The key Mayo issues Kevin McStay must urgently address

All is not lost, far from it

by Martin Carney, Mayo GAA's foremost columnist

Now that the head-scratching and hand-wringing has subsided and the inquests have run their course it’s time to move onto the next episode of Championship 2025.

The beauty about the format is that it provides teams an opportunity to overcome the disappointment of their provincial defeat and relaunch their campaign for bigger and better things.

There’s no doubt that the defeat to Galway left scars.

The failure to close out a game that was there for the taking has become a recurring sore in close championship ties over the last 12 months or more.

The two most recent provincial deciders had the escape to victory door wide open and staring the team in the face. Unfortunately, on each occasion the opportunity was spurned and the scars have deepened as a consequence.

Authors of their own misfortune to a great extent - I don’t for a moment subscribe to the notion that Galway were noticeably superior - the result has left Mayo with a taxing rehab to reclaim lost status.

All isn’t lost, however, far from it. As Kevin McStay pointed out in his post-game piece, Armagh last year lost a provincial final to Donegal before claiming the big scalp later. If they can do it, he implied, Mayo also can.

As for that most recent defeat, many questions remain unanswered. For example, why wasn’t Patrick Durcan given even the last 10 minutes on the pitch at a time when his presence alone would have given teammates a lift and raised the Mayo decibel levels in the final stretch?

Why put Aidan O’Shea on the edge of the square in practically every game without nourishing him with the occasional high and direct ball? It is an approach that might not carry a degree of sophistication but in its simplicity lies its merit.

This direct play, reliant on quick movement of the ball by foot, has assumed more central importance than it did in the past with the introduction of the new ‘rules’. So far Mayo haven’t embraced its merits.

Skill deficiencies like poor handling, inaccurate kicking and misplaced passes are a constant in every game. In each of these facets of play Mayo were found wanting in the Connacht final. Recognising that their elimination is at best nothing but aspirational, there still is plenty of room for improvement in these areas.

Until and unless they become occasional Mayo will continue to end up on the wrong side of tight finishes.

There is an element of deja-vu about the opening group game with Cavan. Visitors here exactly 12 months ago at a similar stage of the group phase, the Breffni men will provide stiff enough opposition.

While traditionalists will acknowledge their eminence in the province - they are still top of the pile when it comes to provincial titles won - they have fallen on lean times.

Despite losing their opening league ties to Monaghan and Meath in Division 2, they went on to record four wins from their last five games.

These successes over Roscommon, Down, Meath and Louth meant that they finished high up in a competitive division. Their subsequent seven points defeat at the hands of Tyrone saw them exit the Ulster championship in the opening round.

Last year's visit in the championship resulted in Mayo winning by nine points. The 0-20 to 1-8 scoreline was a fair refection of Mayo’s superiority on the day.

If for nothing else it was noteworthy that it marked Cillian O’Connor’s penultimate championship start in a Mayo jersey. He played the full 70 minutes and scored four points from play.

Getting back to the present, predicting what changes, if any, are likely this time is a hazardous game.

Will Patrick Durcan get a call-up in defence and, if so, at whose expense? Should David McBrien’s concussion render him unplayable perhaps the Mitchels man will come in at centre-back. The other possibility could see captain Shephen Coen making way but no doubt issues of fitness, form and importance to the team will govern selection.

Given that he has been custodian in all but two of Mayo’s games over the last two years (Rory Byrne and Robbie Hennelly were the exceptions) it is likely that Colm Reape will again wear the goalie's jersey.

Nobody can doubt his shot stopping, long range shooting or ability to organise a defence but it’s his restarts that continue to attract the attention that he can do without.

The insistence that kickouts must clear the arc has given rise to greater chaos in this area and placed even greater responsibility on a goalkeeper’s shoulders than in the past. Even though the probability and possibility of retaining possession has diminished in this phase of play, the responsibility of finding a teammate hasn’t.

It is here that the Knockmore man needs to improve and there’s nothing like the present in moving the graph upwards in this department.

With an attack heavily dependent on Ryan O’Donoghue for scores it’s time that others make a conscious effort to share the load. Davitt Neary and Darren McHale played their parts against Galway but there is more to come from them I believe.

One of the recurring frustrations in recent Mayo performances has had to do with a player's reluctance to take on a scoring shot when openings presented themselves.

There was an insistence for many modern footballers during their formative years that shooting at goals should only happen when they were next to definite of finding the target.

Natural instincts were dulled as a consequence and this seems to have set the seed for this modern reluctance to shoot on sight.

Even though they had 28 attempts at scores against Galway there were many other occasions when openings weren’t tested when presented.

Everyone wants more from the big troupe of Jordan Flynn, Matthew Ruane and Jack Carney. Playing to their best Mayo are formidable: anything below this offers the opposition more than a sniff. All of them had their moments against Galway but finding that collective energy and consistency that shows them at their best is still elusive.

Aidan O’Shea continues to lead by example. As stated earlier, there is more to get from him and, by extension, for the team if early ball is delivered to that red zone he occupies in front of the opposing goals.

Beating Cavan and making most of home advantage is vital. Learning again to be competitive to the final whistle is clear. Snuffing the footballing life out of Cavan when the opportunity arises is a must.

Three qualify from the group. Later games with Tyrone and Donegal will take care of themselves. This Cavan game, to begin with, offers the chance for the team to rediscover its energy and revitalise itself.