New year and new rules are cause for optimism

As we embark upon another season, I cannot decide if Mayo have ever been closer or farther away from winning Sam Maguire. As eighth favourites for the crown at 16/1, the bookies seem to think the latter but there is something gnawing away at me saying that Mayo are not too far away at all.

The reasons for my optimism are manifold. For one, Armagh won it so anyone can. Don’t get me wrong, they are a decent, well-oiled outfit but ‘decent’ is the operative word. There is nothing special about them; momentum, luck, an incredible work ethic and a well-drilled system allowed them to reign victorious last summer. Are they any better than Mayo? I wouldn’t reckon so.

I don’t think they have a hope in hell of defending their crown, so they will probably not be our biggest obstacle to success next season. Who, then, will be? Are there any outstanding candidates? There are a host of evenly matched teams but none stand out.

Dublin have most certainly regressed and the recent retirements of some generational stars won’t help their cause. Kerry are unconvincing and seem to have an identity crisis as they struggle to find a balance between bolstering their defence and unshackling their attack.

Galway won’t get a better chance than last June to win an All-Ireland and they blew it. Those scars and regrets will run deep. Derry – who knows? Poor decisions at an executive level seem to have hampered their progress and potential.

Tyrone are an interesting proposition, with some wonderfully talented young players coming through and a shrewd manager in Malachy O’Rourke. Donegal may indeed be the team to beat as they continue to ride the Jimmy McGuinness wave, and, of course, Michael Murphy is back in town. Donegal and Tyrone’s outstanding managers could make them real, live challengers next season, but Mayo have never feared either of those teams in championship.

As disappointing as Mayo’s season was last term, it really was decided by fine margins. Mayo had Galway, Dublin and Derry all beaten going into stoppage time at the end of the game yet failed to win any of those matches. Had they even won one of those games, then last season would have had a totally different trajectory. With a little more luck and improved game management, it is reasonable to expect Mayo to come out on top in more of these tight games in 2025.

My biggest reason for optimism though is the introduction of the new rules. Make no mistake about it, these should suit Mayo’s style of play. The world and its mother knows that Mayo have struggled against teams that adopt a blanket defence, get bodies back and sit in a very low block. Given the rule changes are designed to make play more flowing and open, you would hope that teams won’t be able to implement such negative tactics this season.

Watching the Interprovincial Series with the rule enhancements in October, it was clear that this new game is higher-octane stuff with more running, movement and direct play – features which should all suit Mayo. In Ryan O’Donoghue, Tommy Conroy and Aidan O’Shea, Mayo have the ideal candidates to play as the three-men inside and terrorise defences in more one-on-one battles. Failing that, scoring two-pointers from outside the new scoring arc should also suit Mayo’s big kickers like Jordan Flynn, Paddy Durcan, Mattie Ruane, Diarmuid O’Connor and Fergal Boland.

****** 

Yet despite all the positivity mentioned above and the possibility of good things, you won’t find too many Mayo people who are buzzing about the team’s prospects. Why is that? Why are Mayo such outsiders in most people’s eyes? The prolonged end-of-season review and the negativity, rumour and bad vibes it engendered certainly didn’t help. Kevin McStay got the dreaded vote of confidence eventually but the delay in announcing his continuation for 2025 wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement.

The sabbaticals of Cillian O’Connor and Padraig O’Hora also don’t really give the impression of a totally happy camp. There were no retirement announcements from these two extremely popular players so one can only assume that they are taking a hiatus and will look to return once their circumstances or the circumstances around the team change. Without definitive retirement statements, their motivations have been left open to interpretation.

Both players will be big losses; watching them in the club championship last season, it was clear they still have plenty to offer. Football aside, O’Connor will be a massive loss in terms of leadership and setting standards. It seems crazy to say 'football aside,' considering he’s the all-time top championship scorer, but Cillian brings far more to the table than the crucial task of ‘just’ putting the ball between the posts.

I played on the night of his debut against GMIT in Castlebar in 2011, when he was a fresh-faced 18-year-old. From the get-go, he took to intercounty football like a duck to water, scoring 1-06. It was clear this was no ordinary talent just out of minor. What he did just six months later at Hyde Park was nothing short of phenomenal. Having just turned 19, he took on the responsibility of kicking frees in a Connacht Senior Championship Final and nailed every one in the lion’s den, in the most horrendous conditions imaginable.

Even though he was six years younger than me, I always saw him as a leader of the team – someone to look up to and respect. The way he pressed kickouts and made himself a real nuisance on opposition restarts was something I admired and tried to emulate. I remember watching him during a challenge game against Cork in Charleville in 2015 and being so impressed by his basic skills. At one point, he got the ball, quickly found himself surrounded by three Cork defenders covering his strong side, but he just wheeled away and popped a perfect handpass with his weaker hand to release a teammate through on goal. From that day on, my weak hand became a priority.

For all his skills, he was an absolute unit too. When playing inside with O’Connor and O’Shea, Donie Buckley would have us tackling in our lines during the warm-up and I had the unenviable task of facing up to the two monsters who could shake every bone in your body with a hit. Two players with great ball skills but even better tackling skills.

The greatest compliment I can give O’Connor is that he’s absolutely hated by the fans of our biggest rivals Galway and Dublin. You know you’re doing something right when you annoy opposition fans. His mean streak, killer instinct and refusal to take a backward step made him public enemy number one in their eyes. To them, he was a pest, but to us, he was our totemic leader who always led the charge from the front. Those are some big boots to fill.

****** 

The Broadhaven Bay Hotel posted a photo of Mayo’s pre-season training squad from a training weekend in Belmullet a few weeks back. I have to be honest, from a squad of 40, I only recognised about half of them. They all looked so fresh-faced, like a tall minor team! This is a good thing for Mayo though. Fresh blood was needed and new, young players always bring excitement, interest and hope.

With O’Shea, Conroy and Durcan all missing the early rounds of the NFL, these young Turks will be given their head. What better way to see if they’re made of the right stuff than throwing them into League games in the spring and giving them an extended run at it.

When this happens, I urge patience from Mayo fans. In an uber-competitive Division 1, there may be some tough days ahead but so be it. There is no point in going out with the tried and tested and doing fine but finding out nothing new in the spring. That will leave us short when it comes to the crunch in the summer.

What’s in store for Mayo in 2025? All-Ireland prospects or also-rans? None of us really know but it'll be nothing if not interesting.