Shackles off is the only way Mayo know how

We won’t be singing from the rooftops after that one, but we’ll take it! I’m not quite sure how Mayo secured the maximum two points on Saturday evening as they were second best for most of the night. However, they kept at it and found a way and there is virtue in that too. Grinding out a victory when not quite at top level against fancied opponents is always a good sign of a team.

And what makes the victory even sweeter is that Dublin came to town with intent and their stars as they looked to get their league campaign up and running after last weekend’s shock defeat to Monaghan. Because of that, this was a much more impressive and noteworthy win for Mayo than either of the hammerings they dished out to both Kerry and Tyrone in MacHale Park last season. Neither of those teams cared too much or played their full hands on those occasions but the same cannot be said for Dublin at the weekend.

Dessie Farrell never has the most radiant or glowing visage but the grimace and disappointment in his eyes at the full-time whistle showed that this defeat hurt. Kevin McStay’s boyish giddiness post-match showed that he knew this was a big one to win. It will go a long way towards Mayo retaining Division 1 status and playing the rest of the league on their own terms.

Out of the 77 minutes played, Mayo only really looked at the pitch of the game for 25 minutes or so. Their opening quarter was awful and was every bit as bad as Galway’s lethargic start the previous weekend. Dublin were really on it and toying with Mayo. Their backs were cleaning up every ball kicked in to Mayo’s full-forward line, their middle third players were rampaging forward and kicking scores and their inside players looked sharp and dangerous. Jack McCaffrey had the freedom of the left wing as Mayo sat deep, in a sort of daze, without laying a paw on their slick moving opponents.

In times of struggle, leaders emerge and once again Paddy Durcan dragged Mayo out of their drunken stupor. Midway through that first-half he attacked a ball under the stand like his life depended on it and from that moment everything changed. Mayo players and the crowd awoke from their slumber and gave as good as they got for the remainder of the half, quickly overturning a four-point deficit and going score for score thereafter.

They pushed up on David O’Hanlon’s kick-out and started getting in the Dubs’ faces. Some teams are suited to sitting deep, slowing the tempo, absorbing pressure and counter-attacking opponents. Others are at their best when on the front foot, going forward, attacking the day and never taking a backward step. Mayo fall into the latter category and it was never more evident than in that first-half. We are never at our best when over cautious and showing too much respect to opponents. We’ve got to be up and at ‘em from the get go. Leave the all-out defensive stuff to more limited teams that have it in their DNA and are comfortable playing it.

After the poor opening, Mayo warmed to the task nicely. Dublin were still probably the better team overall but Mayo had a great defensive shape to them. Dublin didn’t create any clear cut goal chances and for the second game running Colm Reape’s goal wasn’t seriously threatened. That is no mean feat considering the calibre of forward Mayo have faced in recent weeks. Not giving a snuff of a chance to Shane Walsh, Con O’Callaghan or Cormac Costello reflects well on Mayo’s defenders. Sam Callinan, Jack Coyne and David McBrien are really looking at home at senior intercounty level and Rory Brickenden is finding his feet too.

Further out the field, Jack Carney went toe-to-toe with Brian Fenton and probably shaded that battle. Holding his own against one of the game’s greatest ever midfielders should do him the world of good. Starting every game at midfield, rather than flitting between there and the half-forward line, also seems to be helping his progress. Carney is a serious option from kick-outs and is a beautiful fielder of the ball. In fact, Mayo won every single one of Colm Reape’s restarts in the first-half.

Just one minor quibble though – Carney caught a massive mark when the game was in the melting pot with about ten minutes to go. He rose above about five Dublin players and the crowd went crazy. You could have powered the floodlights in MacHale Park for a month with the surge of energy that brilliant play generated. But then, alas, he turned around and kicked the ball 30 yards backwards to an open Mayo defender. The crowd’s vibrant anticipation quickly deflated as if a balloon lost its air and all impetus was gone. It’s an issue for the rule makers as much as it is for Carney but it was a dispiriting moment for Mayo fans. All midfield marks should have to be kicked forward. It’ll make things a whole pile riskier and more entertaining.

Despite Mayo’s forward play not functioning brilliantly, the team had maximum efficiency in the first-half and scored eight points from eight shots at goal. This accuracy may have deserted Mayo towards the end of the match as they were guilty of some poor wides but Fergal Boland kept his cool when everything got a bit frantic and neatly slotted the winner.

Ryan O’Donoghue was feeding off scraps but if there’s one man that likes scrapping, it’s him. He foraged and clawed for everything and was a constant creative spark and menace. Paddy Durcan is probably Mayo’s best player but O’Donoghue is Mayo’s most important one. Anything good that happens up top usually has his fingerprints on it. He is such a sharp and quick-thinking lad who almost always makes something happen. There aren’t too many others who would have had the wit and cojones to take that free quickly at the end to conjure a game winning opportunity.

He is also a mighty man to buy a free. His low centre of gravity and quick, explosive darts and movements make him difficult to tackle so he hits the ground quite often. Aidan O’Shea must look enviously in O’Donoghue’s direction as the same tackling laws or thresholds of legal contact are not applied to the two. The final incident of the game, although soft, was a definite free and a silly mistake by Cian Murphy. ROD went over easily but Murphy had his two hands on his back. Madness at that stage of the game when so close to the sideline and in the corner with no apparent immediate threat.

Mayo did ride their luck at times and benefited from a fortuitous goal but this victory will give the team great belief that Dublin are beatable. The All-Ireland champions are still a good team but nowhere near the standard of the great ones that dominated the last decade. The field is levelling.

Kevin McStay’s men are moving well but if they’re not careful they could find themselves in the final of the competition that nobody seems to want to win. A good problem to have!

One more thing… Three of the most populous counties in Ireland (Meath, Kildare and Cork) find themselves at the bottom of Division 2. Big numbers do not equate with success.