Mayo can't wait for big guns to return - but is it too late?
by John Melvin
FOURTEEN points from two-pointers (the bonus for scoring from outside the arc) tells the story of the round two clash between Mayo and Galway in Division 1 of the Allianz National Football League.
If it was a money-saving scheme you would get a euro to match every euro lodged in the bank, and at the end of the day Padraic Joyce’s team had invested wisely, getting a return of €7 to match they seven they had lodged.
Mayo came away with €2 for the lodgement made by Paul Towey, who got Mayo’s only two-pointer and only the second of the campaign so far, Fergal Boland having scored their only two-pointer their one in their defeat against Dublin in round one.
It's not the first time Mayo have suffered back-to-back defeats in the league so I wouldn’t write them off just yet in terms of remaining in Division 1, but with a break this weekend before they face Tyrone in round three in Castlebar on Sunday, February 16, I’d be getting some kicking practice in as the two-point sources (apart from goals) are going to be key to winning any games.
On current form, Mayo are not well enough equipped to pick off points from distance, although Boland was unlucky with a few attempts on Sunday.
Paul Towey, Davitt Neary, Sean Morahan and Conor Reid put in a strong performances, and in fairness, Mayo are not alone in adapting to the new rules – and it would seem some referees and officials are not either.
Kevin McStay made a valid observation when interviewed on TG4 that they were penalised twice for not having three players remaining in the forward division at all times, although the rulebook, which seems hard to find for both managers and referees, does state that it should not be enforced where a player unknowingly steps outside his area, particularly when he doesn’t interfere with the play.
It cost Mayo two points as a fine effort by was disallowed, with the ball then brought back for a free to Galway which they scored, resulting in a two-point turnaround on a day when all scores were vital.
Mayo were also penalised a second time for the same infringement, something Galway managed to avoid for the entire game – which would suggest Mayo players need to do a bit of study.
As always, McStay sees the glass half-full. He gave his side credit for battling back to take a one-point lead at half-time but he did accept the wind was something they failed to harness.
Galway, on the other hand, had a couple of wind turbines in Shane Walsh and Cillian Ó Curraoin, as well as second-half substitute Robert Finnerty, Walsh named man of the match after some stunning long-range shooting.
The Mayo manager had this to say: “The lads did well to fight back but the breeze was significant and Galway took full advantage of it in that second half, so we have a fair bit to be thinking about but the three-up rule proved costly on two occasions.”
He feet they are struggling to adapt to the new rules, but also felt the officials were also struggling in implanting and interpreting them.
“From the briefing we got, if one of the three forward players roamed out of his are he could be coaxed back in but I don’t think we got the run of that particular rule as we were penalised twice, and one occasion it resulted in us having a point ruled out and Galway getting a two-point swing,” said McStay.
To add to McStay’s woes, it does look like Diarmuid O’Connor could be out for a while having sustained a shoulder injury just minutes after coming on as a sub, and the Ballintubber man was taken to hospital after the match for an assessment.
“We did feel Diarmuid was tackled unfairly having won a ball but was hit late, which should have been a black card. We’re not pointing the finger at the referee but we are sore about it as you spend all that time rehabilitating an injured player and this happens just minutes after he is brought in,” said McStay.
Some better news for the Mayo manager is that Aidan O’Shea, who was watching this game from the stand, could be appearing for the Tyrone game, along with Jordan Flynn of Crossmolina, which could see the books balanced around the middle of the field, an area where Galway were very dominant, while Jack Carney and Tommy Conroy may also be sent for as Mayo bid to turn their poor start to the league around.