Mayo v Monaghan 1-3-15

[Nihilist]

Would doubt yet that anything is nailed down.

Keane has done well so far at FB so let him keep going. If nothing else it's important to have good backup be it either Cafferkey or Keane that takes the spot. No harm either to give Colm Boyle a rest. Both Durcan and Coen are big enough guys physically but they need game time against tough Div1 opposition. Same for O'Connor in 1/2 fw line.

I think COC going in on the edge of the square is ok but personally I would have tried Freeman in the corner to see if he could win more ball.
Subs as usual will be interesting.

[moysider]

Doherty back in the corner is interesting. Of course he could play deeper.
It ll be interesting to see if this team shows any more guile in breaking down a massed defense than the last one. Apart from Kevin Mac there isn t much subtlety around the middle.

Agree about Boyle being a main man come championship.

[Lar Naparka]

Dunno what to expect on Sunday as it's too early n the season to start talking about form lines and all that sort of guff. But I'm certainly not a happy bunny right now as I'm more worried about who is on the sideline rather than who is out on the field.

I've always had great respect for Noel Connelly as a player and later as a manager.
I'd rate him alongside James Horan as a standout member of an outstanding team.
Pateen may well be a decent guy but I never rated him as a player or as a manager either.
Didn't know  what to expect going into the Kerry game but I was heartened when the awesome twosome made intelligent changes when Kerry were threatening to take control of the game. Tactical nous wasn't Horan's strong point so I was happy enough about that.
However, the old failing of being unable to close out the game when well ahead was still there.
It would be unfair to lay all the blame on Pat and Noel but it's something they better rectify ASAP.
However, the display in the Tyrone game really disappointed me.
Mayo have one of the most experienced panels in the land.
(IIRC, between players and replacements, we had 15 players on the field with AI experience.)
Yet they were completely bamboozled by Tyrone's defensive strategy which was pretty basic at best.
It's not as if Mayo were caught out by Tyrone's approach as Mickey Harte used it in the semi in 2013 when Mayo were flattening all around them. Mayo didn't manage to get on top until well into the second half. Donegal did something similar in 2012 when they had no problem keeping the Mayo attack under control.
You could blame JH to a certain extent for the inability to break down blanket defences but he wasn't the scapegoat on this occasion. Neither management nor players had any reason to feel pleased about Mayo's display in that game.
So, I know it's still only early spring and you can't expect the team to be at its best but Monaghan won't be either and neither will any team we'll be meeting this year so  basic errors are a cause  concern.
I'll be travelling west more in hope than in confidence and besides Farr only predicted a 6 point loss. He'd need to have gone for at least twenty before I'd feel confident!.

[mjg]

Formidable fff line with doc and coc

[GrandMasterFlash]

I'd be hopeful that D Hughes makes a starting return. He's a big addition at either MF or wing forward. Finlay done well there against Cork but not able for 70 mins and required for frees from the right in the last 10 minutes in my opinion.. Otherwise a strong looking team. The jury's still out as to whether Neil McAdam cuts it at this level but deserves a crack at it; similar could be said for Kieran Duffy.

[twohands!!!]

1   Rory Beggan
2   Conor Boyle
3   Drew Wylie
4   Ryan Wylie
5   Dessie Mone
6   Fintan Kelly
7   Kieran Duffy
8   Neil McAdam
9   Paul Finlay
10   Kieran Hughes
11   Stephen Gollogly
12   Ryan Mc Anespie
13   Dermot Malone
14   Daniel McKenna
15   Conor McManus

16   Enda Duffy
17   John Mc Carron
18   Paddy McGuigan
19   Karl O'Connell
20   Vinny Corey
21   Darren Hughes
22   Owen Duffy
23   Padraig Donaghy
24   Thomas Connolly
25   Thomas Kerr
26   Paul Meegan

[twohands!!!]

1      Robbie Hennelly
2      Tom Cunniffe
3      Kevin Keane
4      Keith Higgins
5      Lee Keegan
6      Stephen Coen
7      Patrick Durcan
8      Donal Vaughan
9      Seamus O'Shea
10    Kevin McLoughlin
11    Aidan O'Shea
12    Diarmuid O'Connor
13    Mark Ronaldson
14    Cillian O'Connor
15    Jason Doherty

[twohands!!!]

Mayo so confident that they are not even bothering naming subs 

The 15 Mayo named does look like a nice balanced league blend of experienced players and young lads being given a chance to develop, while still having an eye of getting the  win.

I think Mayo will be very keen to wipe away the memory of the home loss to Tyrone - 2 losses in a row at home to Northern teams would put them in a poor enough place.

Monaghan I think wont be feeling as desperate to win away, especially given the fact that they will be feeling they were unlucky the way the Cork game panned out.

[babarino]

Some of these forensic Mayo posts would bore you into submission.

They regularly get out of a low level province to reach the closing stages of championships, which has sustained them and given them hope for years (not enough to get over the line).

They're now on a downward trend, while we're going up.

I expect an away win in the whest.

[macdanger2]

Some of these forensic Mayo posts would bore you into submission.

They regularly get out of a low level province to reach the closing stages of championships, which has sustained them and given them hope for years (not enough to get over the line).

They're now on a downward trend, while we're going up.

I expect an away win in the whest.

Ffs babarino, no mention of us lacking a marque forward? The o'ses are too slow? Our full back line is dodgy under the high ball??

Take a lesson from some of the Tyrone lads on here, these are kinda things you need to be hitting for a really good wind up.

If "low level province" and "downward trend" are all you have to offer then you're destined for the second or third division I reckon 

[babarino]

Take a lesson from some of the Tyrone lads on here, these are kinda things you need to be hitting for a really good wind up.

If "low level province" and "downward trend" are all you have to offer then you're destined for the second or third division I reckon 

We don't take lessons from Tyronies. We gave them a good lesson in their own back yard a few weeks ago. Now it's your turn

[Syferus]

Ulster isn't much to write home about. Questionable if there is even an AI challenger in the province this year.

[Captain Obvious]

Ulster isn't much to write home about. Questionable if there is even an AI challenger in the province this year.

After your track record of writing Kerry off a Ulster side will likely reach the All Ireland final this September at least now...

[Syferus]

Ulster isn't much to write home about. Questionable if there is even an AI challenger in the province this year.

After your track record of writing Kerry off a Ulster side will likely reach the All Ireland final this September at least now...

You'd want to look up the definition of the word questionable.

[larryin89]

Some of these forensic Mayo posts would bore you into submission.

They regularly get out of a low level province to reach the closing stages of championships, which has sustained them and given them hope for years (not enough to get over the line).

They're now on a downward trend, while we're going up.

I expect an away win in the whest.

Umm according to paddy power three connacht counties are in the top ten in 15 , that's 60% ,with leinster at just one,that's 8% odd, munster with two ,that's 35% and Ulster with four , that's 44% . So paddy thinks connacht is the strongest province in Ireland and most competitive .