Mayo are now at the Tipp-ing point
TYNAN'S TAKE: COLUMN BY STUART TYNAN
FOR all the unpredictability of 2020, there still have been some refreshingly predictable things happening.
Outgoing US President Donald Trump continues to embarrass himself, the Irish government continues to anger us all, and Mayo are in an All-Ireland semi-final.
It’s Mayo ninth semi-final in 10 seasons which, if you remove Dublin’s unprecedented success from the equation, is quite remarkable.
History is also seemingly repeating itself. When James Horan took over for his first stint in the hotseat a decade ago, a new generation of Mayo players were coming through ready to challenge for top honours. Now in his second spell as boss, he is introducing the next batch of players hoping to end a 69-year wait for Sam to cross the border.
Then, the likes of Cillian O’Connor, Robert Hennelly, Kevin McLoughlin, Jason Doherty and Aidan O’Shea were at the start of what has been an incredible journey. Now, players such as Oisín Mullin, Eoghan McLaughlin, Ryan O’Donoghue, Tommy Conroy and Mark Moran are hoping to walk that exact same path, seeking to bring that elusive prize back west.
Mayo’s opponents this Sunday, Tipperary, are quite familiar also. It was as recently as 2016 when they last met at this stage, and it was quite an even contest for long periods before a late Conor O’Shea goal eased any Mayo nerves.
That said, if you said at the start of the year that Tipperary would be in an All-Ireland semi-final, you would be forgiven for thinking it would be in relation to the small ball. Since 2016, the Tipp footballers haven’t really kicked on and many were thinking they would be simply making up in the numbers as Kerry strolled to another Munster title.
But Cork stopped any notions of that, and Tipp themselves produced a brilliant performance to deny the Rebels in the Munster final and win their first provincial title since 1935. Just staggering – and even more so considering that the four provincial winners are the same as the four provincial winners a century ago, as was confirmed on the weekend of the Bloody Sunday centenary.
Mayo should not be taking this game for granted. Considering how dramatic this GAA championship has been so far, there should be no element of complacency creeping into this group of players or among Mayo supporters. If anyone believes all Mayo must do to beat Tipperary is show up, they could be in for a rude awakening.
But are Mayo going into the game as favourites? I believe so. Mayo always seem to reach another level when they arrive at HQ. If they reach the heights they did against the likes of Galway in the league or Roscommon in the Connaught semi-final, only 70 minutes would then separate Mayo from the richest prize in Gaelic football. The best Christmas present you could ever ask for!
*You can read Stuart's full column every Tuesday in our print edition.