AN INTERESTING OBSERVATION by none other than recently-retired Antrim hurler Neil McManus, appearing on the BBCNI’s GAA Social podcast.
While eulogising on ‘the best thing about hurling,’ which wasn’t as Partridge-esque as it sounds, he momentarily lurched into the world of Gaelic football. Hurling, he maintained, was played with a complete abandon where players surrender to the spirit around them.
While it rarely happens in Gaelic football, he said he was there for the All-Ireland final last year. He said you could sense the nervous tension off both sets of players, which by way of paradox made them less like to take the conservative option, to make sure to try things, take a man on, skin him. When you can’t hear anyone around you anyway, it is harder to play a possession game, moving the ball ten yards here and there.
Naturally, that’s how Mayo like it all the time. Most of the time, they are able to beat pretty much anyone if they can keep just enough unpredictability in the contest.
What’s clear about this competition format is the inbuilt unpredictability. This time last week, Mayo and Galway were looking pristine and fresh, heading into the last round of the group games sitting pretty with two wins from two games, and flaky opposition ahead.
Well, they soon had their arses handed to them.
As things stand, we do not know the health of Sean Kelly, Damien Comer and Dylan McHugh. Kelly had to limp off in the closing stages of the Armagh defeat in Carrick-on-Shannon.
On co-commentary at the venue, Enda McGinley had his physio hat on when he noted that Kelly might hope it was an impact injury, rather than something inflicted in a twist or turn, meaning ligament or muscles damage would not be simple and almost certainly rule him out of this game.
If they miss those three, then a Mayo win seems the most likely outcome and Galway can point to the fact they were decimated by injuries in the run-in to a big game in this 2023 system.
Now, Mayo.
You’d love to pinch their cheeks and ask, ‘what are we gonna do with you at all, at all?’
Of all the ways Mayo transpire to self-sabotage themselves, going six up against Cork and transpiring to be held scoreless in the final quarter as they eventually lost by three, was a new one on all of us.
But that’s all an accountancy failure. The big picture stuff for Mayo is worrying. Their usual act of blasting through the defence through the middle – having worked so well against Kerry – yielded little against Roscommon and lesser as the group stages wore on.
Cillian O’Connor is still injured. Lee Keegan is retired and Oisin Mullin is in Australia. Kevin McStay did well to hide all these weaknesses through a league campaign but they were always going to be a factor under the more severe tests.
Right now, Mayo and Galway are looking a bit bedraggled and dazed. By Saturday evening, the quarter-finals will miss a genuine contender. It will come down to whoever turns up in the better physical shape