OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS - THE MAYO NEWS
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Tuesday, September 7, 2021 • The Mayo News all-ireland final preview mayo v Tyrone 1
Opportunity
knocks
All-Ireland Senior Football Final Preview
Illustration: Jen Murphy
5
2 all-ireland final preview mayo v Tyrone The Mayo News • Tuesday, September 7, 2021 Tuesday, September 7, 2021 • The Mayo News all-ireland final preview mayo v Tyrone 3
key
BETTING ODDS match-ups
‘Mick the Kick’s
Meath’s David Gough will be the standby referee.
TO WIN The other linesman is Brendan Cawley (Kildare).
Mayo 5/6 The sideline official will be Ciaran Branagan
Tyrone 11/8
Draw 15/2
(Down).
record stands
HANDICAP
Mayo (-1) 11/10
LAST FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP
CLASHES
the test of time Lee Keegan v Conor McKenna
THE former Aussie Rules player is supremely talented, and whilst
he wasn’t brilliant in the semi-final, McKenna still struck for two vital
Tyrone (+1) 10/11 goals, underlining his ever-present danger.
2016: Mayo 0-13, Tyrone 0-12 (All-Ireland ON the matter of footballing records. . The pacy Tyrone forward has overcome injury problems and he’s a
quarter-final) Contrary to what many of my Tyrone friends player that can play anywhere from midfield up. Therefore, it seems
MAYO CAMP UPDATE 2013: Mayo 1-16, Tyrone 0-13 (All-Ireland may think, Niall Morgan is not the record-holder vital that you pair him with someone as comfortable in tracking him
NOBODY seems too sure exactly what is going to semi-final) (his kick was measured to be 65m in the recent in any of those positions.
happen in terms of Oisin Mullin and Eoghan 2008: Tyrone 0-13, Mayo 1-9 (All-Ireland Qualifi- All Ireland semi-final v Kerry, 28th August, 2021 We think it could be a job for Lee Keegan, man of the match in
McLaughlin being named in Mayo’s squad for next ers) in Croke Park) when it comes to the longest dead- Mayo’s semi-final.
weekend. 2004: Mayo 0-16, Tyrone 1-9 (All-Ireland ball score ever in a senior championship football The Westport man matches up well physically with McKenna and
But taking everything into account, given the fact quarter-final) match. would relish the chance to play out the field, if he went deep.
that it’s an All-Ireland Final, and assuming they are 1989: Mayo 0-12, Tyrone 1-6 (All-Ireland semi- Let me assure you that in the 1975 drawn Con- It could be a mouth-watering battle.
both medically fit to tog out, then they could both final) nacht final (Sligo v Mayo) in Markievicz Park,
be in the match-day panel. one of our great half-backs, the legendary Mick
In fact, Mullin may well start in the Mayo defence. Higgins of Westport, a strong lion-hearted Mayo Oisin Mullin
32
He has been receiving intensive treatment for four KEY NUMBER defender of that era, ‘bull-topped’ a ‘90 yard free’ v Mattie Donnelly
weeks now on his injured quad, and he’s under- all the way over the bar with the ball resting just
stood to have done some running at training last short of Ben Bulben. OKAY, we’re being hopeful here – hopeful
week. I should know. I was there! My first day ever to that the Kilmaine dynamo is back fit, the
McLaughlin, meanwhile, is also recovering after see our Mayo in a championship game. truth of which we won’t know until throw-in
having plates inserted in a double fracture of his He was immediately christened ‘Mick the Kick’, time. But Donnelly, like McKenna, could
jaw. the original of the species. A bullet from a rifle just as easily be in the full-forward line as
So James Horan has some big decisions to make they adults said. A Howitzer was mentioned … the half-line and Mullin, like Keegan, has
on what roles — if any — both of them will fill YEARS since Mayo and Tyrone first met in the whatever that is? the flexibility to play in either line too.
against Tyrone. championship — in the 1989 All-Ireland semi-final. His methodology was similar to that of the great Of course, if Mullin isn’t fit, might the role of
If Mullin starts then he is likely to take McLaughlin’s Tom Kiernan of Ireland and Bob Hiller of England picking Donnelly fall to Padraig O’Hora?
place, however if the Kilmaine man is not fit to start (renowned rugby full-backs of that era and ear- Or might Mullin or O’Hora be deployed on Darren
then Enda Hession is set to be the ‘next man up’. DID YOU KNOW? lier). A TALE OF TWO COUNTIES Tyrone native Dermot Mullin is pictured with his wife Diane Smyth from Kilmeena beside the McCurry, a lively inside man who Mayo may not
MAYO are unbeaten in eight matches across the All three men used the so-called ‘bulltop’ (‘bull- ‘Mayo Mural’ at the gable of the community hall in Kilmeena. Pic: Conor McKeown have a pile of suitors for.
An opportunity
National League league and championship this toe’) approach. Their run up to a free (penalty in
TYRONE CAMP UPDATE season. In fact, they have only lost one of their last rugby chaps) formed a direct line between the
TRYING to second-guess Brian Dooher and Fergal 13 games in all competitions — to Dublin in last kicker, the ball and the centre of the posts. When Paddy Durcan
Logan when it comes to team selection is easier December’s All-Ireland Final. it worked it was spectacular. If you missed the v Conor Meyler
said than done. The Tyrone joint managers keep Their last defeat prior to that? Against Tyrone in the sweet spot, Row Z.
their cards close to their chest. National League on October 25 last year, by a Adidas and other shoe companies even designed MEYLER has tended to go to the a key opposition
for us and them
The big selection decision would seem to be point: 3-14 to 1-19. square-capped boots for these type of kickers. danger man. Against Kerry, he was effectively a
around Cathal McShane; and whether they decide Most goalkeepers of that era had them. A few half-back, picking up and curbing Paudie Clifford.
to start the ball-winning strike forward on the edge half-backs, also, it appears. In Ulster he played at wing-forward on Ryan
10
of the square or hold him in reserve to use as an KEY NUMBER THE VIKING WILLIE JOE Mayo’s Willie
Joe Padden is pictured wearing his
‘Mick the Kick’ himself is on record as saying: McHugh (v Donegal) and Ryan McAnespie (v
impact sub. famous head bandage after picking up “she was surely around the 75 yard mark” and Monaghan).
It seems that Darragh Canavan’s role will be off the an injury during the 1989 All-Ireland SFC using any basic conversion tool you’ll find that’s He’s comfortable in either line, and indeed
bench, while Mark Bradley is another forward that semi-final against Tyrone at Croke considerably longer than the 65m one Niall Mor- elsewhere. It seems Mayo will seek to have
could easily start depending on the sort of Park. Pic: Sportsfile gan hammered home straight and true. Durcan on the front foot, and not necessar-
game-plan that Tyrone intend to employ in the first Man sez …Just sayin’ …C’mon Mayo … ily matching up with a Tyrone attacker so
half. Meyler could well be assigned to him. Both are
The Ulster champions didn’t use the likes of Richie Roy Curtis Kevin McStay Edwin The Kerry win got that particular tures with 12 wins to Mayo’s 11. There top-class players going forward and defending.
Donnelly or Rory Brennan against Kerry, and it ALL-IRELAND senior men’s football finals that In one of the great Dublin hostelries this evening, McGreal monkey off their backs. They were in have been six draws. Another one can- If they pair off with each other, it will be riveting.
remains to be seen whether one, both, or none of Mayo have lost since last winning the champion- two lads in Mayo shirts. the 2018 final admittedly, but via beat- not be ruled out this Saturday.
them are included in their match-day squad for the ship in 1951. The finals of 1996 and 2016 were “For fear we got caught in traffic.” ing Ulster rivals Monaghan in the semi- Recently, both teams have been better
FIXTURE Kevin McLoughin
F
final. lost after replays. Eleven days to throw-in. final. on the road. The last five league fixtures
And so it begins. all-ireland OR all the people saying One single result can have a trans- have been won by the away team. v Peter Harte
@RoyCurtis68 SFC final this is the best chance formative effect on a team. That will matter very little on Satur-
THE REFEREE TWITTER WATCH Mayo have had of win- For Mayo, the win over defending All- day on Jones’s Road. ANOTHER match-up which is by no means guaranteed but could
Joe McQuillan Cormac O’Malley Tyrone ning an All-Ireland this Ireland champions Cork in the 2011 As Kieran Shannon noted in The well fall into place.
Cavan Myrtle Mooney
“Hello this is Mary from Mooncoin GAA club,
You have to say, it’s a huge chance for Mayo and
Tyrone to not only win Sam but also
v Mayo past decade, you can be
damn sure they’re say-
All-Ireland quarter-final propelled them
to an incredible run across the next
Examiner, neither team fear the
other.
Harte is a hugely important attacking threat for Tyrone while
McLoughlin’s left foot is a vital weapon for Mayo.
THIS is McQuillan’s fourth All-Ireland Final appoint- congratulations, you’ve won the house in Lanzar- be named third favourites behind Kerry and Dublin Saturday, September 11 ing the same in Tyrone. decade. “Just as Tyrone have little respect for If they line up against each other, both men will be trying to limit
ment; he also took charge of the 2011, 2013 and ote” anyone else thinking “ Feck it” ??? for next year’s All Ireland by Croke Park at 5pm From the certainty of the last six sea- Will the Kerry win have similar poten- Mayo — as evident in how sparing Seán their opponent’s influence and still play a significant role in their
2017 deciders. #MayoGAA the media. Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan) sons as Dublin won title after title, this tial for Tyrone? Cavanagh has been in his praise for own team’s attacking game. There can only be one winner though.
From the Kill Shamrocks club in Cavan, he is one @myrtlemooney @cormacpro year we’ve a most unexpected final What we do know is little has sepa- them through the years, despite losing
of the most experienced refs in the game. pairing and a huge opportunity for rated the teams in recent years. numerous big games to them — Mayo
both. In championship, Mayo have the bet- have little fear of Tyrone.” Tommy Conroy
For every national pundit tipping ter record, winning four out of five It is very hard to know what the future v Padraig Hampsey
WE’RE WITH THEM ALL THE WAY!
Mayo, you will find one tipping Tyrone. clashes. The first ever championship will bring for either side, in victory or
For everyone saying Mayo’s win over clash was Mayo’s 1989 All-Ireland semi- defeat. THE Tyrone captain edged a huge battle
Dublin was transformative, the same final win. Now there’s a game that had Are we moving into a more competi- with Seán O’Shea in the semi-final, and
can be said of Tyrone’s win over a transformative effect in the years that tive era after Dublin’s dominance? Or with the form the Kerryman was in this
Kerry. followed. was this year a hiatus from their monop- year, that’s no mean feat. Who he picks up
Take a listen to The Mayo News Football Podcast Recall that it is 2008 since Tyrone
beat any of Dublin, Kerry and Mayo in
a knock-out championship game. That
Since then Mayo enjoyed a surprise
win in the 2004 All-Ireland quarter-
final. Tyrone pipped Mayo by a point
oly of Sam Maguire?
Are Kerry going to flatter to deceive
or deliver on their potential?
on Saturday is difficult to predict but we
would not be surprised to see him heading
Tommy Conroy’s way. The Neale man
year they beat all three – Mayo in the in the 2008 Qualifiers while Mayo have That might all be the subject for exploded into life late in the Dublin game but
• Listen at mayonews.ie • Download from iTunes or Spotify • Check out MayoGAABlog.com final qualifier round, a hotly fancied enjoyed two subsequent knock-out another day but both sides will be he will know he will need to carry a greater
Dublin in the Quarter Finals and Kerry wins, in the 2013 semi-final (1-16 to 0-13) acutely aware — even if they do not threat in the first half. An intriguing duel.
in the final for the third of their three and 2016 quarter-final (0-13 to 0-12). vocalise it — of the opportunity that
All-Ireland titles. Tyrone edge the duel in league fix- Saturday presents. Edwin McGreal
4 all-ireland final preview mayo v Tyrone The Mayo News • Tuesday, September 7, 2021 Tuesday, September 7, 2021 • The Mayo News all-ireland final preview mayo v Tyrone 5
5 key final
STAT ATTACK
35
THE exact number of times that Mayo
battlegrounds
turned over Dublin and Tyrone turned over
Kerry in the recent semi-finals.
65%
THE percentage of Tyrone’s 3-14 against
Kerry that they scored from turnover ball.
A unique All-Ireland final pairing brings
with it different rules of engagement than
71%
THE percentage of Mayo’s 0-17 against
previous finals this decade Dublin that they scored from turnover ball.
If Tyrone display higher energy levels
with a two-week turnaround, it will be a
Analysis Dave Morris has pointed out, Tyrone And while Conor Lane had a ‘mare’ in serious indicator of where they are at
Edwin scored 65 percent of their 3-14 from turn- terms of failing to sanction as many as physically. It will also be decisive.
McGreal over ball. Their success with turnovers five red card offences for Dublin, his ten-
was rightly celebrated, especially because, dency to let play go facilitated a lot of
without it, they did not have near enough Mayo turnovers also. 5 Selections and
primary possession from kick-outs to be It is therefore hard to say which team substitutes
1 Kick-outs and competitive. would prefer a referee who is slow to
shot conversion It cannot be forgotten though that for blow for frees. James Horan had a terrific day on the
all Mayo’s successes in winning kick-outs Joe McQuillan does not tend to let the line against Dublin, adapting to the game
IF we’ve learned one thing from both v Dublin, they still mined 0-12 of their game go as much as Coldrick, David with key switches in personnel and posi-
All-Ireland semi-finals, it’s that typical 0-17 of their scores from turnover ball, Gough or Lane. tions.
statistical targets can sometimes count an even better percentage than Tyrone Will this suit Mayo or Tyrone? We think Bringing on Enda Hession early, with-
for very little. of 71 percent. a reduction in turnover opportunities drawing an off-form Aidan O’Shea, switch-
If you’d said Mayo would only score Both teams work incredibly hard when will suit Mayo as they are typically better ing Eoghan McLaughlin off Paddy Small,
0-13 v Dublin (in normal time), you’d have they don’t have the ball to try to win it at sourcing primary possession than and bringing on James Carr, Jordan Flynn
said they were going to lose. back. Tyrone. and Conor O’Shea were all switches that
If you’d said Tyrone would not win one The ferocity and quality of their tack- If there’s a lot of frees the next day, it worked.
single one of Kerry’s kick-outs and strug- ling is of the highest order. It is fascinat- goes without saying the importance of He now faces a huge amount of key
gle hugely on their own restarts, you’d ing that Mayo turned over Dublin and free-taking becomes magnified. decisions for the final, and picking his
have said that was too much possession Tyrone turned over Kerry the exact same Ryan O’Donoghue has stepped into the starting XV is not going to be easy.
for a talented Kerry forward line to squan- number of times – 35. breach admirably in Cillian O’Connor’s Does Enda Hession start? Is Oisin Mul-
der. Turnovers can often lead to more scores injury-enforced absence. He does not lin fit enough to start? Or Eoghan McLaugh-
But both Mayo and Tyrone made those than kick-outs because a team can usu- have quite the same range as O’Connor lin?
games very different contests than had ally set themselves up defensively while and knows this. What match-ups does he look at in
been anticipated. a kick-out is being taken. Lose possession That’s a good thing – he knows not to defence? Conor McKenna, Darren
Tyrone, historically, have never overly when attacking and you could have sev- force a shot outside his range. A BIRD’S EYE VIEW ager Jack O’Connor on The Examiner McCurry and Mattie Donnelly will need
concerned themselves with the battle for eral players out of position so, therefore, It was instructive that for Mayo’s first Mayo set their football podcast explain that Donnelly watching, and Cathal McShane too,
primary possession. They find other ways scoring opportunities are greater with long range free against Dublin, it was defensive shape as did an entirely separate warm-up would whether he starts or comes on.
to get their hands on the ball – turno- gaps left and defending players running Diarmuid O’Connor who took it before Dublin try to build an indicate he had an issue going into the Is Aidan O’Shea fully fit? What level of
attack during the
vers. back frantically towards goal instead of Rob Hennelly took over from there. recent All-Ireland SFC game, and so his influence was remark- fitness does he need to start?
Mayo have a thirst for turnovers too. facing the play. Hennelly nailed three from five long semi-final at Croke able in such circumstances. And, if so, where do you play him?
So deciding what kick-outs, shots and As Christy O’Connor observed in The range frees/45s, if we include the missed Park. Pic: Sportsfile Tyrone did fade from the game in extra- He excelled against Tyrone in the 2016
conversion rate numbers are important Sunday Times after the Mayo-Dublin ‘45 that was blown up. time after going five points up, but this semi-final, despite a heart-in-mouth kick
in this game is not simple. game, 26 of Dublin’s turnovers lost to Will he come up for any free outside was arguably more attributable to trying back to David Clarke late on. But having
What we’ve learned recently is that for Mayo came in the second half and extra O’Donoghue’s range, even inside the ‘45? to see a game out than wilting physi- featured at full-forward this year, it remains
all we might think matches will follow a time. Who will take frees on the right wing? cally. to be seen if that is a position Horan will
certain pattern, sometimes games take A sign of a tired team, be it mental or Hennelly’s counterpart Niall Morgan The intensity they brought to the tackle stick with.
on a life of their own. physical. could have a huge role to play also. His and the hard running and support play A defensive midfield role might suit
The template for winning games in It can be hard to quantify how many incredible 65+ metre free right on half- as they turned turnovers into attack was better in a game where turnovers are
terms of scores was to create 30 chances turnovers are due to the efforts of the time against Kerry showed how long his very noticeable, and is the sign of a time going to be vital. Tyrone’s midfield duo
and convert two thirds of them. We don’t team winning them or how complicit the range is, but he can be hit and miss from who is humming from a physical condi- of Brian Kennedy and Conn Kilpatrick
think you’ll need as many as 20 scores to opposition are; in this case, Kerry and long range also. tioning perspective. All the more impres- do not tend to dominate possession like
win this final, but shot selection and a Dublin. Darren McCurry is a confident free- sive when you consider their disjointed other midfielders. For instance, they had
decent conversion rate remain para- Next Saturday will likely give us the taker closer to goal while Mattie Donnelly run into the game with Covid-19 cases in a total of 19 possessions between them
mount. answer because it is hard to escape the and Cathal McShane are accomplished the squad. in the Kerry game. Could that come into
And while kick-outs mattered little in reality that whoever wins more turnovers kickers from the left wing. Similarly in the other semi-final, you deciding how to deploy O’Shea?
the Kerry game, Mayo will still be seek- are quite likely to win this game. It has the makings of a game where could see towards the end of normal time How does James Horan use his bench?
ing to retain a decent percentage of their converting frees will be vital. that Dublin were wilting and it was Mayo If Enda Hession starts, does Mayo’s influ-
own kick-outs, go after Tyrone’s, and who played with all the energy in extra- ence from the subs’ bench diminish? Who
protect possession better than Kerry were 3 The referee time. makes way?
able to (or were let). and frees 4 Energy levels and Unlike Kerry, who rallied back to a Tyrone have plenty of decisions to make
running power solitary point, Dublin were unable to once too. Does Cathal McShane or Darragh
IT’S fair to say that referee David Coldrick Mayo opened a three point lead and no Canavan start or stay in reserve? Who
2 Turnovers suited Tyrone in the semi-final. It is not WATCHING the second semi-final, it more scores came. does Conor Meyler track?
MAYO did much better on winning kick- that he favoured them in anyway but his looked like Kerry were hitting the wall How well physically tuned you are is This is an All-Ireland Final which can
outs against Dublin than Tyrone did tendency to let play develop and not physically well before the end of normal relative to the opposition. The efforts of be won and lost on the line as much as
against Kerry but a look at the source of penalise tacklers like other referees might time. We also thought Tyrone’s Mattie both games going to extra time have to on the field.
the scores for both teams is very instruc- certainly favoured Tyrone’s ferocious Donnelly was struggling and wondering be factored in and one imagines a four It really has the look of a game which
tive. tackling game compared to Kerry’s com- was the pace too much for both teams. week recovery is not any sort of hindrance talk to joe Mayo’s Lee Keegan of Mayo appeals a decision as referee Joe McQuillan consults with his umpires during the 2017All-Ireland SFC will come down to very fine margins.
As renowned Corofin-based statistician paratively passive play. However, listening to former Kerry man- to Mayo. Final against Dublin. McQuillan will also referee Saturday’s game. Pic: Sportsfile Hang on tight!
6 all-ireland final preview mayo v Tyrone The Mayo News • Tuesday, September 7, 2021 Tuesday, September 7, 2021 • The Mayo News all-ireland final preview mayo v Tyrone 7
Final
thoughts LIFE MOVES ON Andy Moran is
pictured at his gym, ‘The Movement’ in
Castlebar. Pic: Michael McLaughlin
Peter Canavan when I watched back the
Sky coverage of the Tyrone-Kerry game
We sat down with Andy Moran last week to and he was ready to play! That’s kind of
the way I am.
Whoever gets
find out what being an ex-Mayo player in the I was very anxious before the Dublin the most
amount of
game, Jenny [Andy’s wife] couldn’t believe
build-up to an All-Ireland Final is like it. I don’t know why, I’d say it’s probably
a bit of lack of control.
I’d be very loyal towards the players I things right
played with too, I find it very hard not
to be biased towards them when I’m wins the game
Exclusive formula for Mayo to go at Tyrone?’ line, and a lot of my role that day was doing punditry. You still have a lot of
Mike Tyrone will be expecting our running winning ball out wide, creating channels loyalty there.
Finnerty game and we’ll be expecting their run- for fellas coming through the middle. I think what would be amazing when AM: I’ve imagined that every day since
ning game, it’s going to be an awful lot And a lot of the passes that I got that we do get the job done, whether that’s 1989 when I sat down and watched my
of transition play in terms of winning day were actually long hand passes into the next day or whenever, I think the first All-Ireland with my grandfather.
the ball, turning the ball over in your the full-forward line. So for me this would ex-players need us to win. I think from He was a Cork man, and we had 50 pence
MF: Given everything that’s hap- half-back line, and going. be a very difficult game. ‘89 to ‘96 to ‘97 to all my years, I think on the game.
pened over the years, and given the You can picture it, you can see Paddy Obviously you’ve three full-backs [who] the hurt from the players not being there I’ve been lucky enough to see Cross-
fact that Dublin and Kerry are not Durcan, Oisin Mullin, Mattie Ruane, all scored the last day, McKernan, will all die once we get over the line. molina coming into Ballaghaderreen
the opposition on Saturday, do Mayo Diarmuid O’Connor driving forward. . . McNamee and Hampsey all driving up I think it’s as simple as that. with a cup, Ballina coming into Balla-
have to win this All-Ireland? And on the other side you can see Slud- the field. So again, I would have found I think hurt is only there once you feel ghaderreen with a cup, the Mayo minors
den, Harte, McGeary and these guys that very difficult. like you’re missing out. But once it’s in 2013 coming in, the Under-21s in 2016,
AM: I don’t think you ever have to win flooding forward. My job would have been, ‘Get the ball done, it’s done. I’ve seen all that. . And we’ll be ready.
anything. So there’s going to be an awful lot of and put fellas through the channels. And I think all that will just diminish
You’re going into a final here, where play in between the ‘45s, so as an inside Would it have been a huge scoring and be gone. MF:Do you think Mayo will win?
Tyrone haven’t won one since 2008, forward I’d always be thinking of ‘where game for me? Possibly not. I said a couple of weeks ago that it
Mayo haven’t won one in 70 years. You’ve do you win the ball?’ ‘how do you run doesn’t weigh heavy on me. Like, I’m AM: You cannot underestimate the task
two fresh teams, and it’s a huge, huge the channels?’ and ‘how do you defend MF: Would it have suited Cillian? not that sort of person. Genuinely. we have in front of us. It’s huge, it’s
opportunity. against that when they’re attacking? AM: Absolutely. I think that could be having kids, it monumental.
But the key to an opportunity of a life- ‘How do you defend as a forward?’ could be that I kind of retired on my This game, I honestly believe, is on a
time is to take it in the lifetime of the ‘How do you stay high up the field?’ MF: Can you explain to me how big own terms, I didn’t get dropped at 28, I knife-edge, 50-50. I don’t believe in this
opportunity. Now is the time and the So there’s still a lot of that in you. a loss he will be the next day? didn’t feel like I had anything left to ‘who wants it more’ nonsense. I believe
boys can sense it. I’m sure the Tyrone And then from a coaching point of offer. whoever gets the most amount of things
boys can sense it too. view, I was thinking, ‘where can you do AM: You asked me what was my initial When I finished, I knew I was done. right win the game.
This is a huge opportunity for both damage?’ thought after the game? And if I’m being To the point where I didn’t even train And I just think, even without Cillian,
teams. So you’re looking at Morgan’s kick-out, honest my initial thought was Cillian. in 2020. the 15 who go out on the field, I think we
you’re looking at can you keep McNamee, I’m heartbroken for him if I’m being I just played the club season, I didn’t believe absolutely in what we’re
MF: What were your first thoughts Hampsey and McKernan back on the honest. I was in that situation in 2012, even train myself, I was coaching the doing.
when the final whistle went in the full-back line? Because if we can, I think, and I would honestly say for me, on a boys. I was finished with it. I thought playing in Division Two of
second semi-final and you looked at particularly Ryan O’Donoghue, who is personal note, that was probably the The [All-Ireland] defeats will go to the the league was probably a negative for
the prospect of a Tyrone-Mayo just playing football at an extraordinary hardest time of my whole career. grave with me. It’s not that I think a lot us, but the more we go on, the more I
Final? level this year. . . So if we can keep him I would say, bar my dad dying, it was about them, it’s not that I get upset about see it as a positive. But I do want to reit-
between that 21 and that 45, orchestrat- the hardest time of my whole life. them, but when you have a life’s goal in erate what Kevin McStay said on The
AM: I was actually very nervous watch- ing play, and we can keep him up there, Your life kinda revolves around Gaelic something, like business, family, your Sunday Game, we have to play for more
ing the game, which is very unusual. that’s where I think we could do huge football from 5 to 35, and then all of a job. . . something that you didn’t finish than 35 minutes. We’ve done that now a
My first thought was, ‘where can Mayo damage. sudden, on the biggest day, you’re miss- out, I think you’ll have those thoughts. few times; Clare, Galway. Dublin. . . we
hurt Tyrone and where could Tyrone So in my head, I’d be thinking ‘how do ing. STUCK IN THE 30 seconds. Cillian has the opportunity have come to terms yet about not But it doesn’t weigh heavy on me at have to play for a longer period of time
MOMENT Mayo's
hurt Mayo?’ we keep them there?’ How do we get And I don’t think we would have missed Andy Moran to take it short and maybe go again. And being able to play in the final? all. It doesn’t because I’m thinking about because if Tyrone get ahead, they’re
My process is always to go, ‘Where can Mattie [Ruane] driving off his shoulder? Cillian against Kerry, but I think we’ll celebrates after you’re just missing his leadership. coaching and managing and what I’m going to close in like Donegal did in 2012.
we lose the game?’ first. And I used to And how do you get Tommy [Conroy] miss him the next day. scoring an equalising McNamee, Hampsey and McKernan AM: I think if we win then Cillian will going to do next. I’ll always think of the So we have to be ready to play for 70
do that as a player. And then by the maybe one-on-one with a McKernan He’s a huge, huge loss. point against Dublin are going to give it to the [Mayo] boys be absolutely 100%. Yes, of course you next thing. odd minutes here.
Wednesday, I’d be always thinking, ‘Right, inside? in the 2015 All-Ireland the next day, they are going to get inten- miss out on it, but my problem when we But is there a part of me that you don’t But I genuinely believe that, backboned
where can we hurt them?’ That’s how MF: What will the team really miss SFC semi-final. sity and stuff off the ball like they’ve lost to Donegal was [that] l I was think- look back on 2017 and go, ‘Do ya know, by Mattie, Diarmuid, Stephen Coen,
Pic: Sportsfile
I’ve always thought. MF: Would Andy Moran at his best against Tyrone by Cillian not being never got before. ing, ‘I could have definitely helped’. I’d love to have achieved that with the Michael Plunkett, these guys have won.
So I was thinking, ‘will Stephen Coen love to be playing in this final? How there? O’Connor is just huge. He gives so I knew I’d come back, I know Cillian group of boys that were there’. . Abso- My team never got to a winning podium,
go out with Donnelly?’ ‘Will Lee stay in would you go about it?
I’m much of it himself, he’s so used to it. will come back, he knows he’ll come lutely, and we didn’t do it. but they did.
with McCurry?’
That was my thought process. AM: This would have been a very tough
AM: Scores are going to be at a premium
and James [Horan] will be thinking about
heartbroken
But the biggest place [he’ll be missed]
is that scores are going to be at a pre-
back.
But if the team loses, you’re thinking, The defeats And it’s a goal that I will never hit now
at this stage, and will I think about it for
I lost an All-Ireland minor [final], an
Under-21 [final], I lost all my seniors
MF: Do you think about these things
game for the likes of myself. I would
have been a ball winner. And I don’t
things like, when we get a free around
the ‘50, we bring Robbie up, it’s giving for Cillian if
mium, and he’s our premium score get-
ter.
‘I could have helped’.
will go to the rest of my life, 100%. [finals], they have got to the winning
podium and I think they know how to
as a coach now? think there’s going to be too many kick-
passes into that full-forward line.
Tyrone the time to set up, it’s slowing
down the game, it’s taken a minute and I’m being
MF: Will you be nervous watching
the final?
the grave MF: Have you imagined or visualised
do it. They’ve won a National League
and a Connacht title in Croke Park, and
AM: I still think there’s a player in there
somewhere, thinking, ‘what is the best
I remember in 2016 we played Cillian,
Aidan and myself in the full-forward
a half.
If Cillian is there that kick is done inside honest
MF: From the benefit of your experi-
ence in 2012, do you think Cillian will AM: I’m very bad. I was laughing at
with me what it will be like if Mayo beat
Tyrone?
I do believe that’s what’s going to lead
us to the promised land.
8 all-ireland final preview mayo v Tyrone The Mayo News • Tuesday, September 7, 2021 Tuesday, September 7, 2021 • The Mayo News all-ireland final preview mayo v Tyrone 9
An end is in sight Nothing will
eter slowly crept up by degrees
until the needle entered the red
hot warning sign every time the
beat being there
ball flew over the bar from
Tommy Conroy’s boot.
As I left Croke Park that day,
there was a tinge of sadness
knowing, as I thought then, that
I would not be back to see the
journey’s end.
Column So the realisation that I’m damn
Colin lucky to be going there at all is
Sheridan A Fan’s View left it behind the bar to be picked only would Mayo beat Dublin, not lost on me. As it will not be
Rory up using a codeword? but explained exactly how and lost on all the Mayo fans who
Galvin No, a simple e-mail from Tick- by what margin. can’t be there, be they from
etmaster and it now lives in my Like the cops at the end of The Geesala, Kuala Lumpur, Boston
“Longing on a large scale is what makes phone. Usual Suspects figuring out who or Balla. We know as supporters
A
history. This is just a kid with a local No standing on ceremony, a was the real Keyser Soze, it who, and what, we’re represent-
yearning but he is part of an assembling JOURNEY of seat on Emirates flight EK162 dawned on me, and I dared for ing and what our responsibility
crowd, anonymous thousands off the a thousand from Dubai to Dublin was a second, to look ahead to Sep- is on Saturday. To the team, to
buses and trains, people in narrow col- miles begins booked, with lodgings thrown tember and ask ‘what if?”. Was ourselves and to those of us who
umns tramping over the swing bridge with a single in for good measure. News was this Oracle of the South a man are not in the stadium.
above the river, and even if they are not step, so said a despatched to Ballinrobe, of great footballing knowledge, I’m looking forward to the roar
a migration or a revolution, some vast Chinese phi- whereby the sports editor, never or just another cute Kerry hoor when the Green and Red come
shaking of the soul, they bring with them losopher. one to miss a trick for free copy, sent to the capital to sell ‘Yerras shooting out of the tunnel and
the body heat of a great city and their In my case, it began earlier asked me to pen a piece on what to the Mayos’ like Arthur Daly our opponents realise they are
own small reveries and desperations, the when the news that a coveted the journey will be like. What sold used Ford Capris. not just playing against 15 men,
unseen something that haunts the day— All- Ireland ticket had my name journey would that be? The flight Of course no one could have but hundreds of thousands of
men in fedoras and sailors on shore leave, on it. home… or one we’ve all been predicted what came next — at Mayo men and women across
the stray tumble of their thoughts, going I anticipated that usual drama on together for the last 70 years? least not in the way it came the globe. For when we finally
to a game.” would when it comes to procur- After all, you did say you only about. The Chaos™, (surely lift Sam on Saturday evening,
ing one would be increased wanted 500 words. we’ve earned the patent to it one thing is for sure: the journey
- Don DeLillo, Underworld tenfold before I had it in my In truth, this journey could be now?) that Mayo brought to will continue.
hand. This is the GAA way. traced back to a chance encoun- Dublin in the semi-final encap- Maigh Eo Abú!
I
Would I need to collect it from ter with a Kerryman outside sulated all that is good and great,
CONSIDERED composing a college buddy’s cousin from Ryan’s pub after the Connacht heart-warming and heart-churn- A FLYING VISIT Maggie
James O’Malley (2 and a half
this entire article from song Westmeath outside Gill’s on the Final in Croke Park. Falling into ing, with this team over the last years old) is pictured after
lyrics about love and loss. morning of the game, or perhaps our company with a well-timed 10 years. Perched in the Cusack landing in Ireland from
From DeLillo quotes about drive to Dingle and ask the bar- comment on the game; he then Stand with some clubmen from Australia to support Mayo in
longing. From Kozelek. From man in Dick Mac’s if someone proceeded to tell us that not Ballinrobe, our elation barom- Saturday’s All-Ireland Final.
Heaney. From Beckett, Stein-
beck maybe, and, just for the heck of it,
some late Hemingway.
From text messages sent by friends,
composed the night before finals, when
our hearts are full and we are drunk,
metaphorically and literally, with the
possibility of tomorrow.
From the follow-ups, the tragic post-
SUPPORTING THE
mortems, sent 24 hours later, telegrams
dispatched smothered in cynicism, laden
with tired resignation, anger even, over
GREEN
selections and decisions and referees
and the bitter aftertaste of a brutal bounc-
ing ball.
I imagined this as a stream of lucid
consciousness, an enlightened dispatch how become enough? Is it parenthood? ENJOYING THE JOURNEY Who wants integrity when you can
littered with contemplative platitudes Is it losing people you love? Mayo players Ryan have Celtic Crosses? Integrity won’t put
on why winning won’t change us. On Is it real life? O’Donoghue, Diarmuid groceries in the fridge. It won’t get the
why defeat won’t define us. I don’t know, but, for the first time since O’Connor and Colm Boyle girls either. And anyways, is integrity
I contemplated building the piece I was a kid, the anxiety is gone. I think. celebrate after their win over throwing a GPS unit at an opposing
Dublin in the All-Ireland SFC
& RED
around the old boy from Shawshank - Maybe it’s because I believe there is semi-final. Pic: Sportsfile player, mid kick? Damn right it is. He
Brooks - who spent his whole adult life nothing new left to happen, only win. should have thrown an entire laptop at
wanting to leave his cell, only to finally Literally every other outcome has been him. And the user manual.
be granted freedom to find he couldn’t realised in 32 years of trying. Tyrone would have.
cope. BROOKS WAS HERE.
That was my ending. The longing How I shake my head at the naive nov-
elty of ‘89 and ‘96. How I lament a lost
This year was supposed to be a year
off, for God’s sake. Retirements. Rup-
remains, but
Are we ready? Do we want to leave? childhood realised in the cruel crescendo tured achilles. Returning champions.
Are we prisoners perennially wedded of ‘97, the knife twisted by Galway in ‘98. Mayo were supposed to know their place.
that feeling
to our captor? How I blame my stupid self for believ- Instead, the Dublin semi-final was just
Has it always been the journey, never ing in the false dawns of ‘04 and ‘06. another example of everything you know
of hopeful
the destination? How I hang my head in shame for not is wrong.
And what of Sisphus? The legendary being there in Pearse Park, Longford in Living your life by the bale rhythm of
hopelessness
king of Corinth, condemned eternally 2010, for if we have come to learn any- Mayo’s football fortunes is to submit to
to repeatedly roll a heavy rock up a hill thing in Mayo, it is that your dedication an entropy so volatile, it is an act of blind
is gone
in Hades, only to have it roll down again to the cause is not measured in tokens faith. All because you were born in a
as it nears the top? Was his mother from gathered in good times as much as it is place, or of a place.
Geesala? Is this our lot in life? Is accept- scars suffered in the bad. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
ance better than the blind fury of our If the last decade of being from Mayo Football has guided us through another
perpetual rebellion? Etcetera etcetera. has taught me anything, it is that it has summer, the unseen something that
I was ready for all of this. I had the actually taught me absolutely nothing. haunts our day. Without it, we would be
playlists primed and the poetry prepped. is not there. Either I am incapable of learning the left with a void to fill. Idle chat to make.
I had dog-eared novels with spines bat-
tered down and paper, stained by time
and coffee, ready to be raided for quips
The longing remains, but that feeling
of hopeful hopelessness is gone.
I want us to win as much as ever, but,
lessons offered, or they are lessons not
so much to be learned as lived through.
We have conspired to win games and
Situations to contrive.
Fun to be forced.
With it, we are reminded that the world
HAS YOUR BACK
and quotes. I don’t know what happened, somehow the need is absent. Is it a lose games in every manner possible, is a fine place, and worth fighting for.
but, as the Goddess of existentially chal- defence mechanism? Have I tested and and still emerge with at least a morsel There. I did it. I had to.
lenged Mayo people, Sally Rooney, is tasted too much? Have I been so brow- of integrity intact. Integrity! Whatever happens Saturday, that man-
my witness, this time, the desperation beaten by life that being there has some- Oh yes, I can hear the critics cry. tra will remain.
10 all-ireland final preview mayo v Tyrone The Mayo News • Tuesday, September 7, 2021 Tuesday, September 7, 2021 • The Mayo News all-ireland final preview mayo v Tyrone 11
Mayo must UP IN THE AIR Mayo’s Aidan O’Shea O’Shea has a crucial
midfield role to play
competes for the ball with Tyrone’s Colm
Cavanagh and Ronan McNamee, as
get their
Cathal McCarron awaits developments,
during the 2016 All-Ireland SFC quarter-
final. Pic: Sportsfile
game-plan I
’VE had a go at picking the Mayo
team that I would go with to start
next Saturday’s All-Ireland
And then you’ve got to be ready for
Darragh Canavan and Cathal McShane
to come on.
just right
Final. This is where the question of Brendan
One certainty is that Rob Hen- Harrison comes up; is he an option
nelly will be in goal, and I think the to come in and give the team 20 min-
defence picks itself with Enda Hes- utes off the bench on McShane? Or
sion coming in for Eoghan McLaugh- could he come on to pick up someone
lin. I’m assuming that Oisin Mullin and let O’Hora go on to McShane?
won’t be fit to start at this stage, but
if he is then that will be a very pleas- I think Mayo Mayo are going to have to plan to
deal with five different players in the
ant surprise.
I’d be posting Aidan O’Shea around will find a Tyrone full-forwardline over the
course of the game. So having that
Column Not through Tyrone’s great work-rate
the middle of the field and I think he
could be a very important factor in way to win planned and plotted out in advance
is going to be crucial, while also hav-
the game
Billy Joe or anything, but more through Kerry’s putting pressure on Morgan’s kick- ing the flexibility to adapt as the game
Padden lethargy. outs and dropping deep to try and evolves.
Mayo will recognise that and be much stop crossfield balls into the full-back I think Tyrone will send Conor
more intense in terms of trying to put line. Meyler to pick up Paddy Durcan,
pressure on Morgan. I think it’s important for O’Shea that especially given the success that Mey-
if he does play in that area that he ler had against Paudie Clifford. I’d
Playing at a moves the ball quickly and only brings have no issue with that match-up
high tempo The role of the the ball into the tackle if he’s moving because Paddy is such a good and
middle third forward with momentum. accomplished defender.
THE first thing for Mayo to focus on is Up front, I’d start with Diarmuid
trying to play the game at a high THE Mayo players in this area of the O’Connor, Conor Loftus, Bryan Walsh
tempo. field will be busy, but they will have to in the half-forwardline; and Ryan Keegan, Michael Plunkett; Paddy My verdict
The opening 20 minutes of the Kerry- retain possession and to recognise when O’Donoghue, Kevin McLoughlin and Durcan, Stephen Coen, Enda Hession; I THINK Mayo will find a way to win
Tyrone semi-final were quite slow-paced they need to break through that Tyrone Tommy Conroy inside. Mattie Ruane, Aidan O’Shea; Diarmuid the game and win the All-Ireland.
and there wasn’t much intensity really ‘press’. I’d see Kevin’s role as being that of O’Connor, Conor Loftus, Bryan Walsh; As it gets closer, the more I believe
apart from when Tyrone got three or The Ulster champions did a really good an organiser, a man that’s key to the Ryan O’Donoghue, Kevin McLough- that Mayo will be able to play at a
four players around the ball-carrier in job the last day of putting the Kerry ball- rotation and movement of the for- lin, Tommy Conroy. higher tempo than Tyrone and will
their own defence. carriers in the middle third under pres- wards. He also knows that he can be able to generate enough scores
Other than that, it was timid enough sure. come out the field and impact the from all over the field, especially from
from a pace point of view. But Mayo are superior to Kerry in that game if necessary. That makes it a bit Some key that crucial middle third sector.
So I think Mayo will want to play the area; Mattie Ruane is the in-form mid- more difficult for Tyrone in that they match-ups I think they’re going to get some
game at a really high tempo. And they’ll fielder in the country, Paddy Durcan is don’t have key target-men to mar- scores out of their key players there,
want the ball in play for as long as pos- the best half-back in the country, and the shal. TYRONE are going to start Mattie like Mattie Ruane, Diarmuid O’Connor
sible to try and drive home that advan- ball-carriers coming through that area It’s going to be a chaotic game any- Donnelly and Darren McCurry in the and Conor Loftus.
tage. are usually very secure in possession. way where I don’t think positions are full-forwardline, and I would go with I also feel that Mayo will be able to
Rob Hennelly will be crucial in that They’ll need to be again, and they’ll going to matter very much, and both Lee Keegan on McCurry and Padraig put pressure on Niall Morgan’s kick-
regard. need to play heads-up football. If there’s Mayo and Tyrone will be very com- O’Hora on Donnelly. outs to disrupt Tyrone, get their own
There wasn’t a whole pile of evidence space in front of them, then attack, and fortable playing that sort of game. O’Hora will wait in the full-back line kick-outs away to create opportuni-
that Tyrone put Shane Ryan in the Kerry make sure there’s support with them. most of the time, but if Conor McK- ties for themselves, and that the Mayo
goals under much pressure. He was able If there isn’t support then they need to enna plays some minutes in there, players will show enough patience at
to get his kick-outs away quite easily. be patient. My starting XV he’s got such athleticism that I’d prob- the right times to get the match-win-
That didn’t seem to bother Tyrone the Support runners are going to be crucial Rob Hennelly; Padraig O’Hora, Lee ably look for Lee to pick him up. ning scores.
last day, but it’s much more dangerous because of the way that Tyrone get bod-
when you allow Mayo to work the ball ies around the ball. You cannot find
3 things Tyrone will focus on
up the field. Because their middle third yourself isolated because that’s exactly
players and half-back line are much bet- what the blanket defence wants. So it’s going to be important Mayo
ter than Kerry’s at generating scores. It wants to isolate you, wrap you up, rotate forwards while keeping their ‘spac-
Rob has been getting his restarts out turn the ball over and go the other way. ing’ — which is something that Pep
exceptionally well all year so it’s him So it’s up to the ball-carrier to recognise Guardiola talks a lot about.
about generating a high tempo for Mayo when to go and when to stay. What I mean by ‘spacing’ is that if Mayo
by getting the ball into play as quickly were to divide the attacking half of the
as possible. field into six segments, then they would
Spacing out need at least one player in each segment. Defending Exploiting Mayo Giving Mayo their kick-outs
up front And then you add midfielders and the in numbers weaknesses I THINK Tyrone will use some of the games against Mayo in the past
Pressure the half-back line to whatever segment so to inform their game-plan. We can all remember league matches
Tyrone kick-out Mayo will need to blend patience and that you’re spaced out all over the field. TYRONE’S joint managers Brian Dooher and Fergal Logan will IF I’m Brian Dooher or Fergal Logan then I will be looking to focus when Tyrone gave Mayo their own short kick-outs — like they did
bravery in the forwardline. Because if you’re spaced out then so is want to see more of what they saw in the semi-final from their in on what they perceive to be weaknesses in the Mayo team. against Kerry in the semi-final — and were happy to let them try and
MAYO will definitely zone in on putting Tyrone are going to get loads of bodies the blanket defence. defenders again next weekend. I think they’ll look at the full-back line and say that Padraig O’Hora work the ball up the field.
pressure on the Tyrone kick-out. back, and the key thing for me is that If the Mayo forwards are all in the one They really denied Kerry’s attack a lot of space and they’ll want to and Lee Keegan are both very good in physical situations, but That ensures that it’s slow build-up play and that Tyrone have
Tyrone didn’t do anything revolution- Mayo need to work on using the full area then the blanket defence can wrap do that again against this Mayo forwardline, particularly when it they’re not the quickest. everybody back in their defensive shell. I think they always feel very
ary on their own kick-outs against Kerry. width of the field and the full depth of them up easily. comes to Tommy Conroy and Ryan O’Donoghue. So Tyrone will try and expose that. strong in those situations; they feel that they’re defensively good
They positioned their targets in the the forwardline. So the spacing of the forwards, and the They’ll recognise that those players are quick so they’ll want to get I also imagine they will feel that Mayo are not going to play with a enough to keep a team out, even if they’ve allowed them to have
‘inside’ field positions and Kerry defended What I mean by that is if you’re playing circulation of them, is absolutely cru- as many bodies around them as they can, be as physical as they sweeper so there should be spaces there when Tyrone get on possession from the kick-out.
it from the outside. in the full-forwardline, you might not cial. can, and ensure that no Mayo forwards can break easily into turnover ball and counter-attack. Kerry couldn’t break them down and Tyrone will feel that Mayo won’t
And Tyrone didn’t make too many necessarily be a target for the ball, but Working on that is absolutely critical space. There may be spaces there too on some good kick-outs from Niall be able to either. They will probably feel that Mayo’s forwards aren’t as
efforts to try and break that and create you have to be on the penalty spot so to play against Tyrone, and ultimately They will feel that they can have success because they’re not Morgan that put somebody away around the middle. If they can good as Kerry’s.
some options for Niall Morgan. But that you are stretching out the Tyrone beat them. dealing with a David Clifford who only needs six inches of space to get those out then they should be able to play the long diagonal So they will be happy to draw Mayo on, invite them in, and try and
around 20 minutes into the second half, defenders all the way from their goal- get a shot away and over the bar. passes that they like into Darren McCurry, Cathal McShane or force turnovers.
Kerry seemed to lose energy or patience keeper to the 50 yard line. IN-FORM Mayo's Matthew Ruane That’s not Tommy Conroy or Ryan O’Donoghue’s game — not yet Mattie Donnelly, or whoever is in there. They’ll back themselves to frustrate Mayo, and they have evidence
or concentration because it started to So that you’re opening up as much celebrates after the Connacht Final. anyway. Tyrone will expect to have the advantage in terms of pace in those from the last few league matches the counties have played to support
Pic: Sportsfile
open up more for Morgan. space as possible. one-on-one situations. that. Whether they can do that in Croke Park remains to be seen.
12 all-ireland final preview mayo v Tyrone The Mayo News • Tuesday, September 7, 2021 Tuesday, September 7, 2021 • The Mayo News all-ireland final preview mayo v Tyrone 13
The busy life
of Brian
People here “That’s one of Mayo’s greatest Some managers might have
can be everything Interview strengths, their work rate, par-
ticularly from the forward and
been delighted with their
progress, but that’s never been
all at once
Declan
Bogue midfield units never mind their Dooher’s way. He is, in the best
defence. Their tackling and their sense of the phrase, hungry for
intensity there and a lot of teams titles.
T
have experienced that this year. “I think anyone playing foot-
HE stats don’t lie. I know one of the keys to Mayo’s ball...you don’t put off until
Tyrone produced success has been their work rate tomorrow what you can do today
35 turnovers over generally all around the field,” you know and I don’t think any-
a gruelling 103 min- he explained at Tyrone’s press body would be any different,
utes of football night last week. who knows what’s around the
against Kerry. Asked if the outcome of the corner,” said the 46 year-old.
Up against what Kieran game will be decided on the “Just live in the now, live in
McGeeney once called years turnover count, he continued, the moment and do the best
ago the ‘hardest-hitting team in “Well, that’ll definitely be one we can with what we have
Gaelic football’, the All-Ireland aspect of it. You’ve to earn the as we have it. That’s what
final is going to be a warzone of right to play football and Mayo we’ve done. We’ve taken every
bodies diving on every loose definitely earn the right, they game at a time and try to do
ball. Tyrone and Mayo have work hard to earn the right to the best we can, come to train-
served up some tense encoun- play football and you’re going ing every night, do the best we JOINT APPROACH Tyrone joint-managers Feargal Logan, right, and Brian Dooher celebrate after
ters in the past and this is set to to have to work equally hard to can and see where that takes beating Kerry in the All-Ireland SFC semi-final. Pic: Sportsfile
surpass all expectations. earn that right to play football you.”
But, Tyrone joint-manager against them.” Still, when they were unveiled so I didn’t probably, but that’s final, but you never think about further ahead because games
Brian Dooher is fully prepared After their win over Kerry, the as the new management last just the way things happen,” that at the time. You’re thinking have been every couple of weeks.
for that. rest of the country might have November, the chances of head- Dooher said. about the next game and the And it’s good from a player point
As a player who won three been shocked, but Dooher’s ing into an All-Ireland final might “We didn’t imagine anything next one after that. of view because there’s less
All-Irelands and three All Stars, managerial compatriot Feargal have seemed highly remote. and I suppose everyone wants “You don’t have time and espe- training probably, but it does
that kind of dirty work was his Logan said it was crucial to grab “I probably didn’t imagine that to do the best that they can, they cially this year, you definitely create its own challenges from
calling card. the chance while it was there. I’d be managing ten months ago, want to get to an All-Ireland haven’t had much time to think a preparation point of view.”
SHARING THE MOMENT
Tyrone’s Cathal McShane
celebrates with Kaitlynn Coyle
after the recent All-Ireland SFC
semi-final win over Kerry at
Croke Park. Pic: Sportsfile
Tyrone’s mood is changing
Best Wishes to the
Mayo Senior Team
used to begin with him blithely asking, ‘what’s prise in the county. same semi circle way again as basketball play-
Column the mood in the county?’ Not like that in Tyrone, where business thrives ers shot in the zone or outside for a big score.
Declan It was the one question that terrified me. I and ambitions courses through them. ‘The game is an amateur sport and in the 90’s
Bogue would embark on an anecdote or two about a And yet, they like to stick to their own. those men had real jobs. We loved watching
player or a recent game and after that, the silence Perhaps the best example of this is how dur- real big strong men catch a ball or shoulder a
would ensue. Had I said too much? ing the boom, a crew of Carrickmore – known man or a big hit. Nowadays they train, train,
W
Not enough? I couldn’t speak for the Ferman- locally as ‘Carmen’ people made a killing in train and run, run, run. Dublin-Kildare Leinster
in the All Ireland Final
HEN I was a very young agh Nation and the spotlight was harsh. construction. One bought a holiday home in final should never been played out on tv, to be
punk trying to make my way So it was with spectacular trepidation when Spain. Soon, half the town had properties in and honest game should have stopped.
in this Godforsaken industry, Mike Finnerty asked me to write a column about around the same spot and it soon became known ‘Ask any joe bloggs and there is no interest in
I bumped into the former Tyrone. ‘Just tell us about the mood in the as ‘Playa del Carmen.’ county football. You could write a match report
Mayo team performance county,’ he messaged. Oh boy. What’s the mood in the county? Well, I might on the back of a stamp nowadays cause it is so
coach, Kieran Shannon, in Tyrone. I’ve been living here now for eleven introduce a club-mate of mine. bloody boring.
an Enniskillen pub in 2002. years, from an apartment in Omagh, to right Recently during lulls in underage training, he ‘Declan the game is an awful watch. Seriously
Shannon’s relatives were all known to me,
being from the town. They soon made the con-
nection and I then latched onto him as an advi-
hard on the border in Aughnacloy, a place that
some others in the county call ‘El Paso’, with
everyone passing through on their way to other
and I have been discussing the state of Gaelic
football. My thoughts are that it is in a healthy
state at present.
you are in cuckoo land if you think people are
excited about football.’
After another raft of arguments from me: ‘I
from Maria Walsh MEP & Team
sor and mentor. places. Not his. Nor can he be persuaded by con- give up. Thank God for Love Island.’
When he was growing up, his father Brendan And I still haven’t figured them out. structed arguments, facts and statistics. And then Mayo-Dublin happened.
used to get a copy of The Fermanagh Herald They can be the everything all at once. A more These conversations continued into What’s And then Tyrone-Kerry happened.
sent to his home in Cork. Shannon grew up generous people you could not meet. And at App messages between us. While some of this And now, he is looking for a ticket for the All-
reading the exploits of the likes of Peter McGin- the same time, harsh on shortcomings. was tongue-in-cheek, here are a sample of some Ireland final, having sworn off county football
nity and Malachy O’Rourke in match reports. Coming from Fermanagh, you soon realise of his thoughts; for the last few years.
He would know their club form intimately. that there are generational forces at play. Our ‘Defenders do not tackle nor defend hence the On Sunday morning, he took it all back. He’s
He was always mad keen to get into a deep ancestors had a bounty of lakes to fish from and reason why there is high scoring. The game is in love again.
dive conversation around the pros and cons of feed their families. like basketball on a pitch. Comfortable on the That’s Tyrone for you. I’d say it’s not far off maria.walsh@europarl.europa.eu 087 721 5415
Fermanagh football, in particular what the
operations were at county board level and what
It was an arable farming existence, only really
taking as much as you needed.
ball is not a skill. Midfielders have to be able to
run with the ball. The game is ruined, yes goalie
the Mayo mindset at times either.
@mariawalsheu www.eppgroup.eu
improvements they could make. Even now, with the Quinn Empire in smoul- is good because they now have to make an Declan Bogue is a freelance GAA writer who lives
Most phone calls over the preceding years dering waste, there is a distinct lack of enter- impact. Forwards are not tackled. They play the in Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone.
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