Forget it Alan, O’Connor may be good...but he is no Gooch
Cillian needs to rediscover sense of fun
MY GOOD buddy Alan Dillon might just have this political lark worked out. A couple of weeks ago, he was quoted as saying that he believed Cillian O’Connor was as good a player as the Gooch. They say that one of the first rules of politics, and Alan is expected to be throwing his hat into the Fine Gael ring soon, is that you should tell your constituents what they want to hear, rather than what they should hear.
That Cillian is the new Gooch will go down well on the political beat in Mayo, but the more discerning voters might think that this has an undeliverable promise stamped all over it.
In truth, Alan was not being disingenuous when he made that comparison. He is as proud a Mayo man as I know and his loyalty to this team and to his Ballintubber clubman O’Connor runs as deep as does his undoubted admiration. And there is much to admire. Cillian is still in his mid-20s and has all the qualities of a natural born leader that you could wish for; he is strong, brave, ferocious, blessed with the courage of his conviction.
He is a good footballer too… but he is no Gooch.
He is no one-off, who when his pace deserts him has still some magic invisible pocket which he can dip into and produce some irresistible piece of skill which leaves you open-mouthed, wondering where did that come from?
That is not a condemnation of Cillian O’Connor, just a statement of reality that his qualities are earthier and easier measured.
But the problem these days is that the measurements are not so flattering. He is not the deadly assured presence he once was from placed balls although he was closer to his old from last weekend on that front,
HAVE many fond memories of the Sigerson Cup from my student days, but that cannot hide the need for a new slot in the calendar for the Higher education championships.
Kerry will travel to Monaghan today shy of their likely first choice midfield pairing of Jack Barry and Barry O’Sullivan, who both lined out for UCD in the Sigerson Cup final yesterday. Monaghan will most likely be without Conor McCarthy, their top inside forward, because he was also on UCD duty.
These championships need to be moved to November to ensure best practice in terms of player welfare. while his impact in open play is not as profound. But more than anything, I can’t see the fun in his game at the moment.
The way he has carried himself over the last 18 months he has looked like a player who is simply not enjoying his ball. That apparent misery was articulated in one moment of rage last Sunday when he led with his elbow into the face of Galway’s Eoghan Kerin.
It was a deliberate and reckless tackle, one of a player who in recent times has struggled with his discipline.
That may not sit well with some Mayo folk but you just had to look at fouls he initiated last summer which led to the wrongful dismissal of Galway’s Thomas Flynn and Kerry’s Darran O’Sullivan for black card offences.
There is much more to Cillian O’Connor – and it is something he has shown time and again in the past – than going around playing with a scowl, but the danger is that when you fall into that trap you forget how to play with a smile.
He needs to find his football happy place and he needs to find it soon.
The immediate consequence of his actions is that he misses Saturday’s reunion with Dublin in Castlebar.
This has become the fixture — and it is nearly all down to Mayo’s limitless resolve — that excites the GAA public more than any other, but O’Connor’s absence will not matter that much on Saturday.
Whether he was playing or not, it would not alter my opinion that Dublin will win.
And, truth be told, the result is not that significant either for the obvious reason there is only going to be one push in Mayo and now is not the time for it.
But when that push happens, Mayo need the O’Connor of three years ago rather than the one of last year.
We have all had an earache listening this decade about Mayo’s need to find a forward to complement him, now they are looking for a forward to complement Andy Moran.
And, with apologies to Andy, you are not on very solid ground when you are leaning on a 34-year-old who has just come off his career defining season and you are hoping that he can back it up with another.
O’Connor remains Mayo’s best bet to lead their line but he has to be in the right place mentally to do that.
But, I sense that there are real reasons why Mayo should worry that this is the season when Dublin can finally burn them off.
As Mayo wait on those with ticking clocks to return, in recent weeks the likes of Colm Basquel, Brian Howard and Niall Scully have reminded that there is no end to Dublin’s capacity to keep on keeping on.
That is why even the sickening news of Bernard Brogan’s injury this week will not derail them, and in the coming weeks you can expect to see Diarmuid Connolly and Con O’Callaghan back in the frame.
Compare to that and what Mayo are leaning on is a wing and a prayer.
And if the latter is to serve any purpose, then it should be directed in the hope that Cillian O’Connor discovers the form and the peace of mind to go play like he can.
He can’t be the Gooch, but Mayo only need him to be himself.