Backs, benches and battles to come

WITH the benefit of hindsight there is little doubt about the merits of the Mayo win over Cork. I would accept there were flaws but once again a combination of hard earned experience, belief and a dominant midfield display was enough to beat a Rebel outfit that showed a marked improvement from their Munster final defeat to Kerry.

 

Have we seen a better third quarter of football from this group under the stewardship of James Horan? I doubt it.

 

As the semi-final looms the quality we will encounter will improve and Kerry never had nor never will have a fear of playing Mayo. However, if we are to overcome the challenge our performance levels call for a greater consistency and there are sectors on the team where players need to show an immediate return to form. The full-back line creaked badly at times over the course of the 70 minutes against Cork. Chris Barrett has endured an injury-interrupted season. He, along with Ger Cafferkey, normally a byword for consistency, was exposed too often by Brian Hurley and Colm O’Neill, who used the occasion to produce their best displays of the season. At times the space afforded the Cork attack was generous to say the least and rendering the sector more secure will be a priority as the anticipated threat of Paul Geaney and James O’Donoghue will require optimum levels of vigilance.

That aside, a recurring debate has persisted since the Cork victory focusing on the impact and performance of our substitute bench. Unquestionably, it is a difficult role to successfully undertake and some players, though very talented, find its demands impossible to implement. Some feel diminished when they are not on the starting 15; others, detached from the action, lose concentration levels and underperform when introduced. Yet the modern game has elevated their status to new levels and subs have a huge part to play in the push for victory.

Take Dublin as an example. In their four games to date their bench has contributed two goals and 24 points in the quest for Sam. In contrast, Mayo’s scoring return of 1-4 from the bench is ordinary to say the least. When introducing  a sub a manager does so in the knowledge that the incoming player has form (displays in training are the yardstick); that he has the capacity to add to the team’s performance and he can fulfil the tasks allotted by bringing fresh energy and impetus in the drive for victory.

Thus far in Championship 2014, Mayo has on 22 occasions introduced players from the bench. Their impact has been somewhat inconsistent. As stated earlier, their scoring has been poor but in fairness some of their tackling and work rate (as displayed by the Alan Freeman turnover against Cork) has yielded vital game changing scores. Lesser used players like Richie Feeney, Barry Moran and Conor O’Shea must be straining at the leash as they await an opportunity to contribute.

Training should be pretty tasty over the next week as those who believe they can contribute when called on will do all in their power to impress. The bench needs to bark loudly if Mayo’s winning run is to continue.