Remedial work required on Mayo’s spine

The National Football League and the Six Nations Championship are kindred spirits. Huge scoring and wild swings in form and fortune are hallmarks of each. Every team in both competitions has experienced highs and lows this campaign. But alas, after all the trials and tribulations, the cream usually rises to the top. For evidence of that, see the victorious Kerry and France at the weekend.

That was a hugely ominous display by the All-Ireland champions in a blustery Austin Stack Park. They were awesome and, worryingly, a long way from full strength personnel wise. They have a lovely mix of defence and attack, physicality and skill, youth and experience. They are a team with all their big players right in the sweet spot in terms of age – on the scene a while now with lots of experience, but by no means over the hill.

David Clifford and Seán O’Shea are perfect examples of this. It seems like they’ve been around for years, but they are still only 27. They are definitely at the peak of their powers right now and formidable forces. Most teams are lucky to have one elite forward; Kerry have two. Clifford is obviously a phenomenon but O’Shea is right up there too in terms of impact. He probably doesn’t reach the stellar levels that Clifford does weekly, but he is consistently at a very high level and he works like a dog.

I worked with Roscommon defender Ronan Daly a while back and he told me that O’Shea was the hardest-tackling forward he had ever marked. When you marry his kicking ability with a bit of grunt, you’re onto a winner. The two-pointer he kicked from the ground from play was one of the greatest points I’ve ever seen scored.

The deadly duo’s scoring return was impressive under the old rules, but the pair are even more valuable now with the advent of the two-pointer. They make kicking twos look easy. It’s nigh on impossible to defend against them on the edge of the arc. Get too close and they’ll horse you off with their hulking frames; give them space and they will kick it over your head for fun. You’re not a blue-chip forward now unless you’re kicking two-pointers with regularity. They are the bluest of chips.

In general, Kerry’s accuracy was off the charts. They scored 25 of their 26 shots — an astounding 96% return. The only miss was by one D. Clifford. He’ll have to do some soul-searching after that one.

Mayo kicked an extremely respectable six two-pointers but only scored 13 of their 33 shots. Mayo missed most of those chances in a desperate second-half when the team tried to force things and took bad options against the wind. On a dark day, Mayo’s improvement in kicking two-pointers is a real silver lining. The progress year on year is remarkable and is obviously something Andy and the team are chasing.

If the number of two-pointers kicked was a positive, Mayo’s general forward play inside the arc was disappointing. There was a lot of ball kicked in, but much of it was 50-50 stuff – straight punts with no real angle on them. Mayo forwards never looked comfortably out in front or had great separation from their direct markers. Kerry were quite comfortable keeping Mayo at bay and never looked too stretched.

Mayo tried to aggressively press high for Kerry’s kickouts but if that didn’t work and Kerry secured primary possession, Mayo were quite open going the other way. At the other end, Kerry once again blitzed their opponents’ kickout. They are just a very complete team all over the park – lethal forwards, tight, tidy defenders and powerful ball-winners in midfield.

Less heralded players like Joe O’Connor, Graham O’Sullivan and Paul Murphy are extremely wily operators – great competitors who are so comfortable on the ball.

Mayo’s, and the rest of Ireland’s, big hope is that this is as good as it gets for them. It will be hard to repeat a 96% scoring return every day out and, apart from an encouraging opening 15-minute salvo, can Mayo play as poorly again?

There were few bright sparks but I thought Fergal Boland tried manfully in the first-half. He was out in front every time under great pressure from Paul Murphy and kicked his customary two-pointer. On another day, with greater supply, he will have more joy inside, but he battled hard.

The pre-match hype about Kobe was at fever pitch but he didn’t let it affect him and showed well again, particularly early doors. The cute Kerry hoors got the measure of him as the game advanced and dished out some pretty cynical fouls to halt his gallop – but welcome to senior football. He can expect plenty of that against the top teams going forward.

Mayo’s spine is a concern – both in terms of leadership and personnel. We looked bullied for large parts and, as we reach the denouement of the league, I’m not sure we are any closer to knowing our 3, 6 or 14.

Even with Ryan at 11 — and I think he does a good job there most days — I’m not sure we are seeing the best version of him out there. David McBrien isn’t really pulling up trees at midfield but is a top-class operator at 3 or 6, so a big decision needs to be made there.

Robbie Hennelly has made a very good return to the inter-county fold but I would not have him coming up for frees, especially when there is a very accomplished long-range kicker from the ground in Kobe on the team. Robbie kicked a monster point at the start of the second-half but I think it would be good for a forward to be kicking that.

Some say free-taking would add pressure to a young forward’s shoulders but I don’t agree. As a forward, I always liked taking frees because it gave you an opportunity to get into the game and get some scores beside your name. Scores are like oxygen for forwards. Goalkeepers don’t need that boost.

Next weekend’s match against Roscommon is a funny one. It’s a dead rubber of sorts but both teams have a fighting chance of reaching a league final if they want to. Neither will want to show their hand too much, though, ahead of a likely Connacht semi-final clash five weeks later.

Predicting how it will go is a fool’s errand, but after the Kerry hosing it would be a good one to win – and a bad one to lose.

One more thing … 

Tyrone 2-22, Meath 3-24 was the second-highest scoring NFL game in the competition’s 101-year history. The record belongs Monaghan 2-29, Westmeath 2-21 from 2025. Gaelic football’s brave new world.