Mayo V Kerry semi final

[AZOffaly]

I think Mayo have to win the middle third. Mayo's backs may well do a good job, but I simply can't see them shutting down a forward line like that. There are at least 4 potent scorers, and two workhorses. Then Sheehan's well able to chip in from the back, as is T. O'Sé and Brosnan.

No, I think if Mayo are to win this game it'll be because of the O'Shea's Dillon, Moran, Mortimer and co dominating the middle third. It's a big ask, but it's possible. doing anything that might concede superiority there, in a bid to nullify one man would be a mistake. Kerry have evolved from that 'hit Donaghy with everything' because Tyrone showed them it can be disrupted. Now they mix it up. You're not sure if it's going to come through Declan O'Sullivan, passing or carrying, a long ball to Donaghy, a direct low ball to Gooch, or whatever. unless you can man up on each of them and take them out of it, there's no point concentrating on just one of them.

Win the ball out the field, and make sure your forwards take their chances.

[AbbeySider]

Two things.

1. The argument for McGarrity on Donaghy is not based on David Brady in 2006. It's based on a notion that a basketballer is physically best equipped to mark a basketballer. To compare McGarrity to Brady is nuts. Nonsense. Rubbish.

2. It's no wonder Mayo don't win All-Irelands. The Kerry game is more than a fortnight away and already we're at daggers drawn over a simple switch. If McGarrity goes in fullback it'll be the end of human life on the planet. Only McGarrity going in fullback can save human life on the planet.

People need to step back and calm down. There is no other county where there is so little unanimity on how to rate players. In Mayo you're always either the best ever or the worst ever. There's never any balance.

Maybe McGarrity man-marking Donaghy will win Mayo the game. Maybe him not man-marking Donaghy will cost Mayo the game. I don't know. And I'll tell you this: neither does anyone else.

Horan will have to make a decision as best as he can and then endure the second guessing of high stool prophets for the rest of his life if it goes wrong. He's the one that has to carry the can. The best of luck to him.

I dont agree Iolar, and I think that first part is ridiculous to suggest that just because someone has basketball experience that they could defend against another player with basketball experience even though it would be in a completely different discipline? If thats the case why dont we go up to Ballina and find Deora Marsh or any of the American immigrants that have played a bit of basketball and give them a jersey and see how they get on against Donaghy? 

IMO the Brady comparison is completely valid as Brady and McGarity are both mid fielders being called on to do a job against Donaghy at full back. Often Nicolas Murphy was suggested of being given the same role and Brady would be an obvious comparison there too. 

Also your rant about the poor unanimity anmoung Mayo supporters and daggers drawn at such a simple switch is a little annoying considering the reason we have lost to Kerry in the past was mainly due to the fact that Mayo didnt learn or change tactics to deal with the Kerry attack. We should all keep our head in the sand and not discuss it at all shall we?

And I am not overplaying the Donaghy factor at all, I would be happy with the rest of the Mayo defence I named being best able to contain their opponents and a sweeper may clog up the defence and prevent Kerry attacking down the middle, which was the other reason they destroyed us in the past. But maybe that one is another thing we shouldnt bother discussing? 

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Two things.

1. The argument for McGarrity on Donaghy is not based on David Brady in 2006. It's based on a notion that a basketballer is physically best equipped to mark a basketballer. To compare McGarrity to Brady is nuts. Nonsense. Rubbish.

2. It's no wonder Mayo don't win All-Irelands. The Kerry game is more than a fortnight away and already we're at daggers drawn over a simple switch. If McGarrity goes in fullback it'll be the end of human life on the planet. Only McGarrity going in fullback can save human life on the planet.

People need to step back and calm down. There is no other county where there is so little unanimity on how to rate players. In Mayo you're always either the best ever or the worst ever. There's never any balance.

Maybe McGarrity man-marking Donaghy will win Mayo the game. Maybe him not man-marking Donaghy will cost Mayo the game. I don't know. And I'll tell you this: neither does anyone else.

Horan will have to make a decision as best as he can and then endure the second guessing of high stool prophets for the rest of his life if it goes wrong. He's the one that has to carry the can. The best of luck to him.

I dont agree Iolar, and I think that first part is ridiculous to suggest that just because someone has basketball experience that they could defend against another player with basketball experience even though it would be in a completely different discipline? If thats the case why dont we go up to Ballina and find Deora Marsh or any of the American immigrants that have played a bit of basketball and give them a jersey and see how they get on against Donaghy? 

IMO the Brady comparison is completely valid as Brady and McGarity are both mid fielders being called on to do a job against Donaghy at full back. Often Nicolas Murphy was suggested of being given the same role and Brady would be an obvious comparison there too. 

Also your rant about the poor unanimity anmoung Mayo supporters and daggers drawn at such a simple switch is a little annoying considering the reason we have lost to Kerry in the past was mainly due to the fact that Mayo didnt learn or change tactics to deal with the Kerry attack. We should all keep our head in the sand and not discuss it at all shall we?

And I am not overplaying the Donaghy factor at all, I would be happy with the rest of the Mayo defence I named being best able to contain their opponents and a sweeper may clog up the defence and prevent Kerry attacking down the middle, which was the other reason they destroyed us in the past. But maybe that one is another thing we shouldnt bother discussing? 

Deora Marsh must be in his late 40's by now. Personally I think we should not alter the set up of the team at all, in 1997 we were forced to do this when Dermot Flanagan had to limp off and it devistated the shape and coherence of the team. I know JM was a little slow in his decisions that day and that was a mid-match situation, but the principle holds true. We should stick with what works, Kerry have more than one forward and more than one top forward at that. So what if we mark Star out of the game and for the Gooch or someone else to score two or three instead. We need to dominate the centre, and from the start this time. Lets frustrate Kerry, thats what Tyrone do, then take the game to Kerry.

[AbbeySider]

Deora Marsh must be in his late 40's by now. Personally I think we should not alter the set up of the team at all, in 1997 we were forced to do this when Dermot Flanagan had to limp off and it devistated the shape and coherence of the team. I know JM was a little slow in his decisions that day and that was a mid-match situation, but the principle holds true. We should stick with what works, Kerry have more than one forward and more than one top forward at that. So what if we mark Star out of the game and for the Gooch or someone else to score two or three instead. We need to dominate the centre, and from the start this time. Lets frustrate Kerry, thats what Tyrone do, then take the game to Kerry.

Thats all fine mayogodhelpus but I still believe that Kerrys strongest third is their attack so playing a sweeper to stop attacks down the heart of our defence and giving Alan Feeney a game is not necessarily changing the coherence of the team as Alan Feeney started every other game apart from the Cork game. I think its only reasonable.

I do believe that we can win the midfield battle and I also believe that our forwards can seriously trouble the Kerry defence for once, but it would be naive to think that we can just turn up and go for an orthodox 15v15 and try and out shoot Kerry on the scoreboard.

[muppet]

It is 2011 and we have lads sweating about 2006.
In 2006 we were all covering our eyes paranoid about 2004.
In 2004 we wanted revenge for 1997.
In 1997 we were still sore about 1996.
In the 1996 replay we were sore about the 1996 draw (even Jinxy ad Hardy are still sore about 1996 and they won!).
In 1989 we were going to end a 38 year famine.

Is there any chance we take this game and this team on their own merits and assess this Kerry threat on their own merits and stop looking back?

The best team won in 2004 and 2006. No question about it and there is no obvious easy fix that would have changed that. Now we appear to be better than then and they appear to have come back to the pack slightly. Lets take it from there.

[ONeill]

Tyrone frustrated Kerry in 2008 because the Kingdom completely flopped on the sidelines. They hammered Tyrone in the first half (Dara esp) but thought the twin towers route was indestructible. When it was obvious that Tyrone had a plan for that, Kerry continued to believe it was only a matter of time.

Now Kerry utilise both (running game and long ball) often to devastating effect.

If Mayo can work their balls off in defence (as they did against Cork) and win a smattering of breaking ball around the middle, they are left with the one aspect of their game you simply cannot coach in 3 weeks - maximising their scoring chances.

So I don't think the winning of this game is in defence or the middle third - seriously hard work can see to that and they showed against Cork that they can put that required effort in . If Mayo can post a 17+ tally they'll give it a fair lash.

[AZOffaly]

Tyrone frustrated Kerry in 2008 because the Kingdom completely flopped on the sidelines. They hammered Tyrone in the first half (Dara esp) but thought the twin towers route was indestructible. When it was obvious that Tyrone had a plan for that, Kerry continued to believe it was only a matter of time.

Now Kerry utilise both (running game and long ball) often to devastating effect.

If Mayo can work their balls off in defence (as they did against Cork) and win a smattering of breaking ball around the middle, they are left with the one aspect of their game you simply cannot coach in 3 weeks - maximising their scoring chances.

So I don't think the winning of this game is in defence or the middle third - seriously hard work can see to that and they showed against Cork that they can put that required effort in . If Mayo can post a 17+ tally they'll give it a fair lash.

If Mayo score 17+ points they will be in with a fair lash, but I would suggest that to do that they'll have to win at least 55-60% in the middle third. Problem is, if Kerry are on the ball (which is the other variable, Kerry might well be off the pace for a while), they can score 3-10 on 40% possession. nonetheless, if Mayo win 60% of the ball, and score 2-10, 2-12 something like that, I think they have a right good chance. In fact if you gave me both of those scenarios right now, I'd back Mayo.

I can see them doing well in the possession stakes, but I'm not sure if I can see them scoring 16-18-20 points total. I'll be picking Kerry in this one, but I think it's there a good bit of unknown about Kerry. Are Kerry the team we saw in the first 35 v Cork? If so, they'll beat Mayo by 10 points. Or are they the team we saw in the second half v Cork? If so, Mayo will beat them.

I think they're closer to the former, but not as good as that. Their movement in that 35 minutes was incredible. I think they'll be under prepared in terms of matches, and I think it'll be close enough. I'll probably go Kerry by 4.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Tyrone frustrated Kerry in 2008 because the Kingdom completely flopped on the sidelines. They hammered Tyrone in the first half (Dara esp) but thought the twin towers route was indestructible. When it was obvious that Tyrone had a plan for that, Kerry continued to believe it was only a matter of time.

Now Kerry utilise both (running game and long ball) often to devastating effect.

If Mayo can work their balls off in defence (as they did against Cork) and win a smattering of breaking ball around the middle, they are left with the one aspect of their game you simply cannot coach in 3 weeks - maximising their scoring chances.

So I don't think the winning of this game is in defence or the middle third - seriously hard work can see to that and they showed against Cork that they can put that required effort in . If Mayo can post a 17+ tally they'll give it a fair lash.

So ONeill what do you think of our forwards?
Cillian O'Conner - Frees, gaining in confidence and popping a few from play.
Freeman - Potential freetaker and good for a goal, huge workrate.
Doherty - Goal potential is huge.
Alan Dillion - One of the best forwards in the country, reliable.
Andy Moran - Never has a game where he doesn't bust a gut, never gives up, drives the team on.
Enda Varley - Can take the odd free, steady so far.
Kevin McGloughin - Shown that he has the bravery and pace to take on the opposition defence.

[AZOffaly]

If they line up as they did against Cork, not counting the move of Moran and Freeman, it'll be along the lines of

O'Connor on Killian Young      Freeman on Marc O'Sé   Varley on Tom O'Sullivan


McLoughlin on O'Sé              Dillon on Brosnan          Moran on O'Mahony


I'd really only fancy Dillon and Moran there to be honest, and I think Killian Young might come out onto McLoughlin with O'Sé taking Moran. O'Mahony was poor against Limerick, and young Enright might be okay on O'Connor from open play.

[ONeill]

Capable forwards but what I'm saying is it will be all down to Mayo having one of those days when everything they hit goes over. Mayo are a 1-13 type of side but don't appear to concede much. Kerry rarely post a sub 15 score in Croke Park but Down showed it can be done.

I'm hopeful that Mayo's famed second half form coupled with Kerry's suspect defence when tiredness sets in against a forward unit prepared to run at them (see Munster Final) means that a close game is on the cards. If Mayo are in touch at half time (and it can be done - 15 men behind the ball first 35!) put the Kingdom on the back foot in the second half and it might expose the same frailty Cork did.

[AbbeySider]

Capable forwards but what I'm saying is it will be all down to Mayo having one of those days when everything they hit goes over. Mayo are a 1-13 type of side but don't appear to concede much. Kerry rarely post a sub 15 score in Croke Park but Down showed it can be done.

I'm hopeful that Mayo's famed second half form coupled with Kerry's suspect defence when tiredness sets in against a forward unit prepared to run at them (see Munster Final) means that a close game is on the cards. If Mayo are in touch at half time (and it can be done - 15 men behind the ball first 35!) put the Kingdom on the back foot in the second half and it might expose the same frailty Cork did.

+1

[blanketattack]

Feck Donaghy - he's having a poor year.

He was exceptional in the two games prior to last Sunday. How does one bad game change his year into a poor one?

[highorlow]

I hope the same team starts again the next day save for one change, Doherty back on.

Varley can do a job on Doneghy and if things are bleak then MacGarrity could come on in mid-field and Seamus O'Shea could move back.

Having said all that, the problem with Mayo teams in the past was too much fear and respect for the like of Kerry which led to a type of freeze in the early parts of match's.

This current crop have no fear of anyone, no tactics or switch's can account for a fearless approach in a team. Long may it continue.

[AZOffaly]

Varley can do a job on Donaghy? Which Varley is that?

[highorlow]

Meant Vaughan. Still celebrating here!