Mayo hurlers ‘on the right track’ despite ‘sluggish’ win over Monaghan, says Ray Larkin

A solid second half performance fired the Mayo hurlers to victory over a dogged Monaghan team in the opening round of the Nicky Rackard Cup on Sunday in Castlebar.

Ray Larkin, joint manager of the team along with Brian Finn, said the response by the Mayo lads after half time was very encouraging for the campaign ahead.

“We were slow out of the blocks in the first half and were very sluggish at times. Monaghan could have been further ahead at halftime,” Larkin told The Mayo News. 

“We had a good talk during the interval and Seán Regan’s two goals certainly swung the match our way. If we hurl like we did in that half in the upcoming games, we will certainly be on the right track.”

Mayo will play Donegal in the second round at O’Donnell Park, Letterkenny, next Saturday at 2pm. Mayo and Donegal are the bookies’ favourites for the Nicky Rackard Cup this year and, whatever the outcome on Saturday, they are still expected to meet again in the final in a few weeks time.

However, both teams have some challenging fences to jump before that may become a reality.

Read the full report of Mayo’s Nicky Rackard Cup win over Monaghan in Tuesday’s Mayo News.