Time for Mayo to take ownership of their own destiny

Hook in the West
George Hook

WHETHER or not you believe in curses, the underlying history of Mayo football over the last 65 years reads like something out of Roald Dahl’s ‘Tales of the Unexpected’. Even the most hard-line conservatives might admit to being flummoxed and befuddled at a quest for glory that has consistently fallen short since Mayo’s last All-Ireland success in 1951. The story is only further entrenched in folklore when one analyses the talent and skill that has been available to Mayo in the intervening years since that last victory.
Is there really any truth behind the Foxford story and an enraged priest condemning a county to decades of misery and failure over the bypassing of appropriate etiquette at a funeral? Perhaps there is. There certainly seem to be enough subscribers to the ‘curse theory’ as to give it sufficient standing in the Mayo excuse book.
But, on closer examination and allowing for even the most superstitious among us, it is difficult to conclude anything but that the curse of 1951 has been used by some as a crutch of convenience to excuse Mayo’s shortcomings for a litany of high profile failures in the intervening decades. Few in the county actually give the story any credence.
For me, the idea of a county affiliating itself to a curse as an excuse for its shortcomings is as perplexing as it is ridiculous. I am not suggesting for one second that any of the players, or managers, over the years have proffered Mayo’s failure to lift Sam on the mysterious workings of an old wives tale, but it says something to me that the curse is still referenced among supporters, even with as a passing association. I have personally had it recounted to me on a couple of visits to Westport and Louisburgh over the years.
Where sport is concerned, rugby has always been my first passion, but it would have been almost impossible to grow up in Cork city without developing a keen interest in the wonderful world of Gaelic games.
It always fascinated me that Cork hurling fans could be so ebullient and brash at the beginning of each season. It was as if the rebel army were so absorbed in the merits of their own team, that the relative strengths or weaknesses of the opposition didn’t come into it. Where Ireland rugby fans threaded water and tempered optimism as a matter of course, Cork hurling supporters would not countenance even the prospect of failure at any juncture. It was a winning mindset, that permeated the entire county.

Game on
In a few days time, Mayo have another glorious opportunity to banish the memory of 1951 and consign the infamous curse to the folly of foolish folklore. Dublin, Mayo’s perennial bogeymen, stand in the way of a famous victory, but after a tumultuous few months, where the former management team was cast aside in a player-led revolution, it is vital that Mayo grab this game by the scruff of the neck and make this year their own.
Much has been said and written about the current Dublin team. Certainly, as far as talent and dedication goes, Jim Gavin’s side are as good as any that has ever graced the hallowed turf at GAA headquarters. The realisation of back-to-back All-Ireland titles would mark them down as one of the greatest in GAA history.
But what of the Mayo squad? Nobody will convince me that this group of players does not have what it takes to beat Dublin. As far as talent and skill goes, Mayo, to a man, have everything that Dublin possess.    
Lee Keegan, Keith Higgins, Cillian O’Connor and Aiden O’Shea would walk onto any county team in the country and the timely form of Andy Moran, in the twilight years of a remarkable career, provides a wonderful balance to the exuberance of Mayo’s younger talent.
It comes down to how much Mayo believe in themselves. One can forgive a one-off power surge against former managers if the end result comes to fruition. And should Stephen Rochford guide Mayo to All-Ireland glory this month, the players will feel vindicated in their actions.

Within reach
But it is important that each individual assumes ownership of this final in Croke Park next week and takes complete responsibility for the end result. Nothing Rochford will do on the sideline can play the game on the pitch. It is the players that will decide the destination of Sam and it is the players that must accept responsibility for their primary role in determining their destiny.
Champions are made from determination, desire and a collective ability to perform on the day. Kerry proved in their semi-final clash that Dublin are beatable, but the Dubs will fight tooth and nail to get to their hands on Sam Maguire next week. Mayo must do the same.
There will never be a better opportunity for these Mayo players to write their names into GAA history, but the men that will take to the pitch in Croke Park on Sunday week are owed nothing. And nothing in life ever comes without a fight.
This final has the potential to be one of the great games and I hope that Mayo realise their ambitions and silence the doubters with victory. On each of their shoulders, the quest for Sam hangs heavy. It is time, in September 2016, to lighten that load and take ownership of destiny.