MARTIN CARNEY: Let the real Mayo stand up to the significant Galway test
UNQUESTIONABLY the April 24 championship meeting with Galway has been the fixture preoccupying the mind of every Mayo follower for months now.
It is one of those rivalries in Gaelic sport that carries its own particular appeal and where reputations either flourish or flounder, bragging rights are established and fans get a sniff of their team’s potential for the season.
Yes, beating Galway is always sweet and can be the dawn of something bigger.
With Mayo’s reputation high in the footballing firmament over the past decade and Galway struggling to reclaim past glories (the county has only reached one All-Ireland semi-final since 2001), both teams have much to play for.
Obviously Mayo still have unfinished business. It may be the case that defeat this year won’t mean automatic elimination from the championship, as was the case over the last two years, but nonetheless whoever goes under on Sunday will have a huge job resurrecting their season in the qualifiers. In a season where a late July date is pencilled in for the All-Ireland final and backdoor fixtures will involve only Division 1 and 2 teams exclusively, any setback will have a difficult recovery path.
A combination of the recent defeat to Kerry in the Division 1 league final, the ever- growing proliferation of injuries and a realisation that those who backboned the team for well nigh on a decade are now in their declining footballing years has sown many doubts.
The nature of the league final drubbing was hard to swallow. A non-performance was something unusual for this group and it remains to be seen what effect it has had on the collective confidence. The injury list has swelled in recent months. The long-term nature of the setbacks sustained by Tommy Conroy and Brendan Harrison has deemed them unfit for selection, but with many others it is touch and go whether or not they will be in the starting stalls.
For example, were Mayo forced to do without the services of the O’Connor brothers alongside the dynamism of the Patrick Durcan, Oisin Mullin and Eoghan McLaughlin, this would leave the team in a perilous position. When added to these is the near certainty that Robbie Hennelly and Jordan Flynn are not sufficiently recovered from injury, we see that the selection may have an unfamiliar look.
As I see it, the likelihood of an inexperienced starting 15 is an ever-growing reality. Brave, innovative and adventurous though he was throughout the league over the last few seasons in affording opportunities to new faces, Mayo manager James Horan has discovered that many of those given game time are simply not yet ready for the rigours of championship football.
DEGREE OF CONFIDENCE
Despite these difficulties then, are Mayo entitled to feel a degree of confidence against their arch-rivals? Is the 2022 version, though somewhat diminished, talented enough to take the spoils on the day?
Our recent records against the Tribesmen would suggest so. In the last three championship meetings Mayo have prevailed, but not without a fight on each occasion. In last year’s Croke Park-staged Connacht final, a stirring second-half performance put Galway to the sword. Despite trailing by five points at half-time, inspirational and timely goals from Matthew Ruane and Ryan O’Donoghue coupled to some excellent defensive play saw Mayo cobble together a six-point winning scoreline.
Winning margins may have been tighter in 2020 and 2019, yet on both occasions Mayo prevailed. The confidence gained from these results is bound to inspire and reaasure.
Our opponents had a very encouraging Division 2 campaign this year, culminating in promotion. Though they may have been disappointed somewhat by their league final result against Roscommon, they nonetheless scored 22 points in the game. Gauging their chances through this prism alone they seem a formidable outfit.
Their goalscoring record alone in the league was impressive – 10 was a healthy return – and in seven of their games they managed to score 14 points or better.
With the formidable Damien Comer leading the line and backed by the instinctive Shane Walsh and Matthew Tierney, they have a core group capable of dismantling any defence. Veteran Paul Conroy is in fine form at the moment; his six points return from play while operating from midfield against the Rossies earmark him as one whose influence must be curtailed.
Who in Mayo squad is fit at the moment to put the handcuffs on these dangermen and who in particular will occupy the central defensive positions?
Lee Keegan and Oisin Mullin may be assigned these roles but where man-marking is concerned, greater protection must be afforded than was the case in the league final. In that game Padraig O’Hora was hopelessly exposed so this time around, hopefully, wing forwards will be given instruction to drop deep.
Successful Mayo teams have built their winning platforms on hard-running, attack-conscious half-back lines. The absence of this flexible and defence-spitting asset has recently had a diminishing effect on the team.
The winning or losing of Sunday’s game will hinge on the availability of Patrick Durcan, Eoghan McLaughlin and Oisin Mullin. Present, all of them can disrupt the cohesion in the Galway attack and support their own front line. Without them, quite simply, Mayo will struggle.
Matthew Ruane has a good record against the Tribesmen from midfield. He’ll start, and I hope his club-mate Aidan O’Shea partners him in the middle with a slightly more defensive role. With a towering presence, tackling technique, ability to win dirty ball and leadership qualities, O’Shea’s presence and form is vital. Aside from their normal duties, the midfield duo must also curtail the Conroy/Sean Kelly threat.
In attack, every player needs to bring his A game to the occasion. Ryan O’Donoghue will need more support and hopefully Cillian O’Connor will provide some, if selected. Jack Carney can bring scoring power to the sector and it will be interesting to see if management risk Michael Plunkett in a wing-forward role.
Defensively Galway are vulnerable and this is where a Mayo attack with goals on the menu can trouble them.
Championship games are about winning. There are no marks for good performances or artistic merit. Given their uncertainties due to the injury crisis, Mayo may be more conservative than usual. Yet provided their display is backed by its trademark energy and purpose, Mayo are more than capable of prevailing.
Let the real Mayo stand up!