Roscommon unable to cope with fired up Mayo

Attitude is everything. From the word go on Saturday night, Mayo were at it. They tackled hard, snapped in to breaks, pushed up and did not give Roscommon a moment’s comfort. It’s a simple enough thing but at both ends of the field Mayo were in front of their men when any ball was kicked in their direction. That’s a sign that everyone is tuned in and wanting to be the aggressors.

There are not too many more unpleasant feelings on a football field than getting an absolute drenching in the warm-up on a freezing cold night. Such a miserable experience, however, provides you with a perfect mental test. Have you the stomach for the battle in spite of the elements or would you prefer to be at home in front of the fire with a takeaway watching television? Mayo showed their intent right through but Roscommon failed that test emphatically and looked like they wanted to be anywhere else in the world but MacHale Park. Robbie Dolan’s powderpuff, tippy-tappy back-heel in the second-half was emblematic of a team whose hearts weren’t really in it. There’s no doubt but that the championship match in the Hyde will be a totally different affair but it was nice for Mayo to land an early and assertive psychological blow just six weeks out from what could be a season defining game.

Fergal Boland’s opening score was a beauty and set the tone for the night. He proved that he can kick worldies off the inside of his boot, not just spinners off the outside. Apart from his metronomic scoring, he has added a nice link from back to front on the Mayo team and keeps things ticking nicely with his soft shoe kicking.

Boland and O’Shea were good up top but Ryan O’Donoghue is still the man. He rarely ever performs at a level that you would rate below seven out of 10 and is quite often above that. There is a great intensity, focus and aggression to his game that he marries beautifully with huge skill and pace. If Mayo don’t really want to qualify for a League Final then I would be using him sparingly between now and the big match in the Hyde in mid-April. Of all players, Mayo cannot afford for him to get injured. He’s as important (and effective) to Mayo as David Clifford is to Kerry.

Speaking of injuries, it was unfortunate that Eoghan McLaughlin picked up what looked like a hamstring pull as he was having a fine game. We don’t create many goal chances but he has been Mayo’s biggest goal threat in recent seasons with his incisive, penetrative surges forward. The raw materials are there but he is still a rough diamond. If he could combine his natural athleticism with sharper ball skills and decision-making then he would be unstoppable. You can tell McStay rates him highly by the dejected look on the manager’s face when he pulled up dramatically clutching his leg.

I felt sorry for Paul Towey whose big chance didn’t quite go according to plan. Corner-forward is a tough position when trying to make an impression. A run-of-the-mill, nuts and bolts, solid effort doesn’t usually cut the mustard for corner-forwards. You need to be making things happen in a way defenders don’t necessarily need to do when trying to cement their position in the team. Defenders just need to keep it tight and play it simple but corner-forwards must have a bit of magic or dash to leave a positive impact. This can mean you force it or try too hard and consequently things don’t just flow.

Corner-forwards are also always the first to be substituted when management feel that the team needs a shake-up. I have been that soldier who has been hooked early in the second-half when things haven’t quite gone your way and it is a lonely place to be. Why he suffered the ignominy of being withdrawn three minutes in to the second half is anyone’s guess. He could easily have been given another 10 or 15 minutes as Mayo had started the second-half well. Or to even be called ashore at half-time in the sanctuary of the dressing room would have saved his face somewhat. A strange call but I hope he gets more opportunities now with safety virtually secured.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly the reasons for Mayo’s newfound tightness and solidity at the back but it is a very welcome departure from last season. On the face of it Mayo have much the same personnel and don’t seem to be adopting a sweeper or 15 men behind the ball system. The full-back line are all very energetic, dynamic players though who are making it uncomfortable for their opponents. Tight-marking players like Jack Coyne and Donnacha McHugh are also really growing in to senior inter-county football.

The weekend’s game was the best I’ve ever seen McHugh play. Not alone did he follow Roscommon’s All-Star Enda Smith everywhere, he kicked two fine scores to boot. I always knew he could do a doughty man-marking job but I hadn’t seen the attacking aspect of his play before. Outscoring Smyth is an unexpected bonus but tracking him so impressively was even more significant. Without Paddy Durcan and David McBrien, I was worried about who would tag Smith for the night but McHugh gleefully accepted the task.

I love it when a defender who is marking a marquee forward attacks like hell himself and puts the star on the back foot. Think of Philly McMahon on Gooch or Lee Keegan on Diarmuid Connolly. You can’t give these super-talented marksmen an inch but sometimes attack is the best form of defence. McHugh has obviously been studying some of these great defenders’ playbooks. Having Enda Hession back in the team is a massive boost too and he is really beginning to find his groove again after an injury ravaged 12 months. McStay’s Mayo have played their best football with him in the starting ranks.

A wise man once said that “ability is what you’re capable of doing, motivation determines what you do but attitude determines how well you do it.” For Mayo, their skill, motivation and attitude all aligned nicely on Saturday and the upshot was a very encouraging display.

ONE MORE THING..... 

Mayo Ladies’ Lidl NFL Division 1 clash with Cork was switched from Mallow to the 4G pitch behind SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday. Why could it not have been played on the main grass pitch? Cork men played Kildare on that pitch on Sunday but after spending €96 million on the venue then surely the surface is good enough to host two games over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Ladies National Football League game between Roscommon and Wexford was delayed by over half an hour due to confusion over the venue. Both teams were in Elphin but the referee went to Kiltoom. It wouldn’t happen in the men’s game.