'Take more risks or be left behind' - Mayo GAA column ahead of crucial Tyrone fixture

There's rarely nothing quite like an Irish funeral to get a good feel on how the wind is blowing on any topic. The sheer amount of faces you see over the course of a few days is phenomenal.

And, given there’s often a lot of time and silence that needs filling throughout the process, more often than not it quickly starts to shift towards football. The common ground.

Being present at a family funeral last week, this columnist lost count of how many football conversations he had. In terms of small talk, the weather must have felt left out because all anyone wanted to talk about was Mayo football.

READ: 'A tough one to take' - Mayo manager Liam McHale reacts to Tyrone defeat

You just had to mention ‘last weekend’ and the focus shifted, eyes narrowed. That humiliation at the hands of Galway in MacHale Park in Round 2 of the National League cut a deep wound.

It’s not as if optimism in the county was high, mind you. 2024 was a disappointing year; the mass exodus of experienced panel members this season has further dampened spirits. But a 10-point trimming to the neighbours has really given people cause for concern.

Not so much the result, but more the manner. The new rules’ impact on the results paints a picture that really is open to interpretation, but the manner in which Galway physically dominated Mayo is much more concrete.

READ: ‘We need to get better’ - Manager Kevin McStay reacts to Mayo’s ten-point defeat to Galway

Many I spoke to have already admitted that relegation to Division 2 is going to happen. Others feel next Sunday’s clash against Tyrone is our only hope of claiming points. There’s plenty of evidence to make a strong argument for both.

Division 1 is a ruthless space and it’s only going to get tougher from here on in. Tyrone and Kerry are the next two fixtures, both in MacHale Park; while a trip to Derry is followed by the traditional-like feel to an end of league clash against Donegal.

To say Mayo won’t win a single game of those is more probable than unlikely at this juncture. However, the National League always throws up unlikely results and it’s far from over.

GLASS OF HALF FULL

To look through the prism of a glass half full, albeit just over the mark, these two weeks before the Tyrone match may do Mayo good.

It’s highly likely Aidan O’Shea and Jordan Flynn will play a major part. While Jack Carney, Jack Coyne and Eoghan McLaughlin’s eventual integration will give Mayo a completely different look. Mayo are absolutely crying out for a physical edge and these men will help in that department.

It remains to be seen the full extent of the injury picked up by Diarmuid O’Connor last time out. If it means more time on the sideline for the Ballintubber man, it’s another terrible stroke of luck given his awful run of injuries.

He was in Balla Community Centre last weekend presenting our young players with their end of year awards so hopefully that’s a sign it’s not as serious as how it looked.

And we haven’t even mentioned Tommy Conroy yet. A man with bags of talent but has been struggling to get off the physio table in the last couple of years to show it. In an ideal world, and with all those names on the teamsheet, you can feel much more optimistic about Mayo’s chances going forward.

GLASS OF HALF EMPTY

With all that said, you can have the best and most expensive tools in the world, but if you’re not using them correctly, their potential is wasted. Mayo’s game plan right now just isn’t working. Slow build up, working it into channels and a reluctance to play a more dynamic kicking game is not new-rule friendly.

It wasn’t old-rule friendly either. Not to mention the lack of impact we’re getting from our half back line – who for some strange reason insist on making runs ahead of the ball and into the opposite box instead of holding back, breaking lines off the shoulder and being the deep running option. The pieces on the board really need adjusting.

David McBrien is the best full back in the county and in the top three full backs in the country. If he continues to play out of position it will be to Mayo’s detriment.

The return of Coyne should allow Enda Hession move in the half back line too. Hession has had a couple of strong performances so far and Mayo really need it to continue.

The Garrymore man is a natural wing back and could offer Kevin McStay a lot of impetus there. With McLaughlin positioned the other side, and Sam Callinan moving into his natural centre back position, you have a really complete modern day half back line.

There’s an argument to be said that we just didn’t have the kickers around the middle-eight in the first two games, so Carney and Flynn’s return should help that.

If Mayo can win their share of breaking ball around the middle and deliver high-quality kickpasses into Aidan O’Shea at full forward, they can rack up some serious scores.

That is where games are going to be won and lost over the coming months, and on Sunday too. More and more scoring chances are becoming available from the long kickouts. It’s much easier to isolate men inside and create one on ones if you can gather position and execute the pass within a few seconds.

Each team will get a handful of these opportunities in each half. Whether or not they are willing to take the risk is another.
Mayo need to start taking more of them or else it could be another funeral this weekend.

READ: 'A day of deep dissatisfaction for Mayo' - Anne Marie Flynn column