Mayo show encouraging signs
Sean Rice
OMINOUS vibes in the first half turned to joy in the wake of Mayo’s revival, as a draw that appeared highly unlikely was finally warmly welcomed by the Mayo contingent at McHale Park.
You can’t ask more from a team than to give their best, and in the face of recurring adversity Mayo wrenched from somewhere deep in their own consciousness the can-do spirit that earned this deserved draw.
Their revival brought a lively finish to the new season’s league start on a pitch that held up firmly despite the wind and rain of the previous hours.
Excitement mounted as Mayo set about dismantling what seemed an unassailable lead with passion and character too often missing from Mayo performances.
A fervent wish is that similar qualities would characterise all future performances.
Old habits die hard, though, and an inspirational final fifteen minutes is overshadowed somewhat by Down’s authority in the first half when Mayo’s fight was as much with their own old familiar failings as with Down’s impressive organisation.
Within three minutes of the start they had leaked a goal… a screaming ‘45 from Martin Clarke, the sodden ball deflected by an outstretched foot to the back of the net.
They strained to keep pace with the inventiveness of Down, allowed the nimble forwards of the Northerners too much respect and too much space to choose their moves. As a consequence some of Mayo’s tackling fell a bit short in timing and execution.
They would have fallen into a six-point deficit as early as the eleventh minute if Mark Poland had not failed to make use of a ball that had spilled from the hands of goalkeeper Kenneth O’Malley.
And there was little sign of things to come when John Clarke stuck another dagger in their hopes with a goal that was brilliantly set up for him by Benny Coulter. Against Down’s 2-4, Mayo’s three points looked pretty forlorn.
Alan Freeman showed the first glimmer of leadership for Mayo when he stormed through the heart of the Down defence in the 26th minute and cleverly beat Brendan McVeigh in goal. But Mayo were still behind by four points at the interval… not for want of effort, but for coherence.
It’s hard to know who sparked off Mayo’s recovery. Certainly there was much to be admired in the drive from Richie Feeney, Ger Cafferkey and Kevin McLoughlin in the half-back line after the break. There was also more vibrancy around midfield and among the forwards.
Ronan McGarrity and Jason Gibbons emitted a surge of power in the centre of the field. Alan Dillon, a marked man, was never subdued, and led by example. And when given a stint near the end, the fine fielding of Tom Parsons copperfastened Mayo’s hold on the centre.
The advent of Parsons was timely after Mayo had been pitched into another abyss with an own goal goal by Ronan McGarrity… the move shaped once again by the brilliant Coulter. It put them five points ahead about sixteen minutes into the second half.
How Mayo got into that pit is a subject that ought to occupy the minds of the mentors in the weeks ahead; their emergence from it represented a huge leap in determination and leadership.
Dillon’s gritty work, the persistent pressure of the half-back line, the attacking flair of Kevin McLoughlin, the ice cool accuracy of Andy Moran… and the response of the team as a whole when the crowd got behind helped to raise the general level of performance to a new plane.
As James Horan put it afterwards: There is a lot to take from the experience… and a lot to build on.
Mortimers miss action
NOT a Mortimer in sight. And it won’t be quite the same without them. With Conor out through injury, and Trevor out of the country, Mayo will be without a couple of players this coming season who have brought colour and sometimes controversy to the football scene in the county over the years.
No one can say for sure whether either of them will don the Green and Red for the county again but, equally, no one can ever deny the considerable contributions the Shrule/Glencorrib brothers have made to football in this county.
Together with older brother Kenneth, the Mortimers have represented Mayo on almost 250 occasions, and have never given less than their best in any sort of competition.
Each has been blessed with qualities quite different from the other, and all sustained by massive self-confidence… honed no doubt from living on a border dividing two counties with an intense football rivalry.
As a corner-back, Kenneth was among the best in the country… and on an All-Ireland winning team might have been the best. He was steady, alert and capable. He was on the short list in this column for the best corner back in Mayo over fifty years.
Trevor’s tanks never emptied. He generated spirit like no other. He baulked at no tackle and it cost him dearly at times in terms of injury. He lost some of his old vigour in the last year or two, but might yet return with restored interest.
Many times they have striven to replace their leading scorer, but Conor under pressure has never failed to confound the selectors… returning eye-opening performances just when it seemed he might be edged out.
Boldness and volatility may have coloured Conor’s performances on occasions, but his real worth is revealed in his scoring statistics: a career total of 14-349, twenty of those points accounted for last season. Whatever they think of him the fact remains: the youngest member of the trio still possesses a formidable left foot.
All three Mortimers have been part of the fluctuations of Mayo football, yet neither of them, curiously, ever succumbed to any sense of inadequacy when pitted against the cream of the country’s stars.
At 28, there is enough time left for Conor to return to the Mayo colours… if James Horan has not already found an adequate replacement. The Shrule man still has something to offer, and his challengers would do well to keep that in mind.
Pride at stake in FBD Final
FIELDING three players who have not had experience at this level in Sunday’s league opener, James Horan’s blooding of new talent is being carefully handled.
Cathal Hallinan at full-back, Richie Feeney, and midfielder Jason Gibbons are healthy additions to the team and all made important contributions to the performance as a whole.
And ideal opportunity for further integration is available to the selectors on Friday night when Mayo take on NUI, Galway in the home final of the FBD League at McHale Park.
There’s more than the incentive of a visit to America at stake in the outcome of this game. In charge of the college team are two Mayo club managers… John Maughan and Tomás Tierney. And their line-out will include a plethora of Mayo stars.
Maughan and Tierney have carefully guided the college team to Friday’s final, including a win over Galway, and the man who steered Mayo to three All-Ireland finals will be anxious to prove that those leadership qualities have not deserted him.
Pride, therefore, will play a big part in Friday’s final in a quality game that will stand to Mayo as they prepare for the visit of Kerry the following week.
