Mayo drub Roscommon but injuries a concern for the upcoming matches

Without the risk of an accusation of being over-optimistic, there’s very little Mayo manager Kevin McStay will be too displeased at from last Saturday night’s league win.

The only exception being the apparent hamstring injury picked up by Eoghan McLaughlin – a big exception on the back of his performance too.

But the Mayo team responded to their dire second half display in Omagh with a really impressive display to hand the Rossies a drubbing.

It was just what the doctor ordered, and what the patients desperately needed in the wake of the Tyrone defeat.

The manner in which the Red Hands outworked and completely outplayed Mayo in the second half gave plenty of reason for concern.

Some old failings reared their ugly head again and the public discourse responded as such. So much so, there were whispers for a Roscommon ambush last weekend.

Had it occurred, it would have left Mayo in a particularly precarious position with two games remaining. However, they will now face Derry and Monaghan with the assurance of a safety net from relegation. Not mathematically safe, but the wind is blowing strongly in their favour right now.

One of the more pleasing aspects for the Mayo management must be the performance of Donnacha McHugh. The Mitchels man was handed the task that everyone and their mother mused about in the build – tracking Enda Smith. Smith is a sensational footballer, the Rossies heartbeat and a man in form. Paddy Durcan and/or David McBrien were probably the two ideal candidates to pick him up, depending on where Smith played, but with them out McHugh was next in line.

He produced a performance straight from the Lee Keegan school of man marking. He managed to frustrate Smith to a scoreless display and limit him to only a few significant plays, all the way sticking a couple of points on him for good measure. Smith was unfortunate not to get a goal after his lob attempt on Colm Reape in the first half, but all in all, McHugh won the battle.

It will come as a welcome option for McStay and his management going forward. Particularly given the injuries to Durcan and McBrien. McStay did suggest afterwards that Durcan and McBrien could be ready for selection in the remaining two rounds of league. However, this columnist understands that Durcan’s calf injury is much more serious than being touted by management. So much so it would probably be a medical miracle if he managed to see game time against Derry or Monaghan.

We understand it was a 6-10 week diagnosis at the time and given Mayo’s situation, they will hardly be reckless enough to rush it. Diarmuid O’Connor and most recently Eoghan McLaughlin, best case scenarios, will need four weeks to recover from a grade one hamstring injury.

And that’s being hopeful that it is only a grade one. Really and truly, and anyone who has suffered the dreaded sniper-shot hamstring injury will tell you, six weeks recovery is what you need.

Keeping bodies off the Mayo medical table needs to be a priority for the remainder of the league. Losing another key man or two, even for three to four weeks, is going to have a knock-on-effect.

But with Stephen Coen looking really sharp on Saturday night, and Enda Hession finding his way back to full fitness, options are there to pick up the slack. The situation could be much worse if Mayo were scrambling for survival.

There’s opportunity now to give game time to players in need of a solid run out. Mattie Ruane, Michael Plunkett, Cillian O’Connor, Conor Loftus and Darren McHale are names that come to mind. The team’s balance won’t be disturbed too greatly with those fellas thrown in the mix at the perfect temperature.

Last Saturday night did not play out too well for Paul Towey’s chances at nailing a position.
The Charlestown man’s lack of action is a huge frustration for Mayo supporters, but he failed to influence the game like he’d have hoped and was withdrawn on 38 minutes.

Granted, it was bizarre that he was only given three minutes in the second half to prove his worth, particularly in light of how the game really opened up for Mayo in the second half.

Maybe they’ll roll the Towey dice one more time, but Tommy Conroy is definitely the preferred option going forward.

There’s also the elephant in the room of a potential league final staring Mayo in the face.

This year’s league has now descended into a game of Russian roulette – the two teams unlucky enough to find the bullet in the chamber will play out the final.

Mickey Harte knows that a league final in Derry won’t win over his doubters. And their decision to rest players last week suggests they might not want to make it to Croke Park this early either.

The winner of next week’s game between Mayo and Derry will probably find one of the bullets.

Who will blink first.