New faces needed to keep circus at bay

Knives are sharpening.

The positive sentiment is slowly evaporating.

Keeping the circus from the doors is becoming more difficult by the day.

When Kevin McStay was appointed as the new Mayo manager in late 2022, he immediately brought a sense of freshness to the county, a newfound belief, a touch of excitement at the idea of swagger returning. It was clear from the outset that he also brought a willingness to try out new methods that could tear up the script. And as is usually the case with new managers, he was given time to put his imprint on the team. Greatness isn't achieved overnight, after all. But eventually people demand results and, without clear progression, frustration begins to penetrate the local atmosphere. Patience is fleeting in these parts. Results is the only currency that matters – and 2024 has been somewhat of a recession in that regard.

Over the last few weeks, McStay has become familiar with the less glamourous elements of the job. The lack of inter-county football has left a void since June when Derry dumped Mayo from the championship after a penalty shootout. And as is Mayo's wont, the vacuum would eventually be filled with whispers. And those whispers would eventually became rumours, some of which were more outlandish than others.

As the grapevine went into overdrive, McStay stayed quiet, perhaps recognising that a fish with its mouth closed never gets caught. It couldn't have been easy maintaining a low profile as everybody from the pub stool to the supermarket aisle was willing to offer up their two cents on the matter.

That probably wasn't the easiest approach to take. Everybody was seemingly willing to offer their opinion on the matter. The county board, in its own muddled way of going about business, demanded clarity on the issue, and seemed to pin the blame for swirling rumours on local media. However, it's delegates’ comments at meetings that are ultimately reported in the media. Silly season was spinning out of control.

After what seemed like an eternity of conjecture and speculation, the county board felt compelled to release a statement, announcing that the Mayo manager would be staying in the role after an internal review had taken place. On the surface, it was a strange decision given McStay still had two years left in his term, but it was perhaps a necessary step given the void of information that had opened up allowing unfounded information to fester and spread.

So, the circus has been kept at bay for now. But McStay will have learned over these last few weeks that it could return to town at any given moment now that the honeymoon is over. Almost every managerial career follows a parabola and, if McStay wants to ensure he has yet to reach his apex, Mayo must start 2025 on the front foot. There remains an abundance of talent in the county. But some of it is still in the wilderness, waiting for the opportunity to make its case in the Mayo set-up. And McStay will need to identify these new faces over the coming weeks if he wants to ensure that Mayo takes a significant step forward in his third year in the job.

Although Dublin dismantled Mayo in the second-half of the 2023 quarter-final, the year was still somewhat successful from a Mayo perspective. McStay had begun the rebuilding process and, although the side were ripped apart in the second-half of that encounter, they had done well to stay with Dublin until half-time. Jordan Flynn was also unlucky to have a goal disallowed. Had the goal been awarded, it could've completely altered the manner in which the game unravelled. Mayo also finished the year as league champions and, though the Sam Maguire Cup is the only title that truly matters, no silverware should be sniffed at. Progress was undoubtedly evident.

But there were few positives from Year Two of the project. Mayo began the season slowly, perhaps realising that they peaked too early the previous season. But the season was over before they got a chance to find their rhythm. For the first time since 2018, Mayo went through an entire season without playing in Croke Park. It means the pressure is mounting ahead of 2025 – Mayo must go close next year or the circus that so often surrounds Mayo football will be more vociferous than ever next autumn.

In order to stave off those threats, McStay needs fresh faces to put their hands up over the coming weeks as the club championships reach their conclusions. The four teams left in the senior championship all have established players within the Mayo camp, but all of those sides also have untapped talent that can turn games on their heads in a heartbeat. Some of these have been in blistering form of late, and will no doubt have turned the head of the Mayo manager and his backroom team. But it's now squeaky bum time – in essence, everything that has happened up to this point is barely relevant.

The intermediate championship also has the potential to unearth uncut gems, even if it hasn’t been a hotbed producing tremendously exciting prospects in recent years. In fact, neither championship has been responsible for injections of talent into the senior squad over the last number of seasons, with the vast majority of the new faces arriving into the Mayo set-up coming via the youth system. That shouldn't be the only avenue.

Mayo football has too many forgotten men. Too many potential big names have been lost without realising their potential. And a stellar underage pedigree isn't a prerequisite to a successful senior career. Mick Fitzsimons already has nine All-Ireland titles to his name and could yet finish his career as the most decorated player of all time. He never played minor or under-21 football for Dublin. And he's not alone – Brian Fenton, Conor McManus, Damien Comer and Lee Keegan all came through the ranks without playing minor for their counties along with dozens more instantly recognisable names from the game.

More are surely hiding within the Mayo club championships, just waiting for the opportunity to show their feathers.

McStay could do with those weapons now more than ever.