Margin for error dwindles as Mayo prepare for Omagh showdown
Jordan Flynn argues with Michael McKernan during Mayo's victory over Tyrone in this season's Allianz Football League. The teams meet again in Round 2 of the All-Ireland SFC next Saturday evening. Picture: INPHO/James Crombie
To say that we’re in the midst of a difficult period for Mayo both on and off the field would be to put to lightly. From the ongoing financial affairs that have dogged the Mayo County Board, and which saw GAA President Jarlath Burns accompanied by Director General Tom Ryan attend a hastily arranged board meeting in Westport last night (Monday), to results and performances on the pitch, to the concerning news that manager Kevin McStay was hospitalised last weekend after a medical incident at a team training session (from which we wish him a full and speedy recovery), it’s an understatement to say that Mayo GAA is in desperate need of some positivity. A win against Tyrone to get their All-Ireland Senior Football Championship campaign back on track would be a welcome tonic.
Confidence, however, in the team obtaining a result in Omagh next Saturday evening is in short supply. The stench of the shock defeat to Cavan in Castlebar over a week ago continues to linger, and the word is that not all that many supporters will be travelling north to see if Mayo can pull off what would be a surprise result given both their struggles and Tyrone’s excellent victory away to Donegal at the weekend.
Mayo’s results against Tyrone in recent times have been mixed. No one will need reminding of the 2021 All-Ireland final defeat and since that, it has been two wins apiece from their meetings in the Allianz Football League. Both of Mayo’s league wins came in Castlebar, in 2023 and again this year, the latter being a quite drab affair. The other two clashes, as you might have guessed, were league defeats in Omagh, with Mayo having not won in Healy Park since the 2019 Division 1 campaign.
Championship results between the pair, depending on how both camps read them, could give either side the confidence that they could yet have long summers. They have met six times since their first encounter in the 1989 All-Ireland SFC semi-final, and Mayo lead 4-2 in wins. Each time Mayo have beaten Tyrone in the championship – in 1989, 2004, 2013 and 2016 – they have reached the All-Ireland final. The two occasions that Tyrone won – in 2008 and 2021 – the Red Hands won the All-Ireland. If we were going on that alone, then both have plenty to be optimistic about should they come out with victory this Saturday evening.
Mayo, however, need all the belief they can muster right now as despite reaching a league final and Connacht final already this year, their general play of late has left much to be desired. If we see a performance similar to the one against Cavan, or against Sligo and Leitrim, or in the league final against Kerry, then Mayo’s championship will be coming to an end by mid-June.
But there have been parts of the season to suggest there remains some hope. The second-half display against All-Ireland champions Armagh that rescued a draw, the subsequent league wins over Kerry and Derry, and while old failings crept in during a Connacht final defeat to Galway, it gave some belief that Mayo went toe-to-toe with one of the bookmakers’ favourites to lift Sam Maguire this year.
If they are to rescue their championship hopes, it is time for Mayo to abandon the slow and laborious side-to-side method of working scores – which Cavan easily dealt with – and play quicker, more direct ball into the attack. Do that, and Mayo will always have a chance.
A significant advantage to Mayo will be the extra week’s rest they have been afforded compared to Tyrone, who have to reset themselves quickly after an impressive, and somewhat surprising win, over Ulster champions Donegal in Ballybofey last Saturday.
Mayo know all too well from the preliminary All-Ireland quarter-finals that a week’s preparation between championship games is a difficult proposition. Beating Galway in 2023 saw a heavy defeat to Dublin a week later, and an intense draw with the Blues a year later in the group stages was followed by defeat to Derry a week later on penalties, so if there is a time to catch Malachy O’Rourke’s side, it may be now.
The long awaited return from injury of team captain Paddy Durcan, late in the game against Cavan, was a major plus to Mayo’s management and to his teammates, not to mention to Mayo’s supporters also. Whether the former All-Star has 70 minutes in his legs remains to be seen but he will be a likely starter against the Red Hands. Positive news of an imminent return for Tommy Conroy has been in short supply, however, it’s understood The Neale’s sharpshooter has been in full training for a number of weeks now and to see him named in the panel of 26 for this weekend’s fixture would be another boost for a team in need of every shot of confidence it can get.
It's believed a hamstring injury will keep Diarmuid O’Connor out of contention for the next two games and Eoghan McLaughlin even longer, should Mayo advance beyond the group stage.
A win, as unlikely as it may seem right now, would put Mayo level with Tyrone on two points and should Donegal beat Cavan on Sunday, that would leave all four teams in the group locked on two points ahead of the final round of games.
Mayo’s fate would be in their hands – and yet a defeat in Omagh would still not necessarily be fatal to their chances of a preliminary quarter-final, providing Mayo were able to get one over Donegal in Round 3.
But what matters first is a performance against Tyrone and, hopefully, a result too, however it arrives.
