Mayo are no busted flush – they just had a bad day out
I BELIEVE there has been a huge over reaction to Mayo’s no-show against Dublin in the League two weeks ago. Some pundits have taken to interpret that performance as an indication that they are a busted flush and will not contend this season.
I do not believe that to be the case for several reasons. I thought that was one evening where they got everything wrong including tactics.
For instance, you don’t need to employ someone to sweep in front of Eoghan O’Gara or Dean Rock because, in terms of pace, they are two of Dublin’s least explosive players. That left them shy of support for Andy Moran in attack and then, to compound matters, they showed no patience going direct too early and too often to try and get him on the ball, instead inevitably turning it over.
I put that down to a bad hair day and, by the time the summer comes, they will be back to their old explosive selves. For starters, there is little danger that you will see Lee Keegan shackled to the full-back spot, and when Ger Cafferkey, along with the two O’Sheas, come back you will see a more balanced Mayo team.
Anyhow good teams can always put bad days behind them, we did it regularly – not least in 2014 when we had a final round League blow-out against Cork but it hardly mattered at the end of the year.
Mayo have shown the same capacity; they have not really contended in the league for the past few years but that has hardly held them back in the summer.
Expect them, as they welcome Cavan today, to return to winning ways. And expect them to go deep into this summer.