MAYO v ROSCOMMON - Connacht Football Championship - Quarter-Final

[galwayman]

I'm not so sure winning Connacht is any type of advantage in the new format.
Granted you avoid Dublin and Kerry most likely in the group stages but sure 3 qualify out of that anyway.

[Hound]

It's better to win the league than not win it. Always a great achievement to win the Division 1 national title.

It's better to win your province than not win it.

But neither will matter a shite come the round robin.

No real advantage either to avoiding the big guns in the round robin.  Probably just means you'll avoid that big gun in the quarters.

[From the Bunker]

Well done the Rossies and congratulations to the Rossies on this forum.
I don't get the non credit Roscommon got for their League?

Roscommon game management was superb today. Lucky at times. But as they say the harder you try the luckier you get. Anyone blaming the Conditions, Referee, antics and style of play are looking for a kop out.

From a Mayo perspective Winning a League title and preparing for today was a bridge to far. Not the end of the world.
The six weeks off could be a blessing.

Mayo are a work in progress and today will dampen expectations and take the heat off Management and the players.

[IolarCoisCuain]

Mayo are a work in progress and today will dampen expectations and take the heat off Management and the players.

I dunno entirely about the second half of that Bunker. But we'll see.

[Cunny Funt]

Well done to Roscommon who executed their game plan superbly, all of their players put in a monstrous shift. The intensity,pure grit and determination was simply better than Mayo.  3rd place team in Div 1 beating a team that won the league wasn't a big surprise but the rossies having such control of the game in the middle third was surprise and all the more impressive when you consider the amount of players they have lost to injury or currently overseas that could play there (Compton,Harney,Killoran,O'Rourke)

Defeat could well be a blessing in disguise for Mayo.  6 weeks to train and prepare for the All Ireland group stage and should at the very least be reaching the last 8 of the championship.

[An Fhairche Abu]

Fair play to the Rossies, great result and deserved. On to the Hyde in two weeks now.

[Halfquarter]

Had a feeling that would happen. Last week's league final win disguised the face that Mayo coughed up a whole pile of goal chances and Galway didn't take any of them. Roscommon took theirs today.

Plus didn't they only get 4 points from play last week.

Not good enough.

You could look at it like that I suppose.

But they were only beaten once in the League, in a dead rubber match,
so their scoring wasn't all that bad.

[twohands!!!]

I'm not so sure winning Connacht is any type of advantage in the new format.
Granted you avoid Dublin and Kerry most likely in the group stages but sure 3 qualify out of that anyway.

As a third seed Mayo will play the first seed away in their first game.
They will have a home game against the 2nd seed in their second game.
They will have a game at a neutral venue against the 4th seed.

If they had won Connacht,as provincial winner they would have a home against against the third seed.
Their 2nd game would be away at the 4th seed,
They would have a game against the 2nd seed at a neutral venue.

Also in terms of qualifying from the groups, while three teams qualify the team that wins the group gets the following weekend off while the 2nd v 3rd play each other (a home venue for the 2nd placed teams) and then the following weekend will play the quarter-finals against the 4 teams that top the group. Remember the stats about 6 day turnarounds in the qualifiers. Any teams who get to the quarter-finals from 2nd or 3rd place in the group stages will be heading into the quarter-finals having played the previous two weekends.

A team's chance of winning Sam increases a fair bit if they top the group and a team's chance of topping the group increases a fair bit if they go in as a number 1 seed i.e. wins a provincial title.

Winning a provincial title offers a big advantage

[Blowitupref]

It's better to win the league than not win it. Always a great achievement to win the Division 1 national title.

It's better to win your province than not win it.

But neither will matter a shite come the round robin.

No real advantage either to avoiding the big guns in the round robin.  Probably just means you'll avoid that big gun in the quarters.

Any team in Div 1 their number 1 objective is staying up, winning it would be the added bonus.  The longer a team has Div 1 football the better their chances should be in round robin format.

Winning your province give teams a round 1 game at home and good start to any group format is half the battle.  Topping the group means more preparation time and one less game that your Quarter final opponent. It will be interesting to see how many of the provincial champions will top their group this summer. 

[seafoid]

The danger for Mayo would be coming across Dublin or Kerry earlier than the semi finals.

[Aaron Boone]

The danger for Mayo would be coming across Dublin or Kerry earlier than the semi finals.

+ Derry. 

[highorlow]

Congratulations to Roscommon. Best team won, by far, no complaints about the match itself.

A few points / questions on our own failings.

1- the McStay bounce is now over, that's clear from last week and today, has he the balls now to get us to regroup?

2- the Conor Loftus bullshit needs to end, he gave away the penalty and is a liability

3- the big O'Shea experiment didn't last too long, not much ball into him today , ?

4- are the like of Flynn, Mattie and a few more getting complacent and think they are certain starters?

[Rudi]

Blood & guts performance from Roscommon today. Enda, Diarmuid, McCormack, Murray & Conor Daly particularly impressive. Never seen a Mayo crowd as quiet. Roscommon management team played a blinder. Mayo cleaned out of midfield, some achievement for the Rossies, minus O Rourke,  Harney & Nolan.
Fair play, an enjoyable day in the rain.

[From the Bunker]

The danger for Mayo would be coming across Dublin or Kerry earlier than the semi finals.

That would be a danger for Galway also.

[seafoid]

The danger for Mayo would be coming across Dublin or Kerry earlier than the semi finals.

Obviously. But did it it not happen last year or the year before already ?