Connacht Final talking points

Some talking points


Mike Finnerty

1 The Frees
ALL the Mayo place-kickers have been putting in some extra shifts since that GUBU showing against Galway last month.
Goalkeeper Robert Hennelly will again get the first crack at the 45 metre kicks and the long-range efforts but expect Richie Feeney to get the call if things start to go pear-shaped.
Alan Dillon remains Mayo’s first-choice free-taker from the left wing but things are not so cut-and-dry on the other side. Aidan O’Shea didn’t look comfortable last time out so Kevin McLoughlin could be worth a shot.

2 The Tactics
AFTER abandoning the sweeper system against Galway, it seems that James Horan has decided to revert to a more orthodox plan of action from here on in.
So unless there has been a dramatic u-turn again in recent days, Mayo look set to play with six forwards for most of next Sunday’s game.  Kevin McLoughlin remains the obvious candidate in the half-forward line to drop back into the Mayo half if the need arises.
Horan will also demand that his team work hard, and move the ball as quickly as possible to the sharp-shooters.
Simple as that.

3 The Selection
RUMOUR has it that Barry Moran was moving well in Sunday’s final ‘A’ v ‘B’ game in Castlebar but it seems unlikely that the Mayo management will tamper with a winning team.
The defence looks set in stone, especially after shutting out Galway for most of the second half, and the O’Shea brothers did enough to warrant a second look at midfield ahead of Ronan McGarrity.
The half-forward line has a nice balanced look to it now, while Mark Ronaldson and Enda Varley look to be first near the top of the queue if the full-forward line fails to fire.