Why I have not lost faith in Andy Moran's Mayo just yet

by John Melvin

MAYO’S last trip to Clones was on February 22 of this year, when they returned home with two National League points having comfortably seen off the Ulster side on a scoreline of 2-30 to 2-11 in round four of Division 1.

It was a significant game as it marked the senior football debut of Kobe McDonald, who came off the bench to contribute 1-4, the Crossmolina man’s stunning goal immediately marking him out as a player of immense talent who is likely to feature a lot more if Mayo’s championship journey is going to extend into late June or early July.

Where and when that road ends is a hot topic of conversation at the moment but for Andy Moran’s men, this game in Clones is an even bigger challenge than the game in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, which now seems an eternity ago, in which they were shot down by Roscommon – who, of course, went on to win the Connacht title, a trophy Andy Moran had his eye on before a championship shot was fired.

Plan A had to be abandoned and now Mayo will have had five long weeks to work on Plan B ahead of their meeting with Monaghan today at 4 p.m., live on RTE 2.

Andy will have a fair idea of how Monaghan operate having done a stint with them last year in the backroom team after he stepped away from Leitrim.

That insider knowledge may help to some extent in getting to evaluate how Monaghan set up but the first thing Mayo will need to remember is that the league win was against a Farney team that was well understrength, a notable absentee being their spiritual leader Rory Beggan, whose his late two-pointer in extra-time in the Ulster semi-final against Derry sealed victory for his team.

Monaghan, who were without Beggan for most of the league, were eventually relegated – in good company, I might add, with Dublin also going down – having failed to win any of their seven Division 1 games.

Beggan has been the heartbeat of the team over decades, a man who can kick two-pointers from the next parish, and he led the charge with three two-pointers to help his side beat Derry by 1-30 to 2-23 in that Ulster-semi-final.

Never has the role of a goalkeeper in the current new model of Gaelic football been so important and Beggan’s role today could well prove the deciding factor in tilting the scales in favour of the home side.

Mayo, unfortunately, do not have a goalkeeper that comes anywhere near the standard that the talismanic Beggan has set and clearly the responsibility on the visitors' netminder today is going to be huge.

That has assuaged the manager to throw number two 'keeper Jack Livingstone in at the deep end.

It could be risky, but Andy Moran is at a point now where risks may need to be taken given the flatness of the performance and the lack of energy the team displayed against Roscommon.

Monaghan may have lost out in the Ulster final ultimately because they ran out of steam in the extra-time period but once again they produced a gutsy comeback, similar to that against Derry.

In fact, they have produced two qualities which Mayo need to rediscover – mettle and grit – and it was those qualities which saw them push Armagh to the very edge in the Ulster final with a magnificent comeback to force that game to extra time.

They also opened their Ulster championship account with a good win over Cavan (0-27 to 2-14) and followed up by defeating Derry (1-30 to 3-23), producing another great comeback to haul reel their opponents in and forcing extra time having trailed by 10 points at one stage.

The big question is this: What kind of impact will the five-week break since their last championship game have on Mayo?

It is new territory for sure and while they have played a number of teams such as Meath and Kildare in challenge games, it can be difficult to evaluate just how competitive challenge games really are. Yet it is the only option open to them

I think that, psychologically, Mayo will be fully primed for this game as they bid to atone for their worst performance under their new manager when crashing to Roscommon.

Motivation won’t be an issue but rectifying the glaring mistakes and poor decisions made against Roscommon by players who should know better will be the biggest change that now faces this team in what will undoubtedly be a hostile environment against a vastly improved Monaghan team.

Don’t get me wrong. Roscommon are a good team. They produced two outstanding performances, including a massive comeback against Galway in the Connacht final, and many pundits have them short-listed as All-Ireland contenders. And why not?

They are a big, strong, mobile team with a lot of talent, and that seems like the right ingredients for success – but there are tougher challenges ahead.

Playing with the backing of their home support will give Monaghan that edge but it is vital that Mayo get into the thick of the action around the middle of the field, which has now become the platform for success for so many teams.

However, Mayo will need to mix the long with the short, the latter likely to be their best approach given the shortcomings that were exposed against Roscommon, who won the lion's share of the so-called 'dirty ball', but Mayo have options in this area, where we will see Kobe and the equally promising Darragh Bynre getting some action.

If midfield is in trouble again then the pressure will be on a defence, which has been less than convincing, and with Monaghan well able to land those two-pointers with a very potent attack, it is going to be interesting to see how Mayo’s new-look defensive formation performs and what they have worked on during that long break since their last championship game.

Above all, quick ball into the Mayo forward division is going to be crucial if Mayo are to return from Clones with a win. This is a game Monaghan will be primed for but I expect so too will Mayo, who could be poised to produce a performance that could see them edge it by a point or two.