Mayo has league to complete and a league title to play for
by Martin Carney, Mayo's foremost GAA columnist
IN most respects Mayo’s season so far has mirrored those of seasons gone by. Inconsistency followed by moments of brilliance, and most of the time underpinned by genuine honesty and no lack of effort.
Speckled throughout all of their displays to date, the league campaign has been a mix of the good, lucky and mediocre.
The demolition of Connacht neighbours Galway and Roscommon provided satisfaction in that it showed that the appetite to overcome the neighbours is as strong as ever.
Just as it should! It’s fair to say that neither opponent will be as accommodating when we meet again, but nonetheless laying down a marker did the confidence no harm.
Stephen Coen’s goal at a critical moment in the tie with Dublin provided the defining score that meant the difference between winning and losing.
To a degree luck favoured Mayo on the night as for most of the early stages in particular they spent the evening chasing shadows from a rampant Dublin team.
Still, the confidence amassed by any team who come out the right end of a result without playing their best is immeasurable.
Whereas the last-minute loss to Kerry was unfortunate and indeed preventable, there was no disguising the abject second-half performance against Tyrone.
Having witnessed much promise in the opening half of the game, everyone was at a loss how the team could unravel to the degree it did after the break.
It is then to Kevin McStay’s credit that their collective system seemed rinsed of any residual damage from this setback in the way they responded to the Roscommon challenge.
Features that linger in the mind from this game were the impressive movement of the ball, the silky skill-execution on an awful night for football, and the vastly superior fitness levels displayed in comparison to their opponents.
So where does this leave Mayo now with the Derry challenge looming on Sunday?
On six points, Mayo’s position seems secure in Division 1 for another year.
A win on tomorrow would make this certain and with their final outing against Monaghan, adding the extra appears within their grasp.
No one disagrees with the commandment that championship is all that matters and success here ultimately defines the season.
Still, there is a league to complete and a league title to play for, and the winner on Sunday will likely have harvested enough points to secure a place in the final.
FOCUS
Derry, on eight points, top the division.
With a win over Mayo on Sunday next or Roscommon in their final outing, they would reach the league final.
Even though he has his focus firmly set on the opening round of the Ulster campaign against Donegal, Mickey Harte has made no secret of his desire to win every game.
The evidence to date backs this. Aside from the defeat to Dublin, his team have played close to full strength with the exception of the aforementioned game.
Conor Glass, Ethan Doherty and Emmet Bradley from the All-Ireland club-winning team Glen have featured in all but the Dublin tie.
If they are selected for Sunday, this will present Mayo with a more formidable challenge than would be otherwise the case.
Glass is vital to their cause and balancing the team's needs with the midfielder's footballing health and appetite is an ongoing problem for Harte.
If he was to incur an injury at this stage it would compromise his availability against Donegal.
Against that, Harte doesn’t want to run into a losing spiral now.
My guess is that Glass will feature and be to the forefront of a team that will closely resemble his top side.
Kevin Mc Stay, I feel, is likely thinking along the same lines. The one thing that has muddied the waters in his case is the incidence of injuries to key players in recent games.
Diarmuid O’Connor and Eoghan McLaughlin look certain to miss this game; hoping they recover in time for championship is what all supporters wish for. Mattie Ruane, just back from an enforced absence, will probably get a start here. Gaining match fitness will be his priority.
If the smoke signals are correct, Patrick Durcan and David McBrien are also due to return and here again this offers management an occasion to get game time into their legs.
Match sharpness is a vital commodity and with fewer games offering opportunities to the recently injured, I’d expect them to feature.
Last year’s defeat to Roscommon just a week after claiming a league title has coloured thinking in Mayo.
There appears a prevailing mood that getting to the final again will be detrimental to championship ambitions. Given the context and circumstances this year, I don’t agree.
A win for Mayo on Sunday sees them on the cusp of another league decider. If that were to happen, I still believe that a win against New York in round one of the championship is all but guaranteed a week later.
On top of this, the extra game would afford an opportunity to finetune some aspects of play that need tweaking.
Working on restarts, free-kick routines and exploring possibilities of getting quicker ball to the full-forward line are just some of these.
Right now, neither Derry nor Mayo have managed to cultivate sufficient support for their respective star forwards.
Shane McGuigan has consistently been Derry’s main scoring threat in the same way that Ryan O’Donoghue has for Mayo.
With one goal and 30 points and 22 points respectively to their names in the campaign to date, both have established themselves to the forefront of their attacks.
As support, O’Donoghue has thrived from the openings created by Fergal Boland and the marauding play of his middle eight colleagues.
Derry’s style closely resembles this. Take a specific example – the art of goalscoring.
Of the four scored by Mayo in the campaign, only one game came from a starting forward. The others were from substitutes or from an attacking half-back, Eoghan McLaughlin.
Derry have netted on eight occasions, with six of these coming from midfielders or defenders. To limit their defenders getting into scoring positions, a fusion of industry, intelligent use of the ball and tracking runners must be a priority.
Mayo will go all out to win this.
Aside from the confidence banked from beating a team touted as one of the favourites for Sam, it presents an opportunity to get some of the walking wounded back on the pitch.
Maintaining the winning habit ain’t half-bad either!
The following is the Mayo team named to face Derry.
Colm Reape, Knockmore
Aaron McDonnell, Ballinrobe
Rory Brickenden, Westport
Sam Callinan, Ballina Stephenites
Donnacha McHugh, Castlebar Mithels
Stephen Coen (C), Hollymount Carramore
Enda Hession, Garrymore
Jack Carney, Kilmeena
Matthew Ruane, Breaffy
Bob Tuohy, Castlebar Mitchels
Fergal Boland, Aghamore
Jordan Flynn, Crossmolina Deel Rovers
Aidan O'Shea, Breaffy
Tommy Conroy, The Neale
Ryan O'Donoghue, Béal an Mhuirthead.