Mayo V Dublin - Castlebar - 11/02/12

[Tubberman]

I hope this notion of playing the re-fixture in Croke Park doesn't gather any momentum. No way in hell should we give up home advantage. Take every chance to get to the knockout stages and get pitch time at Croker at that stage of the competition.

In fairness the only person quoted in the papers as being in favour of a move to CP was the Mayo manager.Relax, it won't happen.

Absoutely magic result last night for Mayo, a bloodless "lesson" and a mighty fillip for training over the next few weeks. Dubs will be deflated but that's life.

Yep, plenty of ammo for Horan to use to keep the players minds focussed.

[moysider]

Would not read too much into last night. I think we would have won the game and would have won it even 15 v 15.

We started brightly enough but usual messing by usual suspects handed initiative to Dubs and they capitalised on it. How many of their scores came from Mayo in possession and cheap turn overs - loose ball and kicks dropped short? Most I would say. Its a reoccuring Mayo disease and the only cure is to cull those displaying the symptons. we all know who they are.

The full back line has taken a hammering in comments but the reality is that both our full back line and our full forward line were behind their men. I blame the full forward line more because they used any ball the did manage to get poorly and our fb line was repeatedly exposed on the counter. But the problems started at the other end mostly.

Anyway now is the time to learn lessons about these guys, but some have been repeating same lessons for some time so it s unlikely we will see a selection like that again. James Horan got an extra 35 minutes to assess stuff for free. He looked like a man that was not surprised by the stuff that was happening and he actually identified where the problems lie well, after the match.

Anyway that selection was light years away from what should be the championship team. Horan was talking about taking the league seriuosly but that team was winging it until the game was abandoned.

[Syferus]

Hard to see a case for Mayo wining that game, Dublin were slicing through them at speed for much of that half. They'll need to learn alot from this 'freebie' if they hope to actually win next time around.

[blast05]

Yet again we start slowly; playing at an intensity a few notches lower than what we invariably do in the second half. This is becoming endemic to this Mayo team. It must have happened in 70-80% of league and championship games Mayo have played to date under Horan, including on Saturday and against Laois last week as well.  It looks to me like the players need a bollocking at half time or to find themselves in a position where its backs against the wall. If i am right in this analysis, then i'd be worried cos it will become more and more challenging for Horan and the senior players to 'turn on the switch' at half time. Incidentally, i think we would have kicked on again in the second half the last day in the manner we did against Laois.

I think any other bit of analysis of Mayos play in the first half is secondary to the point above .... even take Reilly at full back - a bit more intensity out the pitch would have meant his job (in an unfamiliar rile) would not have been as difficult.

2 other footnotes...
- Outside of Croke Park, is the new stand the biggest in a GAA ground in the country ?
- Is McHale Park too small a pitch to suit our play (length and width) ? I feel this has been the case for Mayo teams since the late 90's when we were physically bigger and stronger than pretty much every team we played against.

[Cosmo Kramer]

Hard to see a case for Mayo wining that game, Dublin were slicing through them at speed for much of that half. They'll need to learn alot from this 'freebie' if they hope to actually win next time around.

Dublin didn't seem to be having much joy after they were reduced to 14. Mayo had a sweeper at the back without having to sacrifice a forward and they were winning midfield. Impossible to say if they would have won the game or not but you could definitely make a case for them. On the other hand there was a fair chance the numbers would have been evened up at some point given the way the game was being reffed.

The first 25 minutes were played at an intensity that Mayo would not have played at since last August and that two of the full back line would have never played at so, in that respect, it was a useful freebie alright.

[spuds]

Is Trevor Mortimer injured ?

[blast05]

The first 25 minutes were played at an intensity that Mayo would not have played at since last August

I disagree .... the pace and intensity of Dublin for their 12-15 minute purple patch wasn't any higher than what Laois threw at us last week in the first half imho - only difference being Laois did not make an effective use of all the ball they won and sent through Padraic Clancy.
Mayos pace against Dublin (lads standing up for a couple of seconds in the middle 1/3 having a look when in possession), intensity (Dublin walzed through the middle of the field untouched for large spells of the first half) and conviction (3 'watery kicks' into the keepers hands) for large chunks of the first half was poorer than anything we done in Laois (even the first half there).

[macdanger2]

The sending off looked harsh to me but I didn't have a great view of it. Up until then, Dublin were schooling us and could have been out the gate at half time if they had stayed at 15 men. As it was, it looked like we would have come away with a win if the game hadn't been abandoned, Dublin went completely out of it once they went down to 14.

The FB line struggled but that was partially because they were left completely exposed three on three inside the 45m line with no pressure on the Dublin players kicking in the ball most of the time. Changes made in this regard were slow enough in my opinion and perhaps dropping back an extra man should have been considered once it was obvious Connolly was having a major influence.

Not sure what players are being referred to in the cryptic posts on here about players who need to be dropped? There are a few I'd drop off the team but in my view, it's the style of play in the forwards that needs to be radically addressed rather than specifically the personnel themselves (although like I said I'd make a couple of changes there too). Our old failing of hand passing backwards to a guy surrounded by two defenders was our main problem on Saturday night. Where Dublin moved the ball quickly, Mayo players dallied on it and slowed down the play. For many players, the first instinct when they receive the ball is not to look up and pass, instead they solo, take a step and then look up which gives the defenders an extra second to get into position and the only pass remaining open is the 3 yard suicide hand pass. For me, this is a bigger issue than dropping shots short or a lack of intensity – both of these can be explained by heavy training, rustiness etc, the way players think when they receive the ball is not.

Next match up is Armagh away who I would have thought would be struggling in Div 1 but instead are top dogs – we'll do well to come out of there with anything.

I presume we'll hear this evening when this is re-fixed for?? A lot of people on the way out were saying they didn't get a ticket but the guy at the gate gave me half of mine back – I presume it will be free in for the next match if there are people without stubs.

[Hound]

Pleasing to see the Dubs play some football, after the abysmal performances v Kildare and Kerry. Luv Connolly as a player, and I fully believe he's going to keep getting better, while acknowledging he'll still have the odd off day.

Passing out of defence and midfield was 100% improved on the two prior performances. Must also be said that Mayo helped us out a fair bit - no better way for a Dub attack to start than an opposition shot straight into the hands of Cluxton.

Duffy is pure useless.

Surely EOG will start no more games. When those around him play well it highlights even more have far away he is from the standard.

While McCarthy didnt deserve to be sent off (although personally I would have given Mayo the free alright), and a lot of refs would have allowed play to continue, I don't see it being over-turned because there was contact to the head.

[Davitt Man]

The rescheduled Allianz FL Division 1 tie between Mayo and Dublin will take place this Saturday, 18 February.

Mayo county board confirmed as lunch time that the game will now take place in McHale Park with a 2pm throw in on Saturday.

http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=161983

[Sam2011]

Not a convenient time for people who work on Saturday but I suppose they are no risks this time around.
I just looked back at the Freeman and McCarthy incident and he did make contact with Freeman's jaw so it is a red card offence wheather it was on purpose or not. Prior to that anyway McCarthy had pushed Freeman to the ground so maybe that had been boiling point for Duffy. When will the red card be discussed?

[GalwayBayBoy]

I just looked back at the Freeman and McCarthy incident and he did make contact with Freeman's jaw so it is a red card offence wheather it was on purpose or not.

He made contact with him alright but completely accidently. I'd say he saw him coming out of the corner of his eye and was just looking to fend him off and caught him. Fair enough you could give a free-kick for it but a red card was ridiculous.

[Sam2011]

Just read there that it not going ahead on Saturday because it's to close to Inter provincial Semi's.

[Sam2011]

31 of March instead.

[heffo]

I just looked back at the Freeman and McCarthy incident and he did make contact with Freeman's jaw so it is a red card offence wheather it was on purpose or not.

There has to be a striking action  - there wasn't.