McStay adamant that Mayo are serious All-Ireland contenders

“We go again.” It has been Mayo’s mantra for over a decade and nothing has changed in that regard.

The local and national press gathered in the Dr Mickey Loftus Room in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park last Thursday as Mayo manager Kevin McStay looked ahead to his second year in the hotseat. Following the pleasantries by Mayo GAA PRO John Walker and chairperson Seamus Tuohy, it was opened up to floor. But before Maurice Brosnan of the Irish Examiner was able to finish his opening question, McStay politely intervened and went through a prepared statement to ensure everyone knew where Mayo stood then, now and going forward. He was flanked by selector Damien Mulligan and by players Darren McHale and Paddy Durcan, the team captain.

There were warm tributes to the three retirees, Jason Doherty, Kevin McLoughlin and Brendan Harrison.

“It was an honour and a privilege to be in among them. They were massive players for Mayo and they have left the jersey in a great place,” said Kevin McStay.

As well as on the field, there have been movements off it. Liam McHale has departed and now oversees the Mayo ladies. Corofin’s Joe Canney has been added to the ticket as a coach but sports psychologist Niamh Fitzpatrick has also left the backroom team, with other changes in the S&C and physio departments.

The topic of McHale’s departure was later brought up, with the now-ladies boss saying there was a “very defensive-minded philosophy” in the Mayo camp.

But McStay – who is McHale’s brother-in-law – pointed at Mayo’s output last year as an example of them trying to be ‘attack-conscious’ but said the matter was far more complex.

“Mayo has always had a style of play that was very attack-conscious, and I can assure you we’re very keen to uphold that tradition,” McStay said.

“I mean, I don’t think anybody would level the idea that we were somehow a defensive-minded team in the National League, seeing as we were the top scorers throughout the league – I think both in goals and points. It gets more difficult when you get into the championship, of course.

“We’re very happy with our progress in the last two months. Like, the point that you’re raising is valid, we’re not happy with where we were last season with it. We’ve identified that as a place that we can absolutely make an improvement in. We’re working like crazy to make sure we bring that to opening day of the league, and beyond that, and beyond that game to game.

“We’re working very, very hard to get the ball up the field as fast as we can. I outlined one situation where it just can’t be done; you have to engage in a slow attack.

“And Darren (McHale) rightly referenced this idea of bringing basics as being a key part of breaking down these defences. Your first touch. Your foot pass. One bounce. Put it in front of the guy moving onto it.” 

The 2024 campaign begins in earnest next Sunday with a NFL Division 1 opener away to neighbours Galway. A review of Mayo’s 2023 season took place with the County Board, with McStay keen to highlight the ‘genuine delight’ he has at their support. The mood within the camp he insists is upbeat ahead of the challenges in place.

The words consistency and percentages were highlighted by the Ballina native on more than one occasion and he gave an inkling as to where he feels Mayo are in the grand scheme of challenging for an All-Ireland title, which is ‘well in the mix’ with up to eight other teams.

Everyone will have looked at the final scoreline against Dublin in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final and thought Mayo are further away than ever. McStay, however, remembers the dressing room at half-time when Mayo trailed only by a point.

“I think there’s probably two handfuls (of contenders) – eight definitely. I just referenced Armagh. They went out of the championship on three penalty shootouts in the last few seasons. Look at the emergence of Derry – is anybody saying they’re going to take a backward step? I doubt it.

“Cork are bubbling, I think everybody knows that. The teams that have been there over the last few years, of course they’re going to challenge again.

“And I’ll be very straight, we’re well in that mix too. As I’ve said here to the boys, when we ran down the tunnel at half-time against Dublin in the quarter-final, the All-Ireland was wide open. I know that, because I was in the dressing-room with the gang.” 

It would be hard to argue with McStay’s view. Mayo have featured in the 2019, 2022 and 2023 National League Division 1 finals and the 2020 and 2021 All-Ireland finals.

“You look at the squad of players we have, we’ve been in five grade one national finals in each of the last five years – two All-Irelands and three leagues. And we won two of them. So who’s to debate that we’re not in the mix, on a day when we’re well organised, we’re competitive, we’re on top of the game plan, and we’re ready to rock? We can be competitive with anybody; we absolutely know that.

“We know there’s fine margins involved here, and why wouldn’t we think we could be in the mix with any of them?” McStay added: “We had some outstanding championship performances last year, but unfortunately the mood music is the exit.

“But if you pare it back and look at some of the realities, we were well there in an awful lot of those games. And the challenge for all of us at the top table is to make those little improvements now. To score that point when we should be getting it, to score that goal when we should be getting it. And now that changes the pressure point completely.

“I’ll repeat it, you probably just remember the end result – and that’s a reality we have to deal with, of course it is. But we haven’t forgotten what our mood was like at half-time, and probably in a position where we should have been two or three points up perhaps. I could argue that; I don’t think you’d laugh me out of court. But we weren’t… and then what happened, happened.

“But we’ll be fighting tooth and nail to make sure those little moments can swing our way. So yeah, I would see seven to eight teams on any given day able to beat another, so I think it’s going to be a terrific championship.”