WIN A MUST FOR MAYO
Marc Ó Sé
CROKE Park went from the field of his dreams to a health clinic in Páidí’s eyes once he swapped his jersey for his bainisteoir’s t-shirt. ‘Right boys, now we will test yere pulse,’ he used to say before the first appearance of a season in Croke Park.
The implication was simple. All that had gone before gave no inkling of where we really stood until we went toe-to-toe with a serious team in a game that mattered at headquarters.
He viewed form outside Croke Park the way a heart surgeon would assess the work of a witch doctor.
James Horan and Peter Keane, in particular, are likely to be of a similar mind.
There are some who may view today as ‘only‘ a League final, but it feels a lot bigger than that.
This is a game that both teams will want to win, but Mayo’s need is far greater.
Quite simply, if they lose, the narrative will inevitably read that Mayo again came to Croke Park for a national final and failed to do the business.
If only to avoid that kind of wearisome analysis, James Horan will want his team to win and for them to hit the summer with a pep in their step.
The other obvious point is that in his dressing room he has great players with Connacht medals falling out of their pockets but not a single national medal at senior level.
And that matters. No
player gets this close to winning something and feigns apathy. I remember we played them in the 2012 League semi-final and you could see how ravenous they were to win. Given all that they have been through, it is hard to believe that attitude has changed. On top of that, this is a different Mayo team now. It is impossible not to be impressed with what Horan has managed to achieve over the past couple of months. He has stayed true to his declaration that he would build for the future and has been rewarded by unearthing two polished gems in Matthew Ruane and Fionn McDonagh. Not only are these talented players but they are likely to fill problem positions. Ruane is a very classy footballer with the engine to back up his ability. He can give Mayo’s midfield the legs they need, while McDonagh provides pace and cutting edge in attack. Horan has moved Aidan O’Shea to midfield where he has thrived and offered Kevin McLoughlin a new role closer to goal. He has had an immediate impact. And above all, he has raised the bar by dropping the likes of Colm Boyle and Lee Keegan after some sluggish early season performances. He did this in the knowledge that it will spark a potentially devastating response from a couple of exceptional footballers.
You could argue that after achieving that he hardly needs to win the League to declare this spring a success – but nothing validates or satisfies like winning.
I don’t think Kerry’s need to win today is as great for obvious reasons.
It is only two years since they last won the League and the majority of those players are still around, and while their number has been added to by several fresh-faced rookies, those kids have spent their time winning at underage level in Croke Park.
I don’t think it is possible that they could crave a League medal as much as their Mayo opponents, but what they will crave is to keep their place on the team for the summer.
And that is why this is a huge game for those kids and Peter Keane.
They will not face another serious encounter until the middle of July. The last thing they need to do is stumble into the All-Ireland series blinded to the flaws in their set-up.
That is precisely what happened last year and we all know where that got them.
So even though their complexion suggests that they are in rude health, Kerry need their pulse tested.
And it is likely that this screening will reveal some areas of concern.
While Kerry have improved dramatically in defence – their concession rate has dropped from 18 points a game to 13 points – the concerns about the full-back line remain.
The ease with which Dublin and Mayo opened them up is a concern and personnel-wise that inside line is still not settled.
Peter Crowley has now become the chief firefighter – a job he has done extremely well thus far – but, again, how he copes on a pitch this quick will reveal much.
Kerry also have to nail down other positions in the full-back line, but they have options.
Jack Sherwood has brought his footballing skill-set, while the likes of rookie Graham O’Sullivan and Jason Foley, who has only made a couple of appearances off the bench, are both potentially good man-markers.
But you can’t sort a defensive issue in isolation, which brings me to Kerry’s other source of concern – midfield.
To be fair, Jack Barry has worked hard in that position this spring but in the absence of the injured David Moran, Kerry were wiped in the middle by O’Shea and Ruane earlier this month.
I know from experience, particularly after Darragh retired in 2009, how lonely it can be playing in the full-back line in Croke Park when the opposition gets a run on you down the middle.
So Kerry will have to try and find a way to plug those gaps today, and if they don’t they will learn the hard way.
As to which way this will roll, it is a really difficult one to call.
Mayo’s greater need sauced by their superior physicality could see them dominate around the middle and provide the foundation for a win.
But such is Kerry’s firepower, spearheaded by Sean O’Shea and the returning David Clifford, the Kingdom look the more likely to sting for the scores to win this game.