GAA Verdict: Mayo need to discover lightbulb moment to down arch rivals

"To succeed, I believe Mayo must convert the middle area into a war zone"

by Martin Carney, Mayo's foremost GAA columnist

THE majority expected this contest once the draw was made and before ever a ball was kicked in the Connacht championship.

With a total of 97 titles between them (50 to Galway; 47 to Mayo) and with both the only Connacht residents in Division 1 of the league, the odds shortened.

Mayo, on the ‘easy’ side of the draw, looked a dead cert while Galway, benefiting from a loosener in the Big Apple, were a fair bet to account for the Roscommon challenge.

And so it came to pass.

Today at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park the big two, Galway and Mayo, meet to decide the destiny of the Nestor Cup.

Here in Mayo there is little optimism for a successful conclusion to the provincial campaign.

Fans have seen their team struggle to account for Leitrim and Sligo, make heavy weather of adapting to the new demands imposed by the FRC enhancements, and see too many of their tried and trusted struggle for form.

That much sought after in-game consistency has remained aspirational. Playing the game on their terms, asserting control and dictating the rhythms seem someway off.

Galway, on the other hand, looked ominously impressive in making light of the Roscommon challenge in their semi-final. It turned into a stroll as their ability to land two pointers, win possession at will in the middle and score at ease steered them to victory.

The fact that it happened without their big two, Comer and Walsh (the former making a brief appearance as a sub), made the win look more impressive.

In this century alone the teams have met on nine occasions in Connacht finals and Mayo have claimed victory on five of them. The average winning margin is below three points.

Truth is, Galway and Mayo are trapped in a history of their own making, often locked in this ultimate once-off fixture that invariably brings that bit extra out in the other.

In Mayo’s case this is what we all hope for today; an afternoon where, as the rank outsider, the team discovers a lightbulb moment that draws hitherto unseen qualities to the surface at the right time.

In their most recent two encounters – league ‘25 and championship ’24 – Galway emerged victorious. The 10 points hammering Mayo suffered in the league I'd pay little attention to.

On the night, the home team were short Aidan O’Shea, Jack Carney and Jordan Flynn, to name but three. All are expected start on Sunday, and each are vital in their respective roles.

Given how strong Galway were in Salthill against Roscommon around the middle of the field, it’s critical to Mayo’s cause that Flynn, Carney and Matthew Ruane are at their best.

Their obligation to compete venomously and with legitimate aggression in an attempt to nullify the platform Paul Conroy, Céin D’arcy and John Maher are capable of creating is huge.

Maher, Galway's main man in my eyes, has a Rolls Royce engine. D’arcy is impressive in the air and repeatedly laid waste to Roscommon restarts.

Conroy, meanwhile, does the simple things well. Of their three two-pointers against the Rossies he accounted for two. Indeed, in the earlier-referenced National League game, Galway hit five two-pointers while Paul Towey was responsible for Mayo’s lone conversion.

To succeed, I believe Mayo must convert this middle area into a war zone – a place where anything Galway get is on the back of a struggle and where their players are subjected to continuous and unremitting pressure.

Winning our own and spoiling Galway’s kick-outs will assume major importance.

To help with the former, it’s vital that there is a clear understanding between Colm Reape and his outfield players. Whether it’s punted short, mid-range or long, it has to connect cleanly with Green and Red hands or their sappers who man the break zones.

Too often, in their opening championship game in particular, Mayo failed on this count. If this were to happen again, Galway’s supply line can find inside players who, at the moment, are on top of their game. Rob Finnerty is a case in point.

A current All-Star, he destroyed Roscommon with his nine points and inventive play two weeks ago. Yet I’d have the utmost faith in Donnacha McHugh's ability, if he is assigned to trail Finnerty, to nullify his influence. Another area of contention is the Mayo's reluctance to use direct ball into the full-forward line.

Once again this year, Aidan O’Shea, alongside Ryan O’ Donoghue, has led the attack by example. How more effective he’d be if he was given well delivered and quick ball from distance is anyone’s guess.

The time for guessing is over. O’Shea and his team need a greater emphasis on this strategy to test the Galway defence and bring out what I believe is the best in O’ Shea.

The Breaffy man can only unleash his scoring prowess if outfield players mix their approach and deliver long ball with greater regularity.

O’Donoghue, playing in his slipstream, will in all likelihood have Johnny McGrath for ‘company’. The Caherlistane man put O’Donoghue in his pocket in their recent league game and if nothing else, arguably our player of the year owes him one.

This will be a Titanic struggle between them; one of those sub-plots that often assume centre-stage.

O’Donoghue has kept the wolf from the Mayo door repeatedly in recent years and much will depend on his contribution.

What is noticeable, and offers Kevin Mc Stay some leeway if O’Donoghue struggles, is that the Belmullet lad can excel equally as much in the centre-forward position as in the corner.

Aside from hoping for a healthy two-pointer return, Mayo need to rediscover their goal-scoring habit. A total of five in the league was the second lowest recorded in Division 1. Donegal, with two, registered the least, while Galway found the net on seven occasions.

Focusing on what’s simple might yield more in this department. Memories of the long kick, slip pass and net-finder combination that happened between McBrien, Carney and O’Shea for Mayo’s second goal against Sligo hopefully has spawned hope in this approach.

A continuation of exploring this approach has the potential to yield more.

In stark terms, it looks like an in-form Galway will oppose a Mayo which has underwhelmed and been betrayed by below-par performances and seen itself struggle in adjusting to the new enhancements.

Yet in this once-off clash, I think they will rediscover their true selves. Ultimately all will come down to attitude: who wants it most. Mayo have underperformed but have a habit of gaining most when least is expected.

If nothing else, there are numerous reasons to feel aggrieved going into this game.

Being written off is one. Harbouring that feeling of being unfairly robbed in last year’s decider is another: two points up with a minute to go and losing by one on the back of a dubious refereeing decision was hard to stomach.

Preventing the visitors win their first four-in-a-row Connacht titles in some time should stir the blood. This feat hasn’t happened with a Galway team since the early 1960s! Downing and beating a team who are being quoted as 1/5 favourites would be sweet.

This won’t be simple and won’t happen without the Green and Red rediscovering the devil within and displaying a hitherto absent raging determination.

A disciplined ferocity alongside a controlled consistency with an efficient attack on form can do the trick.

I believe Mayo will dredge a big display from within and find something special before advancing to the qualifiers with renewed confidence as Connacht champions.