For all the reasons laid out about its very difficult to make a case for us winning this game .This management can’t seem to settle on players in set positions.David mcbrien was setting in nicely at full back a position we have struggled with probably since Kevin Cahill’s retirement .mcbrien has now become almost completely anonymous at centre back and we had a similar scenario two years ago .Not sure what we can do with midfield as we simply don’t have big ball winners in that area and yea if Ryan is held where will we get the scores from but still one can only hope that the players will be driven by how they appear to be completely written off .This in many ways is a huge moment for this management,can they come up with a plan to nullify the Galway danger men or indeed any sort of plan on our own kickout.Even allowing for all our perceived weaknesses surely we are better than what we seen over the last 3 games

I’m finding it incredibly hard to make a credible case for Mayo next Sunday. Don’t think I’ve ever been as pessimistic going into a Connacht final, or any game against Galway.

As you say WJ, I’m not convinced we know who our preferred six at the back are. We’re currently playing a very good full-back at centre-back and games are passing him by.

As for our kick-outs……

The middle third remains a serious concern. We’ve lots of runners in there but our ball winning capacity looks very limited.

Up front, to say we’re dependent on ROD is a real understatement. AOS is playing as well as he ever has but there’s only so many holes he can plug.

We’re consistently inconsistent. I’m hoping we can find something special in Castlebar, but that’s very much the heart over head stuff.

Someone convince me I have it all wrong!!

Willie Joe, you have laid out the scenario and our predicament very well and it is difficult to make any kind of case for us, except to hope that the underdog tag will inspire us to give it a real go,throw off the shackles and produce our best performance in ages. Hopefully our brains trust will come up with plans to counteract Galway, especially with regard to kick-outs, theirs and ours as possession is now imperative under the new rules. Galway have been regularly praised as having the tightest defence around, as opposed to us on the other end of the scale. Just wondering if anyone else feels that Galway, like Dublin in their pomp, have mastered the art of just about staying on the right side of the law. They do a lot of pulling and dragging to stifle momentum, in my opinion, and seem to generally get away with it-I think that there is a lot of borderline fouls. We need to quickly judge what is and Isn't being allowed and act accordingly. Might also be no harm for our players to make a meal of Galway's blocking tactics to put pressure on the referee.

It's Galways to lose.

If we show some fight in us and don't let Galway walk all over us and an improved performance that will be something at least .

I do think it will be close though I don't think Galway will win by 10 or anything like that .

I just feel we can do this, get behind the team!

I remember coming away from McHale park after the Kerry League game and being well enthused by the way we mixed our game that day...high energy around the field, long balls delivered early to ff line and our middle men 'devoured' Kerry (Jack's words) on kickouts and breaking ball. We gradually went away from that and back to safety first mode for whatever reason, but the fact that we showed we could do it fairly successfully is gives me something to cling to for the 4th.
The fact that Diarmuid is back playing is another huge plus for me. He has real leadership quality and can drive all around him to greater effort when he's in the groove.
So maybe it's not quite 50/50 but if each man concentrates on winning his individual battle and, importantly if we get fair play, which we definitely did not get last year imo,we will be right there come hootertime.

I've rewatched Mayo v Dublin 2006, 12, 17 and can honestly sat we haven't a rat's chance of winning anything the way we're going with the 2025 crop. Such competitive Mayo intensity, flair and long distance shooting and scoring on display in all of those games. Beautiful to watch. Sadly, none if it now evident, except maybe from Mattie who's got the balls and skill to shoot and score from distance. Sadly all of the gumption and determination to give it a go seems to have been coached out of our fellas in favour if tge take no chances approach.....

No back line has been tested yet under the new rules .
It was easy for backs going for the ball with 3 or 4 players behind them covering.
It is a completely new ball game now and we will have to wait and see.
League was shadow boxing, Tyrone v Armagh will show us what is ahead.

Ronaldson also said he would switch McBrien to 3 the next day but it won't happen. We can assume management won't change based on the Loftus experiment as mentioned.

So it's... can McBrien deliver a big performance at 6 Sunday week, and can our out of form players Callahan, Flynn, Ruane , Coen step up that's the question.

I think we really have to bin the negative Nelly stuff , as hard as that might be , we just have to lift ourselves and believe , it’s Mayo v Galway , not Kerry v Carlow , the gap is not that big at all .

If you can’t get yourself up and pumpin for this one , what’s the point in supporting Mayo senior footballers , this is the ancient Gaelic football rivalry, they can talk all they want about cork v Kerry / dub v Meath , Armagh v Tyrone , this is the one that beats them all , it’s steeped in tradition and prestige the longest , it’s always been the closest , Nestor cup wins are nearly equal last time I checked, I assume Galway are ahead by 2 or 3 at this point ? I know some people think it doesn’t matter a lot but to me and others , it will mean the world to see them lift the JJ Nestor cup in castlebar .

Would/could mchugh play centre back n mcbrien full back...its not that either would be tied to the position. Mcbrien might be put back there on either comer or Tierney anyway..or o Connor centre back, mchugh on the wing back n mcbrien full back

Would it not be that the management need to bin the negative Nelly stuff as well.No matter how up for the game the mayo crowd are if after 15 minutes this lateral risk averse mind numbingly boring stuff is on display again then the crowd will react accordingly.although I still believe we have to be better than what we shown recently at least I desperately hope we are

Did anyone of the players that played against carlow in the development squad put their hands up to be included in main squad,anyone know what players played.

@Sean Burke I'd be absolutely delighted if we managed to come out against the odds and beat Galway and lift the nestor cup for the first time in what seems like a long time .

It's just hard to see past Galway at the minute .

I still think though Mark Ronaldson has a good point this is a good position for us to be in going into the game absolute underdogs and all the pressure is on PJ and Galway ..

Who knows what could happen it is when we are totally written off we come out and play our best I'm hoping to god that is what happens come Sunday week !

Team I would go with...

Reape
Coyne mcbrien hession
Mchugh O'connor mclaughlin
Carney ruane
Flynn rod irwin
O'shea
Neary Thornton

Would be fantastic to an input from Paddy at some point. Even better if on slimmest of chances Tommy. Above I think is our strongest team, with players on better, natural positions. Lots of kickout options for reape to mchugh or O'connor in half back, over the top to hit o'shea, to the wings to flynn or irwin. Get mchugh n mcloughlin fighting like dogs for the ball on the ground with flynn n irwin helping out. Hit as much ball into space for neary to use his space or high into Thornton or o shea. From there have the pace of wing backs steaming forward with matty n carney. Coen, Sam, Towey to come in.

If Mayo want any motivation they just need to look at Cork last Sat.

Mayo are the underdogs and the underdogs this year have all put it upto the favourites.

Drag it into a scrap and a physical game.

If Walsh is missing that's a huge plus for Mayo.

The winning of the game will be the match ups around the middle and stopping the Galway giants.

Galway are the number 1 team on current form so it might suit Mayo being written off.

Punditry is a strange science practised by so called experts on various media channels or the knowledgeable people expressing their views on this platform. It's great to have an opinion and it is great to engage in banter that allows us to pontificate our views. I am in a retail business in Galway and delight in building up Galway as favourites for the 2025 Connacht final. Suggesting that they should give full vent to their vehicles horns while passing through Ballintuber on the way home after a victorious excursion to Castlebar is my favourite. Rather than delighting in my suggestions they look at me in a suspicious manner as if I know something that they don't. I don't of course but the thought that we might ambush them gives me great delight. I do know that the Galway fans are travelling in great numbers fully expecting a victory. We can analyse the pending game all we like but there is always the unpredictable element that defies logic. The belly fire that ignites when the green and red confronts maroon. The roar of the crowd as the national anthem concludes and battle commences. The engagement that is not just the present but is backed by our ancestors who fought in previous battles. The passion, the joy, the sweet anticipation of victory. These are the elements no Pundit can predict. So bring it on. No more gloom. No more self deprecation. We are proud Mayo people and we will win. That is the magic that no Pundit can predict.

They'll be no ambush. Galway are easily a 8 point better team. We just have to accept that and see that the draw brings next Wednesday

Excellent introduction to the game there WJ. It is so hard to believe we have not won a final in Castlebar since 2014. We were at the peak of our powers then and even though it was a comfortable enough win, Galway did put in a fight in the second half, smashing a great shot against the cross bar and missing a penalty. Mayo got the goals at crucial times that day. While everything points to a Galway win there is hope. This is Galway we are playing in a Connacht final and history tends to show that such matches are competitive. Even though there is a big gulf between Cork and Kerry, Cork have been very competitive in their last two games against them. Local pride and rivalry demands that you really put it up to your neighbours. Remember we beat them in Tuam in 1999 when they were AI champions. There is never a no hope situation when we play them. I remember the Sean Og de Paor speaking after we beat them in the 1996 Connacht final that he could see it in the eyes of the Mayo team before and during the game how they desperately wanted to beat Galway. We need a similar desperation to win next Sunday. It matters so much that we beat them and anyone who says the Nestor Cup isn’t worth winning needs to get a life. The Munster and Leinster championships may be devalued by Kerry and Dublin dominance but in Ulster and in our own province the provincial title is a much sought after honour. Maigh Eo Abu.

@PaddyJoeJohnTom

While I think Galway will win it won't be an 8 or 10 point win .

It's always so close .

I expect our guys to come out going for it like mad and it will come down to the wire .

Galway are better on paper atm .

But when pride comes into it for us and totally written off it just fires up our guys to just go for it.

I know we've struggled recently but I'm just hoping maybe ...Just maybe this is the game we have been holding back the last few games for and we will see a different mayo side then we have so far and they just throw everything at it ..

As I said here's hoping...

Mad how close it was last year and way people talking about the same fixture this year. We have essentially the same personnel available bar Tommy.

It seems to me thap some are forgetting to factor in the new rules and using last year's final, as a comparison and guideline. Unfortunately Galway now look stronger and better and we don't seem to have progressed and have, possibly, regressed. This new version is almost a different game, possession is more vital than ever, especially from kick-outs and, on evidence to date, Galway look have a distinct advantage in that area. And, because of the 2 pointers, if you are getting starved of possession, the game can get away from you very quickly and lead to an embarrassing defeat-just ask Roscommon. I just want to see a fully committed, no holds barred, positive performance, filled with pride and passion, which will get our supporters in full voice, and, if that is not enough, then so be it.

This could be embarrassing . I agree with WJ’s analysis. We don’t have the forwards to trouble Galway this year. The bookies are not wrong I fear. The new rules favour Galway big time . I hope I’m wrong.

Galway's eyes are on the Biggie according to punditry consensus. Have they the mettle for this and what's coming afterwards? I'm not sure at all about that. Great opportunity for Mayo to upend them, but it'll be a mammoth task.

Listened to mike quirke there , he simply predicts Galway are unstoppable, nobody will beat them if they avoid injuries.

Reading all the negativity here I'm wondering should the game go ahead or maybe just hand the cup to Galway now.
This is one of the great rivalries and we have no reason to be afraid of this Galway team as sadly so many here seem to be..

Mayo pick the right team for the day, make the right switches and play all out attacking football, not the back and over short passing and it's a Mayo win.

This is the same Galway team that bet us by a last gasp free kick last year and might I add, calfed in 2 AI finals in a row. When we lose a final or the number we have done in the past decade or so all and sundry have a go at mayo. It's apparent mayo are entering into this game with absolutely no pressure or expectation. I fully expect to see a huge performance from mayo with the aggression and intensity we have seen in patches in the league. After the trimming they gave us in the league, the players and management MUST step up and tear into the fuc kers. I could not care less on Sunday week if its a boring, drab affair. Stopping them winning 4 in a row in our own pitch is all that matters.

I wonder why nobody ever thought of this before

I don't see this being close. In fact I would worry hugely.

I have aired my concerns on management. I suspect players won't have fight because they are beaten down by negative, micro managed tactics and the fight we desire won't be there.

Galway mirror us in our pomp. Unity of purpose. S and C exceptional. They will exploit us where we are weak. Midfield and scoring.

I fear this could be similar to our 2013 annihilation of them in Salthill.

I neglected to mention that I would like to see Finnerty ‘tested’ early doors.

Could the draw for the all Ireland series take the sting completely out of this game in the sense “be no worse off if we lose looking at them groups “. Genuinely asking is that possible as I’ve not studied it yet

Yes MartyK that was a wonderful match in 2006 when we defeated Dublin in the All Ireland semi final. Yet, early in the championship we only managed to beat Leitrim by one point and were held scoreless by them in the last 26 minutes of the game.

In years past the provincial title seems less important because of the backdoor/potential soft few games in the qualifiers.
But that didn't serve us last year.
Win the title Sunday week and gain some much needed momentum.
Bate Galway, always and at every single opportunity.

That was also the situation last year, Seán, when there was an already known winner’s curse to the final, with the group draw having been made in advance. I don’t think that took any edge off the match in Salthill and I doubt it will for this one either.

@Sean Burke: Potentially. Just as it did last year.

Only the 1 'place' still to be decided between Louth or Kildare, with the winner in Sam & Loser in Tailteann. But still plenty of movement between Seedings available yet with only the 3 (Cork 4th, Cavan 4th & Monaghan 3rd) confirmed for now. We'll know more by tomorrow evening.

It'll look like (with teams separated by /'s ranked from most likely to least likely on bookies odds):

1st Seeds: Galway/Mayo; Kerry/Clare; Dublin/Louth/Kildare/Meath; Donegal/Armagh/Tyrone/Down
2nd Seeds: Mayo/Galway; Clare/Kerry; Louth/Kildare/Dublin/Meath; Armagh/Donegal/Tyrone/Down
3rd Seeds: Monaghan; Roscommon/Tyrone/Derry/Armagh/Donegal/Dublin
4th Seeds: Cork; Cavan; Down/Meath/Derry/Tyrone/Roscommon

No absolute groups of death given how even sides are atm, but certainly some easier or tougher draws out there. With the easier ones linked to winning a Provincial and hopefully having Munster Runner-Up (or to a lesser extent Leinster Runner-Up).

Hard to find a combination that makes losing preferable (said as someone who never though losing last year was preferable either, despite it being commonly suggested). You're probably looking at a 'worst case' where winning gives Connacht Winner, Ulster Runner-up, Tyrone, Cork or losing giving a 'best case' of Leinster Winner, Derry & Down. Not a massive difference even between those two relative extremes, IMHO.

Other than the 2 obvious 2nd seeds that wouldn't have been there on league position & Down a touch lower than others on league as Tailteann winners (not having a great year this year with the new rules impacting them defensively more than many) the rest are all incredibly close in levels. A single injury or just form would be more important coming into a game than a soft draw.

Its hard to know folks, Mayo are playing at home, topped Division 1 so thats strong form isnt it or is it? To me, and I could be totally wrong, we appeared to play in fits and starts against Dublin and Kerry and shipped heavy enough defeats, taking off key players but still racked up a big enough scores all the same. 2-13 against the Dubs with 11 wides and 2-19 against kerry. Walsh is a loss but isnt as big a loss as he has been in previous years (so far) which is probably a testament to improvement from other players. I think Mayo are overly relient on ROD and Aido but its time other players stepped up. It will suit Galway for Mayo to play a pass it back and forth and play it back out to the 45 instead of taking on shots. Its maddening to watch and saps the energy. I expect Comer will come in for the last 20 minutes and maybe Peter Cooke too. I hope Galway win but its a far cry from the days of old when the winner was in a semi final and the loser out. The key for Mayo apart from taking on the bloody shots is to break even in midfield, I'm not sure if the Galway midfield area players are on their game that Mayo can do it but they have done it in the past. Its really down to the players on the day, as said above have Galway eyes on bigger games ahead after winning a number of Connacht titles while Mayo badly need to win one to ease the pressure on McStay. It should be a good match and am hopeful Galway will have enough to see off Mayo but if its still in the melting pot with 5 minutes left Mayo can never be ruled out. Also I think that we appear open at the back at times, if Mayo can break the lines and take the goal chances that will arise then they would have a great chance.

I just want to see Mayo play in Green and Red again and not those hideous jerseys we have been playing in lately

Alot of sense and alot of depressing talk above which in all cases is understandable.

For me Galway bottled last years final and their previous final they only made it respectable towards the end .
So there a kink in their armour. Walsh isn't all that fit, nor Comer, but they have moved on and Fonnerty and Tierney have stepped up their games.

I still doubt their keeper and defence but we got to get about them at midfield. For all talk about Conroy, Maher is the man, he Marshalls , powerhouses , direct runs , he's excellent.
Carney is going to have to do a complete man marking job on him.
Leave Flynn outrun Conroy.
Our kick outs get discussed but are much same as anyone else I think.
But to be fair to Reape, our most dissapointing line , whom give him no chance or options is our halfbackline.
We need a full clean out there of personnel.
Skillset aside a necessity against Galway is tenacity and desire to win breaking ball.
Our halfforwards are going to have to work like dogs but again it can't be half arsed efforts where you turn your back to breaking ball.
AOS is another we need to get best out off, maybe start him at 11 and push him in later on .
Either way we need agreesion and the crowd on our side .
99 isn't really a reference point as lads were foaming at the mouth for galway winning our All Ireland, the year previous.
Even we couldn't have fooked up a final v Kildare.

Anyways I think we can win but need to let go and ate them as if our lives depended on it .
I know the average fans and fair weather fans have given up all hope but we played well in fits and starts in the league have Diarmuid returning and hopefully some inspiration relative to the flat league final and game v donegal.
We have game changers and inspirational players in likes of Mchugh, flynn, diarmuid, Neary, AOS and ROD but need the others to step up and those who ooze passive aggressive need to be benched

I think in 2022 we did very well but had no one to come off the bench when Kerry pulled away, we fought back twice and were taking the game to Kerry up to last 10 minutes. In 2024 it appeared to me "in hindsight" that Finnerty going off cost us an All-Ireland as he would have been expected to slot over some of the frees Walsh missed. The players appeared to also fear taking on shots near the end, thinking back to Liam Silke turning down a shooting chance and playing it back to Walsh marked by 3 Armagh men or McHughs one that went wide off the post while an Armagh point went in off the post. Small margins win and lose All Irelands as Mayo know only too well. A friend of mine, a season ticket Dub, attending all matches in all grades freely admitted to me that Mayo should have won at least one of their final matches with them but sadly it wasnt to be. For teams like Galway and Mayo we have to take the chances offered to us, Mayo unfortunately failed to take theirs and Galway are on the same trajectory now, how many more chances will we get 1 perhaps 2 and thats it.

@Glorydays yeah fully agree those jerseys are horrible!!

Only sideline tickets now available surely the whole main stand is not sold out ..they will release middle sections towards the end of next week I bet !

Galway will win this by a very large margin.

Clare. I've being checking for tickets through my season ticket account since they went on sale.
No tickets beyond Row F in sections 102 -108 have came up for sale. There must be how many, 60 rows from front to back In the stand.?
Where have are all those tickets disappeared?

I know players, sponsors,etc have to get tickets, but Jesus.

@Paddyjoejohntom

It must so fecking annoying for you especially as a season ticket holder !!

So ridiculous ..yeah I've been checking to and your right surely 102 and 108 aren't all gone up to Row F maybe though . .

Hope you get a decent seat!

The season ticket thing is mental.
I've been refreshing the page for days and can't get any tickets further back than row F yet I can go online and buy any amount of higher up tickets.

At this stage it's pointless giving out about it.We know how much they take season ticket holders for granted.Many chose not to renew this year.The Connacht final set up is the straw that broke the camels back for me.Ive two tickets I won't be renewing.

Just watching Armagh Tyrone here...the speed of Armaghs transition unbelievable, scores, tackling..real high intensity stuff..Armagh going well

The carry-on with tickets being made available via the season ticket is as depressing as it is predictable. Like Dublin City Council and cars, the GAA seem to be on a mission of driving season ticket holders away.

On the issue of what jerseys should be worn on Sunday week, from a colour-blind perspective the primary playing strips make for a horrendous clash. Both jerseys are dark (different colours but, you know, that's not much use for us colour-blind people), with white shorts and dark socks so they're all but indistinguishable. If Galway wore their secondary strip (white jersey, maroon shorts) that would be perfect but, of course, there's not a cat's chance in hell of that happening.

If ever there was an argument for retaining provincial, the Armagh Tyrone game this evening supports the argument. Gaelic football at its very best. Armagh retained possession from 22 out of 23 kickouts, they scored their first 16 points all from play, and turned around a 2 point lead with 4 minutes to go. But credit to Tyrone, they were equally good, one very bad call from Gaugh, was a costly mistake.
Game played at hectic pace, win your turnover and your breaking fast, but great advertisement for new rules.
And yes we don't play by new rules..

Did anyone hear Mark o Shea commentating on Armagh v Tyrone. When Rafferty appeared to throw himself on the ground in front of the ball to prevent a shot at goal. He said that Rafferty appeared not to realise the pass was meant for him. Maybe I missed something but I think you can’t pass to the keeper in your own half. If I’m correct, surely Mark should know.

Gough got that call wrong, costly mistake for Tyrone. Otherwise excellent refereeing, very consistent.

Ontheditch. Watch it back, its a free all day long. If it happens up the field after 10 minutes ,nothing would be said . The fact that it's so close to goal and the last kick of the game changes people perception

Red spot on.

@Nephin: You're spot on.

Great situational awareness from Ethan.... though taking the legs out from Darragh as he did with the 'body block' would have been a free in all day in my book. Shocked that one wasn't given.

I still think the game next Sunday will go down to the wire with nothing more than a score or two between them. This is Mayo v Galway in a Connacht Final and form goes out the window. Forget about how poorly we played against Sligo and Leitrim, and I expect to see a huge improvement from this Mayo team in the final.
The bookies and most pundits were backing Tyrone to beat Armagh today but it didn’t work out that way. That’s what can happen in games between fierce rivals and they often go down to just who wants it the most on the day.

@Finding Sam

Totally agree ..fully expecting this to !!

You want to beat your biggest rivals every day of the week.

Galway on form should win it of course .

But it won't be walk over for Galway .

Gough will have nightmares about that one, I think goalkeeper touched it on ground as well. Black card offence? Yes imo

Sounds like he's going to keep his psychologist busy!

@ 2 hops. He'll be making an appointment on monday. Very strict on over carrying but was consistent which is fair enough. Tyrone will be a seed 3.

Ethan Rafferty had a huge influence in Armaghs win today. Was it 22 out of 23 kickouts he was successful in. We can only dream of a rate like that. In doing so he reduced the impact of the big Tyrone midfielders. Really hope we spent the last month working flat out on that and our forwards practising 2 pointers.

Sets the standard for retention of possession he went long he went short,but he found his man.
Galway will push up otn us and give us no option but to go long. That might not be all bad, but I'd be working on the long kickouts.

Colm has a booming kick out in his locker but seldom uses it, like in the first half of the quarter final v Dublin in 23 when he completely bypassed midfield to Aidan on the 40. Could be worth a try now and again.

Why did Tyrone allow Rafferty to knock the ball out to unmarked corner backs all day?

They weren't even attempting a press.Obviously it worked because they won the game but I thought it was unusual.

Agreed Nephin , if we can bypass Maher and mcdaid put AOS and flynn on opposite side to maher and mcdaid and keep feeding them

Rafferty mixed his kickouts and Armagh still retained possession.
I agree on long kick strategy, Galway will be pushing up on us. Better to lose the ball in the oppositions half. Play to our strengths and going short has not proved profitable

Nephin he absolutely does. It's criminal not to do it more often. If nothing else, it means the opposition cannot press as aggressively. If it comes off, there is serious hay to be made. And it's less energy sapping. But we so rarely see it.

Mchale Park is a bit shorter than Croker, but I've seen Reape easily land them on opposite 45. That's a weapon if used properly

All pundits talking about the top 3, Galway, Donegal and Kerry. Very disrespectful to Armagh who are the champions. Mark my words, they will be very hard beaten.

. Amazing that O Se on today’s commentary didn’t seem to be aware that you can’t pass the ball back to your keeper. Rafferty knew exactly what he was doing (should have been penalised for touching it on the ground though) when he didn’t take the pass. Id say O Se gets lots of money for his “expert” analysis. The least you would expect is that he’d make himself familiar with the rules. Great game overall. Amazing that Armagh only started 6 who started AI final last year.

Tyrone as a 3 seed will not be easy to beat either. The Gough mistake cost them that game.

To win just once, as far as I am aware of the new Rules, a defender can pass the ball to his keeper when the keeper is within the small square, this is included in the new Rules.

But he wasn’t inside the small square.

The Only Motivation The Mayo Team & Management Need Is To Win This One For Aidan O Shea. Forget the possession game, throw off the shackles and go for it. Galway are raging hot favourites but that should suit mayo. Make a few positional switches , No back and over across the field. Quick ball into the inside forwards. Do the simple things right, think positive, and mayo will win. Best of luck. Maigh-eo Abù.

Exactly, we only missing Tommy from the team that should have beaten them last year.
If players throw off the shackles and have a crack there will be little in it.

@mayomaninmeath, true for you. It'll be a good team that takes either Armagh or Tyrone out IMO. With Donegal and Galway I'd say we'd have the four most likely prospects to win Sam. That's not to say they're going to though. I'm reasonably confident Mayo will give Galway a ferocious fright next weekend.

@BatetheBlanket: He can only take the backpass if both players are in the large rectangle (the defender was outside and Rafferty would have been beyond the 20m line on receipt of the ball) and when the ball has been played into the large rectangle from the opposition just before the pass is played (even if they had been in the large rectangle the defender had received the ball as a pass from Rafferty so it would still have been a breach).

Plenty of room for confusion there given how poorly the rule is worded in the rule book (1.10(a) is literally incorrect), but it's being coached and reffed as intended despite the rule-book woes.

Did the Armagh goalie touch the ball on the ground, it wasn't clear from the TV.
No free IMO for just throwing your self in front of the ball, a sharp move.
Worrying that referee seems to be vastly influenced by the FCC update on over carrying, some of the calls a bit harsh I thought.

Not sure it’s relevant to compare the Galway and mayo teams of last year and this year.Teams can often go off in different directions.For instance the Donegal team of 2011 was completely unrecognisable to the Donegal team that appeared in 2012 .All evidence suggests we have regressed since last year and Galway have pushed on .In both 2023 and 2024 games in Salthill we struggled in midfield from what I can remember.in fact in 2023 we completely collapsed In midfield in the last ten minutes.Other than that I find it hard to imagine mchugh coping with comer when he appears.Having said all that I still except a big reaction from the players.They have been totally written off and pride will come into play

@Tsu, that rule alone just shows how Impossible it is to referee a game, particularly a high tempo game under the new Rules.
Unusual / hard Rules to referee are,
1, The defender backpass to the goalkeeper.
2, The legitimate man in the small square for the second last pass leading to a goal or a point.
3, The breach of the 3 men up and 4 men back.

How do referees manage all this in Club games, where they are nor wired up to linesmen?

Another cracking game in clones yesterday and another endorsement of the new rules.

The quality of scoretaking by both armagh and Tyrone really was of the highest order, the skill levels have never been higher at county level which just makes it all the more baffling why so many well paid county coaches around the country have been coaching talented players not to shoot the past 10 years. Baffling really.

Thankfully with the new rules now if you're a forward that's not scoring you're of no use at the highest level

Agreed Mayoman in Meath, the amount of disrespect being shown to Armagh as all Ireland champions must be serious fuel for McGeeney, their championship record going back about 4 seasons now has been stellar, it has generally only been penalty shootouts that does for them.

They now seem to have a new assurance and composure in them too having gotten the monkey off their back. He also seems to have plugged in 3 or 4 brand new starters to his team which is essential for a title defence.

Ultimately I think the loss of Rian o Neill may cost them when it comes to the biggest days in broker, but it will take a serious team to beat them this year again. Can't believe how people are refusing to acknowledge them

Mayo will win on Sunday week. I’m sure of it, and there’ll be loads of pats on backs and management will talk it up like it’s a huge achievement and aren’t the lads great etc, but the concern is we’ll fizzle out in Croke Pk and it’ll be another nothing season and defeat in Cbar for Galway will be the kick in the arse they need to go all the way.

@Mayonaze ...So by beating Galway we are helping them win the All Ireland!!.
Both outcomes highly unlikely

Yes.

Lol

I asked ChatGPT to generate a group draw now that we have an idea of seedings for Wednesday. This is what it came up with. No easy groups this time for anyone. It will be dog eat dog.

Group 1: Mayo - Clare - Tyrone - Cork

Group 2: Armagh - Galway - Monaghan - Derry

Group 3: Kerry - Meath - Dublin - Down

Group 4: Louth - Donegal - Roscommon - Cavan

I asked for an alternative draw for the craic too:

Group 1: Armagh - Clare - Roscommon - Down

Group 2: Mayo - Meath - Tyrone - Cork

Group 3: Kerry - Galway - Monaghan - Derry

Group 4: Louth - Donegal - Dublin - Cavan

In a more serious note, one thing I’m just not getting is why all the talk of ‘being ready for the Connacht final’ and ‘peaking for the 4th of May’, as was mentioned in the pod with Ronnie. Why would Mayo be trying to peak for the Connacht Final?? The real championship starts when it gets to knockout and to a lesser extent the group stages. The All Ireland in end July. Semi finals are over two months away. Despite what many supporters are thinking and saying, surely to God the players have loftier ambitions than a provincial title. Now, it’s not to say you cannot win your province and have sufficient fuel in the tank to up the tempo, energy, performance levels and form for later in the season. But it just doesn’t sit well with me, all this talk of peaking in May. Mayo should be looking to peak in July.

I think Dublin erred by putting Small on the match day panel after a few weeks training.
There was something wrong with the Dublin performance today.
Would not like them in our group.
Everything went exactly right for Meath, fair play to them.
Living here in Meath, real animosity between themselves and Louth.

@Mayonaze, let's not be trying to look for a way out if Mayo fail to beat Galway next week, top the group stages by beating Galway, should be the easiest route in the All Ireland series, lose yo Galway next week and it will probably mean Season over.

@jr, yes Louth really resented Meath's denying them a replay in 2010. I recall a Cavan colleague telling me that the Meath fans had placards up saying "Croker this way" outside navan for the Cavan fans travelling when they made a quarter or semi several years ago. Neighbours tend not to love each other but it's mainly blackguarding.
Farrell mentioned a multitude of injuries forcing him to start players that mightn't be fit so time will tell if it's the end of an era. I'd bet it is.

From the teams that played in the league
Mayo have added Aidan O Shea, Jack Coyne, Darren McHale, Jack Carney, Fenton Kelly and Jordan Flynn
dropping, Rory Brickenden, Seán Morahan, Conor Reid, Fergal Boland, Paul Towey and Frank Irwin

Galway have dropped Daniel O’Flaherty, Finnian Ó’Laoí, Cillian Ó’Curraoin and Sam O’Neill for Jack Glynn; Matthew Tierney, Robert Finnerty, Damien Comer.

Mayo will be better, but so will Galway. Galway have an excellent kick out strategy and gameplan to kick 2 pointers. Mayo couldn't match either the last day. Galway also kick long if there is space, Mayo wouldnt kick it long if O Donoghue was in the Galway half by himself.
Forecast is for an easterly breeze so wont aid those who cant normally kick long range points.

Mayo are going to have to really pull something from the bag to win.
Lets hope they remember what Galway did to DOC in the league match, and how no single Mayo player did anything to teach the Galway players that they cant come to Castlebar and beat us physically.
Whatever you do against Galway at home, you give them some physical treatment anyway.

Galway will not gain anything if they lose to us on Sunday . It will also give teams in their group the extra belief to not fear Galway . There’s a lot of talk about Galway of late , they’d be well advised take little notice of it . There are still a few teams who would fancy themselves v Galway , it’s certainly not a shoe in Galway will win the all Ireland . If I were them I’d also be very weary of all these Kerry pundits biggin them up .