A defeat that has to have repercussions

Outfought, outthought and outgunned. It’s the outfought bit that hurts the most, though.

Roscommon were voracious. Their hunger and appetite in the second-half blew Mayo away. Mayo’s timidity and feebleness contributed to one of the worst halves in living memory. After such optimism pre-game, the end result and performance was a total disaster.

There is no need for much tactical analysis. This game simply boiled down to Roscommon’s rabid desire to win the dirty ball. The players in primrose and blue put their bodies on the line to fight for every inch and totally wiped Mayo out in the midfield exchanges. That second-half middle-third demolition job will be the stuff of nightmares for Mayo players, management and fans over the coming days and weeks.

Not only did Roscommon have fire in their bellies, but also ice in their veins, as they put on a display of break-winning and score-taking for the ages. Mark Dowd’s men reached a total flow state in that second-half where everything they touched turned to gold.

Maybe it was a once-in-a-lifetime purple patch that Roscommon hit after half-time, but to their credit their doggedness, determination and application built a platform for their very talented players to go and produce such a stunning display. They couldn’t miss, and if we weren’t the subjects of such ruthlessness, we may have been able to enjoy that masterclass in midfield and forward play.

Even when under the pump a little in the first-half, Roscommon dug in and hung in there in a way that Mayo absolutely did not when the tide turned after half-time. Were this not a Mayo-based paper, I’m not sure there would be any point analysing Mayo’s performance at all. The real story is not Mayo’s capitulation, but Roscommon’s totally dominant and brilliant display. They deserve all their flowers.

But, alas, here goes my take on where it all went wrong. From midway through the first-half, Mayo’s kickout totally malfunctioned. Robbie Hennelly had some bad short-range restarts that were intercepted, but you cannot lay all the blame for a system failure at his door. I always think that good kickouts are akin to good communication, i.e. there are two parties to the transaction, the giver and the receiver. When communicating, it doesn’t matter how clear your message is unless the receiver is listening and receptive.

Goalkeepers must send out a good, crisp delivery, but there is a big onus on those out the field to battle for it and do everything within their power to get hold of the ball. Possession in the middle third was always vital, but this is even more pronounced under the new rules. Nowadays, if you secure possession in the middle third from a kickout, the chances are you’re going to get a shot off.

Oh, how I longed for Colm Boyle to be under the break rather than under the stand as I watched the second-half horror show unfold.

Mayo’s defending was another major flaw. There have been signs of an openness and soft centre all year, but Roscommon’s slickness and efficiency totally exposed Mayo’s porous defence. Roscommon hit a hot streak, but Mayo’s defenders did nothing to combat it. Watching the Munster Hurling Championship in recent weeks, all you hear pundits rave about is how defenders are hip-to-hip and in their man’s face and space. Mayo didn’t lay a hand on Roscommon’s dangermen all afternoon. Even some of their less-vaunted journeymen were given the run of the park and looked like world beaters.

Truth be told, Andy Moran and his management team probably got the match-ups wrong, but their hands were somewhat tied with some key defenders out of form and not at full fitness. Tasking Sam Callinan with tracking the irrepressible Enda Smith definitely curbed his attacking influence, which has been a key part of Mayo’s transition play this season. It was a big ask for Jack Coyne, who is trying to find form, to keep tabs on the wickedly accurate and prolific Diarmuid Murtagh. The St Faithleach’s man hit a phenomenal 1-10 from eleven shots. To be honest, even a defender at the very top of his game would have struggled on Murtagh on Sunday.

Numbers 3 and 6 are still massive issues for Mayo. I expect David McBrien will be at 3 next day out, as Mayo need a pacy presence there. Conor Loftus was class going forward in the first-half, but you couldn’t say he was playing at 6 in that period. It could almost be described as a roving role between right half-back and right half-forward. Plugging the middle with a stay-at-home presence will likely also be a priority for Mayo’s next championship outing.

Were there any positives at all? Kobe’s fearlessness and skill were bright sparks in an awfully grim day. Even those, though, added somewhat to the melancholy, as they reminded us of what we will be missing next year. As the game drew inexorably to a crushing loss, I’m sure the golden sands of St Kilda Beach never looked so appealing to young McDonald.

The second-half performance was awful, but I do feel really sorry for Mayo’s players and management. They won’t have slept much on Sunday night, and if they did get any shut-eye, waking up on Monday morning will have been excruciating. Nobody will have seen such an abysmal display coming. Andy had the team in good shape throughout the league, with confidence high as they played good, effective football.

That kind of loss will lead to some dark nights of the soul, where you question everything. A defeat in that manner has to have repercussions. A few big and tough decisions will be required to get things back on track. Although low now, Andy will have to use his famed resilience and positivity to lift this thing up off the floor. In a season where it seems that anyone can beat anyone, Mayo will have to rally the troops and circle the wagons to try and get some wins in the coming months.

For now, a win for the Under-20s tonight (Wednesday) will help soothe the sores. This is an exciting, entertaining young Mayo team, but against a ravenous, rampaging Roscommon, it won’t be easy. After three defeats in our last three Connacht senior championship matches against Roscommon in Castlebar, I’m just glad the match is on in Tuam.