All-Ireland SFC Quarter Final Mayo v Cork

[muscles magoo]

When you think about it, the games we played against Galway and Roscommon were played in atrocious conditions so Mayo have not yet been able to show what they can do on a fine day which will make Sunday all the more interesting. The quality in those Connacht championship games was as good as the weather allowed, which was poor by anyones standards and that would have lowered expectation and the opinion of Mayo even in oppositions heads, so I think we could surprise.

It was a fine day in Ruislip...

[Canalman]

is anthony lynch still involved with cork,i kow he was injured the last year or 2 but was togged out in the final last year,i always thought he was a great corner back and man marker

I know it is a much abused cliché but if ever there was a man who deserved an AI medal (on the pitch variety) it is Anthony Lynch. A player who always kept at it even in the soul sapping defeats v Kerry over the years. Have massive respect for the guy.

Btw, Mayo lads here in Dublin are very confident (well the 3 I know anyway) of a win. They are raving about their forward line , I honestly don't know much about them myself tbh. 5/1 to win I believe. All of Mayo has to be on that (or so they will have been if they win).

[Tubberman]

is anthony lynch still involved with cork,i kow he was injured the last year or 2 but was togged out in the final last year,i always thought he was a great corner back and man marker

I know it is a much abused cliché but if ever there was a man who deserved an AI medal (on the pitch variety) it is Anthony Lynch. A player who always kept at it even in the soul sapping defeats v Kerry over the years. Have massive respect for the guy.

Btw, Mayo lads here in Dublin are very confident (well the 3 I know anyway) of a win. They are raving about their forward line , I honestly don't know much about them myself tbh. 5/1 to win I believe. All of Mayo has to be on that (or so they will have been if they win).

I'm a Mayo man in Dublin as well, but I wouldn't say I'm very confident of a win. I'd be reasonably confident of a strong Mayo performance, and I'd be hopeful that we could surprise an awful lot of people.
I wouldn't rule out a win, because when Cork aren't playing well, they can definitely be beaten - e.g. Limerick could have easily beaten them last year, as could Dublin and Down.

[macdanger2]

I wouldn't rule out a win, because when Cork aren't playing well, they can definitely be beaten - e.g. Limerick could have easily beaten them last year, as could Dublin and Down.

That's true but they didn't lose any of those games at the same time. When Mayo aren't playing well, they were beaten by both Longford and Sligo and they could have easily been beaten by London....

[Chéad rogha]

Taken from Mayo GAA

The Mayo Senior Football team to take on Cork this Sunday in the All-Ireland Senior Football Quarter-Final in Croke Park is as follows:
1) Robert Hennelly - Breaffy
2) Keith Higgins - Ballyhaunis
3) Ger Cafferkey - Ballina Stephenites
4) Tom Cunniffe - Castlebar Mitchels
5) Richie Feeney - Castlebar Mitchels
6) Donal Vaughan - Ballinrobe
7) Trevor Mortimer - Shrule-Glencorrib
8  Aidan O'Shea - Breaffy
9) Seamus O'Shea - Breaffy
10) Kevin McLoughlin - Knockmore
11) Alan Dillon - Ballintubber
12) Andy Moran - Ballaghaderreen
13) Enda Varley - Garrymore
14) Alan Freeman - Aghamore
15) Cillian O'Connor - Ballintubber

16) David Clarke - Ballina Stephenites
17) Alan Feeney - Castlebar Mitchels
18) Dermot Geraghty - Shrule-Glencorrib
19) Chris Barrett - Belmullet
20) Lee Keegan - Westport
21) James Kilcullen - Ballaghaderreen
22) Ronan McGarrity - Ballina Stephenites
23) Peadar Gardiner - Crossmolina
24) Aidan Campbell - Swinford
25) Jason Doherty - Burrishoole
26) Mark Ronaldson - Shrule-Glencorrib

Caff and Varley in from the start. Ronaldo on the bench...

[Jinxy]

is anthony lynch still involved with cork,i kow he was injured the last year or 2 but was togged out in the final last year,i always thought he was a great corner back and man marker

I know it is a much abused cliché but if ever there was a man who deserved an AI medal (on the pitch variety) it is Anthony Lynch. A player who always kept at it even in the soul sapping defeats v Kerry over the years. Have massive respect for the guy.

Btw, Mayo lads here in Dublin are very confident (well the 3 I know anyway) of a win. They are raving about their forward line , I honestly don't know much about them myself tbh. 5/1 to win I believe. All of Mayo has to be on that (or so they will have been if they win).

They've been away too long.

[Tubberman]

I wouldn't rule out a win, because when Cork aren't playing well, they can definitely be beaten - e.g. Limerick could have easily beaten them last year, as could Dublin and Down.

That's true but they didn't lose any of those games at the same time. When Mayo aren't playing well, they were beaten by both Longford and Sligo and they could have easily been beaten by London....

Ah yeah, if we don't play well, there's no chance at all of us winning - that goes without saying when we're up against the likes of Cork. I just meant that Cork can be vulnerable. Everyone knows how vulnerable we can be 

[Tubberman]

I wouldn't have minded seeing both Feeney and Doherty given another chance.

Can't complain about the changes though.
Alan Feeney did well at FB against Cork in the league, but he was giving Shine far too much room against Ros, so Caff probably deserves his chance.
Doherty hasn't shown anything in the Championship so far, but I'd like to see him on a dry day on a big pitch like Croker - he could have nabbed a goal or two. But as with the other change, he hasn't done enough, and Varley has shown well when he came on.

What's the mood like in Mayo - are many planning on making the journey up?

[AbbeySider]

...
The other change is exactly what I would have done after the Roscommon game. Alan Feeney has some good attributes as a full back, he is good in the air and good enough on the ball, but he was miles off Donie Shine at times. What I cant understand is the rubbish that was written by Noel Connelly about the "Backs driving Mayo Forward" in last weeks Mayo News, describing Mayos defence as "outstanding" and saying Feeney did well on his direct opponent and also saying he did very little wrong. I dont think so; it was obvious Feeney struggled all be it against one of the best full forwards in the country, but if you were reading that article the defence won the game for Mayo which is untrue. Cillian O Connor won the game for Mayo.

Just to finish off, I do think Vaughan is another worry at CB. He did Ok against Galway but was exposed again against Roscommon. I would like to see what Richie would be like there and push Vaughan to the wing if he is struggling.

I agree with your first par but can't agree with you on Noel Connelly. He may have been a bit soft on Alan Feeney but Mayo's defenders were as significant, if not more significant, a reason for Mayo's win than Cillian O'Connor - who was immense too. Mayo kept the Rossies to two points in the whole second half. They kept Galway to one point in the second half. That needs to be remembered. Sunday will be another question and they will be much more severely tested but Mayo's defence has been very good in the championship up to now. Against Roscommon Richie Feeney, Trevor Mort, Keith Higgins and Tom Cunniffe really stood up when they were needed. They did drive Mayo on.

I see exactly where you are coming from, as a unit the defence did Ok but your not looking deep enough at the individual performances.

To say that Mayo kept the Rossies to two points in the second half is not a stat that should be used to back up an argument for the defence as the wind was next to impossible to kick against.

The fact remains that if Donie Shine converted those silly frees that Vaughan and Higgins gave away in the first half we were fcuked. We were extremely lucky to be in touching distance at half time and only being behind by 4 points.

I watched Cunniffe very closely and he was tight most of the game and finished very well but there were times he was in no mans land when Roscommon were in possession as he stood off and shadowed on a few occasions, instead of getting in on the tackle and pressuring, especially early in the second half. We have heard since that Kilbride was carrying an early shoulder injury so Cunniffe still needs to prove himself.

People were saying Keith Higgins was magnificent especially in the first half and it was remarked how much he came out with the ball. Firstly Keith Higgins was a free man as Roscommon made the elementary mistake of playing an extra man back when they had the wind. Of course he was going to get on a lot of ball, FFS its the least I expect from a free man but that does not make up for the silly fouls, especially off the ball stuff that has crept into his game.

As for Vaughan, he never looked comfortable on the ball and was getting caught in possession, and he too was guilty of silly fouling and handing Donal Shine needless frees when Roscommon were playing with the wind in the first half. One of the basic rules of defending is that you dont concede frees, especially against the breeze and against one of the best free takers out there. I cant reiterate that enough.

I already mentioned Alan Feeney's dual with Shine, which he lost IMO.

On the plus side, Richie Feeney played well and was in the right place at the right time on numerous occasions and Trevor Mortimor kept Cregg very quiet.

But I will go back to the point that the defence nearly lost the game if Shine was on form for the frees in the first half, and in the second half, against that wind, Roscommon were never going to be as much of a threat.

[Rossfan]

Btw, Mayo lads here in Dublin are very confident (well the 3 I know anyway) of a win. They are raving about their forward line ,

They scored 8 points aginst us in the second half of the CF with the gale and rain behind them. Four of those came from  frees for either totally silly off the ball fouls (2) or Michael Collins "the forward is always right " frees.
They are up against it v Cork but ifthey tear in to them from the start and show no respect ....... you'd never know.

[RedandGreenSniper]

...
The other change is exactly what I would have done after the Roscommon game. Alan Feeney has some good attributes as a full back, he is good in the air and good enough on the ball, but he was miles off Donie Shine at times. What I cant understand is the rubbish that was written by Noel Connelly about the "Backs driving Mayo Forward" in last weeks Mayo News, describing Mayos defence as "outstanding" and saying Feeney did well on his direct opponent and also saying he did very little wrong. I dont think so; it was obvious Feeney struggled all be it against one of the best full forwards in the country, but if you were reading that article the defence won the game for Mayo which is untrue. Cillian O Connor won the game for Mayo.

Just to finish off, I do think Vaughan is another worry at CB. He did Ok against Galway but was exposed again against Roscommon. I would like to see what Richie would be like there and push Vaughan to the wing if he is struggling.

I agree with your first par but can't agree with you on Noel Connelly. He may have been a bit soft on Alan Feeney but Mayo's defenders were as significant, if not more significant, a reason for Mayo's win than Cillian O'Connor - who was immense too. Mayo kept the Rossies to two points in the whole second half. They kept Galway to one point in the second half. That needs to be remembered. Sunday will be another question and they will be much more severely tested but Mayo's defence has been very good in the championship up to now. Against Roscommon Richie Feeney, Trevor Mort, Keith Higgins and Tom Cunniffe really stood up when they were needed. They did drive Mayo on.

I see exactly where you are coming from, as a unit the defence did Ok but your not looking deep enough at the individual performances.

To say that Mayo kept the Rossies to two points in the second half is not a stat that should be used to back up an argument for the defence as the wind was next to impossible to kick against.

The fact remains that if Donie Shine converted those silly frees that Vaughan and Higgins gave away in the first half we were fcuked. We were extremely lucky to be in touching distance at half time and only being behind by 4 points.

I watched Cunniffe very closely and he was tight most of the game and finished very well but there were times he was in no mans land when Roscommon were in possession as he stood off and shadowed on a few occasions, instead of getting in on the tackle and pressuring, especially early in the second half. We have heard since that Kilbride was carrying an early shoulder injury so Cunniffe still needs to prove himself.

People were saying Keith Higgins was magnificent especially in the first half and it was remarked how much he came out with the ball. Firstly Keith Higgins was a free man as Roscommon made the elementary mistake of playing an extra man back when they had the wind. Of course he was going to get on a lot of ball, FFS its the least I expect from a free man but that does not make up for the silly fouls, especially off the ball stuff that has crept into his game.

As for Vaughan, he never looked comfortable on the ball and was getting caught in possession, and he too was guilty of silly fouling and handing Donal Shine needless frees when Roscommon were playing with the wind in the first half. One of the basic rules of defending is that you dont concede frees, especially against the breeze and against one of the best free takers out there. I cant reiterate that enough.

I already mentioned Alan Feeney's dual with Shine, which he lost IMO.

On the plus side, Richie Feeney played well and was in the right place at the right time on numerous occasions and Trevor Mortimor kept Cregg very quiet.

But I will go back to the point that the defence nearly lost the game if Shine was on form for the frees in the first half, and in the second half, against that wind, Roscommon were never going to be as much of a threat.

With the greatest of respect don't tell me I'm not looking at individual performances deeply enough. I was at the game and watched it twice the following week as well. Vaughan gave away two stupid frees - granted. I didn't say he played well. Higgins gave away one stupid one - the trip. He was pulled for handling on the ground, when he didn't do so. The type of ball he picked up in the first half was not easy ball, he went into a ruck of bodies time and time again and came away with it, saying that it was easy for him to do so because he was the free man is disingenuous.
I agree - Cunniffe still needs to prove himself because one swallow doesn't make a summer but in terms of his performance in the Connacht Final he was very good, in both halves. At times he can be a bit loose - and was - but, injury or no injury he was out in front of Kilbride time and time again. It was a shoulder injury, not a leg injury, so that shouldn't have held Kilbride back in this regard.

You're saying the wind was strong. Of course it was. But Mayo scored five points into it and when you consider this was done without any of the full-forward line offering much in the way of an outlet in the first half, it means holding a Roscommon team to two points in the second half, one in injury time, is a serious feat. And before you come back at me saying Cillian O'Connor was impressive in the first half, it was only in the second half he was a handful from play.
There have been huge questions marks over the Mayo defence up to now and some may remain unanswered until we see the Cork game but, up to now, they've done very well and Horan has to be credited with both his selections and his coaching in terms of Mayo playing with a good defensive structure. I do, of course, still have concerns over centre-half back. But that's an inherited problem.

[seafoid]

I wouldn't rule out a win, because when Cork aren't playing well, they can definitely be beaten - e.g. Limerick could have easily beaten them last year, as could Dublin and Down.

That's true but they didn't lose any of those games at the same time. When Mayo aren't playing well, they were beaten by both Longford and Sligo and they could have easily been beaten by London....

Where do you  find the will to get out of bed in the morning ?

[rosnarun]

lads this is not the time for navel gazing over anysis and mourning passed defeats that what winter is for.
Greato see caff get another chance

[Tubberman]

I wouldn't rule out a win, because when Cork aren't playing well, they can definitely be beaten - e.g. Limerick could have easily beaten them last year, as could Dublin and Down.

That's true but they didn't lose any of those games at the same time. When Mayo aren't playing well, they were beaten by both Longford and Sligo and they could have easily been beaten by London....

Where do you  find the will to get out of bed in the morning ?

If he was a Galwayman, he'd be in a padded room.

[macdanger2]

I wouldn't rule out a win, because when Cork aren't playing well, they can definitely be beaten - e.g. Limerick could have easily beaten them last year, as could Dublin and Down.

That's true but they didn't lose any of those games at the same time. When Mayo aren't playing well, they were beaten by both Longford and Sligo and they could have easily been beaten by London....

Where do you  find the will to get out of bed in the morning ?

To be honest, it's hard........but then I consider what it would be like to be from Galway and I hop straight out