Twistin, turnin, windin roads - Galway v Mayo 14/6/15

[Lar Naparka]

Apart from the U21 stuff I d have seen little enough of Comer but he was def. ott.

When the harmless bit of wrestling between Keegan and Lundy started, Comer charged in from 20 meters and escalated the whole thing. On the third man in thing he was the one that should have got carded there, not the other 2. Then he held on to Clarke to prevent him restarting the game and lied down holding his head when Clarke dealt with him as sympathetically as possible under the circumstances. I heard Army big his good attitude up on the radio after the game while sitting in the usual snarl-up but I saw a loose cannon yesterday. It could be out of character for him of course.

Dragging Keegan about at the end was madness. Sure Keegan was holding onto the ball - fair play to him. Comer's reaction meant that even more time was wasted - fair play to him too .
The lad can play but can you imagine PJ, Ja, Savage, Donnellan, Clancy being so stupid? Not even John Donnellan would be so crazy!

Thought that Kevin Walsh's attitude after the game was less than gracious. That doesn t surprise me because there was a bit of sourness in Galway's attitude yesterday. When Galway beat us in 98 they did so with considerable craft and guile and a liberal sprinkling of good fortune. But they didn t try to provoke a more mature team. I can see why Galway thought that they had to try and go mano a mano yesterday but it could only work if Mayo's morale was not there, and it probably backfired on Galway. A couple of things.

Lundy was not very effective after shaping into Keegan.

Sweeney started shouldering into Keane ffs before the throw-in. What was that thinking. Keane is not going to be bothered or react to that. With the size and centre of gravity he has Sweeney was as well to shoulder a garden shed. He was better to keep his powder dry and try and take Keane with football. As it was he lost the battle before it started.

Sice celebrated by mouthing something into Higgins' face after scoring his fine goal. Is there history between the two? Or was it just part of the bitterness that was evident in some supporters as well yesterday? The 'ye'll never win anything, ye ve had plenty chances' stuff. Anyway Higgins took the Sice goading very stoically. One of the reasons I was happy enough at ht. Our morale looked good and that was the worry before the game. Galway's approach would  provoke a backlash after ht and Aidan instigated it with that fetch from the throw in. A jammy goal but if that did not happen I think we would have found something else.
We we re unlucky to have Andy and Dillon get injured because we lost momentum when Ronaldson came on. There was a goal on when he kicked a bad wide and he looked like a fella on to prove a point instead of doing a job for the team. We've a plethora of forward subs that do this from year to year. That they are playing for a start the next day instead of doing the right thing for the team. An Andy or a fit Dillon in that scenario and we could have gone on a blitz there. Instead we kept the game alive as only we can.
If Donegal are 4 points up with 20 mins to go everybody goes home. Done and dusted. If Mayo are 4 points ahead 2 mins into injury time everybody stays because the game is still to be won/lost! Unbelievable.
Walsh was giving out about time keeping after losing by 4 points. Would he have taken on that angle if he lost by 4 to a Donegal or Tyrone. You can see where he s coming from of course and it is something that this Mayo management need to work on. It s not rocket science and they have 5 weeks before the Connacht Final to sort out this soft underbelly. This is an exceptional group of players and management need to be strong. Media in general are fairly hating on us as usual but this is not a team that will go away quietly.

In fairness I hate to see us at that sort of crap, we'd have won the game anyway without going down that road.

I have to agree with you, Leroy was some eejit to get himself sent off.
Now he's going to miss the Connacht final and he gained nothing for Mayo by doing what he did in full view of the ref.
I mean the game was as good as over; the incident took place out on the sideline well away from the danger area; he could have feigned injury or held onto to the ball just long enough to let the backs get into position.
Holding onto the ball to stop an attack is one thing but lying on top of the ball and refusing to let go is another.
He must have known that he was going to get sent off, there could have been no other outcome.
For such an experienced player, his action was inexplicable.

[ballinaman]

2nd yellow. Won't miss final.

[sligoman]

Why do Mayo persist with McLoughlin as the left footed free taker? Surely O'Shea would be a much better option  in that regard? I was little disappointed in COC again today, I think his general game is lacking with the reputation he has established in the game, reliable free taker but Mayo will need so much more from him in the years to come if they are to get over the line. DOC had a great game and was probably the best player on the pitch after O'Shea, he picked up plenty of breaking ball yday but needs to add scores to his game. The lack of scores Mayo's forward line contribute from play is still a major worry. They are still highly reliant on Dillon and Moran here and they're both in their 30s now and injuries are beginning to take their toll.

Still think they'll have far too much for us or Roscommon in the final. Disappointed in Galway as I felt they were the one side in Connacht who could really put it up to them but they surrendered rather tamely in the second half.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Jim McGuinness has has his say on Mayo.

One of the tantalising questions of every recent All-Ireland championship has also been one of the hardest to answer: can Mayo win the All-Ireland?

On Sunday, I felt we saw a new and compelling reason as to why they can. But I also felt we saw the reason why they may perish by the same sword unless they adjust their defensive strategy between now and September.

For me, placing Aidan O'Shea in at full forward answered many of the questions that been asked about the Mayo attack. With Cillian O'Connor playing alongside him, Mayo have a top-class inside forward line in terms of ball-winning capability, free-taking, an obvious point of attack and options from both the long diagonal ball delivered from deep and the little dink ball to run onto.

If you bring Aidan out to centre-half for kick-outs, he becomes an option along with the brother, Barry Moran and Tom Parsons. His presence gives the Mayo attack a balance. He is not a typical marquee forward in terms of scoring prowess but in stature, size and skill level and, critically, in his leadership he is all that and he brings a shape to their attack.

In doing so, he will cause sufficient distraction for space to open up for his team-mates. In addition, Diarmuid O'Connor is big and hard-working. When Mark Ronaldson came on, apart from a bad decision to shoot rather than slip Séamus O'Shea through the middle in his first possession, he didn't put a foot wrong thereafter and that too is a positive.

So if Mayo persist with O'Shea as a target and choose to move him in and out – much like Donegal do with Michael Murphy – it gives the team a very strong offensive threat. Opposition managers will be cognizant they need a sweeper to cope with him – therefore freeing other people up.

Mayo's attitude is so strong. They went into Salthill with a very strong mindset. Even in their post-match interviews, they were controlled and focused and they just know what they are about. They are very experienced.

So what is going to hold them back?

Mayo need to bite the bullet and sort out their defence. I don't believe they can continue to leave their full backs hanging out to dry if they want to win an All-Ireland. Mayo have to get to the point where they don't concede goals.

It is not about personnel: it doesn't matter if it is Ger Cafferkey or Tom Cunniffe or Kevin Keane or Keith Higgins on a smaller player we are talking about. When you watch Mayo play, with the defensive system they have in place, you always feel it is inevitable that sooner or later a goal is going to come.

Mayo are very strong on their kick-outs. They are good going forward and now have a point of attack and they are a mature team. They have almost all of the required qualities to go all the way.

But if you ask me are they going to win the All-Ireland as they are set up now: I think they will come close but will probably perish on the same sword that has caused them so much devastation in recent years. Goals conceded will be their undoing.

But it doesn't have to be that way and if they make a minor concession in their approach they can make it much more difficult for opposition teams.

Their man-to-man system works extremely well high up the field when they press and in the middle third of the field. But once the ball goes deep, I don't see that ruthless, relentless hunger among the middle-third players to get back and help out the full backs.

It absolutely astounded me to see Galway attacking and three or four Mayo men sticking to their own men while the ball travelled past them towards the Mayo full-back line. Once the ball goes into the final third, I feel they must become ruthless and single-minded in the protection of their goal. They need two or three men programmed to help their full backs once that happens.

You don't have to go extreme. You can still leave three or four men up. But for the Galway goal, I just saw a three-on-three situation inside the 45. That won't work against the very top teams. It comes down to a one-on-one scenario for attacking players every single time. Any defender in Ireland would struggle in Mayo's full-back line because of the lack of support.

At the moment, you can almost foresee what will happen. If you have 40 or 45 scoring chances like Dublin, for instance, often do and it is three v three or two v two, then what is the end result going to be?

For me, it is a numbers game. A defender can defend brilliantly 19 times but on the 20th, the ball ends up in the back of the net. This is increased when you meet forwards like Bernard Brogan, Michael Murphy, Colm Cooper and company.

Changing that doesn't require Mayo to abandon their football philosophy. But if you were facing a Mayo team, with the fitness level, the strength, the age profile, the mentality and experience they have, which had also developed a reputation for not conceding goals, then as a manager you would know you have a serious job on your hands to try to beat them.

Mayo shouldn't have a problem in making that adjustment. It wouldn't be a betrayal of their football beliefs. Every time a question has been asked of Kerry, they swallowed their pride and went in a different direction. They did it with Tyrone. They did it with us in Donegal. The bottom line for Kerry is winning the All-Ireland and they adapt as they must to do so.

The big question for Mayo is: if you really, really want to win it then why not eliminate the chances in the last third of the field? For instance, they have a converted wing back in Kevin McLoughlin who has a marvellous work rate. Why not deploy that?

That little detail would put them in a bracket where they have a very strong chance. We all know that they have been really close in the last few years. But have they? Bernard Brogan's goal in the 2013 final: over the course of 70 minutes, based on the numbers, was that not inevitable?

And Galway

But Armagh mystified me. Both Galway and Armagh lost on Sunday but there are ways to lose. I liked everything about Galway's approach. They refused to be intimidated and had a cut and worked some terrific scores. They didn't do everything perfectly but would still have woken up on Monday morning knowing they had given everything and probably feeling they had closed the gap on Mayo. You can feel at peace with yourself when you lose in those circumstances. My hunch is the Armagh players will feel very differently because they know they offered no resistance.

[Duine Eile]

Lundy was not very effective after shaping into Keegan.

To be honest moy - Lundy has been totally ineffective for the county this season since he's come back in after Corofins AI win.
I've been at each of the league and championship games he has played in & he just has been completely off form.
Whether Corofins run means he is now running on empty or not I don't know but he definitely has not been playing well.
He certainly has the ability as he showed last year but is struggling for form at the minute.

In fairness to Lundy he's been going at full tilt for club and county for well over a year, you could say so has Sice but Lundy has been Corofin's stand out player in that time, he could probably do with a break but can't see where he's going to get it at this stage, club championship is back this weekend. Also Kevin seems to be at a loss as to where to play him, I think in nearer the goal is where he's at his most dangerous as we saw in the club final. He's been playing more of a defensive, ball carrying role for Galway which really cuts down his scoring opportunities.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Lundy was not very effective after shaping into Keegan.

To be honest moy - Lundy has been totally ineffective for the county this season since he's come back in after Corofins AI win.
I've been at each of the league and championship games he has played in & he just has been completely off form.
Whether Corofins run means he is now running on empty or not I don't know but he definitely has not been playing well.
He certainly has the ability as he showed last year but is struggling for form at the minute.

In fairness to Lundy he's been going at full tilt for club and county for well over a year, you could say so has Sice but Lundy has been Corofin's stand out player in that time, he could probably do with a break but can't see where he's going to get it at this stage, club championship is back this weekend. Also Kevin seems to be at a loss as to where to play him, I think in nearer the goal is where he's at his most dangerous as we saw in the club final. He's been playing more of a defensive, ball carrying role for Galway which really cuts down his scoring opportunities.

Lundy basically operates as a roving full-forward for Corofin. With Galway he spends most of his time way out the field. Often times back inside his own half collecting the ball. Think it's a bit unfair to expect him to be putting up the same scores given the two completely different roles he plays.

[Jinxy]

For me, at this point in time Mayo are basically Donegal without the smarts.

[macdanger2]

Good article from McGuinness, pretty much spot on imo.

I would also add that our forward line needs to play more as a team and less as individuals - in particular, when AOS wins a ball, he should be laying it off to a runner at least 50% of the time and bulldozing / shooting the remainder of the time. If he just bulldozes every time, it becomes very easy to defend against

[Jinxy]

Less bulldozing, more steamrolling.

[moysider]

Good article from McGuinness, pretty much spot on imo.

I would also add that our forward line needs to play more as a team and less as individuals - in particular, when AOS wins a ball, he should be laying it off to a runner at least 50% of the time and bulldozing / shooting the remainder of the time. If he just bulldozes every time, it becomes very easy to defend against

Agree. McGuiness nails it 100% imo.

I thought we were getting more back in the league and was surprised we set up so 'traditionally' in Salthill. A Dublin would tear us a new one again if we continue to do that.
The press high up the field to effect the turnover is all fine and well but once the ball is worked out (which Galway did very well to be fair), we re exposed at the back because midfielders and hfs are not bursting themselves to get back. Likes of Donegal would not be concerned by our high press because they are expert in moving the ball in tight circumstances.
Also God save us when we turn over the ball, like Seamie did for the Sice goal. Everything opens up.
Even heading into injury time some fans were roaring at Mayo lads to get behind the ball because some were not making an effort to get back and clog it up. If Keegan had released that ball while on the ground and out of position anything could have happened from the quick free. Keegan showed great awareness and maturity . There were one on ones still inside. Kamikaze stuff.

[Maroon Manc]

I was surprised to see both teams set up the way they did, if I'd been told before the match that Galway would play that way I'd have expected to have been hammered. I was stood behind one of the goals so its not easy to analyse the game. Hanley is coming in for too much criticism, he was left far too exposed and O'Shea would have caused similar problems for any other fullback in the country, AOS wouldn't be afforded the same space against one of the top teams later on this summer. It will be interesting to see if KW applies the same tactics in our next game or was it or was it a specific tactic for Mayo, I suspect it was the later.

We obviously gave away too many free's within scoring range although at least 2 of them were very soft and didn't look like free's but Mayo might have got a few goals if those fouls were not made.

Galway conceded 32 free's whilst Mayo's total was 26 so the tactical fouling wasn't as one sided as many have claimed. Kickouts are an issue and need work although we won't come up against too many teams as strong around the middle as Mayo this summer. Mayo do provide Clarke with more options from his own kickouts with a lot more more movement, its something we could learn from.

We were very hyped up and it was obviously we were not going to be as soft as the last 2 previous meetings, I wouldn't criticise the players from this, I was happy to see it. Comer was too hyped up but he'd probably seen all the clips on facebook and twitter all week of Boyle's shoulder leading up to the game and probably felt he had something to prove, he'll learn from it.

Even at half time I always felt we would a goal to run Mayo close and with conceding that stupid goal that meant we'd need another 2 to run them close which was unlikely to happen without Walsh.

Plenty of positives to take from the game, we're no longer such a soft touch and won't be bullied by anyone.  Many had claimed C Sweeney would be found out come this game, he certainly proved his doubters wrong although his brother was a passenger was amazed he last so long, I wouldn't write him off just yet but he did look out of his depth. Did anyone else think the wind picked up at half time? didn't notice it until then.

I'd like to avoid Tyrone in the draw but would not fear anyone else in the draw, if we could find our way through the qualifiers there would be a 50% chance we'd draw Mayo in the quarter final as long as they beat Sligo/Roscommon.

[cornetto]

At the end of the day mayo have beaten a galway mid table division 2 team,to win a connacht title beat a div 3 team or newly promoted ross who lets be honest will be back down nxt year,sure even galway beat them in their own backyard.so mayo dont be building up your hopes again,then again why not dream!

[Syferus]

At the end of the day mayo have beaten a galway mid table division 2 team,to win a connacht title beat a div 3 team or newly promoted ross who lets be honest will be back down nxt year,sure even galway beat them in their own backyard.so mayo dont be building up your hopes again,then again why not dream!

Weren't you the buckeen who thought we'd be going down to D3 this year midway through the league? Not got a good track record guessing our perfromance..

[cornetto]

That was me alright,dont get me wrong i wish ross  well in connacht and div 1,we all want to be their.just dont want my mayo friends thinking they are world beaters again.its just an opinion at the  end of the day.

[moysider]

Another one.