Game with cork is an opportunity to get things back on track

You win some, you lose some. Yes, losing is an inevitable reality in any sport. Irrespective of the talent you have, the preparation you have undertaken or your imagined sense of invincibility, sooner or later the guillotine will fall, writes Martin Carney.

The challenge is always there to keep that day of reckoning at a respectable distance. Performing to a standard where victory is, more often than not, a likely outcome is what every participant craves. Donning the winner’s mantle is what matters.

Underperforming and underachieving are unwelcome imposters. On the back of any defeat, navigating the next performance assumes greater importance.

This word performance, or dare I say, the absence of it, is what most people struggled to come to terms with after the Dublin defeat. Being beaten is always a possibility but Mayo’s failure to perform with their customary elan is what mystified the huge home following.

Where was the focus, energy and organisation that normally defines this group? The old business maxim that past performances are no guarantee of future, or indeed, present success can apply to all aspects of life and equally to the Mayo squad.

The joy and feel good factor generated by the senior team’s exploits over the past three seasons will quickly dissipate were we to witness a repeat showing of the Dublin debacle.

Sunday’s game with table toppers Cork provides the team with a stern challenge but equally an opportunity to steady the ship. To many people’s surprise, Cork have ploughed an impressive furrow through this year’s league. Rumours of Rebel unrest were rife at year’s turn. The decision of their talisman, Aidan Walsh, to devote his time exclusively to hurling was interpreted by many as an ominous sign for the big ball code in the county and appeared to confirm the suspicions that all was not well.

To their eternal credit, Cork made little of his absence and quality performances have been a common feature of their fixtures to date. A narrow defeat to Donegal was their only blemish but the high points of their opening day’s win over Dublin and their demolition of Kerry in round four will obscure any residual memory of defeat in Ballyshannon.

Bearding the lion in its own den represents a glorious opportunity for Mayo to reclaim lost ground and restore whatever levels of confidence might have been lost in the Dublin defeat. Training in the interim, I can safely say, has had an edge and purpose that gives reason for optimism. Irrespective of the result, what every Mayo supporter will hope for is a full-on committed performance that does justice to all. A robust response served with a cocktail of good organisation, tactical maturity and efficiency in the forward line will, I expect, feature prominently.

Improving the transfer of ball to the scoring areas is a particular aspect of play that requires attention. Recognising when to dispatch the delivery accurately to a target man of choice is important but this need should not deter half backs from carrying deep into the Cork defence whenever a suitable opportunity presents itself.

In their seven meetings over the last four years Mayo have been victorious on five occasions. The privileged few chosen to don the colours on Sunday will strain every sinew in order to win. Two points would copper fasten Division 1 status for next year and more than likely qualify the team for the league semi-final. Some may see this as ‘Atonement Sunday’. I see it simply as an opportunity, once again, for the lads to play to their full potential.