Mayo must blood next generation

IN many respects, Mayo were the story of the last week, which is unfair on a Dublin team that had just won claimed All-Irelands in a row. It’s been a long week accepting sympathy and patronising praise, which means little. Mayo need to become more ruthless and learn how to win when the game is in the balance in the final few moments. Dublin are experts at it and gave another masterclass last Sunday. I’m not referring here to throwing away a kicking tee or GPS unit — there is no place in the game for the antics we saw in the final few minutes. I am talking about closing out a game when you have a one-point lead. Mayo’s management and players did so much right last weekend. The match-ups worked to perfection — Lee Keegan on Ciarán Kilkenny, Chris Barrett on Paddy Andrews — but they were found wanting on a very small issue, which have nothing to do with sports science or anything like that. It is about being alert enough to cover a ball coming back off the post. It is important that Mayo manage the winter correctly. Firstly, a quick announcement that the management will stay in place. I note Stephen Rochford is taking a month to consider his future. The danger with that is uncertainty from management can breed uncertainty within the playing squad, especially with the veteran players. Then they must integrate some new players in the National League — the likes of Matthew Ruane, Liam Irwin, Brian Reape. They must do this quickly in case there is a raft of retirements and they’re caught out, as happened in 2006. They can’t afford to go through that again.