The fundamental things Mayo must do in their bid to overpower Louth

For a start, Andy Moran's charges require a major uplift from restart returns as the statistics against Cork in that respect were below par

by Martin Carney, Mayo's foremost GAA columnist

I’M sure at the end of the All-Ireland quarterfinals, members in the Louth and Mayo camps began praying for ABK (Anyone But Kerry)!

Such is their swagger, even though pushed to the pin of their collar defeating Tyrone, Kerry still looked a class apart.

Doubtless, the O’Neill boys showed them scant respect and took the Kingdom to the hooter, but there was always the hunch that Kerry would find the way. That they did.

And so it transpired that Mayo drew the opponent they preferred, and this feeling was reciprocated by the men from the Wee County.

This evening, then, before what is a full house in Croke Park, both will lay their credentials on the line, with the winner moving on to the 2026 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final.

No doubt the prize is immense: an All-Ireland final appearance. A chance again to win the most coveted prize in Gaelic football, the Sam Maguire Cup.

Louth, our opponents, are definitely the story of the season. Strangers to this stage since 1957, they have in the last month made the most of their opportunities, rode their luck at times, but got to this stage.

Who are they, where have they been, and why all of a sudden have they become the obstacle Mayo must overcome?

To answer this, it’s worth tracing their rise since the turn of the decade. Marooned in Division 4 of the league when Mickey Harte became manager in 2020, they have since made steady progress.

Promotion in successive years to Division 2, they were somewhat unlucky not to reach the top flight this year.

Their big breakthrough came last year when they won their first Leinster title since 1957 under the stewardship of Ger Brennan.

Now under Gavin Devlin, the Tyrone man who was previously assistant to Harte and remained behind once Harte moved to manage Derry, Louth were well beaten earlier in this year’s championship by Dublin - now managed by Breannan!

However, they admirably regrouped and sent Armagh packing with the last kick of their crunch tie in Inniskeen.

If that could come under ‘the lucky to win’ banner, there was nothing fortuitous about the nature of their quarterfinal win over Monaghan.

Playing with 14 men from the sixth minute, they still managed to fashion a wonderful victory through a mixture of guts, self-belief and character.

Mayo, to a degree, have been a mirror image of their opponents this season.

Initially a mix of uncertainty and maddening inconsistency, they rescued a year that looked doomed after the defeat to Roscommon with winning performances against Monaghan, Meath and Cork coupled to an excellent showing in defeat against Tyrone.

Both teams will fancy their chances.

Mayo, after their vastly improved defensive display against Cork, will believe they have uncovered the system and style of play at the back that suits their needs.

Their deployment of a twin centre-half worked a treat, as did the man-to-man marking roles assigned. Whether or not Andy retains the system and same personnel remains to be seen.

Stephen Coen added a very intelligent dimension to the defensive set-up the last day. Sam Callinan and Enda Hession have found a blend between their wonderful attacking instincts in the half-back line and the need to stay tight at times.

The energy they bring to the team cannot be underestimated.

This collective cohesion will be needed against a Louth attack that aside from being physically strong, has a number of finishers capable of causing trouble.

The trio of McDonnell, Sam Mulroy and Maguire are strong, forceful players. Mulroy, in particular, can multi-function.

His campaign return to date of two goals and 21 points leads the way in their scoring stakes but what sets him apart is his ability to bolster midfield, tackle, and set standards for others around him.

Colleagues look to him for leadership. If this to a large degree is curtailed, Mayo I believe will prevail.

Physically, Louth’s middle eight are robust, honest, hard-working and formidable.

The outcome of the dogfight that defines the drop zone from restarts will have a big bearing on the result.

Bob Tuohy, Jordan Flynn and Jack Carney need to get a greater possession return in this facet of play than was the case against Cork.

Here, a 50% success rate (winning 14 of 28 of our own) was below par.

Were this to improve, guaranteeing a more bountiful supply of ball to the forwards, Mayo have the quality to benefit.

Between them, Darragh Beirne, Kobe McDonald and Ryan O’Donoghue have accounted for three goals and 74 points of this summer’s total.

Individually gifted in different ways, they have a chemistry that blends perfectly. Quickly delivered ball to space suits their needs and Andy will have his team locked into delivering this imperative.

That they will be tightly marshalled is certain. But to contain them for the full match will take something really special that Louth don’t possess.

The seasonal statistic of Mayo’s 25 orange flags in contrast to Louth’s 10 gives an insight into how Louth will defend.

I think they will push out to neutralise this but if they do, space inside should open up for what has been an excellent point-scoring forward line.

On the other side of the argument, Mayo have only scored three goals – low by accepted standards. An improvement here would help.

Our concession of seven goals in total would have been more too had it not been for Jack Livingstone’s heroics.

The Breaffy man has displayed a wonderful temperament alongside his shot- stopping repertoire. Louth will press his restarts to force them into the middle area battle zone, where they believe they have an advantage.

If he can speed up the kick-out, that will help, as will an improved understanding with those in front of him.

Aside from the game, both teams will have to deal with the razzmatazz around the occasion.

Mayo possess enough experience in the squad to neuter this. In contrast, this is new territory for all of the Louth players.

How they cope with the excitement, distractions and sense of occasion will have a bearing on how they perform.

The game, I feel, will be very physical and open. Louth teams I remember playing against never spared themselves – nor their opponents, for that matter!

The nature of their wins over Armagh and Monaghan give an impression of a team that will hang in there to the bitter end.

Still, Mayo’s improvement in defence coupled to their star quality in attack should do enough to prevail.