Mayo V Galway - Connacht Final Thread

[mckieran]

I have also heard that Deccie will not be playing the role expected of him.

It is intriguing, He could end up playing anywhere. For example, you could put him no. 2, put Coyne no. 5 and Bradshaw as a sweeper. Dont think this will happen, just pointing out that there are so many possibilities of where he could play.

Then again, maybe we will all be shocked and he will actually play at corner forward!

[Zulu]

Will he play at all? I don't see any reason to start him and if he does start I expect him to be taken off.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Will he play at all? I don't see any reason to start him and if he does start I expect him to be taken off.

I actually think Mattie Clancy or Fiachra Breathnach would probably have taken that position but both of them are injured. He could have played Cormac Bane but Bane is a poacher and I think he wanted a workhorse up amongst the forwards. Not that he'll spend much time up front.

[Farrandeelin]

Well, AFA my optimism is rising again. Mayo to win on a scoreline of 1-17 to 2-12. 

On a more serious note, the talk of Galway forwards swapping and switching method usually doesn't work. Let's hope Mayo win and I've a gut feeling at the bottom of my stomach that we will do the business on Sunday.

[GalwayBayBoy]

I'd go for a Mayo victory purely on the fact that they are due a win. The championship tale of this decade is Galway five wins, Mayo two wins.

2008   Connacht SFC F      Galway 2-12      Mayo   1-14
2007   Connacht SFC QF      Galway 2-10      Mayo   0-9
2006   Connacht SFC F      Mayo   0-12              Galway 1-8
2005   Connacht SFC F      Galway 0-10      Mayo   0-8
2004   Connacht SFC SF      Mayo   0-18              Galway 1-9
2003   Connacht SFC F      Galway 1-14      Mayo   0-13
2002   Connacht SFC SF      Galway 0-12      Mayo   1-7

In trying to analyse Galway-Mayo matches you are at nothing most of the time, regardless of form or the respective quality of the teams these games always seem to take on a life of their own.

Best of luck to the Galway players and management, come 5.30 on Sunday hopefully it'll be a Connacht 3 in a row for Galway over Mayo!

That does have me worried for some reason. Galway win on Sunday and they will end the decade with 6 championship wins over Mayo to Mayo's 2 over Galway. That is very close to domination which would be very unusual for this fixture. It would make you think that Mayo are due one just to even up the ledger a bit for the noughties.

Granted no logic in that at all but it's the kind of thing that tends to happen in these games.

[Farrandeelin]

Bloody hell, yere pessimism knows no abounds!!

[moysider]

Galway s domination in the noughties is something that most Mayo posters dont want to even contemplate. The two finals against the head in Mchale park in 02 and 08 the critical ones[ 1 point losses both]. Both were lost by Mayo as distinct from won by Galway if you know what I mean.

Anyway I fear the trend is going to continue on Sunday. The comments on here are almost identical to a year ago - a lot of people were going on about Mayo s midfield superiority then too.

Galway have about ten of last years team still there including the six defenders en masse. Only Keith Higgins of the Mayo backs remain. We ve a new midfield partnership as well and a brand new ff line for championship. Only the hf line remains a year later. Incredible really in a managers third year we have such a different team again and I m not having a cut here either. I cant think of any other county does this? It s a reflection on the amount of quality options we have I suppose we can do this. But its still a leap of faith that it will all come together in a final against an experienced team of quality players.

It will take an awful lot to go right for us to win it. If we explode and players have stormers all over the pitch I could see us win it well. But is that likely to happen? Its too much of a leap of faith for me. Maybe but Galway would seem to guarantee more[ a bit like Ray Silke's uncle's regular boozers analogy]. That s why I think its more likely Galway to win a close enough game, while I feel that if any team runs away with it it will be us. However I think its unlikely we ll win a close one away.

Hope I m wrong but Galway by 2.

Galway 2 - 13  Mayo 3- 8.

[Mayo Mick]

Forget  this Galway/Mayo games are always close stuff – games are close when the teams are fairly evenly matched.  Galway are a long way  behind us  and this will be shown on Sunday. Forget last year this year we have a far more balanced team that is much better prepared and will not be asleep for the first 15 mins. Galway on the other hand have gone backwards, their failure to reach the league semi-finals has damaged them.

Expect a final score of something like 2-15 to 0-9 with most Galway fans gone home 15 mins before the end and those remaining comforting themselves with the fact that they are watching the most likely AI champs.

[moysider]

Forget  this Galway/Mayo games are always close stuff – games are close when the teams are fairly evenly matched.  Galway are a long way  behind us  and this will be shown on Sunday. Forget last year this year we have a far more balanced team that is much better prepared and will not be asleep for the first 15 mins. Galway on the other hand have gone backwards, their failure to reach the league semi-finals has damaged them.

Expect a final score of something like 2-15 to 0-9 with most Galway fans gone home 15 mins before the end and those remaining comforting themselves with the fact that they are watching the most likely AI champs.

Mick a stór. I dunno. You better be right.

[stephenite]

Forget  this Galway/Mayo games are always close stuff – games are close when the teams are fairly evenly matched.  Galway are a long way  behind us  and this will be shown on Sunday. Forget last year this year we have a far more balanced team that is much better prepared and will not be asleep for the first 15 mins. Galway on the other hand have gone backwards, their failure to reach the league semi-finals has damaged them.

Expect a final score of something like 2-15 to 0-9 with most Galway fans gone home 15 mins before the end and those remaining comforting themselves with the fact that they are watching the most likely AI champs.

Mick a stór. I dunno. You better be right.

Mick's been showing up the week of every Mayo championship game prediciting massive wins for years now - the last one was the first time he was right.

[GBXII]

I think theres a little too much been read into the whole Mayo have a stronger mid-field thing. On paper we have better footballers but Galways aren't that far behind, it just seems as though they are struggling to find the correct pair. Bergin and Bradshaw would be a formidable pair if they both hit form. And anyway nowadays the contributions of third midfielders and the half back/forward lines is just as crucial I'd say.  I still think we'll win this area, but not to the degree that it decides the outcome of the game...

[rosnarun]

dont think so no one would have been willing to put their house on who either of the galway midfielders would be it could have been 2 from about 7. and the discision would have been based more on who failed there before rather than who excelled.
if it were me id have Begin and cullinane , they are the only too with maybe lydon that look like denuine midfieders

[kevmy]

Whether D Meehan plays around the middle or as a sweeper either way for us it's good news imo. We've being worrying about the two attacking wing backs in the side. With Meehan (presumabely) leaving his No. 15 post it should give us extra cover for the two boys.

TBH I see Cafferkey picking up M Meehan he done well on him in the league, even in the 1st half when under serious pressure. That could leave L O'Malley watching the other corner and K. Higgings with a little bit more of a free role.

Kevmy
Michael Meehan scored 0-6 (3f) against Mayo in the league. That was on a wet winter day.
I would put trust O Malley or Higgins. Preferably Higgins.

Keith Higgins held Meehan scoreless from play (0-2f) in the Connaught final '08

Horses for courses

Edit:
Im just after going through the 2007 report and Keith Higgins also kept Meehan completely scoreless during that game in Salthill.
It would be crazy to put anyone else on him.

While I'm sure Higgins could do a job on Meehan I think Caff is up to the job as well. Anyone who was at the league game say that in the first half we were under tremondous pressure and that Meehan had be flying before that. He got two of those points from play in the first 10 mins. For the rest of the game Caff done very well on Meehan. Also Meehan had a comparatively poor year by his standards in 2007 so won't read an awful lot into it.

[Farrandeelin]

I don't think Mayo Mick is actually from Mayo at all.

[muppet]

I don't think Mayo Mick is actually from Mayo at all.

Agreed, he is too woolly.