The guessing games begin again
Nobody seems too sure what the summer holds
THE Mayos will turn out in hundreds on Sunday, and Ruislip will resemble an old summer sports pattern in rural Ireland. Football may be the main attraction, but renewal of old friendships among the emigrants by far the greater tug.
In such festive surroundings the central theme seems never quite as important in Ruislip as if it were in McHale Park. Mayo being outright favourites may have something to do with it.
The overall view among visitors is that London is already beaten. What they want to know over a pint is whether they will win Connacht or get to Croke Park, or if there is any hope at all of an All-Ireland . . . or a ticket if they get there.
A goal may excite their curiosity briefly, and feed memories of a star of their own time, Willie Joe perhaps, or McHale or TJ, or as far back even as Prendergast or Corcoran.
Reminiscence, that’s mostly what Ruislip is all about. And the paradox is that in the heart of London that glimpse of rustic conviviality from mid-twentieth century Mayo is still to be found.
Yet, although no vuvuzelas will sound for James Horan, Sunday’s is a deadly serious exercise in the new life of the Mayo boss. They may not want to admit it, but you can be sure that no manager has ever travelled to the London venue unassailed by the thought of What if. What if they lost?
Leitrim did in 1977, but not in Ruislip. No Connacht team has lost a championship confrontation at the London venue, although Leitrim in 1987, Sligo the following year, and Roscommon six years ago came uncomfortably close.
Back in 1996 John Maughan, in his first championship venture with Mayo, had a few anxious moments before Mayo finally pulled ahead . . . and then went on contest the All-Ireland final.
It is when Ireland is economically stressed and emigration high, that the ex-pats stand the best chance of springing a surprise, and in the circumstances James Horan will have warned against any thread of complacency about Sunday’s outcome.
Still, no one, however pessimistic, is expecting anything other than a Mayo win. The more inquisitive will wonder what shape the team will take, who will man the vital positions, who, say, will steer the team from midfield?
For it is a peculiar feature of Mayo’s opening championship shot that none of the main positions is settled, that no one is sure who will play where.
It has been a central tenet of Horan’s new post that no position would be filled without a thorough examination of the qualities of every contender. The difficulty is that all contenders are equally matched.
No one is uniquely suited to any one of the central positions. Every challenger has his own special attributes. No sooner does one seem to fit in to a certain role than the next appears no less adaptable to the same position.
It is that meticulous assessment that lends a kind of gossamer aura to Sunday’s venture.
I’m not so sure that James Horan himself is any wiser than we are.
Take the full-back berth. Having lined out at centre-back throughout most of the Allianz League, Ger Cafferkey of late has been handed the No 3 jersey. Others given stern tests in that vital area are Cathal Hallinan, Chris Barrett and Alan Feeney.
Feeney has shown greatest potential. In a head-to-head with Kieran Donaghy he came out best, although Kerry won that one in Castlebar. He has also encountered a few sticky opponents and seems most vulnerable when confronted with a knacky small guy.
Injury has denied him the amount of match practice that championship ties demand, and therefore he may not be ready for Ruislip. But even if he were fully fit would he be the chosen full-back?
Every other defensive position is equally uncertain. Who can say that Hallinan or Donal Vaughan, or Chris Barrett or Kevin McLoughlin or Peadar Gardiner or Keith Higgins or Tom Cunniffe will be chosen in any of the six positions?
Cunniffe has played centre-back in recent games which seems to suggest that he may be Horan’s choice for the berth in Ruislip with Cafferkey holding down the full-back spot. The Castlebar man was in that role for their last challenge against Offaly, and was not substituted.
The other Feeney brother, Richie, has been sidelined with injury and missed both recent challenges. At right-wing back he has used his muscle to good effect. At time he plays that wing as if it were a central position, and can get caught out. But if fit, he’d be on my team.
Gardiner played a big thirty minutes at centre-back for Crossmolina in their league defeat by Charlestown, his linking and speed taking him into deep attacking positions. Speed off the mark is a trait he and Cunniffe share, but physical stature is what will define their permanency.
For the first time in years, goalkeeper David Clarke is encountering stiff opposition from Robert Hennelly to the extent that there is very little to choose between them. The Ballina man’s experience is his greatest advantage, but Hennelly is nibbling at his heels, and has illustrated his claim with a broad variety of fine saves.
Midfield choice has been narrowed down because of injury to Ronan McGarrity. If he were ready the Ballina man would be the nearest certainty to automatic selection. His deep understanding of midfield play is an asset that comes only with experience, and every manager needs that strand of knowledge in his team. But McGarrity has been nursing an injury longer than most and may be overlooked for lack of match practice.
So it’s a choice of Jason Gibbons, James Kilcullen or my own preference Aidan O’Shea for first team selection, any pair of which, without McGarrity, will line out. With him, only one of those three will be named. Could be they would also have Trevor Howley to accompany them as ‘third midfielder’.
The forward line is more predictable. If none has picked up injury in the last week, four are safe bets to be selected — Alan Dillon the team captain, Andy Moran, Alan Freeman and Jason Doherty who will command some interest for his goal-poaching exploits in the league. He and Moran sat out the recent challenge with Offaly, but both are expected to be fully fit for London.
Kevin McLoughlin may make the first fifteen, but where . . . at left-half back or wing forward? Introduced in the second half against Offaly, the Knockmore man was gritty and lively, and one of the best Mayo forwards on view.
So, they’ll be no swagger when Mayo run onto the Ruislip turf on Sunday. Offaly will have it knocked out of them. A certain giddiness will grip them early on. London will be coached to spoil rather than to be creative. But when Mayo adapt to that approach they will surmount this first obstacle of James Horan’s first campaign.
