There’s a scenario here where Ryan O’Donoghue’s herculean effort to get back to his feet and earn a vital late free in Clones last Sunday week marks a turning point – for him, his team mates, Andy Moran and the whole bloody lot of us for that matter.
As we pass the time here in Mayo going about our daily business in the next few days let that be the tonic needed to plot the journeys to Omagh next Sunday. It will hopefully supersede thoughts of the scrambling and seemingly disjointed defensive effort that underpinned a rousing Monaghan comeback.
At some point, somewhere in the future, Mayo will have another really good day out akin to the win over Dublin just under five years ago. Not a bemusing one such as the win in Kerry in 2023, or the win over Tyrone in 2025 when it felt more like we caught our opponents with a card trick than a well-played hand. No, we mean a win of substance that is following on from a previous result and marks a coherent line of improvement.
Wouldn’t that be something?
For what is arguably only the third time since they beat the Dubs in that All-Ireland semi-final in 2021, Mayo have an opportunity to change their history, to turn over a new leaf.
Will they take it in Omagh on Sunday? Time will tell. Cork in 2023 was a day to get the job done and underline some good work in previous weeks. They failed to do so. Dublin in 2024 was another such moment, again they let the victory slip from their grasp.
Andy Moran must have known this job would be challenging when he went for it last summer. He’s trying to revolutionise how Mayo play the game in a sport that has been turned inside out in the last 18 months.
Unlike James Horan back in 2011. Moran doesn’t have a string of provincial under 20 winners coming into the squad. The deep dive into the challenges the county faces that we did in our ‘We Need to Talk About Mayo’ podcast series underlined how Mayo are falling behind areas like infrastructure, administration and innovation in terms of development pathways. There has been some on-field success despite these shortcomings but not a lot of joined-up thinking underpinning it all.
The management job in Mayo probably needs to be framed in a more realistic way in future.
Let’s face it – all Mayo managers end up failing in one way or another.
I actually regret not asking Andy Moran about this last summer before a ball was kicked. It would have been quite the pessimistic question at a time of pure positivity but he had to have known that almost every predecessor who took on the role had left it in some sort of acrimonious manner.
Maybe Horan in his first stint is an exception but he announced his departure in a kitchen under the main stand at the Gaelic Grounds after what remains to this day the most devastating sporting moment in the lives of the majority of Mayo people. So that kind of takes away from it ever so slightly.
Ultimately, telling Mayo fans on Day One that you’re just hoping to leave the county in a better place than how you found it isn’t likely to light fires in their bellies. Even if it did land with the average punter, the first time you get overwhelmed and hammered by your noisy neighbours will be the last time anyone will think about blooding new players and building for the future. It’s just the way it is.
So here we are. Another management team in a rocky patch in its first year.
Ahead of Sunday, rather than focus on the negative I’m just wondering whether something positive might still emerge in 2026 and, if so, how does the 2011 story compare to this one.
In 2011, James Horan took over a county that had won seven of ten Connacht Under 21 titles and, after a rollercoaster of a first season that draws parallels to the here and now, produced a major high with a big win in Corke Park. As we all know, that Mayo team went on to have phenomenal success that included six All-Ireland final and ten semi-final appearances in eleven seasons.
The Cork win in 2011 was the launchpad for this but the Connacht final over Roscommon a few weeks earlier was the moment where Mayo pushed back against the tide. As we hope for something similar this weekend it’s worth recalling what Mayo were dealing with then.
Their final league game that year was a defeat to Monaghan, the first championship game was a last-gasp extra-time win over London. Twelve players who featured in those two games never played a major game for Mayo again. All bar two of them weren’t even in the panel the following season.
The win over Galway in the Connacht semi-final saw the first few changes made to the playing line-up and, by the time Mayo lifted the Nestor Cup after a narrow win over Roscommon, a new Mayo group had taken to the stage. The following players started a Connacht final for the first time: Robert Hennelly, Alan Feeney, Richie Feeney, Donal Vaughan, Seamus O’Shea, Kevin McLoughlin, Cillian O’Connor, Jason Doherty and Alan Freeman.
Brendan O’Brien’s Irish Examiner match report of that Connacht final is well worth a read (it’s here) as he highlighted the low expectations in Mayo coming into the game.
The sense in advance was that the old guard of Galway and Mayo were no longer in the ascendency, with Roscommon now the new top dogs in the province. By full-time, however, there was a new narrative:
“This may be a seminal moment for Mayo football, a turning on the road that seemed to be taking them to rack and ruin after the truncated campaign last year when Longford turfed them out before summer reached its halfway point.”
What the lead-in to that Connacht final was like and how it then played out serves as a reminder to just how much James Horan had to dig deep into his resources to re-invent his Mayo team from top to bottom.
Andy Moran is, arguably, doing something similar now.
The attack has been sensational at times, it certainly was that and more in the first half against Monaghan. Darragh Beirne and Kobe McDonald are emerging stars and, who knows, those names along with the likes Jack Livingstone, Hugh O’Loughlin, Diarmuid Duffy, Fenton Kelly, Eoin McGreal, Seán Morahan and Cian McHale could some day stack up well with the Class of 2011 when we look back on it in years to come.
The odds are against them and the current environment is well short of what is required to be a dominant force in football. That said, the GAA annals are littered with teams that just buck the trend: Tipperary hurlers last year, Armagh in 2022 and so on.
The only thing Mayo can do is control what they can control and, much like Ryan O’Donoghue on that free he earned in Clones in the dying seconds, grasp the chance to change our history when it presents itself.
Everything else can wait. I can’t wait.
Mayotillidie says:
June 11, 2026 at 9:27 am
In fairness to Horan, a good man to build a team. Didn't agree with all his decisions, especially that donegal final. We got that tactically wrong
tirawleybaron says:
June 11, 2026 at 1:29 pm
When Horan took over, he promised to take the bullshit out of Mayo football and he did.
Standards were lifted and performances followed.
The problem is it returned in spades when he left and standards have dropped since 22.
Similar to the Dubs, the focus on the senior team for 10 years, neglected underage and now we are short talented specialists players for a whole range of positions.
Changing to a young brigade is needed in a few places, but if the top man doenst demand and enforce excellence - then the house of cards falls.
And for all the great days in Mayo football since 2011 - we have beaten a team we were not expected to beat once (Dublin 2021) since 2013. (Donegal in semi).
Kerry 2014 (we were expected to beat them), 2015, 2016, 2017 (all Dublin), 2018 (expected to beat Kildare), 2019 (Dublin), 2020 (Dublin), 2021 (were supposed to beat Tyrone), 2022 (Dublin), 2023 (Kerry), 2024 (Derry - were supposed to beat them), 2025 (Cavan - were supposed to beat them).
No matter who is in charge - when the rubber hits the road -we haven't been good enough. If's buts and maybes are not much solace when compared to the facts.
Until we have reliable scorers, who can close out under pressure, we will be forever wanting.
Muckle says:
June 11, 2026 at 2:26 pm
Fitzy went to Love Island rather than play Roscommon. Who can blame him. All he would get is abuse for possibly playing badly while he is a hero in the Love Island house and the audience in general and probably make a few bob for it. Turning up for training three or four nights a week and sacrificing your social life for what? Maybe glory if you win an all ireland but what are the odds of that. A lot of former Mayo players will know more about that than I do. So we need to think of the personal cost and effort for these fine young men representing the county. We need to be constructive in our comments. Suggesting what might be done to improve a young team of lads and encouraging them to greater things is far more useful and respectful. After Fitzy's effort there might be a lot of our lads cueing up at the door of the Love Island house.
Moy2Pointer says:
June 11, 2026 at 2:31 pm
tirawleybaron - I'm not disagreeing with what you are saying overall but you cant really say "And for all the great days in Mayo football since 2011 - we have beaten a team we were not expected to beat once"
Kerry in 2023 were coming in as All‑Ireland champions and hadn’t lost a championship game in Killarney in 29 matches nobody realistically had us down as favorites that day. Same with Tyrone last year they were 3/10 and we were 7/2, yet somehow you are saying the expectation was that we’d beat them. Even in 2019, Donegal arrived in Castlebar as strong favorites and we turned them over.
That's just 3 examples of the top of my head
FrostTHammer says:
June 11, 2026 at 4:08 pm
@Muckle
We could make a few bob on the team holidays this year by sending the men and ladies seniors on a Mayo-Love Island crossover. Not sure if the drama would be great for morale though.
Unstoppable says:
June 11, 2026 at 5:27 pm
Agreed Moy2Pointer, people conveniently forget some of our great wins. I know for a fact that Tyrone were favourites in 2016 and expected to beat us. It took us a replay in 2017 but Kerry were favourites to win both games.
You can't just whitewash some of great performances because they don't fit your current narrative.
Ontheditch says:
June 11, 2026 at 5:41 pm
What's the point trawling back over what in the past, it's painful, we didn't get over the line.
The common denominator is our ability to manage the last quarter, when games are won and lost. There was a hint of that v Monaghan, when our healthy lead twindled to a single point.
A chance for redemption on Sunday? A lot will depend on the leadership from the more experienced players imo.
Conor Loftus at 11, can he drive the perfect mix between fast breaks to our front line and the more controlled around the arc plays?
I expect Carney has thrown off the shackles from the possession era and he will deliver for us.
Leadership in defence, McBrien needs a big game to fulfill the promise and expectations we have of him.
Tyrone are proper opposition, they will fancy themselves
Jr says:
June 11, 2026 at 6:20 pm
Have we a problem with fitness in the final quarter of games?
Fitness levels are gone off the scales at present.
Outside of the Boot says:
June 11, 2026 at 6:34 pm
All the big boys are tipping us to lose, which is fair enough , if we line out with same team as v Monaghan , I think we will loose , but few minor adjustments and us realising, we are lucky to be where we are and given it a big push , then I think we can do it.
Game v Monaghan was a new team so was going to be teething problems but keep ball better , deny space in fullbackline and continue to tag on scores at rate we did then , we can do it .
But if tomorrow's lineup contains coyne plus brick/hession in corners , then I cry
JP says:
June 11, 2026 at 6:54 pm
I don't respect anyone that goes that Love Island route for a few bob.
It's cultural trash that actively damages the popular culture especially for young people.
And no I've not one episode of such stuff. Very much the Eamon McGee school of thought on that stuff.
GlasagusDearg says:
June 11, 2026 at 9:41 pm
I've no time for Love Island or any of these so called reality TV shows.Playing for your county is a huge honour and privilege that I really would love to been lucky enough to experience.Players give a lot of their time in order to represent their county,but I don't for one minute regard it as a sacrifice and the persistent references to that end annoy the hell out of me.Players do it because they enjoy it and nobody forces them to do it.They do it because they want to,just like I did for many many years in a number of different sports,at much lower levels and without any of the supports and benefits available to inter county players.It's an honour,not a sacrifice.
to win just once says:
June 11, 2026 at 9:53 pm
A big problem in Mayo is that some supporters expect us to beat everyone even when we are clearly not as good as them. Then when we lose instead of looking at themselves for poor predictions they lash out and blame the team. Dublin were favourites against us in all games, Kerry were favourites in 2017, Tyrone in 2016, Cork and Galway in 2011 and I could go on. In fairness to our lads they left everything on the field back in the day. They are not so good now but I would rarely question their fight and resilience ( Roscommon this year being an exception)
You Three says:
June 11, 2026 at 10:16 pm
Gotta feel for poor Rob, a wonderfully uplifting piece to "change the narrative", eaten up by MFT comments. It worked on me! For the first time in a while I was down on the team coming into the Monaghan game, didn't enjoy it, felt like I was "hate watching" it. Awful way to engage with something I should get excitement from. Won't happen again. We can beat Tyrone, I'll watch the game believing we will and embrace the joy watching my countymen bring to my life.
Muckle says:
June 11, 2026 at 11:56 pm
@GlasagusDearg. The reality of Love Island is that it is the most watched show by the 15 to 34 year olds in Ireland commanding up to half a million viewers per episode not counting repeat streams. Whether you or I watch it is immaterial. Any young person who has aspirations to become a social media star would love to take part.
The point I was trying to make is that the young GAA players work very hard and do give of their time and give up a lot of their social activity. That is a sacrifice. It is an honour to represent your county but it does come at a price. I have huge respect for these players. But I also respect the choice of others who wish to pursue other paths. Good luck to them all.
Sean McGuinness says:
June 12, 2026 at 12:12 am
Really looking forward to this one now. Is there anyone driving to Omagh from Dublin on Sunday morning?
Please let me know +353 871186894
Craggy boglands says:
June 12, 2026 at 8:35 am
Our defence and midfield is a worry.
InExile says:
June 12, 2026 at 9:10 am
@Craggy it is a worry but hopefully exposed in time for some remedial action to be taken if that is possible given the players at disposal.
At least we have a better forward threat now and nobody can advance under the new rules without outscoring the opposition.
I'd say we have 50:50 chance this weekend, depends who can sustain the effort for the full 70 minutes.
Jr says:
June 12, 2026 at 9:27 am
Comments near the top is a great improvement, thanks.
Moy2Pointer says:
June 12, 2026 at 9:34 am
InExile - better forward threat now but unfortunately we will be losing one of our marque forwards next season so that will be a set back for the forward unit. I do think in time we will find the right balance between the back and forward play but it probably wont be this season, I'm not sure midfield is as big a worry at the moment thought we did pretty well in that department against Monaghan.
James O’Donoghue brought up a pretty alarming stat on the Football Pod this week: Derry conceded 18 goals in seven National League games in 2025. I had a quick look at their Championship figures as well, and they shipped another seven goals in four matches. That’s 25 goals conceded in 11 games overall about 2.3 goals per game.
With Paddy Tally in charge at the time, it does make you wonder whether we’ve adopted a similar defensive approach to the one he tried to implement in Derry, and if that’s contributing to the number of goal chances we’re giving up.
InExile says:
June 12, 2026 at 9:48 am
@Moy fair point and the stats speak for themselves. I haven't followed Paddy Tally's career that much but he is credited for the strong defensive structure Galway brought in 2018 and Kerry in 2022, both of which had identified problems in that Dept. Of course under the new rules the game has changed since then so maybe not as easy to close up at the back now.