Mayo v Galway NFL Semi-Final

[belleaqua]

Football double bill confirmed for Croke Park
Seán Moran

The GAA have confirmed the fixtures for next weekend's National League semi-finals. Despite some last-minute uncertainty, it has emerged that the football double bill will go ahead at Croke Park on Sunday, the all-Connacht clash of Mayo and Galway starting at 2.15 and Donegal-Kildare to follow at 4pm.

Although Galway and Mayo met at the same stage of last year's league, the match was played in Castlebar, and it is six years since the counties played each other at Croke Park - that was in the 2001 NFL final, won by Mayo, whose manager, John O'Mahony, was then in charge of Galway.

Mayo triumphed that day but their opponents went on to take the All-Ireland later in the year

[OirthearMhaigheo]

Ye Galway boys aren't missing a trick, the way you're talking you may as well not even turn up next Sunday!! I'm sure you are in slightly better shape than you're letting on   On the other hand it is Mayo that have a massive injury list to deal with at the moment. What is encouraging from a Mayo point of view is the way we are grinding out results without our first choice mid-field and our talisman McD, but the lads that have come in are doing a great job. However, the reality is Mayo-Galway games are always extremely tight affairs, and that's when we have a full team, so to say that we should win handy is crazy. We might be slight favourites but if Conor doesn't make it then that automatically makes Galway strong favourites in my opinion. Say what you want about Mortimer the littler, he is our main scoring threat by a distance, we will need him on Sunday to have a realistic chance of making the final.

[belleaqua]

Mortimer would be a big blow alright but id still have yee favourites Savo and Matthew Clancy are still doubtful, Blake is just returning while Armstrong and Niall Coleman are both ruled out. Out of them 5, 3 would be definite championship starters so that more than evens it up!

Also, we havent won in Croker since 01 which is shocking for a county renowned for playing its best football there.

[Redgreenery]

Mortimer will be a huge huge loss if he is out on Sunday, lads just keep your fingers crossed about him, he hasnt been confirmed as out, just a doubt. I'd expect Mayo to win alright but would expect it to be tough enough, if we lose Mort that could be a losing factor for Mayo but I'd still expect them to prevail. Looking forward to the encounter and its great to be in a neutral ground, especially when its Croke Park.

[dodo]

Game should be played home or away. I'd even rather a Galway venue as league semi played in McHale last year.
Would also give us a run out there in preparation for may !! Maybe this is why it is at Croke Pk.

[An Gaeilgoir]

2.15 throw in with the other semi to follow.

[An Gaeilgoir]

Mayo requested to be the first game to allow supporters time to get the train back on Sun evening.
Last I heard, Ciaran Mc's injury isn't clearing up really, so he's still a good bit away from making an appearance.

I heard it is doubtful that he will make an appearance at all this year.The injury just isnt responding to treatment. He is now based in Kildare and is getting treatment in Dublin. I hope this is wrong,as we could do with him.

[Fishead_Sam]

Read today in the Western that we have played in Croker 10 times in 3 years

Mayo V Kerry 04 Final              LOST
Mayo V Kerry 05 Quarter Final  LOST
Mayo V Kerry 06 Final              LOST
Mayo V Dublin 06 Semi Final     WON
Mayo V Laois 06 Quarter Final   DREW
Mayo V Laois 06 Replay           WON
Mayo V Armagh 05 League Semi Final LOST
Mayo V Fermanagh 04 Semi Final     DREW
Mayo V Fermanagh 04 Replay         WON
Mayo V Tyrone 04 Quarter Final      WON

4 WINS
4 LOST
2 DREW

If my calculations are correct

[Tubberman]

I heard it is doubtful that he will make an appearance at all this year.The injury just isnt responding to treatment. He is now based in Kildare and is getting treatment in Dublin. I hope this is wrong,as we could do with him.

I heard that as well. But I can't remember where I heard it, so I didn't know if it was reliable and I didn't want to be putting out the rumour.
Would be sad if his career ended like that - hopefully it will start to respond soon. He would have a job to get his place on the team, but he'd be such a man to be able to spring from the bench if he's not able for 70 mins due to this injury. 

[Redgreenery]

I heard it is doubtful that he will make an appearance at all this year.The injury just isnt responding to treatment. He is now based in Kildare and is getting treatment in Dublin. I hope this is wrong,as we could do with him.

I heard that as well. But I can't remember where I heard it, so I didn't know if it was reliable and I didn't want to be putting out the rumour.
Would be sad if his career ended like that - hopefully it will start to respond soon. He would have a job to get his place on the team, but he'd be such a man to be able to spring from the bench if he's not able for 70 mins due to this injury. 

I havent heard that he's going to be missing for the whole championship, even though some people got that impression, I just heard about a month ago that he'll be 50/50 for the Galway game on May 20th. If it's been said that he's out for the championship then thats news to me!

[Redgreenery]

From gaa.ie:
GALWAY v MAYO

Championship games between these great Connacht rivals are virtually annual events but now they are making a habit of meeting in knock-out League clashes too as this will their second meeting in successive years.

Galway beat Mayo by five points in last year's League semi-final before losing the final to Kerry. Mayo last won the League title in 2001 when, ironically, they beat Galway in the final.

New Mayo manager, John O'Mahony, steered Galway to League finals in 2001 and 2004 but they were beaten on both occasions by Mayo and Kerry respectively.

A defeat by Donegal, who topped Div 1A, was Mayo's only setback in this campaign. Galway lost their opening two games to Derry and Laois but reeled off five straight wins to reach the semi-finals for the fourth time in seven seasons. They last won the title in 1981.

Galway and Mayo are due to meet again in the Connacht championship in Pearse Stadium on Mayo 20.

PATHS TO THE SEMI-FINAL       

GALWAY

Derry 0-12 Galway 0-7

Laois 0-8 Galway 0-7

Galway 0-10 Armagh 0-8

Galway 1-8 Kildare 1-6

Galway 1-13 Westmeath 0-10

Galway 1-12 Louth 0-11

Galway 3-11 Down 1-11

Played 7, Won 5, Drew 0, Lost 2.

Average For: 1-9; Average Against: 0-11

MAYO

Mayo 1-11 Kerry 0-11

Donegal 1-13 Mayo 1-10

Mayo 1-10 Limerick 0-7

Mayo 0-12 Fermanagh 1-7

Mayo 1-12 Cork 2-8

Mayo 0-10 Dublin 0-9

Mayo 4-7 Tyrone 1-11

Played 7, Won 6, Drew 0, Lost 1.

Average For: 1-11; Average Against: 0-12

[IolarCoisCuain]

There's an interview with Alan Dillon in this morning's Irish Times. Dillon doesn't give much away - a man hardly spends this much time around Johnno without picking up some of his habits - but I get the feeling there'll be a lot of shadow-boxing at this game at the weekend before the real thing by the seaside on May 20th.




http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/sport/2007/0412/1176156964710.html

Dillon paints brighter picture

Ian O'Riordan

Thu, Apr 12, 2007

GAELIC GAMES/National Football League:One got the feeling when Mayo's Alan Dillon looked out across Croke Park yesterday he didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he laughed. "It looks well," he said, with an obvious grin.

It was Dillon's first visit to GAA headquarters since last September, when along with the rest of his Mayo team-mates he suffered football's worst nightmare. Having played so brilliantly to make the All-Ireland final form deserted them when they most needed it - with Dillon, almost inconceivably, ending up scoreless in the 13-point defeat to Kerry.

His duties yesterday were far less pressurised as he helped launch the GAA's latest sponsorship deal involving Crown Paints. But Dillon will be back on Sunday for more important matters as Mayo renew their enduring rivalry with Galway in the football league semi-final.

Still, even that game will probably pale in significance compared to the Connacht championship meeting between the same teams on May 20th. And besides, Mayo's ultimate goal for the year must be to get back to Croke Park in September, and finally win the cursed thing - which is the only way to make full amends for the disappointments of recent years.

"Of course, there'll still be the memory of last September when we come here on Sunday," he said, "but it's only a league semi-final. There won't be 82,000 here or any great pressure, and hopefully, we can enjoy it this time, and express ourselves a little more. But all players love to play in Croke Park and I can't wait to get out there again.

"You can't hide from the facts either, so of course we've analysed the All-Ireland final, and looked at all our mistakes, and what we did wrong. We've looked back at our weaknesses on the day, and tried to work on them. You can read into it as much as you want really, but it was a combination of things."

Mayo, it seems, haven't dwelt on that disappointment, and already put the lessons of defeat to good use. Along with Donegal they secured play-off status even before the final round of the league, and Dillon also puts that down to a combination of things.

"Our fitness during the league has been very good. Jim Kilty has come in, and brought a whole new freshness to the thing. We'd some tough games along the way but got through, like I think the game against Cork showed we'd some good character there, being six points down at half-time. That's the most pleasing factor really.

"John O'Mahony has also come in with a new approach. His man-management is very good, in that he gets to know all the players, and tries to improve you as much as he can, individually, and that's one thing that has made a big difference.

"Of course everyone still has an eye on six weeks' time. But at the same time we won't be holding back. We want to put in as strong a performance as we can. It would be a great boost at this time of the year, getting some silverware going into the championship. At the start of the league everyone wants to make the knock-out stages, which we've done. So it's time to move on again, try to make the final, and win it."

Whenever teams meet in the play-offs of the league with a championship date looming there is always the danger that some shadowboxing will take preference to the real punches. One can't even be sure if victory on Sunday will give the winning team some sort of psychological edge for next month's meeting, or if the losing team gain the greater incentive to turn the tables the next day.

Mayo and Galway met at the same stage last year, with Galway triumphing, only for Mayo to come up with the trump card in the Connacht championship final. When Mayo last won the league title in 2001 they also beat Galway in the final, only to watch Galway capture the All-Ireland title.
© 2007 The Irish Times

[Tubberman]

1 David Clarke D. Ó Cléirigh Beal an Átha


2 Keith Higgins C. Ó hUiginn Béal Átha hAmhnais


3 James Kilcullen S. MacGiolla Chaillín Bealach an Doirin


4 Liam O'Malley L. Ó Máille Buireas Uamhaill


5 Enda Devenney E. Ó Duibheannaigh Beal an Átha


6 Billy Joe Padden L.S. MacPhaidín Béal an Mhuirthead


7 Peadar Gardiner P. Ó Gairnéir Crois Mhaoilíona


8 Pat Harte P. Ó hAirt Beal an Átha


9 David Heaney D. Ó hÉanaigh Béal Átha na Muice


10 Alan Dillon A. Diolún Baile an Tobair


11 Andy Moran A. Ó Moráin Bealach an Doirin


12 Aidan Kilcoyne A. MacGiolla Chadhain Cnoc Mór


13 Conor Mortimer C. Ó Muireartaigh Sruthair-Gleann Coirib


14 Ger Brady G. Ó Brádaigh Beal an Átha


15 Kevin O'Neill C. Ó Néill Na Fianna (Captain)


Ger Brady lines out at full forward, where he caused a lot of trouble against Tyrone - if he repeats that against Galway, we may have found a new weapon 
No surprises other than that really - the team has a settled look now from 1-9 at least.

[OirthearMhaigheo]

Will be very interesting to see how Ger gets on at FF alright. It will be a massive step up to play against someone of the quality of Hanley, but if he does well it will be very encouraging for the c'ship in a few weeks time.

[An Gaeilgoir]

The clash of the game will be Kilcullen against the great P. Joyce. We could be caught out here i think. Mayo need a big game from the full back right through the spine of the team up to Ger Brady to lay the ghosts of last September. I am optimstic though.