Kingdom punish our weaknesses Kevin McStay It was a very dark weekend for Connacht GAA with not a single county escaping the pain. Sligo and Leitrim lost their face-offs with relegation to Division 4 and so face a summer of Tommy Murphy Cup football unless they can dislodge Mayo or Galway and sneak a provincial final place.
Roscommon had their relegation to Division 3 confirmed and though they announced another interim manager, they surely face a difficult championship. Galway lost the NHL final to Tipp’ and to put the tin hat on matters, Mayo fell to Kerry in the All Ireland under-21 semi-final. Not much love to be found among those results I am afraid…
These are strange football times because, despite the results of the senior teams in the province, one can argue it is a golden age at minor and under-21 level. Galway and Roscommon have already won All-Ireland minor titles in the ‘noughties’ and Mayo contested a final.
Galway with two titles (2002 and 2005) and Mayo with a single (2006) are leading the way at under 21 level in modern times. Indeed, Mayo lost in two finals also (2001 v Tyrone and 2004 v Armagh) at this level. So, the conveyor belt is moving along nicely and well-coached young players are emerging.
In Mayo we have a pretty good grip at provincial level on the under-21 grade this decade. We have featured in every one of the nine finals to date, winning a pretty impressive six of them. Our latest victory over Roscommon heralded a big, skilful and hard-working, honest team — what you would expect from a side looked after by Pat Holmes, Noel Connelly and Micheal Collins.
In fact that win sealed a three-in-a-row in Connacht for the Mayo men; fair togging in any man’s language by a management team that is very well respected in the county.
But last Saturday was disappointing and not just because we failed to get our best team to line out (see piece below). Mayo only started to play when the game was lost. This can happen teams but I did not expect it to be a feature of this side. Despite playing with a gale we trailed Kerry by four points at half-time and the game was pretty much busted at that stage.
When Kerry extended that lead to six points early in the second half it looked like a hammering was on the cards. And, from a beaten position, Mayo decided to play. Powered on by Parsons and O’Shea, and the excellent Tom Cunniffe, Mayo got themselves back into the game and actually led as the final minutes approached.
The equalising free by Kerry was as a result of a very poor call by the referee when he failed to spot a foul on the emerging Mayo defender. It was to prove crucial and Kerry eased home. The Kingdom were the better team but that does not mean Mayo needed to sit back and admire them, which is what happened for much of the match.
When we played we frightened the life out of this rated Kerry team. As mentioned, Parsons, O’Shea and Cunniffe worked fierce hard to turn matters around and Ger Cafferkey was tremendous for all the game. But outside of Sweeney and O’Connor up front, we did not have enough scoring power and that is where games are often won and lost.
All in all, the day ended up a disappointment and Mayo travelled home, once again, pondering the wouldas, couldas and shouldas.
Wrong choices cost U-21 squad dearly OVER the years this column has touched on a failing Mayo sides have exhibited when they play major matches and it is this: the inability of those in charge to get their best team out on the pitch. It is not always the fault of those picking the team; many players rule themselves out due to lack of interest, lifestyle choices or lack of self-discipline.
Connacht finals and games in the All-Ireland series are crucial encounters where your team will be found out unless you have the best team possible lining out for the county. And even then, it may not be enough.
Selection committees have only one mission statement when it comes to picking a team: put the best team out on the field. But for many reasons (see above), we nearly always leave home without somebody on board.
In my time it was Ger Geraghty’s non-availability throughout most of the 80s, Martin Carney’s non-selection for the 1989 final when inexperienced young players made the cut and Padraig Brogan’s personal problems that meant he was not part of the scene.
Into the 90s we had the Ciaran McDonald saga ‘Part 1’ and you could throw Kevin O’Neill in there too. In recent years, at senior level at least, we have improved in that area and with John O’Mahony leading the selection process, I expect that will continue.
Last weekend our under-21s set sail for Nenagh and the acid test of facing a Kerry challenge at the penultimate stage. The favourites for the title, Down, were on the other side of the draw so word was this game would be competitive.
But just before throw-in we got a different type of word - one of our leading forwards had failed a fitness test and would not start. Aidan Campbell had played a stormer in the provincial final and so much of our hopes rested with the Swinford man. In an attacking division not noted for big scoring tallies, a player who might contribute from play and from frees is vital.
As half-time approached, and with Mayo in dire trouble, Campbell made his appearance and so that ruled out a lack of fitness. By the end of the half-time break the gossip in the stands was of a serious breach in the disciplinary code and thus the real reason for his exclusion from the start was out.
That this young player put his manager and selectors in such a dilemma in the hours before their biggest game of the year was indeed most unfortunate. I understand the breach of the squad code had its roots in the aftermath of a midweek Sigerson match where Campbell’s team, GMIT, lost their semi-final to Garda College. Join the dots thereafter.
Pat Holmes and his management team made their decision to drop him and, of course, they were correct. Aidan Campbell made a poor lifestyle choice in the build-up to the All-Ireland semi-final and lost his place as a result.
However, those tasked with implementing discipline made a poor choice themselves after 25 minutes of the match when they decided to lift the sanction and allow him come on as a sub’. What message did that send out to the rest of the squad?
It’s too late now for any corrective action. Mayo are out of the championship, a competition they could well have won now that the favourites were dumped out of the race by Kildare in the other semi. But the regrettable conclusion, from a Mayo perspective, is of a game that got away, the critical absence (his own fault) of a key player and a poor decision by an otherwise excellent management group.
