Crunching the numbers: The figures behind Mayo's National League season

TWO-POINTERS

THE avalanche of two-pointers this season was a massive contrast to the amount kicked in the 2025 campaign. Of course, the skill was a new departure last season and is much more nuanced now, but the numbers are stark.

In the 2025 National League, Mayo recorded a total of ten two-pointers, an average of 1.25 per match.

Of those, Ryan O’Donogue accounted for 70 per cent of that total (four from play, and three frees).

The remaining orange flags were raised in the first three games (Fergal Boland v Dublin, Paul Towey v Galway, and Jordan Flynn v Tyrone).

What’s more, it would be some eight games before we saw someone other than the Belmullet man score another from outside the arc (Matthew Ruane in the Connacht Championship final).

The uptake in long-distance shooting since Andy Moran has taken over is astounding. Mayo’s return has been a 160 per cent increase to 26 two-pointers, with eight of those coming from a placed ball.

Incredibly, only one side in the country (Clare with 27) raised more orange flags than the Green and Red. 

Last year, Mayo only scored eleven, leaving them ranked as the tenth-lowest side in this regard.

LONG-RANGE KICKERS 

Rob Hennelly was the first to arc over from downtown in 2026 during a Salthill Sunday, and he alone has accounted for more two-pointers (four) than any Mayo player other than Ryan O’Donoghue in the 2025 League.

That's a trend that bears fruit not just with the Raheny net-minder, but across the board.

Mayo’s two-pointers outside of Ryan O’Donoghue have increased almost six-fold in twelve months, a statistic which is even more incredulous when one factors in the fact Mayo had an extra game in 2025.

Only three players accounted for Mayo’s non-RO'D two-pointers in 2025, while the 14 non-O’Donoghue orange flags were spread across ten different players this season - Rob Hennelly 4, Jack Carney 3, Jordan Flynn 3, Fergal Boland 3, David McBrien 1, Darragh Beirne 1, Cian McHale 1, Conor Loftus 1, Kobe McDonald 1, Cillian O’Connor 1.

MOST TWO-POINTERS:

1: Ryan O’Donoghue: 7 (3tpf)

2: Rob Hennelly: 4 (4tpf)

3: Jack Carney: 3

3: Jordan Flynn: 3

3: Fergal Boland: 3