Mayo GAA column: "Be ready for the unexpected"

Things do not always go to plan. That sums up the experiences I had playing Galway in Salthill. I remember one time I was being given man-marking duties to play against Ja Fallon at centre-forward but, instead, he decided to play corner-forward. That caused confusion and resulted in them being on top, getting big scores and dominated us all day.

There was another occasion, I think it was 2005, when John Maughan was Mayo manager. We played Galway in a Connacht final on a sizzlingly hot day. I think there was an air-show in Salthill that day. It was the hottest conditions I ever played in and I remember being drained after it.

On that day again nothing went as planned. I was playing full-forward, no ball really came in and then I was asked to come around the middle. Alan Dillon was kicking the frees that day and he had to go off for some reason. I ended up kicking a free at some stage and I scored it – my one and only inter-county free. I suppose that means I have a 100% record.

The theme in Pearse Stadium is: You have to be ready for the unexpected and be ready to adapt to any situation.

And it works both ways. I remember Mayo were dominating one time and then someone got sent off and it cost us the match.

The conditions play their part: It is always frantic, the nature of Salthill adds to that as it’s a long pitch, the wind generally blows down from the sea. You must adapt, you have to be ready to make good decisions when you’re out there on the field. If something has happened tactically, you cannot hesitate, you cannot be caught in the headlights.

From my experience, even though obviously the game has changed and the teams are different, the same mantra still applies: Very often the team that adapts the quickest, makes the least mistakes, will come away with the win.

SPRINGTIME IMPROVEMENT

This season we walked into the National League not expecting much and pretty downbeat. We got pleasantly surprised in the opening weekends, the League finished the way it did. Not a very good performance in New York, not a good performance in the first half against Roscommon. But there were spring-time signs of improvement in the second half in Hyde Park. That will have given confidence to the players and to Kevin McStay and it has given excitement to me about this Mayo team going into the Connacht final. It even brings me back to my childhood, being very excited about these games. It’s probably a while since I felt like that about a Mayo versus Galway game because it’s intense pressure, for example last year in the qualifier game, you just don’t want to lose.

This one in turn does not have the desperation of a do-or-die game, if it doesn’t go your way, obviously your route into an All-Ireland Championship is more difficult, but you’re not out. So I hope what I said last week, that fortune favours the brave, will apply this time out again.

MIDFIELD PLATFORM

Regarding the teams: Galway have a bunch of players that are very physical around the middle of the field. There are players that like to stride up the middle, no one better than Sean Kelly in doing that. And then there is Shane Walsh and Damien Comer up there, they generally have a very good spine. From a Mayo perspective players like Jordan Flynn, Matthew Ruane, Jack Carney or Stephen Coen will need to have a big influence on this game for Mayo to have the platform that you can create then for the forwards.

Maybe no one will have a bigger impact in creating that platform than Aidan O’Shea as he did when Mayo were at their best in the second half against Roscommon. Mayo were a better, more cohesive team, when he was out in midfield. The onus is on these players to dominate possession so that you can give the ball to Paddy Durcan coming off your shoulder, play a pass into Ryan O’Donoghue, or get Tommy Conroy on a half turn and get him to attack the goal, or building a platform for outside shots from Fergal Boland.

I might be like a broken record mentioning this but that is hugely important against Galway.

The second thing you look at when you arrange the line-up and the match-ups you have to have a clear plan in place. If you have Stephen Coen picking someone up in the half-forward line and yet he finds himself playing corner-back for a while, that’s not a match-up you want to have. So you have to guard yourself against that and have a clear plan in place.

CONROY NEEDED

The Mayo attack will have to be more like they played in the second half against Roscommon as opposed to the way they have performed for much of the league campaign. It's pretty brutal trying to put pressure on Tommy Conroy who showed signs of improving form against Roscommon but the reality is: For his own good humour he needs to build upon that. But also the team needs him to do that. You can see how much more of a dangerous team they are, when he is operating at that level. It gives a little bit more space to Ryan O’Donoghue, Conor Loftus or Fergal Boland for example. Tommy has the ability to take defenders on and not many forwards have his God-given talent.

Mayo will also need impact from the bench, with players coming in ready to score. If Mayo get the chance to counterattack, they should go as quickly as they can, push three or four up the field. If they can play the ball into a one-on-one situation, they should go for it.

Galway have shown in recent times when they get numbers back they can frustrate teams and Mayo haven’t been good attacking in these situations, so they must be swift and deadly when the chances arise.