This will be a GAA season like none we’ve experienced before

by Martin Carney

IT may seem like an eternity but at last on Saturday afternoon the long-awaited resumption of Gaelic football begins with the visit of Down to Mayo for the opening round of the National League.

A mere five-month hiatus is all there has been since our last outing against Dublin in the All-Ireland final but due to the combined negative effects of deep winter and lockdown, in all honesty it feels likes a lifetime since we last engaged with the sport.

Unfortunately, the health restrictions will prohibit spectator attendances so the empty stadia scenario is what will once again provide the backdrop for games until mid-summer at least.

Okay, maybe I’m being unduly optimistic with that prediction, but let’s keep fingers crossed!

An opportunity of following the fortunes of the team remains, either by watching the games on television or listening to them on radio.

This will be a season like none we have experienced before.

A three-game regular league season prefacing playoff games to decide promotion or relegation followed by a championship based on a provincial knock out format is what will unfold.

A semi-final contest awaits the Connaught champions against our Leinster counterparts.

By that stage, issues of selection, form and appetite will have bedded in but as it’s so far into the future, assessing our prospects of clearing the penultimate hurdle can wait until later. In the short term, the challenge of hitting the ground running in National League fixtures is all that matters.

Winning the opening game is important.

Getting on the front foot from the off will have the effect of teeing up the team and providing it with that sense of assurance that breeds confidence.

STRANGE

What will seem strange for the players this year are the range of opponents they are scheduled to face.

Down, Meath and Westmeath, though not entirely strangers, have been absent from our radar for some time.

In relation specifically to Down, securing a seven-point victory in the 2016 league fixture and backing this up with an easy win in the 2019 qualifiers should arm the team with confidence.

Certainly, on the basis of recent results, Mayo should not have any fear facing into the fixture.

Indeed, since that last league game in 2016, the Mourne men have spent all of their time ‘yo-yoing’ between the second and third divisions of the league.

Nonetheless, with a new season dawning we can be sure that they will be determined to arrest their recent slide and reclaim their place among the elite.

In Mayo’s case, getting relegated to Division 2 isn’t the end of the world and should be something that is of a temporary nature.

With quite a clutch of new faces, not competing against the best can act as an advantage and allow the players mature free from the pressures that often accompany games with the Dublins and Kerrys of this world.

The incentive of reclaiming a place in Division 1 is a realistic target and I expect Mayo will take the first step in this direction on Saturday.

Preparation has been condensed and intense.

The recent bank holiday weekend made huge demands on all involved and challenge games for all panellists against Donegal over the last few days gave players an opportunity to impress management and stake their claims for places on the starting line-up.

The necessary and brave selection decisions made last year have left James Horan with a much clearer idea of who he needs and where he intends playing them.

For openers, I’d expect Robbie Hennelly to start in goals.

Retained for much of the league last year, he made way for David Clarke in the championship.

With the Ballina man retired, Hennelly now has the position his own and perhaps can approach games with less pressure on his shoulders.

I’d imagine Oisin Mullin, Eoghan McLaughlin, Lee Keegan, Stephen Coen and Patrick Durcan will start in various defensive positions but guessing who will complete the unit is difficult.

Rory Brickenden, Michael Plunkett and Padraig O’Hora found favour in championship 2020, while on the occasions I’ve seen him James McCormack has impressed me.

Add Colm Boyle and Brendan Harrison to the mix and we see that there is a rich core group to select from.

One way or the other, all will get ample opportunity to audition. With the strong possibility of five games over a six-week period prior to the commencement of the championship, a big demand will be made from a wide selection.

Spoilt

It’s only in their absence that we will begin to realise how spoilt we were for choice for midfielders.

The O’Shea brothers/Parsons/Vaughan axis stood the county in good stead for the best part of a decade but now that they are unavailable, there is a crying need for a new, durable and dynamic partnership to announce itself.

The talented pairing of Conor Loftus and Matty Ruane have had their moments and caught the eye but just now, a consistent, hard-working and creative presence was never as badly needed.

The challenge to provide this mix is what faces Ruane and Loftus. On the occasions he has played there, Diarmuid O’Connor has shone but can the attack afford his loss to a position further afield?

From the word go I’d expect Cillian O’Connor, Kevin McLoughlin and Tommy Conroy will start up front.

In a sector of the field where a team can never have enough talent at its disposal, Ryan O’Donoghue should get the nod in the half-forward line.

Guessing who completes the sextet is not an easy matter and, reflecting on the possibilities, it’s where things get interesting.

The Westport pairing of Fionn McDonagh and Mark Moran are talented while others like Jordan Flynn, Darren Coen, James Carr, Conor O’Shea, James Durcan and Paul Towey would welcome the opportunity to claim a place.

I am unsure as to Jason Doherty’s state of fitness but have no doubt that if he’s fit, he’d love a crack at reclaiming a position in the forward line.

The Down team from last season wasn’t prolific up front but equally conceded little at the back.

A total of three goals was their lot from six league games (they secured a walkover against Leitrim).

In their two championship outings they beat Fermanagh before losing to Cavan, conceding one goal in total.

A Paddy Tally-coached team will lack nothing in aggression or suffocating defensive tactics.

Yet Mayo are a more experienced outfit, one well capable of remaining patient, staying vigilant at the back and building a winning score.

Though the long lay-off has added an element of intrigue and uncertainty to the game, Mayo will still do enough to secure the points.