Mayo must be wary of a Wee uprising
Peadar Gardiner brings his Mayo U20 team to Longford this Friday for an All-Ireland semi-final showdown with Louth. Picture: INPHO/James Crombie
Every test Mayo have had in the under-20 championship so far, they have passed with flying colours but they face a stern examination of their credentials in the shape of Leinster champions Louth this Friday evening.
Roscommon asked plenty of questions in the Connacht final on the last day of April but when it appeared that Mayo were going to be left to rue their wastefulness in front of goal, Peadar Gardiner’s side punished the inaccuracy of the Rossies late on to win a first provincial U20 title since 2018.
Excitement has continued to build for what is without question a talented panel, and there have been calls from supporters for a number of the players to be parachuted into the senior panel immediately after the conclusion of the U20 campaign. Darragh Beirne, an excited left-footed attacker, the equally accurate Tom Lydon, and high-fielding Hugh O’Loughlin are among those who have particularly caught the eye. Time will tell whether any of that will happen but performances to date suggest some of the players could be capable of making the step up sooner rather than later.
Beirne looks just like the left-footed forward Mayo have been crying out for, particularly with his free-taking abilities. In the other corner, The Neale’s Tom Lydon has all the tools. Direct, fast, powerful, accurate at frees and with an eye for goal like Beirne, both men will be key figures should Mayo prevail against Louth.
Further back the field, O’Loughlin, from Kilmaine, and the team’s vice captain, was the right choice for man of the match in the Connacht final. The big man has a tremendous leap and was near-unplayable whenever he went up to catch the O’Neill’s on either kickout. With the new rules seeing long kickouts more common place, O’Loughlin’s strengths, along with the midfield prowess of Knockmore’s Oliver Armstrong and Belmullet’s Seamus Howard, could have a large bearing on the outcome on Friday.
The Mayo full-back line had its most difficult outing in the Connacht final and was not helped by the early withdrawal of Garrymore’s Eoin McGreal due to injury. Gardiner and his management team will hope McGreal makes a full recovery to assist Claremorris duo Rio Mortimer and Paul Gilmore. Both men had their difficulties against a Roscommon attack that scored three of their four goals in the first-half and will have to keep a tighter ship as they come up against Louth dangermen Tony and Tadhg McDonnell.
The Wee County are perhaps the big story in the GAA right now. They ended a 68-year wait for a Leinster senior championship in Croke Park last Sunday, are in a Leinster minor final against Offaly next Monday (and will meet Mayo in an All-Ireland quarter-final should they beat the Faithful County) and now face the Green and Red in the All-Ireland Under 20 semi-final, as they continue their bid to win a first ever All-Ireland at U20/U21 level.
If seven years was a long time for Mayo to win a provincial title, Louth have had to be much more patient for success to come their way at this level. After being well beaten by Meath in last year’s Leinster U20 final, they were full value for their 2-19 to 1-15 win in this year’s decider over the same opponents, a first at the grade since 1981.
Cormac McKeown, Tadhg McDonnell, Keelin Martin, Seán Callaghan, James Maguire, Darragh Dorian and Pearse Grimes-Murphy are the only survivors from the 2024 defeat and similar to their Mayo counterparts, they have used the pain of last year’s failings to fuel their current success.
It all adds up to an intriguing encounter, the first at this age grade. Mayo’s strength in depth in attack, being able to call on the likes of Diarmuid Duffy, Luke Feeney and Josh Carey, may just swing it in their favour but Louth, who look set to bring an army of supporters to Longford after their historic Leinster senior triumph just five days previously, will push them all the way, and it would be no surprise to see this going the distance.
Reigning All-Ireland U20 champions Tyrone, who defeated Kerry in the other semi-final last weekend, await the victors in the final.
