MARTIN CARNEY: Roll on the Mayo semi-finals!
WITH every intention of taking in all of the quarterfinals last weekend, I set off for Ballinrobe on Saturday confident that I had given myself ample time to spectate at what I expected to be a rip- roaring game.
Garrymore had more than impressed in their group clashes and even without Eoghan McLaughlin, Westport were many people’s favourites to comfortably prevail.
God help my innocence! By the time I had come within a few miles of the town the traffic had ground to a halt so all that I could do in the circumstances was execute a U-turn, head for home and rely on the services of Mayo GAA TV for the action.
I wasn’t disappointed. Westport – primarily due to the accuracy of Oisin McLaughlin and Conal Dawson, who each contributed four points – did enough to remain in front at the final whistle by two points.
Supported admirably by Paul Lambert at the back and a marauding Lee Keegan in the middle, the attacking duo showed admirable composure in stroking over some fine scores from distance. How they got so much room at times will remain high in Garrymore’s post-match analysis but it would do a disservice to the pair by not commending their ability to create the necessary space with intelligent movement.
It was one of those games that Westport did about enough in but there is no escaping the fact that the south Mayo boys let two glorious goal-scoring opportunities go a-begging.
Enda Hession, in the opening period, failed to extract the maximum from a one-on-one with the Westport goalie.
Early in the second period, when just two points in arrears, Garrymore once more contrived to miss a chance after an opening had been carved by some excellent running from deep.
Sloppy passing and unnecessary surrendering of hard won possession consistently betrayed them at vital stages. On balance, Westport did just enough.
Whether or not their games carry the necessary ingredients for ultimate success remains to be seen. Incurring two red cards didn’t help their cause but on this evidence much improvement is needed.
SAFE OPTION
Predicting a Ballina win in their tie with Claremorris seemed a safe option but truthfully I didn’t anticipate their final winning margin. The 18-point demolition that ensued confirmed the Moysider’s current state of health and probably pushed them into the favourites slot for the county title.
Not that they will want that tag but on the day they were irresistible. A brace of goals from Evan Regan coupled to strikes from Frank Irwin and Dylan Thornton made the difference against a team who were well in arrears even when they were reduced to 14 men just before the break. Blessed with energy, guile and a sense of mission, they nonetheless will be wary of a rejuvenated Ballintubber who they face in the semi-final.
Little was expected from Ballintubber in their clash with Breaffy. Word on the street suggested they were over the top, struggling for form and were likely to be without the services of Cillian O’Connor. All of these predictions fell flat when a purposeful display laced with some excellent defending and opportunistic finishing put paid to a Breaffy challenge that on the day never caught fire.
Cillian showed up all right, put in a man of the match performance and orchestrated some excellent forward play from hard won possession. The timing and nature of Ballintubber’s opening goal in the second quarter had the effect of galvanising their belief while at the same time it sucked much of the air out of the Breaffy challenge which, until then, had been about average. A hit-and-hope aerial scud into the Breaffy parallelogram wasn’t dealt with and Cillian, with trademark opportunism, finished the unclaimed ball to the net.
Up to that point, Breaffy – to no avail – had made every effort to get Aidan O’Shea on the end of long deliveries. Due to a mix of poorly directed and over-hit kicks and at times over-zealous man-marking, the big man never made his hoped-for contribution. Outside him, Matthew Ruane also found it hard to make inroads and it was newcomer Davitt Neary who mainly kept the scoreboard ticking.
Playing into the wind in the second period, Breaffy improved somewhat. Their cause should have been bolstered further when Ballintubber’s influential midfielder Jason Gibbons saw red nine minutes into the half. As points were traded and with rarely more than one separating them, it was ‘Tubber who struck for their second goal in the 23rd minute. Once more Cillian played a part in the build-up and it was left to Ciaran Gavin to apply the final touch with a searing shot. From there to the finish Breaffy, try hard as they did, lacked the composure and accuracy to wrest the initiative from Ballintubber.
Unyielding, contrary and solid in defence, Ballintubber will derive huge confidence from the result and from the manner in which it was achieved. The spectre of injuries and a possible suspension for Jason Gibbons may cause a distraction but one thing’s for sure, they will relish a crack at Ballina in the semi-final.
Such was Castlebar’s dominance against Knockmore in the other quarterfinal that the only thing that surprises me is that they only prevailed by a single point in the end. Why this was the case is hard to fathom. Dominant in most areas of the pitch, trusting a coherent game plan that got quality ball into the in-form Ethan Gibbons and sharper in most aspects of play, they still struggled to shake themselves free from Knockmore.
The reigning champions, though well short of the fluent style and menace of the last two years, hung in there to the last, to their credit. Facing the wind and a three-point half-time deficit, I held out little hope for them. David McHale’s early score after the change of ends sparked a response but never enough followed to bridge the narrow gap between them. Anthony O’Boyle’s 22nd minute point was the sole one Mitchels registered over the final 20 minutes.
This recurring trend will need addressing but as Big Barry knows better than anyone, winning is all that matters from here on; performances don’t carry bonus marks. Roll on the semi-finals!