MARTIN CARNEY: National League is taking on huge importance for Mayo football
LAST week’s article dealt in a broad sense with the appointment of the new management team and some of the general short-term issues facing them.
A decision on finalising the outline of the new panel for the Allianz National Football League will involve a gradual process (dependent to a large extent on FBD League form) and anyhow, if memory serves me, panels are always open-ended to accommodate new faces who are starring with underage and college teams in particular.
As for the recent club championships just finished, it is an unfortunate reality that few new names came to our attention. Above all, the great frustration remains that not enough forwards of the required calibre announced themselves during their respective campaigns. At times Mark Moran, Conor McStay and Ethan Gibbons caught the eye but, when and if indeed they are included, the acclimatising period may take a little longer than they realise.
Things like much greater demands on training and travel, getting used to new dietary regulations, forging new friendships and coming to terms with game plans that require a complete re-think are challenging. Many other aspects of their lives on and off the field require adjustment and patience before anything else is tested.
That earlier-mentioned trio showed flashes of brilliance with their respective clubs but the gap spanning promise and deliverance is pretty wide and can often take longer than anticipated to bridge.
Mayo, in the recent past, built their team around a fiercely combative defence, a solid ball-winning middle section and a hard working forward line dependent, in many ways, on the finishing brilliance of Cillian O’Connor.
The Higgins-Boyle-Barrett defensive shield is of yesteryear and now but a memory so vacancies exist for aggressive, combative and creative replacements. To date, injuries and inconsistencies have hampered the development of prospective heirs to their positions. Eoghan McLaughlin, Brendan Harrison and Michael Plunkett have had ill luck as their companions over the last few seasons and all hope that if considered for selection, they can get a long-term injury-free ride.
Patrick Durcan and Padraig O’Hora will resume and maybe Jack Coyne has earned the right for inclusion on the back of excellent displays with Ballyhaunis.
Finding replacements for defenders has never been a major issue but just right now I feel the number of possible aspirants may be below the hoped-for quota while others possibly are yet too young to introduce. Feeding off the underage talent usually produced a handsome bounty but right now, monitoring, encouraging and cherry picking the best has taken on a greater importance
VOLUME OF GAMES
Matthew Ruane showed signs of tiredness last year – understandable given the volume of games played – and his performances fell a little short of the high standards he set in his formative years around the middle. Reclaiming his stature as one of the top midfielders in the country is a challenge he is more than capable of achieving.
Little is known as to the intentions of other central generals like Kevin McLoughlin and Aidan O’Shea in particular, or what plans, if any, Kevin Mc Stay has for the pair. Personally I feel they still have much to give and I’d expect to see them don the colours once again.
Jordan Flynn made excellent progress last year and Diarmuid O’Connor can always slot into the position. Sam Callinan did much in his team’s journey to the county final and Mitchels' Bob Tuohy we will hear a lot from, but an apprenticeship still awaits both. How long that will be is up to them.
Up front is where the fun starts. Finding a solid starting front six with a credible back up probably remains top on McStay’s list of priorities. As a former All-Star forward himself, he will have a keener appreciation than most of the urgency involved here.
Between them, James Horan and Stephen Rochford opened the door for many but not enough made the most of the opportunities afforded. Much faith was invested in new faces like Conor Loftus, Ciaran Tracey, Darren Coen, Fionn McDonagh, James Carr, Ryan O’Donoghue and Tommy Conroy. With the exception of the last two, none of the others ever gave the impression of being first on the team sheet. Even with that, Conroy’s tenure has been hampered with injury and while there is little doubting the ability of the others, the challenge is there to become indispensable regulars. The likes of Jason Doherty, Kevin McLoughlin and the O’Connor brothers cannot go on forever.
And speaking of, it is worthwhile to reflect on the extraordinary service the elder of the Ballintubber brothers has rendered to the cause since he first came on the scene. My research into Cillian’s championship career (open to a slight margin of error) yielded quite staggering results. From championship 2011, around the time he made his debut as a 19-year-old, until the present day, Mayo competed in 73 games. From those Cillian was absent on nine occasions: once in 2013, three times in 2019 and for all five championship games in the 2021 championship, when the dreaded Achilles injury sustained in a National League game with Clare caused his absence for the entire season.
On only one occasion in all that time did Cillian fail to score – against London in the 2016 preliminary Connacht championship game! His total of 31 goals and 352 points is phenomenal; this represents 30% of all Mayo scores registered in that time. I have no doubt that he has the appetite to resume playing but in reality, the sustained toll of his recent injuries will begin to tell in time.
The time is ripe for new ‘undroppables’ to announce themselves and earn the trust of comrade, management and expectant public. Now more than ever the senior team needs an attacking force that will cause opponents sleepless nights while at the same time foster confidence within the squad.
The experience of Cillian and Diarmuid O’Connor, Kevin McLoughlin and Jason Doherty (I’m presupposing all will be involved) needs an infusion of fresh blood to reinvigorate the sector. The upcoming FBD competition together with the National League 2023 is already taking on huge importance for Mayo football.