Concerning aspects from Mayo’s travails in Tyrone

We can all get too reactive during the league. One good win and we’re going to win Sam. A bad loss and the end of the world is nigh. Monaghan were cock-a-hoop after their stunning victory against Dublin in Round 1 but have shipped some heavy beatings since. Some thought Dublin could be relegated after going zero for two in the early rounds but after Saturday’s impressive demolition of Kerry, it is a brave person that would bet against them winning the lot again this year. Kerry looked to be coming nicely to the boil after Clifford’s last minute heroics in Tralee against Mayo but being on the receiving end of such a trimming in Croker last Saturday will now leave them in a dark place with some serious soul searching.

Mayo looked a shoo-in for reaching yet another league final after prevailing against Dublin in Castlebar. Right now, survival will do just grand. In Division 1, only Derry have really been consistently convincing and, even still, a seriously depleted Galway side had their moments against them in Salthill on Sunday.

Form, fitness, weather conditions and training blocks all contribute to wild oscillations in league form. In the spring, we should never read too much into anything or let results get us too up or down. What you’re looking for are trends – both promising and worrying – and incremental progress. Kevin McStay won’t be too worried about the result in Omagh – Mayo will still have enough to stay up – but there are some aspects of the weekend’s showing that will concern him.

First of all, the Mayo management deserve credit for shuffling the deck. If you don’t give players opportunities in the league, then what is the point in having squads with 30-plus players? Eight changes to the starting team from Tralee was probably too many though and didn’t help Mayo’s flow or cohesion. Disappointingly, I’m not sure that any of the new guys really put their hand up and staked a claim. While Mayo were in the ascendancy in the first-half, it was only a dodgy black card call and penalty that separated the teams at the break.

Penalising teams doubly by awarding a black card and penalty is a severe punishment for an innocuous enough incident. Galway received a similar misfortune against Derry when Kieran Molloy’s slight nudge was adjudged to have been a cynical pull-down. The ensuing penalty and black card killed Galway’s momentum and Derry waltzed home. In soccer, they have recently gotten rid of the so-called “double jeopardy” rule to prevent the last-man fouls being punished by a penalty and a sending-off. The GAA need to follow suit as these harsh calls can have massive impacts on games.

Mayo’s first-half dominance should also be viewed through the prism of Tyrone being absolutely awful. They had no threat apart from Darragh Canavan and no intensity or bite. Darren McCurry’s introduction changed all that. ‘Dazzler’ is an apt nickname for McCurry as he really has magic in his left boot. He is one of the sweetest strikers of the ball in Ireland and has a swagger to match. Bringing him on gave Tyrone an extra focal point and an energy. Mayo’s defence struggled to keep tabs on him and Canavan. It took nearly 300 minutes but Mayo finally conceded a goal in this campaign and what a goal it was. Canavan bobbed and weaved and finished with real panache. Not a lot that anyone could have done to prevent that act of genius.

As a small forward, it warms my heart to see Canavan dominating inter-county football and running rings around defenders, even if it’s Mayo ones who are on the receiving end. How often have you heard that a brilliant, yet diminutive, player is “too small for senior intercounty”? He has terrific balance, is as brave as a lion and is as direct as they come. As soon as he gets the ball he has one thing on his mind – “How can I work a score?” Sam Callinan won’t want to see him again for a while after a few recent chastening experiences but the young Ballina man is still only 19 and has marked Canavan, Sean O’Shea and Shane Walsh in the last month and had many good moments in those games. Facing these top players will definitely develop him and bring him on.

For the second week in-a-row, Mayo struggled on our own kick-outs. Robbie Hennelly won’t be happy with his return but he has been out in the cold for a while now so will need more game time if he is the No.1 management decide to go with in championship. Colm Reape found it difficult to find his men for long periods in Tralee too so there is work to be done on that aspect of Mayo’s game. It takes about twelve different players all on the same wavelength to execute a successful kick-out strategy so blaming just the goalkeeper alone is missing the point. Deeper analysis and more practice is required as both Kerry and Tyrone definitely identified a weakness in that aspect of Mayo’s game and attacked it.

It was yet another match where a forward did not score a goal from open play and not a lot of clear openings were created. I was beginning to think that goals were going out of fashion in Division 1 but top teams like Derry and Dublin both found a way and bagged three apiece at the weekend. In McStay’s eighteen games in charge these past two seasons, Mayo have scored more than one goal in only three matches and one of those was against Galway this year when Cillian scored another penalty and Eoghan McLaughlin rattled the net. Are teams’ blanket defences nullifying us? Do we not have goal scorers? Do we not go for enough goals? Do we need to change our approach to create more opportunities? Like kick-outs, it is an area that needs massive attention and improvement.

Every day is a school day and you sometimes learn more in defeat. Ryan O’Donoghue underlined his class and importance to the team with a sterling cameo. Tommy Conroy is struggling to get opportunities to run at defences when playing in the inside line. He often gets the ball with his back to goal and can be driven out or across the field. We want him bearing down on goal more frequently and a switch to the half-forward line could be fruitful. Paddy Durcan’s leadership and talismanic nature has been evident these past few weekends as without him Mayo have looked a little lost. Diarmuid O’Connor had a magnificent season last term but a serious hamstring injury would be a major blow to Mayo’s hope. It is vital that Durcan and O’Connor are coming back into full health by late spring.

I caught up with Kevin McStay’s post-match interview a few hours after the match and was struck by how downbeat he looked and sounded. Last season’s league campaign was as memorable for McStay’s ebullient and effervescent full-time interviews as it was for Mayo’s sparkling form. You could tell that this defeat bothered him and cut deep.

It is only February and it is only the league but he won’t want too many more uninspiring performances like that.

////////////////////////// 

One more thing… 

Armagh have conceded zero goals so far in the NFL. Every other team across the four divisions has conceded at least one. Interestingly, Mayo and next weekend’s opponents, Roscommon (along with Westmeath) are the only teams to have conceded a single a major this season.