A Mayo victory requires unity and economy of effort against 'nagging' foes
by Martin Carney, Mayo GAA's foremost columnist
THEY are like a pebble in the shoe. An irritant. Constantly nagging. Hard to shake off. Never giving you a moment's rest nor peace.
Roscommon resemble one. In the mood they make life unbearable for opponents, keep them occupied at all times, and are really difficult to break free from.
This is the type of Roscommon I expect in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park today.
A team brimming with confidence; one prepared to stretch Mayo to the limit and affording them little respite from start to last.
A team, let’s be honest, who feel they have the measure of Mayo, and that will engage in a contest where everything gained will be hard earned.
Over the years Mayo v Roscommon ties have been physical, ultra-competitive and quite often not for the purist.
What makes this one somewhat different is that both teams are under the baton of new managements since last they encountered one another in championship.
Andy Moran and Mark Dowd, salivating at the prospect, will cross swords for the first time in championship football and hope to uphold the honour of their respective counties.
That both are Ballaghaderreen men is a coincidence.
Yet there is no encounter capable of raising the temperature and assuming an extra edge in a certain part of east Mayo than this.
In Ballagh', no prisoners are taken in clashes between the Rossies and Mayo. Claims of place and loyalty rarely fester to the same extent in this jurisdiction than on days they face one another in championship football.
This time round it will be no different. The teams have travelled similar paths this year. Retaining Division 1 status was an initial hurdle successfully cleared by Roscommon and Mayo before trips abroad in their opening championship games saw them successfully record wins over New York and London.
Their recent league encounter was a non-event in truth. Mayo’s crushing 21-point margin of victory after recording four goals and 26 points was never in doubt after a devastating opening half which saw them build up a 15-point lead.
Mayo mastered every aspect of play on the day. They seemed the only side interested in winning, and evidence of this can be found from the make-up of the respective starting line-ups.
Of the Mayo team that beat London, 11 of them started that particular league outing.
Clearly Andy was intent on gaining every possible advantage, psychological and otherwise, from the encounter. If sowing seeds of doubts in Roscommon heads was his aim, he succeeded admirably.
Roscommon, on the other hand, started only five of those who lined out against Mayo in their opening championship game with New York. Reasons are manifold.
Take your pick: injuries to some, a reluctance to use a handful from the St. Brigid’s and Stroketown clubs after their exertions in their All-Ireland series games, and an unwillingness to disclose his full hand all count among Mark Dowd’s reasons.
Their approach on the day did little justice to the jersey and fell well short of what we can expect this weekend.
The reality is that over the course of their eight-game season to date, the Mayo team has conceded a total of 12 goals. Their one clean sheet was against Armagh.
In general, curbing the wiles of Smith, Murtagh and the Heneghan lads will take a Titanic effort. The extent of the success in this department will go a long way towards deciding the outcome.
The Tuohy/McBrien partnership in the middle can master Conor Ryan and whoever partners him in the area. Were he fit, the return of Ruairi Fallon here would be a big asset for Roscommon. If he isn’t, Ken Ryan will start.
Winning the contest here was always important and has assumed greater significance in the modern game. With kick-outs in the main lengthier, mastering the scrap for the breaking ball is as important as fetching it cleanly. Trends quickly emerge from whoever is tops here.
Mayo have a potent attack who play with a good understanding of what each other brings to the table.
Flynn and Carney graft harder than most; O’Donoghue is radar personified with his scoring returns; O’Shea provides heft and experience inside, and the guessing game has started as to who will flank him.
Cian McHale has come on leaps and bounds in the short time he has been involved. Darragh Beirne is accurate and composed. Paul Towey is elusive and, on his day, a handful for any defence. Tommy Conroy and Fergal Boland are knocking at the door and itching for admission to the starting line up.
The O’Connor brothers, Cillian and Diarmuid, along with Matthew Ruane, give a bounteous choice to draw from.
And then there’s Kobe. What to do with the young McDonald lad is something that Andy has to face. It’s a case of ‘to start or not to start’ him.
Those of us lucky enough to have witnessed his wizardry in the Under 20 game against Galway know the form he’s in right now. Blessed with all the attributes needed, he is an ace in the pack who can make a difference.
Mayo have nothing to fear here. Okay, expect a stubborn and unyielding Roscommon, but one possessing nothing beyond what Mayo at their best cannot overcome.
Shaking themselves free from the primrose and blue pebble will require unity and economy of effort, but Mayo are capable of booting it far into the distance.