Reclaiming the winning habit is vital for Mayo

MARTIN CARNEY COLUMN

FOR supporters, the announcement of the team on Friday evening was greeted generally with a healthy mix of acceptance and at the same time a small modicum of surprise.

With a place in the league final certain and time running out for the lightly used to stake their claims for championship selection, the game with Monaghan was seen as their last chance saloon. A total then of 10 changes from the team that defeated Donegal a week earlier didn’t come as a complete shock.

For the likes of Diarmuid O’Connor, Mayo’s repeated turbo-charged man of the match in recent weeks, allowing him the opportunity to rest his legs was prudent. Likewise, sparing the likes of Ryan O’Donoghue, Patrick Durcan and, up to then, the ever-present Conor Loftus from competitive action was to the long-term benefit of all involved.

For every player, being part of the starting 15 is for what he trains. The endless hours of graft and total dedication prove worthwhile when their efforts are rewarded with a place on the team.

Accepting a place on the squad is fine in itself. In the case of the newbies, it is a recognised part of their footballing apprenticeship. In contrast, the experienced – those who have laboured at the coal face for countless seasons – see it differently. To them it is a demotion and something that they hope to reverse whenever the opportunity arises to impress.

For that reason, the lightly used – Rob Hennelly, Donnacha McHugh, Jason Doherty, Bob Tuohy, Kevin McLoughlin, Conor McStay, Frank Irwin and Paul Towey – would have viewed the game with Monaghan as their golden moment to remind management of what they have to offer and what they can bring to the cause over the summer months.

All of them, with the possible exception of Bob Tuohy, Kevin McLoughlin and Paul Towey (with his movement and accuracy from frees), found it hard to wield a positive influence. Their lack of game time and prolonged absence from competitive fare told.

Coming to grips with the necessities of the centre-back role, so polished by Conor Loftus in recent games, was a step beyond the Burrishoole man on the day. More time is needed in his case to come to grips with its positional, distributive and defensive demands.

McStay couldn’t be faulted for lack of effort but too often much of what initially looked promising ended up coming to nothing. A general lack of confidence blighted the forward line in the second half when, wind assisted, they showed a reluctance to take on the shooting responsibilities when often they found themselves in suitably threatening positions.

STRANGE

Hastings Insurance MacHale Park had a strange feel from the start. Whether or not it had to do with the fact that supporters knew that the fixture was a dead rubber as far as the home side was concerned is open to question, but the reality is that at a well-attended ground on a bright and cool afternoon, the game was devoid of atmosphere from the start.

Monaghan, backed by the wind in the opening half, looked keener to compete and raced into an early lead. The fact that their only chance of surviving a 10th successive season in Division 1 depended on this result certainly acted as inspiration. Spurred on by the driving force of their old guard, the likes of Karl O’Connell, Jack McCarron, Darren Hughes and Conor McManus led by example.

A 14th minute goal by Ryan O’Toole followed by two further points allowed them build a five-point lead. Indeed were it not for a last-ditch piece of heroic defending by Padraig O’Hora, the margin would have been much wider.

Possession-wise Mayo impressed. Getting an impressive Aidan O’Shea on the end of moves paid dividends. Indeed, over the final 10 minutes of the half, by outscoring Monaghan by five points to one, Mayo seemed to have established a solid platform from which to launch a second-half winning display.

Though the teams were level on three separate occasions in this second period, Mayo never managed to get ahead of their rivals. That possible dividend that should have resulted from fine scores by Jordan Flynn and Darren McHale was ruined by a combination of poor decision making, over-playing the lateral handpass, rank bad shooting and missed frees.

Around the middle third Monaghan were generally dominant in the air and in pursuit of breaking balls.

Indeed, reverting to the issue of free kicks, I felt on the day that the normally outstanding referee David Gough was too finicky and many of his decisions caused raised eyebrows (I’m being kind) on both sides.

RESOLVE

Over the closing seven minutes, when the game was there for either side, Monaghan showed the greater resolve and outscored Mayo by a goal and four points to a single point. This score by Ryan O'Donoghue didn’t have the hoped-for inspirational effect.

David McBrien, at full-back, caught a handful on his introduction when an on-fire Conor McManus led the late Farney charge with excellent scores from hard-earned marks.

One other score by Stephen O’Hanlon deserves worthy mention. With speed to burn, devil-may-care attitude and enterprise, he caused endless problems for a plethora of markers as the game reached its conclusion.

There is no doubting the adverse effect that the numerous changes had on the team. Yet all those selected needed game time to assuage their rustiness. As a result, that established cohesion and developed understanding from the earlier league games was absent.

The cohesive energy ever-present in the unbeaten run became a strange bedfellow and, in its place, uncertainty took root. The collective task now is to re-calibrate the approach and meet Galway head-on in the league final with a performance that reflects the team’s true worth.

National silverware is at stake. Having claimed two league titles since the turn of the century, the last in 2019, the double incentive of beating Galway and going into championship the following weekend with Roscommon on the back of a win is important.

The occasion also affords the team an immediate opportunity to flush any lingering mental disappointments from the system. Bottom line: reclaiming the winning habit is vital.