Anne Marie Flynn: A day of deep dissatisfaction for Mayo

IF David Gough was “horrified” during the week at having to referee the first weekend of the National Football League without a rule book, the Mayo management must be doubly furious after being without one for the second weekend, because surely their copy went missing in the post. When other teams have already learned to exploit them, what other explanation could there possibly be for our repeated infringement of these new rules, which cost us points on (yet) a(nother) day when scores were hard come by? 

And when the most amateur of armchair analysts could have predicted that Galway would make hay with two-pointers with the wind, why did this most likely and probable of developments appear to take both the Mayo team and management by surprise? 

Writing this column in anger is probably not advisable, but it reflects the reaction in the stands throughout the game. When you’ve just been at the receiving end of one of the most undignified, humiliating whippings at the hands of our neighbours in over four decades, and your team has looked for all the world like Pat Gilroy’s startled earwigs, it’s hard to keep emotions and annoyance in check. Even factoring logic into the equation – we’ve been here before, after all - it’s a fairly natural and understandable reaction. Spare us the “only the league” and “only early days” protests – as we well know, and were reminded at the final whistle, it has never been, nor will it ever be “only” anything against Galway. Despite the gloriously welcome sunny day and the large crowd, it was a day of deep dissatisfaction for Mayo supporters.

RISKY STRATEGY

The icing on the cake was hearing our manager admit after the game his lack of comprehension of the 3v3 rule. “Our understanding” he said, “was that if you wandered above the midpoint line, that you’d just be asked to come back … the sanction is draconian.” Draconian, yes. Open to interpretation, no! It appears the Mayo management have formed a long and disinterested view on the new rules and are taking a chance on them not being around for too long. A risky strategy, indeed, particularly on Sunday, when our failure to prepare for these adaptations was clearly so laissez-faire as to result in literally gifting the opposition free scores. Galling.  

The more optimistic among us will point to the fact that it is early in the year, we are still missing key players and that it takes time to adapt. But those of us with eyes in our heads can’t ignore the red flags. The lack of intensity and physicality. The shaky, slow-to-react defence – not helped by at least two, if not three in the back six playing out of position. Indeed, our defensive frailties have been evident for a long time now. Our painfully laboured build-up. Our shot-shyness. Kicking regular points is a useful skill, should one wish to win the occasional game – but it was conspicuous again by its absence. Let alone our ability to kick two-pointers, which feels like a notion from the realm of fantasy. Not so for Shane Walsh or Cillian Ó Curraoin, who finished their day with an impressive 0-10 each to their names, including several two-pointers. The contrast between the two sides could not have been greater. 

To cap it all off, the news filtered though after full time that Diarmuid O’Connor had been hospitalised following a shamefully late hard hit in the second half, which went completely unpunished and barely acknowledged. Clearly injured, the decision by the sideline to let him play on was also questionable. And most worrying of all was the clear absence of any kind of response from his teammates. Where is the outrage, the aggression, the siege mentality?

TIRED OF IT

It is too early and it would be unfairly reactionary to write the epitaph of the current team or management at this point, and contrary to wild suggestions online, the latter will at least see out the season. But few will make allowances this year should Mayo fall through the trapdoor, an outcome that is already looking more probably than possible. Being relegated in itself would be tolerable, but championship is only around the corner, and Sunday offered a frightening glimpse of the fate which may await us down the line. Sligo will be quietly licking their lips.

The lack of intensity in the ground was also notable. From the second that Shane Walsh kicked his first two-pointer, eleven seconds into the second half, Mayo hopes evaporated through the roof. The problem is this: Mayo supporters have spent too long trying to deal with not being good enough, and we are tired of it. It is doubly hard to swallow this when for so long, we were oh-so-nearly good enough, but not-quite-good-enough. Being within touching distance in the last decade kept us hanging on. Post 2021, it is hard to summon up enthusiasm for being nowhere-near-good-enough on cold February days. Spoiled and entitled we may be, relative to Mayo fans pre-1989, but days like Sunday feel too familiar. To paraphrase that well-known Mayo fan Taylor Swift, “We’ve seen this film before, and we didn’t like the ending”. We know how to take our beatings. We are just fed up of doing exactly that, and it is even harder to swallow when we are not controlling the controllables. 

There were, of course, positives. The great showing from several of our newer players offers some cause for cautious optimism. Will there be a positive reaction in two weeks’ time? Don’t rule it out. 

But for now, the only saving grace from Sunday, aside from the warmth of the spring sunshine, was the first post-game visit of 2025 to Mick Byrne’s after the game, where the host offered his usual warm welcome along with two of the finest mugs of tea and a stack of HobNobs. You just have to take your comforts wherever you can find them on days like these.