Question of whose attack can improve the most
Mayo and The Neale attacker Tom Lydon.
One would imagine The Neale’s twin threat of Tommy Conroy and Tom Lydon would relish coming up against a Louisburgh team that statistically has the worst defence in the intermediate championship. But given this is a relegation semi-final, you might also suspect where The Neale’s issues have been so far.
In fact, The Neale have the worst scoring attack from the intermediate group stages (1-18) although it must be said that their final game against Ballyhaunis did not go ahead for reasons outside their control.
Yet despite them playing their first game in four weeks, the long layoff might do them few favours. The issue is not Lydon and Conroy missing chances (although the latter has not taken his All-Ireland form into the club championship) but the supply line into them, and if The Neale do not unearth a plan to get the best out of the duo, the border boys may soon find themselves 60 minutes away from a drop to junior – a worrying sign given they were playing senior as recently as 2023.
Louisburgh’s porous defence admittedly is somewhat attributed to coming up against the two most free-scoring attacks so far in intermediate in the shape of Davitts and Moy Davitts. But their own attack has only provided 1-43 across their three games, with almost half of it (0-20) coming in their last game against Davitts. Their main man, Dylan Prendergast, scored 0-11 of that tally and has a penchant for two-pointers (six in total) so The Neale backline will need keep close tabs on him.
It may come down to whomever shackles the respective clubs talisman, and who comes on top in that will play intermediate championship football in 2027.
