Mayo Football and Hurling - Discussion pages

[Farrandeelin]

Maybe he is dead on but I don't like him.

[Mayo4Sam]

Ya but ur a united fan, so it doesn't matter 

[Tubberman]

I was never a fan of Martin McHugh's brand of pundity i.e. bitch, bitch bitch.
But that Kilkenny comment is just ridiculous. Fool

[Barney]

Agree with Tubberman. While alot of what he says is good he seems to have a bit of the small man syndrome about him

[Msgr. Horan]

Abbeysider while there is some validity to your questions over some of the players named (I definitely think you are being unfair on Colm Lyons (give the lad a run out at least before making a decision), and Trevor Howley) there is only reason to drop them if you have somebody better lined up. So who would you have brought in as replacements?

Everybody deserves a chance, and a fair chance Barney. And by all means Howley and Lyons deserve a chance before anyone.

Who would I bring in and give a chance to?

For Starters as regards backs from Ballaghadreen;
Stephen Drake, David Kilcullen and Tomás Regan deserve a shot

From Ballina I would be looking at:
Ger Cafferkey
Enda Devaney

from Mitchles maybe:
Tom Cunniffe

Others in other positions (the list could be endless but two spring to mind that could cut the mustard)
Barry Kelly - Ballaghaderreen
Brian Benson - Crossmolina

There is talent in the county and im sure that at least some of the players I mentioned will get a chance instead of what we currently have on the panel.

Dont forget John Shevlin from Belmullet, a very nippy corner foward well able to take a score.

[Farrandeelin]

Ya but ur a united fan, so it doesn't matter 

I'm also a Knockmoreman so it does!

[MacDanger]

Good article from O'Mahony, I'm sure he realises the enormity of the job ahead.

Anybody hear yet when the first get-together with the players will be??

[intoDwest]

I must say I'm over the moon with the appointment, noboby else could have got a fair crack of the wip while JOM was in the background. All we can ask for is that we get the best 25 players in the county involved and get them well prepared and if that not good enough then so be it, its not soccer and there is no transfer windows, we have to use what we have got.

Will we be treated to a range of trial matched again this year?? Unlike last year the management team should really know whats in the county.

[venter]

Well. Now that we have our new three year plan in place does this mean we will be getting a new three year  Captain. If thats the case then the 5 older lads of MacD, Nallen, Brady, ONeill and Heaney are probably ruled out. If we look ar Barneys team from earlier in the thread we can see the lads who will more than likely be starters.

Clarke

x                   x                  Higgins

Higgins          x                 Gardiner

McGarrity        Harte

Dillon          McDonald         x

Mortimer        Mortimer        x

This leaves us picking a captain from:

Clarke  (needs to get a longer run in the team)
Higgins K (Too young)
Higgins A ( Possible - Should he be in the same bracket as the older 5)
Gardiner (Possible - Captained Cross to last two county titles)
Harte (Needs to cement his place on the team)
McGarrity(Possible)
Dillon(Possible - Great season, could switch to centre forward and lead the team)
Mort T (My Selection - The natural leader of the younger men)
Mort (its hardly what he or Mayo need)


So in order I'd go for :
T Mort
A Dillon
P Gardiner

[OkeyDoke]

Not so sure that i agree that we need a new captain- by all accounts, Heaney was a great captain and leader last year. If we were to go with a 3 year captain , that would rule out Heaney....in that case i would prob go with P Gardiner. T mort seems to be injured too often to be a good captain on the field.
Ideally, JOM will keep Heaney as captain, after all he choose him as captain of Connaught this year.
BTW, i think A Higgins is 1-2 years older than Heaney

[Greenabovethered]

Aidan Higgins is 31 pushing 32. It is unlikely he will be back this year for wing back. Peader Gardiner is probably the safe choice. I can't see Trevor guaranteed a game. I wouldn't be surprised if he gave the armband to Mac to keep him involved for another year or so.

[Lar Naparka]

I agree with venter's selection. The names he has chosen are obvious ones, it's the Xs I'd worry about.
Geraghty is too small and Heaney is too loose  for places in the full back line.
Heaney may be the obvious replacement for Jimmy Nallen and that would leave us with one corner back position to fill. David Brady did an admirable job on Donaghy  in the final but he'd have serious  mobility limitations  if playing there throughout the year.  I'd imagine that he will be best used as an impact sub in midfield.
Midfield really picks itself  and the four forwards venter selected  are the obvious front runners for their respective positions.  For the two remaining places I'd go with Kilcoyne and Austin O'Malley.
I know O'Malley is injury-prone but his  continuing failure to nail down a starting place on the team baffles me; I have seen him in action throughout the Dublin club championships and I feel that he'd be a definite addition, if fit, to any team in the land. This could be his year..
I don't know enough about the present form of O'Malley or Howley to comment on their chances of making the starting fifteen but sources closer to home tell me that they'll both be in active contention for a place in the full back line.
The above XV would represent a solid side for Johnno to begin with but there will be plenty of  competition for places on the side and that can only be good for the side. Really, there will be lots of adequate cover for most places on the field but finding an adequate solution for the numbers two and three berths will be critical.
Paddy Navin did play well for UCD this season but I don't think he is the finished article yet  while O'Malley lacks the height to be an authoritative  full back. The make up of the entire full back line will play a critical part in  determining our hopes for next year but it is also the most unsettled looking line of the whole side.
If Johnno can put together a functioning full back line I don't think that any problems that arise further outfield  will be too critical.
As regards the captaincy, I'd go with Peadar Gardiner; he has a proven track record with Cross. Trevor Mortimer is too injury-prone and also too petulant to lead by example, while David Heaney  probably won't be around for O'Mahony's full term.

[Barney]

I would not have Gardiner has captain. I think his position on the team has to be called into question. Yes has has had a few great years for us but we cannot deny that he is defensively weak, gets into good attacking positions often losing the ball, and sadly the fact that he obviously froze on the big occasion twice in the last 3 years, probably to a greater degree than any of the other players. This might read as being harsh but it is those hard decisions that will have to be made for us to improve. He is a great player for us in the main but.....

There is no need to look for a 3 year captain. Heaney should maintain the job. He has experience. Carried the weight of the task comfortably last year and is an on-field leader. I worry about his lack of mobility though at centre-half back. Is there any reason to think that Declan O'Sullivan would not have got by him as easily as he did past James Nallen in 2004 and 2006?

I think Paddy Navin must be worth a try at full-back. Liam O'Malley is too light and too small. Definite option in the corner, or possibly at number 6 if he is flanked by the right men but around the square he would be easy pickings for the best in the business.

It is the backs that need most strengthening and a rabbit out of a hat is needed I think.

I hope all this nonsense of playing Brady at full-back will stop. There is no way he is up to the task. He was a stop-gap measure in the final that worked to a degree. He would be too immobile and ill-disciplined to hold down the role long-term. Some people in Mayo give the man demi-God status. He has been a great servant and a great man to do the donkey work when we need it but his footballing skills are distincly average.

[Mayo4Sam]

I agree with barney on brady, his round the neck tackling method was let go to a certain extent in the AIF, in a closer match he cld have given away a lot more frees. He tackles like a midfielder/forward.
I'm not so sure navin is up to it, i've been following this lad for  few years thru some claremorris lads and the impression i've gotten is that he's good but doubts about whether he's good enough.
I think we've back in gardiner, higgins x2, heaney, kilcullen, o'malley & howley
Could kilcullen paly FB? Big lad in every sense of the word
As for captain i dont think it makes a huge diff, as ballina's shane sweeney said to me this year captain would be nice but its an honourary role, everyone knows who the real leaders on the pitch are

[rosnarun]

from the look of navin playing for UCD last week hes no bigger or stronger than L o malley.  Brady should be kept in reserve for donaghy alone . cant really see the logic of heaey at CHB nallen may have let paole walk through him but the real problm was at full back. for years Heaney has been a great attacking fullback with dodgy hands. Its on position O mahony must prove his worth in and get and properly train the right man. whether a toatal new guy or convert some one else to the position . Its going to be his 1st big test