PADRAIC JOYCE IS a straight talker.
He’s not the type for hyperbolic statements. So when the Galway boss described their 3-23 to 0-17 defeat to Mayo as “probably the most embarrassing day of my career”, you have to take him at his word.
Sure, there may have been a part of Joyce that wanted to send a message out to his players through the media that the hammering to their dearest rivals was unacceptable.
But the dejected Galway players hardly needed any reminding of that fact as they filed out of Tuam Stadium with their shoulders slumped and heads bowed. Losing to Mayo is one thing, but losing by 15-points three weeks out from championship is another matter entirely.
The beauty of the condensed structure is Joyce and his squad will have little time to dwell on this result.
The Dubs arrive in town on Sunday – presuming that inter-county GAA is permitted to continue following the impending decision to move the country into Level 5 restrictions for the next six weeks.
It’s been some turnaround for the Tribesmen in the space of a week. When a video emerged of Jim McGuinness conducting a drill at a Galway training session last week, commentators lined up to declare them All-Ireland contenders.
But they were a long way off full strength against Mayo and it showed.
They were slow starters to the game and when Mayo smelled blood, they went for the jugular. Galway failed to kill that early momentum and they were crucified under the breaking ball at midfield.
Defensively, they allowed the Mayo runners through the middle far too easily as evidenced by the areas James Horan’s side were allowed to pull the trigger from.
Joyce’s squad has been decimated by injury plus the absence of the Moycullen contingent who were late additions to the squad after a local Covid-19 outbreak.
Shane Walsh is battling knee and ankle issues, while Damien Comer’s fourth minute withdrawal due to a hamstring injury was a hammer blow. Five minutes later, centre-back Johnny Duane had joined him on the sideline, also due to injury.
Joyce will be sweating over Comer, in particular. He has endured a torrid time with injury over the past 18 months and by all accounts had been moving well ahead of the resumption of action.
Comer is the ace in Galway’s pack and physically he is the type of player suited to winter football.
To pull up so early in a game with a hamstring injury is not a good sign. He was seen icing it afterwards and it’s likely the muscle is at least partially torn which would make him a major doubt for the Connacht semi-final against Sligo on 7 November.
John Daly, a mainstay at centre-back earlier this year, is also out for the campaign, while Corofin’s Ronan Steede is battling an injury of his own.
Joyce’s priority will be having as many of his key men back to fitness for the Sligo game.
All is not lost after one game. They’ll train hard this week and hope to have a few bodies back for next weekend. This could well be the kick up the backside Joyce’s troops need.
After they enjoyed such a great start to life under the two-time All-Ireland winner, their response to yesterday’s defeat will say a lot about the character in the group.
Mayo, on the other hand, look well-primed for another tilt at the Sam Maguire. The shortened nature of the season means hitting form at the right time and avoiding injury is paramount for any side looking to enjoy success this year.
The selection of Aidan O’Shea at full-forward looks like a masterstroke from Horan. He’s played plenty of football for Mayo on the edge of the square in the past, but too often he’d find himself withdrawn to midfield sooner or later.
The Breaffy man has never looked in better condition. In a way, he’s like the football version of Colin Fennelly. A battering ram who looks like he’s a senior playing against U16s at times.
Once the gets the ball in his hand at full-forward and puts his head down, he’s a very difficult man to stop by fair means. Cillian O’Connor kicked eight frees and at least half of them were tap overs won by O’Shea.
The number 14 was in unmarkable form, even in the company of Sean Andy O’Ceallaigh who is one of the best full-backs out there.
Mayo have always produced high quality midfielders so they can afford to push the 30-year-old further forward. Mattie Ruane and Conor Loftus manned centre-field against Galway, with Tom Parsons and Seamie O’Shea still to return.
O’Shea keeps the opposition honest by giving Mayo a real threat over the top. The fast hands he developed playing basketball and his unselfish nature saw him happily lay-off ball to O’Connor and Tommy Conroy, who looped around him at every opportunity.
The real test for O’Shea at full-forward will be when the supply line slows down. It’s a difficult position to play on limited rations and he’ll need to be patient when that occurs.
But the traditional strength of Mayo’s half-back line and midfield should give them enough possession to properly utilise the three-time All-Star at full-forward.
It was a day where Mayo answered question marks over their age profile in emphatic fashion. If the AFL doesn’t come calling, Oisin Mullin has a lengthy inter-county career ahead of him.
Eoghan McLoughlin is the latest attacking half-back the Westerners have produced, yet it was Mark Moran who stole the limelight by scoring 1-2 on his debut. He looks like a brilliant find: confident in possession, a brilliant kickpasser off either foot and accurate finisher.
He has one of the greatest centre-forwards of all-time, Ciaran McDonald, feeding him nuggets of wisdom at training so it’s little wonder Moran has taken to inter-county football like a duck to water.
With O’Shea at 14 and Moran at 11, Mayo’s attack suddenly has a potent look to it. They still have Kevin McLoughlin to return, while at the back the likes of Keith Higgins and Colm Boyle will add experience even if it’s off the bench.
It would be foolish to read too much into one game after a seven-month lay-off, but Horan would have slept far better than Joyce last night.
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