ROAD TO RUIN
DUBLIN travel a path today that’s well trodden by the Mayo players they’ll face tonight.
While there should be no challenging of the fact Dublin are worthy three-in-a-row Allireland champions, neither should the fact that, through no fault of their own, they carry innate advantages that their rivals could only dream of.
In Mayo’s case, for long periods of the year they have almost as many players based in Dublin as they do back home.
By our count, there are 14 – Stephen Coen, Paddy Durcan, Cillian and Diarmuid O’connor, Jason Doherty, Conor Loftus, Tom Parsons, Seamus O’shea, Chris Barrett, Danny Kirby, Rob Hennelly, James Stretton, Michael Hall and Shairoze Akram – involved in the Mayo panel currently that are based in the capital.
Granted, half of them are in college and will return home for the summer months and the fact the All-ireland football final takes place in early September this year means that they won’t face similar disruption to previous seasons should they make it that far.
In October 2016, just after Dublin had beaten them in the
All-ireland final replay, then Mayo strength and conditioning coach Ed Coughlan stated: “Until Mayo’s students settle for courses in NUIG and GMIT, and their bankers, accountants, teachers and engineers move home to make a crust, they won’t be winning the All-ireland,” he wrote.
He cited numerous disadvantages, such as the fact they train collectively only once weekly from January to May, before drawing that gloomy conclusion.
Former Mayo player Enda Varley (inset), now playing his club football with St Vincent’s in Dublin, is one of those that used to make that wearisome fivehour round trip.
“It’s very disjointed and that’s why their results are a bit all over the shop during the League.. and I suppose during the summer then most of that squad is together,” says Varley. “Munster
Rugby obviously had the two bases in Cork and Limerick, they had a conversation about that as well. Their full base is in Limerick now
“Of course, it’s not conducive to peak performance but I suppose the management have no solution to it, to be honest.
“People have careers and lives to live. It’s a very hard question to answer.”
Mayo have now lost three All-ireland finals by a single point since 2013, one after a replay. Varley stops short of declaring that having all their players based at home would have been the difference, however.
“Who’s to say, it’s so hard to know but it would improve our chances I’d say, yes.
“I’m not going to say, ‘Yes, definitely’, but it would definitely improve our chances. Football is supposed to be a hobby but when you’re spending three hours in the car, it takes an awful lot of the enjoyment out of it.”
It’s six years next month since Mayo beat Dublin in the League but the hosts have a lengthy injury list tonight.
“It’s all about Championship at the end of the day,” Varley insists. “Even if they lose, the players still won’t doubt in their minds that they’ll be able match them again in the summer.”