National silverware to be savoured for Mayo

UP WITH THE CUP Mayo captain Paddy Durcan lifts the cup after his sides victory over Galway in the Allianz Football League Division One Final at Croke Park on Sunday last. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Quick turnaround for big Easter Sunday showdown in Castlebar


IT certainly wasn’t a game for the ages but all of the Mayo squad and management won’t be paying too much heed to that this week as they reflect on their great achievement of winning the National Football League Division One crown.
It is rather unfortunate that the ridiculous scheduling from the GAA means that the players themselves won’t get a real opportunity to celebrate with family and friends as all their attention will not be firmly focused on next Sunday afternoon and a big championship clash with Roscommon in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park.
There has been a school of thought that Mayo or Galway weren’t really that interested in claiming an NFL title but both sides put in a huge effort on Sunday in what was a real war of attrition.
However, both teams were slightly below full strength and if Mayo do get over Roscommon on Sunday, we can certainly expect another rousing battle in Galway on Sunday, April 23.
It is easy to forget that back at the start of the year, Kevin McStay and his management received two hammer blows with the retirement of Lee Keegan and the departure of Oisín Mullin to Australia.
But McStay seems determined to make his camp a happy camp and he has certainly brought a feel good factor to all things Mayo football since his appointment.
The new players who have been added to the squad this season have really hit the ground running, and goalkeeper Colm Reape put in an outstanding 70 minutes on Sunday, deservedly winning the Man of the Match award.
The performances too of corner backs Jack Coyne and Sam Callinan were top notch and once again Ryan O’Donoghue showed he is one of the best forwards in the country, kicking half of his side’s total.

Improvement
The good news for Mayo is that there is plenty of improvement available from the likes of Diarmuid O’Connor, Jack Carney and Jordan Flynn and if the injured pair of Cillian O’Connor and Enda Hession can get themselves fit for next Sunday, then it won’t be an easy task to pick a starting fifteen.
That said, it is abundantly clear that a very strong bench is now a prerequisite for any of the teams who consider themselves All-Ireland contenders and Mayo now clearly do have a strength in depth which they have been missing in recent seasons.
It must be remembered that this is only Mayo’s third league title in 23 years and they are now clear third favourites to claim Sam Maguire this season.
Both Kerry and Dublin do have chinks in their armour and while there again will be huge competition between the northern teams, none of them at present look capable of winning the title.
So it could well be the case that come the business end of the championship in late June, Mayo and Galway will still be standing and pitching to win this year’s title.

Change in format
This year’s format is hard to get your head around and some Mayo fans have even suggested that losing to Roscommon would not be a bad thing, as it would give Mayo a six-week break before they will be playing in the new round robin format.
But one suspects that there is no way Kevin McStay is even considering that scenario and that he and his management will want to enter that stage of the competition as Connacht champions, which will mean have to beat Roscommon, then Galway, and then probably Sligo or Leitrim in a Connacht Final.
All that will lead to a very busy few weeks coming up, but in truth, Mayo GAA fans wouldn’t want it any other way.