Defeat signals end of the affair
Kevin McStayIT was a bit of a surprise but certainly not an outright shock. Mayo made a tame exit from Championship 2007 and the timing was a little unfortunate. In a year when the contenders for the All-Ireland are slow to emerge forcefully, it is a pity the current Mayo squad departed in Round 2 of the Qualifier series. It appears they are now at the end of their natural cycle.
Kerry, Dublin and Tyrone will all have a big say but there will be arguments mounted for the likes of Monaghan, Cork and perhaps Galway. Armagh and Mayo were forced to leave the table for more or less the same reasons – the game was up.
The detail of this latest championship defeat is but a note on the side of the margin. Mayo in big trouble early on and a fortuitous Barry Moran goal keeps the boat afloat. By half-time we are still there but not playing well enough to win.
A second half burst, all of five minutes, hinted at resolve and desire. But from level pegging we shipped a goal against the head and from there started to take in water. It ended in a rout as Derry coasted home.
If you list the last four championship exits in black and white, it makes for difficult reading. The two final defeats dealt the cruellest blows, our challenge never got into a stride. The 2005 defeat, to the Kingdom yet again, was another demolition job even if the score line insisted otherwise. And the latest 10-point drubbing to Derry is merely more of the same.
The tank is empty and needs a refill if a new and successful journey is to be negotiated. This time we are talking total, more or less, rebuild and it will be a new experience for John O’Mahony also.
One might argue he put the finishing touches to previous Mayo, Leitrim and Galway teams and that he did so brilliantly. But Mayo 2008 and onwards will be his very own creation. As he trooped off Celtic Park last Saturday he must have realised the enormity of the construction work needed.
One only had to look at the starting selection (but more particularly those who did not start), the players that were replaced and those that came on to see where matters are headed. Any examination of the squad will realise that the departures, voluntary or otherwise, will reach close on double figures.
It appears Galway, our once great neighbours, might very soon be engaged in a similar process so, the question arises: will the future, in the short term at least, be black? Or perhaps black and white?
Probably not, as the big powers in Connacht tend to regenerate much faster than the other counties but there can be no wobbling on the issues facing Mayo this time.
The new management took over later than expected and thus were at a disadvantage straight away. The amount of sorting needed can be gauged from the team that started a league final a few months ago versus Donegal and the one that faced Derry last Saturday. Form and injuries ensured almost half the team was changed in terms of personnel. More movement will be witnessed before matters settle.
Management allowed time and space for dignified exits and that should not surprise any observers. This is the modus operandus and while it is hardly ruthless, it does say something for the way we conduct business. The problem, I suppose, is the project is perhaps two years behind schedule now and we find ourselves in a dark place.
Before our very eyes this gallant but ultimately flawed squad had a very decent shot at the title. Most of the players gave everything they could. It simply was not enough and while All-Irelands were on offer in recent times, the reality was we were a long way off.
The senior members of the squad will reflect on the 1996/1997 years as the titles that got away. They were younger and better players then and let the moment slip through their fingers.
Those of us from a previous era will have some sense of their anguish but hardly know the dreadful pain those losses leave. That’s sporting life.
Those great opportunities never came again and now the gear is packed and the gig is over. As Derry tossed the ball around in a type of unplanned lap of honour, it was as if the sword was being prepared. The cheeky Muldoon chip signified the insertion of steel and for close on ten players their last appearance in a Mayo jersey.
Observers of Mayo football might well think this group of retirements/re-assessments should be confined to the veterans who, in general, gave the county great service on the field of play. Allow me to include a few of the younger gang whose performances continue to disappoint despite glittering references.
Critically, the examination must be root and branch; too many players have settled for mediocrity once the county jersey was secured. A Sunday newspaper headline best captures the type of player that should keep away from the new scene: ‘No bluffers need apply’.
The future starts today then but before we embrace it, a thought just struck me. What does Mickey Moran make of it all?
