Time for Mayo to learn
Chastened somewhat by the stiff, unexpected resistance they encountered from Galway in the last round, Cork come to McHale Park on Sunday more alert perhaps than usual to the unpredictable nature of Mayo football.
But if their hosts have drawn no lessons from their latest experience in Croke Park, Cork will skate to victory as comfortably as the eight points that divided them in last season’s league final at Croke Park.
Mayo’s survival in Division 1 will thus be reduced to the final match of the campaign —against Monaghan in a crunch showdown at Inniskeen two weeks later.
Relegation is not the greatest calamity to befall a county. Once the psychological side-effects have been tended to, you get on with the business of trying to reclaim status by climbing back to the upper echelon.
Not that Division 1 conferred any championship eminence on Mayo football over the years. Good league campaigns flatter to deceive. It has ever been so in Mayo, right back to the thirties when they won six leagues in a row… but only one championship.
You would have to wonder of course whether their performance against Dublin was of a sufficient standard to even secure a place in Division 2.
The colliding extremes of Croke Park, their collapse and their resuscitation portray only the enormity of the task facing James Horan and his selectors.
Mayo will draw some measure of relief from their fight-back. And there is merit in the way they regrouped to wipe out a 14-point lead. How Dublin pulled away, however, after Mayo’s stunning recovery served only to emphasise the gap between them.
A creaking defence is the last thing they will want to field against a Cork side released of all their hang-ups since winning league and championship last season. Already Conor Counihan has been winding up Mayo, warning how tough it is going to be for Cork, but smug at the same time in the knowledge that he has a side good enough to bring home the points.
Few in Mayo will want to recall their last encounter — the league final last year when Cork had eight points to spare. What followers will not forget was the trap set by Counihan into which Mayo walked with eyes wide open.
Mayo beat them in the final round of the league by five points. But Counihan fielded only a makeshift side. For the final two weeks later he made nine changes, and whatever benefit Mayo gained from topping the table was well diluted in their 8-point final thrashing.
Counihan has been using the present league to experiment, with certain success. The likes of James Fitzpatrick, Kevin O’Driscoll and Sean Kiely have caught the eye, and together with Daniel Goulding, Michael Shields, Paudie Kissane, Noel O’Leary and Fintan Gould, have been rooting out impressive results.
What changes James Horan comes up with for Sunday’s encounter is anyone’s guess. Up to their last game the selectors would probably have a fair idea of their championship side.
The defensive flaws exposed by Dublin may have changed their minds, however. But with only two games remaining, there is not much time left for further experimentation, and for players to bed in to new positions, before the championship commences.
Mayo have it in themselves to get back on track on Sunday… if their final thirty minutes against Dublin could be translated to seventy against Cork. That’s the task they face.
Moran’s return a timely boost
I HAD begun to rule out Barry Moran as a contender for selection on the county senior side because of his susceptibility to injury. But having watched him orchestrate Castlebar’s rather easy win over Crossmolina on Saturday evening I am having second thoughts.
Sprung from the bench in the second half, his knee still heavily bandaged, Moran showed a side to his game that we have not seen for some time. His power, his movement of the ball, his positioning and, most of all, his work rate all added up to an all-round performance that swung the game decisively in the Mitchels’ favour.
In this form, Moran presents James Horan with a further option. At what position though?Midfield is where he starred on Saturday, and Moran’s physique would appear to be naturally suited to that position. James Horan has already a number of choices for the centre-field area, but on this performance the Castlebar man will push hard to be among them.
Another notable feature of the game was the return of Ciaran McDonald for Crossmolina after a year’s absence from the club colours. For most of the hour Tom Cunniffe overshadowed him.
But the accuracy of McDonald’s left foot has in no way diminished. The energy levels are not what they were, but guiding his left foot was the usual lively intelligence which no one on either side was able to emulate.
Key positions up for grabs
WHAT has James Horan’s experiments revealed over the past couple of months? The numerous trials players have undergone highlight his endeavours to cultivate a competitive team for the championship. But as the league nears its end has he found what he is looking for?
Nobody watching Mayo play Dublin will be excited about their championship prospects in the months ahead. Yet inconsistent results will continue to be the reality while management probes and delves and cajoles in search of the best footballers in the county.
No position it would seem is watertight so far. Players are still fighting for places and the role of reserve has become as important as first team posts. As the championship draws closer one wonders if that strategy has fulfilled its purpose? Could it be that the constant changes have the selectors betwixt and between, unable to make up their minds about several positions?
What for instance is Kevin McLoughlin¹s best position — wing-back or wing-forward? Who will stand beside Ronan McGarrity, now that Aidan O’Shea’s U-21 performance qualifies him for contention?
Who will be full-back? Or centre-back? Or full-forward? What will become of Seamus O¹Shea and Trevor Howley and Donal Vaughan and Alan Feeney and David Clarke when they return from injury?
Full-back possibles have been given a good airing, but when you consider the glaring inadequacies of their last outing one message still rings clear and loud: tenacity alone does not compensate for height or muscle. The good big one is still better that the good small one.
Not everything about his performances is ideal but if it were only for the manner in which he dealt with Kieran Donaghy at McHale Park, Alan Feeney would appear to be the best choice when he returns from injury.
The Castlebar man does have a problem with small, sprightly opponents, but he would have proved a stiffer obstacle for Diarmuid Connolly in Croke Park. The extent of his injury and further trials will determine his future, but time is pressing.
Just a thought …
Former Cork football manager Larry Tompkins has called on the GAA to legitimise the payment of county managers. But if managers are openly paid, is not the whole amateur ethos can of worms re-opened?
