A Mayo GAA tale of the unexpected

by Martin Carney, Mayo GAA's foremost columnist

Strolling around the Mall, I met Richard Martin from this parish. It had been some time.

We talked maths and other points on the compass before parting company with his reminder of Mick Byrne's dictum ringing in my ears: “You’ll never score passing backwards!”

Interesting. It’s then I should have guessed that some tale of the unexpected loomed. Came home and checked the weather. Ashley – Storm Ashley – dominated the forecast.

And as this event was due to hit landfall to coincide with the throw-in for the Connacht Gold Mayo Senior Football Championship final, there was a real possibility of a postponement.

It didn’t disappoint. To their credit, the county board read the tea leaves and with ample warning, pulled the fixture at 7 p.m. on Friday evening – an eminently sensible decision in the circumstances.

That it goes ahead as a double header with the Treanlaur Catering Junior Football Championship final later today is a satisfactory solution.

Crossmolina’s stand-alone tilt at intermediate glory waits a further day before they once again meet Moy Davitts.

Both these teams served up what was in my mind the game of the season to date in the earlier group stages.

Their five-goal concession that day turned out to be Crossmolina’s cathartic moment, prompting a fresh defensive mindset in particular.

The post-match period of soul searching and self-analysis has carved a more solid 15.

Since then the north Mayo lads have tightened up considerably at the back while at the same time dragged wonderful performances from Conor Loftus, in particular, the Coggins brothers and Jordan Flynn in moments of crises.

Before a ball was ever kicked in the competition, many gave Moy Davitts the nod to win the James Sweeney Cup.

Early wins over Louisburghand that five goals and 13 points to twp goals and 17 points win over Crossmolina seemed to justify their favouritism.

Both their last two games against Hollymount/Carramore and Davitts owed more to doggedness than flamboyance. Defensively they are stingy, with an extra two dropping back.

Their football of choice is to get quick ball forward to their preferred four up front; in their recent knock-out games, they have proved equally adept in running from the back.

Sean Kelly provides much of this power, aided and abetted by Conor Reid and Ronan Clarke. To succeed, they need Brian Reape operating at full capacity. Doubts surrounding his fitness persist.

The score fest of late August with Crossmolina was a once-off. On Sunday I’d expect the north Mayo lads turn the tables and leave Hastings Insurance MacHale Park as champions.

RULES ON TRIAL

Last weekend’s viewing centred around the trial rule interprovincial games in Croke Park.

Everyone with a love of the game recognises that the end product on offer for many years now had become increasingly unwatchable.

Clashes between teams with players whose instincts and natural skills had been neutered to a great extent had become the norm. Conforming to pre-rehearsed patterns that prioritised fear of losing above all else diminished games as spectacles for the spectator.

The importance of the blanket defence choke-hold is favoured by and large by modern day coaching strategists.

Consequently contests of unremitting boredom have been tolerated by players who have, to their credit, never given as much thought and devotion to their sport. Change was vital.

In one of his first jobs as incoming president of the GAA, Jarlath Burns established the formation of the Football Review Committee to examine the ills in the game with a view to bringing forward solutions that might improve the sport as a spectacle.

The interprovincial games over the weekend gave the general public an opportunity to view the fruits of their labour.

As with everything new, there will be always a bedding-in process so to give a definitive view on what we saw would be foolhardy. Yet some aspects of what was on offer are worthy of mention.

Generally speaking the games were faster, and from a positive point of view, there was an increase in the incidence of foot passing.

Players are so conditioned to moving the ball laterally and backwards by hand that it will take time before they trust and see the merit in quality kicking to their forward colleagues.

I’ve yet to be convinced about the novelty of the new scoring system. Rewarding a goal with four points and a score beyond the 40-metre arc with two I can conditionally accept.

What has fuelled my scepticism is that free kicks and 45s merit two as well. I’d scrap this and give the two-point reward solely for scores from play.

The use of the hooter to signal the end of the games caught me off guard. The practice of counting down the clock is another innovation: will Down to Zero become the new normal?

The use of successive white and red flags for a point scored beyond the new 40-metre arc seemed a flag too far. Is there a need for a two-flag indicator in this case? Why not simply signal a point from beyond the 40-metre zone with a red flag alone?

Dealing with specifics, I saw little merit in the 1 v 1 throw-in at the beginning of the halves; with the other midfielders hugging the sidelines, the whole thing looked gimmicky. The old system, untidy as it was, wasn’t something that urgently needed amending. There were bigger issues to address.

Insisting three players stay in the attacking zone is one that can improve the game and I’d fully support. Yet to get full benefit from this, the use of the quick long kick pass is imperative.

There was little evidence of that in the games. Old habits die hard, and the incessant use of the hand pass was still the preferred means of transferring the ball.

In time, if this rule is adopted (keeping three inside the opponent’s half at all times), there is a good chance it will lead to exciting innovative attacking trends where the exploitation of long kicking will be centre-stage.

Punishing dissent by moving the ball forward 50 metres is worth the slog if it goes a long way to ridding the scourge of dissent in the game. Players will adapt to that; whether or not managers and selectors embrace it to the same extent is a space worth keeping an eye on!

To become part of next year’s playing fabric, the seven core enforcements must pass the scrutiny of a special congress next month and win a vote of acceptance. Jim Gavin expressed a desire to see the full package passed as a whole.

When there is clarity on what is to come it will be a topic worth revisiting.

In the meantime, good luck to all participants this weekend in their quests for county glory.