Kerry v Mayo - Super 8s Round 1

[kerryforsam19]

As abject and toothless a performance as I've seen from a Mayo team in a long time. Some of them didn't even look remotely interested in being there and beaten to every ball from the first minute. Kerry looked hungrier and more up for it from the word go. I guess this is what happens when injuries and games on top of games add up. Kerry had a couple of weeks to prepare for this game while Mayo have been bouncing from game to game, week in and week out while juggling injuries. It caught up with them. Kerry were fresh and prepared while Mayo looked out on their feet. The scheduling for these games is an absolute mess. It shouldn't be that one team is able to bounce into this phase of the competition after a couple of weeks' break while another is doing multiple games on the trot just to get to the next phase where they will have to continue playing week in week out in the Super 8s. Every team should be given some breathing space to prepare for this stage of the competition.

That said, Mayo were miserable to watch. Leggy, disinterested, kickouts an absolute shit show from the word go, defenders seriously lacking pace, forwards receiving the worst ball imaginable. When you make Shane Enright look like a quality defender, you know something is seriously amiss with your team.

It's a serious uphill battle for Mayo now. I'm not even sure they'll beat Meath, I don't even know if they'll win a single game in this Super 8s. I'm also not sure Kerry will do them a favour next week either and beat Donegal.

The Super Duper 8's is set up to take extra money from Mayo fans and made it almost impossible for their aging team to be successful  in it.

I have had a strange numbness about inter-county football for the last 2 years. There was a time when I would be depressed about today's result.  I sort of don't care now.

I look at the Sunday Game and they talk about the Championship as it is 2009 again. It's not!

The worst thing about this Dublin dominance is that the GAA fraternity are looking to Kerry for a solution.

Same as it ever was. In the past, whenever Dublin dominated, the rest of the country became Kerry supporters. Nothing's changed.

Not everybody thinks that way.

I'd rather see Dublin win 10 in a row, than Kerry win one!

What did Kerry do to deserve all that hate?

You made a substantial contribution yourself.

??

[kerryforsam19]

There was only ever going to be one winner yesterday. After last year's no show in the super 8s, Kerry treated the match as do or die and  they fought for every ball like their lives depended on it. Mayo were the polar opposite, extremely casual throughout and it was like they had it in the back of their minds that the Meath and Donegal games were the important games. The big problem with that mindset is that if Donegal beat Kerry next weekend, we're as good as out. The amount of of sloppy kick-passes by Mayo yesterday was criminal and I think it had a lot to do with this overall casual attitude.

Even though it wouldn't have changed the result, I thought Sean Hurson absolutely rode Mayo in the first half. He gave Kerry 4 very soft frees, one each against Harrison, Keegan, Aidan and McDonagh. He missed a blatant black card for Spillane and awarded a point to Sean O Se that was clearly wide. At the other end, he didn't give a stonewall free to James Carr and another time gave no advantage to Darren Coen despite putting up his hand.

As others have said, kickout strategy was a shambles and the real damage was done between the 20th and 30th minute. With Kerry pushing up so high, there was an acre of space behind them. Surely the thing to do when a short one wasn't on was to kick a long boomer over the high press. I've seen Clarke get decent distance before so no reason we could have gone with that yesterday.

The performance of David Clifford was pure class. The man is virtually unmarkable when given a good supply of ball and left one on one. One of the few silver linings to take away from the long trip to Killarney.

Swings and roundabouts.Gough gave Mayo a dose of handy frees in 2017 replay between the two teams

[Tatler Jack]

Tonight Sean Cavanagh and Malachy O'Rourke on the Sunday game tipped Mayo to win in Killarney and to join Donegal in the semi final. Pat Spillane couldn't bring himself to do likewise using if they were to win next Sunday but knows full well that Kerry are poor in defence,midfield and are a poor physical match for Mayo.

I dunno. Mayo invite everybody to dance with them. Everybody knows that.

Like last few weeks they probably made Down and Armagh feel better than they have in years. Galway persisted in Limerick even when 8 points down because they knew they would get some sympathy. If they were 8 down to Tyrone. Dublin, Donegal or Kerry, they would have gone home for their tea.

Mayo would have given Clare and Laois the time of their lives as well. That's what we do. We would have let Cork have a run on us and they would have finished us.

Now we are in Super8s, anything can happen.
We've lost a few players and we've found a few. The 'miles on the clock' theory is bullshit of course.
It's about form now and making good decisions. At least Horan put out his most practical set up I remember in Limerick. If he did that v Roscommon this odyssey could have been avoided. On the other hand .........

We ve had a few forwards come along that if they were from some other counties that I wont mention, would be nadwek over.

Mayo have 3 wins in a row under their belts now, doesn't matter how they were achieved as winning them was the main thing and that will be the same down in Killarney next Sunday. Do you think anyone will care in the Mayo camp if they are leading that game by 10 points with 5 minutes to go and only win by 1 point?

I know but they are riding their luck and sooner or later this is gonna end in tears. Fact is they should bate Kerry half way up Carrantouhill but will they though? This worrying trend of losing the plot and letting inferior teams back int the game when they should be closing the game down is becoming ingrained at this stage if the season and will probably happen again on Sunday. They were good enough o beat every team they met  by at least 4 or 5 points since the last game against Kerry down in Tralee and barely survived all but one. That one they lost to Roscommon and that defeat is the cause of Mayo having to play three extra games to get where they are now. Having finally shook the Galway monkey offa their backs and having beaten Kerry twice already this year, I expect Mayo to be at least 5 points the better side but I won't be easy no matter what until the gate is locked up and every one has gone home!

Had you a few drinks when you wrote this Lar or just lost the run of yourself with your eloquence? Bating Kerry half way up Carrauntoohill! Not even the most fervent Dubs supporter would have such notions. Bit of a reality check and a few Carrauntoohills in front of ye.

[WhoDat]

I'm not from Mayo.
My comment is about something larger than Mayo. That there are people who are happy for the ridiculous structure and scheduling of the championship to stay the way it is just because they want certain teams to fail speaks volumes about where the mentality of supporters is at nowadays in the organisation.

Who do they want to fail?

Mayo haven't won Connacht in a while, but they've been favourites to win it for each of the last 6 or 7 years, and but for missing a tap over free could well have won it this year despite their injuries. Tyrone came through the back door last year and got to an All Ireland final. They could do the same again this year.

Playing every week would be no big deal to Mayo any other year. Once the training is sensible, most players would actually prefer it. But it's the injuries that have crippled Mayo this year. And you've as much chance of getting injured in training as in a match, and Mayo's injuries have been split between the two I understand. Even if Mayo had won Connacht and played that same starting team in Castlebar v Tyrone, they would have been well beaten. Durkan and Ruane have probably been Mayo's two best players this year, and you'd expect a big game from DOC at this stage of the championship too. Huge losses. Plus Kerry really did up their game.

Again, I'm not talking solely about Mayo.

Why are people content with this scheduling where some teams come into the Super 8s with multiple games on the trot and others have 2-3 weeks preparation? Why are people happy for that to continue? GAA scheduling is a joke from inter county to club level, and people are just happy to let it continue it seems.

[WhoDat]

There was only ever going to be one winner yesterday. After last year's no show in the super 8s, Kerry treated the match as do or die and  they fought for every ball like their lives depended on it. Mayo were the polar opposite, extremely casual throughout and it was like they had it in the back of their minds that the Meath and Donegal games were the important games. The big problem with that mindset is that if Donegal beat Kerry next weekend, we're as good as out. The amount of of sloppy kick-passes by Mayo yesterday was criminal and I think it had a lot to do with this overall casual attitude.

Even though it wouldn't have changed the result, I thought Sean Hurson absolutely rode Mayo in the first half. He gave Kerry 4 very soft frees, one each against Harrison, Keegan, Aidan and McDonagh. He missed a blatant black card for Spillane and awarded a point to Sean O Se that was clearly wide. At the other end, he didn't give a stonewall free to James Carr and another time gave no advantage to Darren Coen despite putting up his hand.

As others have said, kickout strategy was a shambles and the real damage was done between the 20th and 30th minute. With Kerry pushing up so high, there was an acre of space behind them. Surely the thing to do when a short one wasn't on was to kick a long boomer over the high press. I've seen Clarke get decent distance before so no reason we could have gone with that yesterday.

The performance of David Clifford was pure class. The man is virtually unmarkable when given a good supply of ball and left one on one. One of the few silver linings to take away from the long trip to Killarney.

Swings and roundabouts.Gough gave Mayo a dose of handy frees in 2017 replay between the two teams

Kerry were never winning that semi final regardless.

[Lar Naparka]

Tonight Sean Cavanagh and Malachy O'Rourke on the Sunday game tipped Mayo to win in Killarney and to join Donegal in the semi final. Pat Spillane couldn't bring himself to do likewise using if they were to win next Sunday but knows full well that Kerry are poor in defence,midfield and are a poor physical match for Mayo.

I dunno. Mayo invite everybody to dance with them. Everybody knows that.

Like last few weeks they probably made Down and Armagh feel better than they have in years. Galway persisted in Limerick even when 8 points down because they knew they would get some sympathy. If they were 8 down to Tyrone. Dublin, Donegal or Kerry, they would have gone home for their tea.

Mayo would have given Clare and Laois the time of their lives as well. That's what we do. We would have let Cork have a run on us and they would have finished us.

Now we are in Super8s, anything can happen.
We've lost a few players and we've found a few. The 'miles on the clock' theory is bullshit of course.
It's about form now and making good decisions. At least Horan put out his most practical set up I remember in Limerick. If he did that v Roscommon this odyssey could have been avoided. On the other hand .........

We ve had a few forwards come along that if they were from some other counties that I wont mention, would be nadwek over.

Mayo have 3 wins in a row under their belts now, doesn't matter how they were achieved as winning them was the main thing and that will be the same down in Killarney next Sunday. Do you think anyone will care in the Mayo camp if they are leading that game by 10 points with 5 minutes to go and only win by 1 point?

I know but they are riding their luck and sooner or later this is gonna end in tears. Fact is they should bate Kerry half way up Carrantouhill but will they though? This worrying trend of losing the plot and letting inferior teams back int the game when they should be closing the game down is becoming ingrained at this stage if the season and will probably happen again on Sunday. They were good enough o beat every team they met  by at least 4 or 5 points since the last game against Kerry down in Tralee and barely survived all but one. That one they lost to Roscommon and that defeat is the cause of Mayo having to play three extra games to get where they are now. Having finally shook the Galway monkey offa their backs and having beaten Kerry twice already this year, I expect Mayo to be at least 5 points the better side but I won't be easy no matter what until the gate is locked up and every one has gone home!

Had you a few drinks when you wrote this Lar or just lost the run of yourself with your eloquence? Bating Kerry half way up Carrauntoohill! Not even the most fervent Dubs supporter would have such notions. Bit of a reality check and a few Carrauntoohills in front of ye.

Yes I know, I know!
But read the last four words you bolded and you'll see what I was getting at...."but will they though"
I also aid I'd expect Mayo to win by  at least five points but I wouldn't be easy until the game was well and truly over or something like that.
I wasn't being arrogant here but only pointing out that Mayo were  apt to do anything and were totally inconsistent. They had already met Kerry twice this year and had dominated both games but should have won both by a lot more than they did. If any other top team had been in Mayo's position in either league game they'd be no doubt about the result by half time. AS it was Mayo could have lost either game or won it by a few points more.
Going into the game on Sunday, Mayo should have been clear favourites if you were going on form alone yet I would not say there were many Mayo people who'd bet good money on the result.

[moysider]

Tonight Sean Cavanagh and Malachy O'Rourke on the Sunday game tipped Mayo to win in Killarney and to join Donegal in the semi final. Pat Spillane couldn't bring himself to do likewise using if they were to win next Sunday but knows full well that Kerry are poor in defence,midfield and are a poor physical match for Mayo.

I dunno. Mayo invite everybody to dance with them. Everybody knows that.

Like last few weeks they probably made Down and Armagh feel better than they have in years. Galway persisted in Limerick even when 8 points down because they knew they would get some sympathy. If they were 8 down to Tyrone. Dublin, Donegal or Kerry, they would have gone home for their tea.

Mayo would have given Clare and Laois the time of their lives as well. That's what we do. We would have let Cork have a run on us and they would have finished us.

Now we are in Super8s, anything can happen.
We've lost a few players and we've found a few. The 'miles on the clock' theory is bullshit of course.
It's about form now and making good decisions. At least Horan put out his most practical set up I remember in Limerick. If he did that v Roscommon this odyssey could have been avoided. On the other hand .........

We ve had a few forwards come along that if they were from some other counties that I wont mention, would be nadwek over.

Mayo have 3 wins in a row under their belts now, doesn't matter how they were achieved as winning them was the main thing and that will be the same down in Killarney next Sunday. Do you think anyone will care in the Mayo camp if they are leading that game by 10 points with 5 minutes to go and only win by 1 point?

I know but they are riding their luck and sooner or later this is gonna end in tears. Fact is they should bate Kerry half way up Carrantouhill but will they though? This worrying trend of losing the plot and letting inferior teams back int the game when they should be closing the game down is becoming ingrained at this stage if the season and will probably happen again on Sunday. They were good enough o beat every team they met  by at least 4 or 5 points since the last game against Kerry down in Tralee and barely survived all but one. That one they lost to Roscommon and that defeat is the cause of Mayo having to play three extra games to get where they are now. Having finally shook the Galway monkey offa their backs and having beaten Kerry twice already this year, I expect Mayo to be at least 5 points the better side but I won't be easy no matter what until the gate is locked up and every one has gone home!

Had you a few drinks when you wrote this Lar or just lost the run of yourself with your eloquence? Bating Kerry half way up Carrauntoohill! Not even the most fervent Dubs supporter would have such notions. Bit of a reality check and a few Carrauntoohills in front of ye.

Yes I know, I know!
But read the last four words you bolded and you'll see what I was getting at...."but will they though"
I also aid I'd expect Mayo to win by  at least five points but I wouldn't be easy until the game was well and truly over or something like that.
I wasn't being arrogant here but only pointing out that Mayo were  apt to do anything and were totally inconsistent. They had already met Kerry twice this year and had dominated both games but should have won both by a lot more than they did. If any other top team had been in Mayo's position in either league game they'd be no doubt about the result by half time. AS it was Mayo could have lost either game or won it by a few points more.
Going into the game on Sunday, Mayo should have been clear favourites if you were going on form alone yet I would not say there were many Mayo people who'd bet good money on the result.

I for one feared for us in Killarney but I went and was enjoying the day until the game started.
We were wiped out and for a top tier experienced team, humiliated. No nice way of dressing this up. No other serious team would have been 'bitch slapped' like that. A Kerry schoolboy team would not be trampled like that in McHale Park. It was painful to watch. But, guess what? As far as I could see our players were trying really hard. Fatigue was not a factor. Older lads like Boyle, Higgins and a still not up to speed Vaughan lasted the trip. Laughably Boyle was thought to be through 2 years ago. Realistically we need to get at least 2 more years out of Boyle and Higgins but if they walk away at the end of this campaign they owe nobody nothing. We are unlikely to see the likes of them again anytime soon.
Most disappointingly our promising younger players were hauled off. Kerry young fellas were flying. Why? Fatigue was not an issue imo.

[Halfquarter]

Tonight Sean Cavanagh and Malachy O'Rourke on the Sunday game tipped Mayo to win in Killarney and to join Donegal in the semi final. Pat Spillane couldn't bring himself to do likewise using if they were to win next Sunday but knows full well that Kerry are poor in defence,midfield and are a poor physical match for Mayo.

I dunno. Mayo invite everybody to dance with them. Everybody knows that.

Like last few weeks they probably made Down and Armagh feel better than they have in years. Galway persisted in Limerick even when 8 points down because they knew they would get some sympathy. If they were 8 down to Tyrone. Dublin, Donegal or Kerry, they would have gone home for their tea.

Mayo would have given Clare and Laois the time of their lives as well. That's what we do. We would have let Cork have a run on us and they would have finished us.

Now we are in Super8s, anything can happen.
We've lost a few players and we've found a few. The 'miles on the clock' theory is bullshit of course.
It's about form now and making good decisions. At least Horan put out his most practical set up I remember in Limerick. If he did that v Roscommon this odyssey could have been avoided. On the other hand .........

We ve had a few forwards come along that if they were from some other counties that I wont mention, would be nadwek over.

Mayo have 3 wins in a row under their belts now, doesn't matter how they were achieved as winning them was the main thing and that will be the same down in Killarney next Sunday. Do you think anyone will care in the Mayo camp if they are leading that game by 10 points with 5 minutes to go and only win by 1 point?

I know but they are riding their luck and sooner or later this is gonna end in tears. Fact is they should bate Kerry half way up Carrantouhill but will they though? This worrying trend of losing the plot and letting inferior teams back int the game when they should be closing the game down is becoming ingrained at this stage if the season and will probably happen again on Sunday. They were good enough o beat every team they met  by at least 4 or 5 points since the last game against Kerry down in Tralee and barely survived all but one. That one they lost to Roscommon and that defeat is the cause of Mayo having to play three extra games to get where they are now. Having finally shook the Galway monkey offa their backs and having beaten Kerry twice already this year, I expect Mayo to be at least 5 points the better side but I won't be easy no matter what until the gate is locked up and every one has gone home!

Had you a few drinks when you wrote this Lar or just lost the run of yourself with your eloquence? Bating Kerry half way up Carrauntoohill! Not even the most fervent Dubs supporter would have such notions. Bit of a reality check and a few Carrauntoohills in front of ye.

Yes I know, I know!
But read the last four words you bolded and you'll see what I was getting at...."but will they though"
I also aid I'd expect Mayo to win by  at least five points but I wouldn't be easy until the game was well and truly over or something like that.
I wasn't being arrogant here but only pointing out that Mayo were  apt to do anything and were totally inconsistent. They had already met Kerry twice this year and had dominated both games but should have won both by a lot more than they did. If any other top team had been in Mayo's position in either league game they'd be no doubt about the result by half time. AS it was Mayo could have lost either game or won it by a few points more.
Going into the game on Sunday, Mayo should have been clear favourites if you were going on form alone yet I would not say there were many Mayo people who'd bet good money on the result.

I for one feared for us in Killarney but I went and was enjoying the day until the game started.
We were wiped out and for a top tier experienced team, humiliated. No nice way of dressing this up. No other serious team would have been 'bitch slapped' like that. A Kerry schoolboy team would not be trampled like that in McHale Park. It was painful to watch. But, guess what? As far as I could see our players were trying really hard. Fatigue was not a factor. Older lads like Boyle, Higgins and a still not up to speed Vaughan lasted the trip. Laughably Boyle was thought to be through 2 years ago. Realistically we need to get at least 2 more years out of Boyle and Higgins but if they walk away at the end of this campaign they owe nobody nothing. We are unlikely to see the likes of them again anytime soon.
Most disappointingly our promising younger players were hauled off. Kerry young fellas were flying. Why? Fatigue was not an issue imo.

Lookit , Kerry won a football match in Killarney , they looked good on the day , time will tell if they are the real deal, at the moment their heads must be exploding with all the praise.

Mayo were not great on the day,whatever the reason, theses things happen when you are playing a lot of matches on the road in a short space of time.

We now have to take it on the chin from the experts / pundits and suck it up.

Lots of players coming out with statements ,Paul Murphy in the paper today talking about " point to prove " etc. Moran majestic ,ruling the skies in Killarney etc. etc . I have seen him play a lot for his club Kerins O'Rahillys, there have been plenty of days when it has not happened for him.( like most other players ,to be fair ) .

If they believe the hype ,they are finished .

The next few matches will be interesting.

[Lar Naparka]

Tonight Sean Cavanagh and Malachy O'Rourke on the Sunday game tipped Mayo to win in Killarney and to join Donegal in the semi final. Pat Spillane couldn't bring himself to do likewise using if they were to win next Sunday but knows full well that Kerry are poor in defence,midfield and are a poor physical match for Mayo.

I dunno. Mayo invite everybody to dance with them. Everybody knows that.

Like last few weeks they probably made Down and Armagh feel better than they have in years. Galway persisted in Limerick even when 8 points down because they knew they would get some sympathy. If they were 8 down to Tyrone. Dublin, Donegal or Kerry, they would have gone home for their tea.

Mayo would have given Clare and Laois the time of their lives as well. That's what we do. We would have let Cork have a run on us and they would have finished us.

Now we are in Super8s, anything can happen.
We've lost a few players and we've found a few. The 'miles on the clock' theory is bullshit of course.
It's about form now and making good decisions. At least Horan put out his most practical set up I remember in Limerick. If he did that v Roscommon this odyssey could have been avoided. On the other hand .........

We ve had a few forwards come along that if they were from some other counties that I wont mention, would be nadwek over.

Mayo have 3 wins in a row under their belts now, doesn't matter how they were achieved as winning them was the main thing and that will be the same down in Killarney next Sunday. Do you think anyone will care in the Mayo camp if they are leading that game by 10 points with 5 minutes to go and only win by 1 point?

I know but they are riding their luck and sooner or later this is gonna end in tears. Fact is they should bate Kerry half way up Carrantouhill but will they though? This worrying trend of losing the plot and letting inferior teams back int the game when they should be closing the game down is becoming ingrained at this stage if the season and will probably happen again on Sunday. They were good enough o beat every team they met  by at least 4 or 5 points since the last game against Kerry down in Tralee and barely survived all but one. That one they lost to Roscommon and that defeat is the cause of Mayo having to play three extra games to get where they are now. Having finally shook the Galway monkey offa their backs and having beaten Kerry twice already this year, I expect Mayo to be at least 5 points the better side but I won't be easy no matter what until the gate is locked up and every one has gone home!

Had you a few drinks when you wrote this Lar or just lost the run of yourself with your eloquence? Bating Kerry half way up Carrauntoohill! Not even the most fervent Dubs supporter would have such notions. Bit of a reality check and a few Carrauntoohills in front of ye.

Yes I know, I know!
But read the last four words you bolded and you'll see what I was getting at...."but will they though"
I also aid I'd expect Mayo to win by  at least five points but I wouldn't be easy until the game was well and truly over or something like that.
I wasn't being arrogant here but only pointing out that Mayo were  apt to do anything and were totally inconsistent. They had already met Kerry twice this year and had dominated both games but should have won both by a lot more than they did. If any other top team had been in Mayo's position in either league game they'd be no doubt about the result by half time. AS it was Mayo could have lost either game or won it by a few points more.
Going into the game on Sunday, Mayo should have been clear favourites if you were going on form alone yet I would not say there were many Mayo people who'd bet good money on the result.

I for one feared for us in Killarney but I went and was enjoying the day until the game started.
We were wiped out and for a top tier experienced team, humiliated. No nice way of dressing this up. No other serious team would have been 'bitch slapped' like that. A Kerry schoolboy team would not be trampled like that in McHale Park. It was painful to watch. But, guess what? As far as I could see our players were trying really hard. Fatigue was not a factor. Older lads like Boyle, Higgins and a still not up to speed Vaughan lasted the trip. Laughably Boyle was thought to be through 2 years ago. Realistically we need to get at least 2 more years out of Boyle and Higgins but if they walk away at the end of this campaign they owe nobody nothing. We are unlikely to see the likes of them again anytime soon.
Most disappointingly our promising younger players were hauled off. Kerry young fellas were flying. Why? Fatigue was not an issue imo.

I think so too and that's what worries me the most. I don't think anyone was holding back and not giving 100% but the fluency and mutual understanding that we were used to was missing. The entire team seemed to be just going through the motions, as it were. I said back around the time of the Roscommon that we don't have a happy camp.
I haven't heard any rumours about dissension in the camp and I certainly don't want to start any either but there's something not quite right inn the set up. If I was a betting man I'd say that there are selection or tactics issues but that only a personal feeling, not a fact. On a different note, I think it's very wide of the mark to criticise David Clarke for the team's failings.
If his kickouts were being won by Kerry players it's because no Mayo half back or midfielder was showing for them. If Cluxton or Rory Beggan has been taking the kickouts on Sunday they's have no better luck.
Anyway, if there is a problem with Clarke's restarting, why not get somebody else? There's no law, ASAIK, that says a goalie must kick the ball out.
There was a time when one of the full back line did that and I don't recall any goalie taking on the job back then.
I may be wrong but I believe Stephen Cluxton started the habit and now every buck between the sticks has to do the same. He may not have been the first to do so but he was the first goalie to take 45s and long range frees and now almost everyone else is doing the same.

[Farrandeelin]

Christ Lar, you must be of my father's vintage! He was on about that - full back kicking the ball out - yesterday too. I don't think Cluxton started the keeper kicking it out. It was done in the 90s anyway.

[seafoid]

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/kevin-mcstay-mayo-can-only-be-judged-when-it-s-do-or-die-1.3957547

The stats of that game are not merely interesting, they are startling. Just take Mayo's first-half turnovers – I counted 13. But the type of error they committed fascinated me: eight foot-passes to Kerry men and one over the side line. Two kickouts: one directly over the sideline and one went straight to a Kerry player.
Two hand-passes went to Kerry players. Seven consecutive turnovers were kick-passes. This was a bizarre run of errors. How much pressure were the Mayo players under when they made these mistakes? Not much at all, it turns out. It just looked like a complete breakdown of their skills execution. You cannot build a winning platform when you are giving the ball away that cheaply.
Add in, then, that the Mayo kickout was completely dismantled: seven long kicks out lost in the first half which gave David Moran a plethora of "marks". Mayo couldn't get the ball moving with any speed in the middle sector of the field.
And then in the second half, they committed crazy technical errors – a double-hop; two pick-ups off the ground; three over-carries. It all made me wonder: how focused were they here? How concentrated were they? And they seemed a little bit unbothered to me afterwards. Going around shaking hands like gentlemen, not looking particularly perturbed.
Beating heart
James Horan sounded very ready to forget it. If you think about it, the idea they were going to outrun and out-tempo Kerry in their fourth consecutive championship weekend in a match that meant everything to Kerry was pushing it. Not to say they went out to lose intentionally, but the mood for do-or-die is set during the week. And maybe it just wasn't that for James Horan's team.
Mayo got a big rub of the green in that they are playing an emerging Super 8 team in Meath next week. In Killarney, they did not put in the effort and energy that would make you think that their championship life depended on the result. Why? Because it did not. The stakes were different for Kerry – the importance of not being bullied by Mayo; of minding the Killarney record, of making a statement . . . it was huge.
But maybe in the meeting room during the week, this game was just not uppermost in Mayo priorities. And once you set that tone, the savage edge that is vital to a winning camp – and is the beating heart of Mayo – becomes diluted
So this weekend will tell us a lot about Mayo. We have already learned about Kerry. I think it is safe to say they will qualify for the All-Ireland semi-finals and probably as group winners. A scenario could emerge where three teams are on four points in the group. But the smart money is on Kerry in pole position with Donegal in second place. However, Mayo remain a very dangerous team: written off – again – and believed to be vulnerable.

[Rossfan]

So Mayowestros just weren't bothered on Sunday??
Why didn't they field a B selection so?

[Hound]

Christ Lar, you must be of my father's vintage! He was on about that - full back kicking the ball out - yesterday too. I don't think Cluxton started the keeper kicking it out. It was done in the 90s anyway.

Maybe Lar is your father!

[weareros]

Christ Lar, you must be of my father's vintage! He was on about that - full back kicking the ball out - yesterday too. I don't think Cluxton started the keeper kicking it out. It was done in the 90s anyway.

It was always a fella in the fullback line that had a belter of a kick. But it was liable to go anywhere: over the sideline, into the crowd. But it's intended target was middle of field and may the best man catch it or slap it down. Not unlike Clark's which are tailor made for a Willie Joe and a David Moran. I mentioned here after Roscommon game that this would happen when Clark replaced Hennelly and ye would not listen. Hennelly can send kicks that launch an attack (look at Ruanes point against Ros) and can do the point blank saves too - saved a certain goal from Glennon. Yes he can get caught on a short kickout as can every goalie.  But he's the better option for Mayo should a team press up like Kerry and have a strong midfield.

[Farrandeelin]

Christ Lar, you must be of my father's vintage! He was on about that - full back kicking the ball out - yesterday too. I don't think Cluxton started the keeper kicking it out. It was done in the 90s anyway.

Maybe Lar is your father!

Lar is blessed to be from Mayo, but not THAT blessed!