WHERE would we be without Aidan O’Shea? Seventeen seasons in, and somehow, he just keeps getting better. He put in 70 minutes on Sunday, but he also put in a solid 60 minutes on the sideline the evening prior, instructing and encouraging his Breaffy teammates to a two-point win in their Mayo SFL Division 1A clash with Ballina at James Stephens Park.

It’s clear that the Breaffy colossus lives and breathes football, and without his leadership on Sunday, Mayo could very well have found themselves in real difficulty against their Division 3 neighbours.

Despite the traffic volumes on the N5, fewer than 10,000 showed up for this game – a dire figure for a local championship derby. But people voted with their feet in response to the Connacht Council’s tone-deaf pricing of €30 a ticket.

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With the terraces behind the goals still inexplicably out of bounds, the silence in the ground was so loud, you could nearly hear the subs on the bench questioning their life choices.  

TEMPERED EXPECTATIONS

AS supporters, there are two ways to look at this game. The first is through a lens of realism and acceptance. This Mayo team is not the golden generation of a decade ago – not even close – and we must temper our expectations accordingly.

With that in mind, Sunday was a success. We needed a win, and we got it. Simple. Job done. Move on. But there are those who still cling to the dream. The romantics. The analysts. The believers. They’re still out there.

And those supporters will pore forensically over the details. They’ll scrutinise the minutiae of every play. They’ll project what they saw on Sunday onto our future prospects, and, inevitably, they’ll worry.

They’ll begin with goalkeeping. Nine games into the season, we’re still struggling. This isn’t just a goalkeeper issue – why does Colm Reape have so few viable long options? But why is he still putting us at risk with short kickouts? And why did he not have a cap for the second half when the sun was shining directly into his eyes?

SERIOUS QUESTIONS

NEXT, they’ll analyse the defence, which once again struggled against a direct running team. At times, Sligo sliced through us like a hot knife through jelly – not even the decency of butter - with serious credit to Cian Lally and Luke Towey, both of whom had excellent games and asked serious questions of our back line.

It’s hard to spin 2-17 conceded against a Division 3 side as anything but concerning. They’ll question why Sam Callinan, a clear talent, continues to be used in a man-marking role that doesn't suit his current form.

They will lament that the days of our half-back line bombing forward and chipping in scores are over, but that not all of them appear to realise it yet and persist in taking up valuable space in the square. 

Midfield will also remain a concern for those seasoned veterans of Sam-less Septembers. Despite the proliferation of midfielders, it’s difficult to identify our go-to, big match ball-winners.

Frank Irwin was dropped on Sunday, but for a man who excels in midfield for his club, why are we playing him at full forward? With so much midfield uncertainty it’s hard to blame Colm Reape for his struggles.

Logically, we need to target breaking ball, and debutant Dylan Thornton looked promising in that area, which makes you wonder why it’s taken until now for him to see game time. (More on that later.) Jordan Flynn was not in the squad on Sunday due to a knock, but will benefit from the break.

FRUSTRATION

ODDLY enough for Mayo, the forward line offered some hope, creating numerous chances, but alas, were nowhere near decisive or clinical enough, over-passing the ball, butchering four goal chances, and failing to raise a single orange flag.

The lack of direct ball into our inside line was frustrating. They will have been grateful to see one of Mayo’s all-time most intelligent players Diarmuid O’Connor get more game time under his belt and will surely be hoping that we eventually see Paddy Durcan and Tommy Conroy back in the fold, preferably before the final. 

At an overall level, our tackling – once the pride of the county – was weak. Unforced errors and sloppy handling persisted. There was more kicking, but not enough. Is our reluctance to kick the ball a coaching decision, or is it down to player capability?

Either way, it is troubling, because under these new rules, teams that thrive and succeed will do so by kicking the ball. The die-hards will also fret over the ongoing lack of a coherent game plan where every match feels different, with no discernible pattern or consistent approach, and will scratch their heads wondering why several players who saw not a second of game time in the league were handed championship debuts. 

Kevin McStay’s post-match comments in this regard were interesting. He explained that the league stakes were so high – rightly prioritising Division 1 survival – that there was little room for experimentation. Understandable, but not a huge vote of confidence in the debutants, who, to be fair, acquitted themselves quite well. 

CRITICAL MONTH

BUT enough of the over-analysis. This was our fourth game in four weeks, against opposition we were always expected to beat. We didn’t need to hit even third gear, and in that heat, energy conservation was smart.

Even when Sligo got it back to a single score, there was never the sense they would force extra time – though if they had, it would’ve been a catastrophe. Sligo deserve respect. They fought hard, and their Mayo contingent on the sideline were fired up.

After an insipid league, they now have a strong platform for a Tailteann Cup tilt. Mayo in the meantime got the job done.
But the next month is critical for McStay and Rochford.

With no clear strategy evident, the dream is that we somehow breeze into a Connacht final after putting Leitrim to the sword, and out of nowhere, unleash hell on our opposition.

It wouldn’t be the first time a Rochford-coached side springs a surprise. Ultimately though, unless something major shifts, this Mayo side is unlikely to go beyond a quarter final.

Therefore, nothing short of a Connacht title will suffice this year. Be it Galway or Roscommon, a “good performance” won’t do, a “moral victory” won’t cut it. It’s the Nestor Cup or nothing.

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