Garry’ look well prepared for their difficult hurdle to Cross’
Mayo teammates Jordan Flynn and Enda Hession will be in opposition on Saturday night when their respective Crossmolina and Garry teams bid for a place in the Mayo SFC semi-finals. Picture: INPHO/Ryan Byrne
Neither side has yet to lose a game but winning all three of their games in Group 2 has brought the significant reward of home advantage to Garrymore for a contest that has all the ingredients of one of the ties of the weekend.
On paper, there is very little separating the teams. Crossmolina mightn’t have set the world alight during the group stage but last season they beat Ballina Stephenites in Round 2 – and we all know the team left standing at the end of it all.
Garrymore arrive with a perfect record after sandwiching their own victory over the aforementioned Stephenites with wins against Balla and Castlebar Mitchels too, while ultimately Crossmolina finished second in their group after an opening round win against Ballintubber was followed by draws against both Aghamore and Mayo Gaels.
The hosts have quietly emerged as one of the championship’s form teams. Their opening-day victory away to reigning champions Ballina Stephenites immediately turned heads, while subsequent wins over Balla and Castlebar confirmed that it was no flash in the pan. Fintan Forde and Tony Corcoran’s side have looked balanced throughout the field, with their experienced spine providing a platform and their younger players adding energy and attacking threat.
Darren Quinn has been central to much of their best work. The forward has amassed scores in every outing and has become increasingly influential as the campaign has progressed. Around him, Trevor Nally, Andy Glennon and Michael Connolly offer scoring support, while the return of Mark Gibbons against Castlebar gave a glimpse of the depth now available to Garrymore's management team.
Perhaps more importantly, however, Garrymore have found ways to win games in different circumstances. They ground out a result against Ballina, did what they had to against Balla and then produced arguably their most complete display in dismissing Castlebar by five points. The contributions of Mayo stars Enda Hession and Eoin McGreal have been significant throughout, with both consistently driving the team forward from deeper positions.
Crossmolina, meanwhile, have travelled a slightly different road to the last eight. Brian Benson’s side were hugely impressive against Ballintubber, posting 1-26 and producing some of the most fluent attacking football seen in the group stages.
James Maheady has been their standout scorer, combining accuracy from placed balls with an ability to influence games from open play. Oisín Deane has also enjoyed a productive championship, while Conor Loftus continues to provide moments of quality whenever games are in the balance.
The North Mayo outfit have shown commendable resilience too. They recovered from a difficult opening spell against Aghamore to earn a draw and twice came from behind against Mayo Gaels in challenging conditions in Charlestown, albeit it was a game they were fancied to win comfortably. The return of Kobe McDonald undoubtedly boosted their attacking options, while Jordan Flynn’s impact is always considerable. Yet if there is a concern for Crossmolina, it is that they have been unable to turn promising positions into victories in their last two outings whereas Garrymore have generally been the side finishing strongest.
Home advantage could prove significant. Garrymore will take confidence from winning all three group matches and from the defensive solidity they have shown throughout the campaign. Crossmolina possess the attacking firepower to trouble any side in the county but will need one of their best performances of the year if they are to break Garrymore hearts.
Garrymore’s momentum, coupled with the familiarity of home surroundings, may just give them the edge in what promises to be one of the quarter-finals’ standout contests.
