Youthful irreverence gives Mayo hope once again

Carney. Flynn. Boland. Beirne. McDonald.

Five men who stepped beyond the arc and armed Mayo with a new weapon.

By the final whistle, the Connacht men had posted their highest competitive tally since the introduction of the two-point rule – and by a considerable distance, too. For at times in Clones the scoreboard was ticking unmercifully upward like a taxi meter after a long night out. There was no knowing where it would finish up But what was striking was not merely the distance of the kicks, but the absence of hesitation from the players. Five of the six two-pointers were registered in the first-half alone with the game still a contest, with the final one of the afternoon coming from the boot of Kobe McDonald deep into the second-half when the visitors had put the game beyond all doubt. Mayo made the two-pointer seem like mother’s milk to them. It almost felt like central to a new identity they have bestowed upon themselves.

This was not the patient, probing side that built scores brick by brick and waited for opposition lungs to empty. This was a new expansive version of the side. It was, by any reasonable measure, the most complete performance of the short Andy Moran tenure so far. And for the first time, Mayo did not look like a side experimenting with new tools. They looked like a side that understood exactly what they were holding.

And that belief, more than anything else, is what made this afternoon feel like something was shifting beneath the surface.

Act I - The Beirne Effect 

More promising than the arrival of the two-pointer in Mayo’s armoury was the age of the men wielding it.

Since arriving into the senior squad, Darragh Beirne hasn’t for one moment played like a newcomer still finding his feet. And in Monaghan on Sunday, he left his mark as somebody that will play a crucial role for the county in attack throughout the rest of the season. Early in the first-half, he stepped beyond the arc and struck cleanly, without flourish or hesitation, to score Mayo's first two-pointer of the afternoon. He missed one from a similar range later in the half, but even that carried a message. Young players do not take on those shots unless they believe they belong where they are.

More telling was his private duel with Ryan Wylie, an All Star nominee and a former Young Player of the Year contender. He’s the type of sticky marksman that should be all over a young lad still getting a feel for the unforgiving arena of intercounty football. But midway through the half, Beirne turned him, slipped away and tapped over another slick point. It was a small act, neatly executed, but it still carries a loud echo. He finished the day with 0-5 to his name.

For years, Mayo could not afford to move Ryan O’Donoghue too far from the epicentre of the forward line. He was the melody and the metronome of the side. But now he roams.

And on the half-forward line he was impossible to pin down, appearing in pockets of space that seemed to exist solely for him. There were moments when you scanned the pitch and realised there was not a Monaghan man within touching distance. He was like a caffeine-addled hare in a freshly-mown meadow.

But the Belmullet man could only be afforded this freedom to be creative by having Beirne fill the gap he left closer to goal. Beirne’s value therefore lies not only in the scores he creates, but rather the opportunities he opens up for his teammates. This is a youngster that will be suiting up in a tuxedo at the Convention Centre before too long.

Act II - The Kobe Show 

It always felt as though there would be a blistering fourth quarter from Mayo. It seemed inevitable.

Mayo were forcing Monaghan to work hard and that industry was never going to last an entire 70 minutes, especially when the margin between the sides kept rising. Having slipped into second gear midway through the third quarter, Mayo seemed content to let the game idle, as if storing fuel for later. Then, an Aidan O’Shea goal gave the signal and Mayo buckled up once again.

The veteran’s intervention essentially ended the contest. And suddenly Mayo players were no longer competing against Farney men; they were facing off against one another for starting spots.

It was no small coincidence that Darragh Beirne was withdrawn shortly after, as Moran turned to Kobe McDonald. Young players need to be blooded alongside grizzled veterans, not other young players just getting a taste for this new environment.

But as it was only a debut for McDonald, little was required of him. Exposure to senior intercounty air alone would have constituted a solid afternoon’s work.

But what followed was a declaration as the Crossmolina teenager registered 1-4 to finish the day as Mayo’s top scorer despite only being on the pitch for a little over 15 minutes.

After scoring a point from a narrow angle only a couple of minutes after coming on, he raced on to another ball which should’ve set him up for a handy second point. But the teenager seems to have a wonderful disdain for conservatism and opted to ferociously pump the ball into the corner of the net. There was no calculation in the moment. It was all pure instinct. And refusing to sit back, he followed up the effort with a two-pointer.

Then came the moment that will resonate with any Mayo fan with a memory of the noughties. That distinctive McDonald pirouette returned to Mayo football as the young substitute left two Monaghan defenders colliding in his wake before popping over his final score of the game. Fears that the step up to senior level so early in his career would be detrimental to his development appear to have been greatly exaggerated.

Mayo have never struggled to raise young defenders. Hard-nosed-backs seem to sprout naturally in the county, fully formed and suspicious of joy. But forwards have traditionally required seasoning. The jersey can hang heavy on their shoulders.

And yet here are Beirne and McDonald wearing theirs as though they found them on the back of a kitchen chair.

There has been no cautious easing-in period. And they appear to have misplaced the memo about patience, process and taking time to adjust. Instead, they have taken to senior intercounty football with a breezy assurance. And oddly enough, that kind of youth can be restorative. O’Donoghue looks liberated and other senior players are also playing with more freedom.

Nothing freshens a dressing room quite like the irreverence of youth.

Mayo fans haven’t come away from a league game with this much hope for the future in some time. And while hope is a dangerous thing in this county, it has rarely arrived this early looking this convincing.

This feels different.