Mayo League Review/Championship Preview 2009

[rosnarun]

i dont know how people can doubt heaney. to think he needs a league capaign after 12 or so years as an inter county footballer is as insulting as CMcD's trial game last year. cafferkey is one for the future and worth hanging on too. id like to see him get some exposure to championship football this year but he has a long way to go.

[RedandGreenSniper]

I'm not doubting Heaney per se. But I will doubt him as a full-back. He was never the solution there, merely plugging a gap and we have a more natural full-back in Ger Caff. What I would worry about is Ger Caff starting at full-back with another debutant to his left - Kevin McLoughlin and Liam O'Malley on the other side. No real experience there. That's why I feel Aidan Higgins, if in form, would compliment Caff and McLoughlin. But JOM obviously thinks differently.

As for Heaney, he could well nail down a spot at wing-back - his best position, but it will depend on form and we've no way of judging that as of yet Ros.

[Barney]

I'm not in favour of wide-scale changes to the team to accomodate the five returning players. Higgins x 2, Howley, Heaney and Nallen all have had great days in the green and red but have yet to put a jersey on their back this year. Players thave not put in the hard winter graft get found out come championship and in particular in Croke Park.

As I see it the panel is going to be picked from the following:

GK Clarke, O'Malley, Hennelly

Backs O'Malley, Cafferkey, McLoughlin, Gardiner, Cunniffe, Andy Moran, Aidan Higgins, Keith Higgins, Howley, Heaney, Nallen, Vaughan, Barrett, Boyle 

Midfield McGarrity Harte, Parsons, Seamus O'Shea 

Forwards Ronaldson, Trevor, Conor, Dillon, Austie, O'Shea, BJP, Barry Moran, Mikey Sweeney, Ciaran Conroy, Barry Kelly, Kilcoyne

That is 33 players. 3 to go - I would guess Colm Boyle, possibly Barrett, Seamus O'Shea or Barry Kelly

One lad I think is not getting a fair deal is Kilcoyne. There is a problem here - whether it is him or the management I don't know but somebody needs to look at it carefully. He can take frees, is strong and speedy and should have got a fair run in the league.

I think it was moysider wrote about the constant turning over of possession by Gardiner being a major problem. On the days when he does this he causes more damage tha good. His talent is on the attack, never as a defender. I'm not a Liam O'Malley fan but maybe it is Gardiner that is exposing him? Vaughan is quite similar in this I think and it needs to be coached out of him.

My realistic championship starting XV: (JOM's likely choices, sprinkled with one or two of my own)

Clarke

Keith Higgins   Cafferkey   McLoughlin

Gardiner         Cunniffe     Andy Moran (Unless injuries or change in form I think Cafferkey and the half-back line all have their places nailed down. Higgins will come in somewhere, and realistically Liam O'Malley will probably be there instead of McLoughlin)

McGarrity       Parsons

Harte           Trevor          Dillon (Trevor will be at 11. He played every minute of every league game there and this will not change)

Conor          A O'Shea       Austie (I reckon this will be the full forward line - I would play Kilcoyne instead of Austie but that will not happen). I presume Aidan O'Shea will not travel to NY and that it will be Barry Moran that will play there. I wonder what date he finishes the Leaving - if he picked his subject right he may get a week break before the Rossies/Leitrim)

Also too many of us antcipiate that the Ros will be coming to Castlebar. A M&M renewal with Mayo is not beyhond the bounds of possibility when the game is in Carrick!

[Farrandeelin]

I don't like Trevor at 11 Barney, but he probably will end up there come the championship no doubt. I don't rate him high enough as a playmaker but it's obvious JOM does.
Here'd be MY championship XV.

Clarke

K Higgins Cafferkey L OMalley

Cunniffe, Howley, Gardiner

McGarrity and Parsons

Trevor, Harte, Dillon

Conor, B Moran, A O Shea.

[rosnarun]

my guess is trevor is onlt at 11 because Dillion is carrying an injury all year . its not even a specific one whic is worrying. ive seen it described as hamstrin/back or was it Groin/back. they never seem to know till after togging out if hell play or not . sounds to me like he should gety it taken care of . he would be a massive loss to mayo as he is our classiest forward by Far.(new Messiah excluded)

[muppet]

I don't like Trevor at 11 Barney, but he probably will end up there come the championship no doubt. I don't rate him high enough as a playmaker but it's obvious JOM does.
Here'd be MY championship XV.

Clarke

K Higgins Cafferkey L OMalley

Cunniffe, Howley, Gardiner

McGarrity and Parsons

Trevor, Harte, Dillon

Conor, B Moran, A O Shea.

Switch the corner backs as they are left and right footed and maybe move the two big full forwards to the corners with Conor between them. But I'd be happy seeing that 15 alright Farrandeelin.

[The flame still burns]

Mayo championship panel named:

http://thereisalightthatnevergoesout.wordpress.com/2009/04/19/mayo-senior-panel-for-2009-named/

No mad surprises

[Farrandeelin]

I must say I'm surprised with Chris Barrett's inclusion. He doesn't seem comfortable on the ball in my opinion.

[highking]

Since when did Keith Higgins start kicking with his left foot? He can barely kick with his stronger right foot. Never seen him attempting a left footed kick

[rosnarun]

Glad to see barry kelly and S o shea made the cut as they are the kind of ugly unspectacular players mayo are short of we need on of these for every white boot flash harry weve on the panel.
sad to see Mickey mullins go with out a run this year he was in the warm up against tyrone i thought he was on his way back. he showed great promise last year  , he should have started to coming to his own this year. we lose 2 many players like this  after 1 year or  so getting very little chance   remember a durcan colm lyons b regan pat casey b benson ad infiinitum not to mention the more controversial choices of thise i think durcan had most to give

[blast05]

Cunniffe and Caffekry had to go as the middle of the mayo defence has been like a sieve all winter

No goals conceeded in our last 5 league games.
Were you at the Galway game ? indeed were you at any of those 5 games ?

[kevmy]

Heres the squad (just so it's on the page)

Goalkeepers (2): David Clarke (Ballina), Kenneth O'Malley (Ballinrobe)

Backs (13): Chris Barrett (Belmullet), Ger Cafferkey (Ballina), Ciaran Conroy (Shrule/Glencorrib), Tom Cunniffe (Castlebar), Peadar Gardiner (Crossmolina), David Heaney (Swinford), Keith Higgins (Ballyhaunis), Trevor Howley (Knockmore), Kevin McLoughlin (Knockmore), Andy Moran (Ballaghaderreen), James Nallen (Crossmolina), Liam O'Malley (Burrishoole), Donal Vaughan (Ballinrobe).

Midfielders (4): Patrick Harte (Ballina), Ronan McGarrity (Ballina), Seamus O'Shea (Breaffy), Tom Parsons (Charlestown).

Forwards (11): Alan Dillon (Ballintubber), Barry Kelly (Ballaghaderreen), Aidan Kilcoyne (Knockmore), Barry Moran (Castlebar), Conor Mortimer (Shrule/Glenocorrib), Trevor Mortimer (Shrule/Glencorrib), Austin O'Malley (St Vincent's), Aidan O'Shea (Breaffy), Billy  Joe Padden (Belmullet), Mark Ronaldson (Shrule/Glencorrib), Mikey Sweeney (Kiltane).

Only real argument most people will have would be Aiden Higgins not in. I'd be a fan of his but I haven't seen him play this year and we are a lot stronger in backs this year than others. Our problem could well lie in the forwards. I think the only other points are that Mikey Sweeney and Barry Kelly are there but realistically there isn't much other options, especially as regards lads who have played league this year.

[IolarCoisCuain]

Only real argument most people will have would be Aiden Higgins not in.

I'm still having trouble with Ciarán McDonald's continuing omission. Can't quite force myself to believe that all eleven of those forwards have more to contribute than he does.

The loss of players from underage to senior is another point of concern. Conroy and Campbell are the obvious losses. Will Kilcoyne be next? It's all very worrying.

[kevmy]

Only real argument most people will have would be Aiden Higgins not in.

I'm still having trouble with Ciarán McDonald's continuing omission. Can't quite force myself to believe that all eleven of those forwards have more to contribute than he does.

The loss of players from underage to senior is another point of concern. Conroy and Campbell are the obvious losses. Will Kilcoyne be next? It's all very worrying.

Fair enough.

But I think any who thinks Mac is going to come back is kidding themselves - I just can't see it happening.

I'd agree about Campbell but then he hasn't featured at any stage in the league so there really is no surprise there. I'd love to see him back in it again at some stage.

Not sure about Conroy though his form/interest in intercounty seems to have gone backwards rather than forwards and I don't think he could be included above any of the forwards named.

[IolarCoisCuain]

I don't think any of those three are coming back either Kevmy. I'm not sure if Campbell and Conroy have any issues of their own that they might have to address first, and that's up to themselves. Nobody has to do this, maybe they have other things in their lives, and that's all fair enough. Good luck to them.

McDonald is a different story. And again, I would ask the question why Johnno was willing to make this great effort for David Brady and not for McDonald.

Of course, the other question is how much of an effort was made to keep Brady going after 2006. That was only one year after Johnno was going to camp outside his house. I rated Brady; I know a lot didn't. I thought he added a warrior spirit. Hard to believe a man goes so quickly over the hill.

I see the same warrior spirit in Aidan O'Shea, actually. It was one of the few heartening aspects in Longford on Saturday. But looking at the bigger picture, it is a fact that Mayo do not utilise their player resources to their fullest extent, and haven't down through the years. Maybe it's time to start wondering why that is.