before they become serious contenders for Sam Maguire.
One last reference to the blonde bombshell; Mort might well have provided Horan with an option but never a long-term solution to either of his immediate problems.

[Declan]

Mayo will certainly be a formidable side but it may take some time before they become serious contenders for Sam Maguire.

Enough of the poor mouthing lads. Mayo are a formidable side and realistic contenders for Sam already.

[seafoid]

I've put together tactical analysis on today's for anyone interested http://action81.com/blog/?p=5981

Good analysis, emmet. I agree broadly with what you have to say with the single exception of your reference to our Conoreen and the difference he might havemade if he had been playing.
Like macd2 says, Conor was never the  man for long range frees and I'd add he wasn't noted for long range points from play either.
Even with short range attempts he had his off-days too; assloads of 'em.
Horan, IMO, is doing a mighty job in crafting a side together that will play a type of game is is looking for and he seems to be placing far more emphasis on teamwork and hard graft than on individual brilliance.He definitely needs an alternative free taker when O'Connor is off his form and he needs two corner forwards.
He still has a long way to go before he gets his preferred combination but he's doing grand as it is. When he has finished, who knows....?
Mayo will certainly be a formidable side but it may take some time before they become serious contenders for Sam Maguire.
One last reference to the blonde bombshell; Mort might well have provided Horan with an option but never a long-term solution to either of his immediate problems.

"Mayo will certainly be a formidable side but it may take some time before they become serious contenders for Sam Maguire."

http://www.weddingsonline.ie/discussion/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=361280

[Lar Naparka]

Mayo will certainly be a formidable side but it may take some time before they become serious contenders for Sam Maguire.

Enough of the poor mouthing lads. Mayo are a formidable side and realistic contenders for Sam already.

Bejaysus, Dec, something tells me you weren't at the game yesterday.
Am I correct or am I right?

[Declan]

Bejaysus, Dec, something tells me you weren't at the game yesterday.
Am I correct or am I right?

Correct and right - Watched in on TV and although not the greatest spectacle and Mayo were a bit wasteful at times I do think they have a great chance this year . No point in peaking too early