So where does Mayo fit in the grander scheme of things?

by John Melvin

IN one sense the All-Ireland championship only begins for Mayo tomorrow at MacHale Park, Castlebar, where they face visitors Cavan in round one of their group (2.30 p.m. throw-in).

Two weeks should prove to be more than sufficient recovery time for manager Kevin McStay and his men to expunge the Connacht final demons which saw them arguably blow a Connacht title they had within their grasp.

If nothing else, the Mayo-Galway clash provided further proof of the importance of retaining the provincial system as it underlines the importance of the rivalry and the pride and honour it bestows on those fortunate enough to wear the county jersey.

It does have its weaknesses, particularly in Leinster where the provincial title might as well have been sent to Dublin by post such has been the imbalance in the province over the past 14 years (they have won 14 consecutive titles - 2011-2024).

But it would seem the winds of change are blowing across what has been, up to now, the barren desert of Leinster where the green shoots of Louth and Meath are beginning to blossom, the performance by Cork against Kerry in Munster an indication that the Kingdom is not impregnable, and, of course, Ulster, a province where at least four All-Ireland contenders will be in with a shout of bringing home Sam Maguire this year.

So where does Mayo fit in the grander scheme of things?

The defeat against Galway was a sore one and you could see the pain in Kevin McStay’s facial expression in his post-final interviews.

There is only one way to ease, if not get rid of that pain - beat Cavan with a good bit to spare this Sunday - but above all work on those mistakes, show that confidence has been restored as hope is the one big ingredient that comes with confidence.

Losing a Connacht final in the manner in which they did is a massive blow but Mayo’s morale took something of a hammering as well and that needs to be put straight by Sunday.

I’m not saying Mayo will be in Croke Park on All-Ireland final day.

But they are capable of making an appearance there at some stage if they can get a few things right.

To achieve that they will need to do well in the group, and, if possible, go straight into a quarterfinal, something that was denied them last year when they drew with Dublin having beaten both Cavan and Roscommon.

There is not much point in sifting through the ashes left after the defeat to Galway other than hoping lessons will be learned, and the necessary adjustments and improvements will come about in the group games.

McStay and his backroom team know unless things improve around the middle of the field and there is more self-belief in the Mayo attack, they will once again be the victims of problems they have created themselves and I do believe they can be a better team as this championship progresses.

There were a lot more positives than negatives coming from Mayo against Galway so let’s feed off the positive sides of their game and work that bit harder on the negatives.

Mayo must turn over a new page and start a new chapter for this critical group stage of the championship.

Twelve of the team who started against Galway in the Connacht final were on board when Mayo clashed with Cavan in the opening round of their All-Ireland championship group games last year, which also included Roscommon and Dublin.

Paddy Durcan was on the bench for the Connacht final and I expect we will see him play a part in Sunday’s game as he is badly in need of game time.

There are, of course, a number of notable absentees on this year’s team including Cillian O’Connor, Tommy Conroy and Conor Loftus, the latter of whom came on as a substitute against Cavan last year and emerging as a key figure in Mayo’s championship near-miss when they drew with Dublin in a game they should have won, a costly point as they ended up in a preliminary quarterfinal which they lost to Derry in a penalty shoot-out.

Cavan took a couple of decent scalps in Division 2 of the National League, beating both Roscommon and Westmeath and ending up mid-division in the end with a respectable eight points, a little unlucky perhaps not to be promoted to Division 1.

They are not anywhere near the team that won their last Ulster title in 2020 when they beat Donegal in the final to clock up their 40th provincial title, some 24 titles ahead of Monaghan and Tyrone, both of whom having won 16 Ulster titles.

Cavan crashed out of this year’s Ulster championship in the preliminary round, losing to Tyrone in a game which saw them recover from a deficit of 13 points at one stage, a clear indication they cannot be taken lightly despite losing in the end to Tyrone by 1-24 to 0-20.

Corner-forward Darra McVeety was the star for the losing side with 0-8, including a two-pointer from play and from a free, along with three singles from play, Cian Madden at full-forward, another who caught the eye in that Tyrone game, so Mayo will be well aware of Cavan’s ability to make it tough for any opposition.

Cavan will be looking at the clash with Mayo as an opportunity to perhaps produce what would be a shock in the hope that Mayo might be vulnerable from the mental scars that might still remain after losing a Connacht final.

I expect a re-run of that Connacht final video will be viewed by the team who have had two weeks to recover and when they realise the many chances they missed and the many mistakes and wrong options they took, I expect they will address and remedy at least some of those failings.

Were such vulnerabilities to be exposed at MacHale Park next Sunday it would be catastrophic for a Mayo team who need a jump-start in their opening group game and I suspect we will see McStay and his men atone for those mistakes and turn in a performance that will rekindle the hope that all is not lost by losing a provincial final.

Armagh proved last year there can be a second path to silverware.