Strong team.

Playing so many established players shows how serious Andy Moran is taking this game and wanting to start off with a bit of silverware and the winners Sunday should win the FBD as Galway are fielding a development panel

Most counties are playing lots of challenge games up here in Leinster so I am sure Mayo are the same.
It is important that lads get game time before the League.
College lads have the Sigerson.
I am sure he has a team in his mind at this stage or the Galway league game

Not to be negative but what is the point of playing O’Shea and O’Donoghue, we know what they can do, would it not be better to try someone else. As well as changing the goalie. I couldn’t care less about winning the FBD, it has zero consequences on the season other than potential injuries

Bang on Plunkett- agree. But I wonder is the thinking that it gives the new players a bit of experience around them. And thus a better chance to shine. Andy might be trying to get the blend right.

But I'd rather we didn't flog the older lads

You can't just throw in a load of newbies with no experience around them .

Also alot of our guys have not played a competitive match in near 7 months cause we got knocked out so early . They need game time before the league to. It's only the fbd . But I can only imagine the absolute uproar if we loose tommoorow in the hyde v Rossies .

Every game should be played to win, it's a great habit to get into. WINNING.

Ryan O Donoghue and Aidan O'Shea are completely untested as intercounty new rules players after last year's debacle with not using them in our game plan at all. No harm to see Ryan O'Donoghue at 11 testing his 2 point range, while seeing can he get the ball up quickly to the forwards in the 3 up.

Yes, you need experience around the younger lot. However, I would like to see people like Diarmuid O’C, and James Carr getting game time. They need it; I don’t think Aido does.

For me the most interesting selection of all is DMcB at midfield. I know he had played there at times under previous regime and would have thought he was more suited further back,but Andy having played club beside him for years will know his strengths inside out and I'm sure it would have been discussed in social settings where players most like playing and where they feel is their best position, so maybe this will be one of our nailed down midfielders for the year ahead. No doubt he has the engine,can field and can score so maybe he will be the holding middle man to Ruane,Flynn, Touhy Thornton or a.n.other

Roscommon have named the same team that started against Leitrim last weekend. Obviously no Brigids players. Strokestown players also given a break after their All-Ireland Intermediate semi-final exit last week and Enda Smith on a break after his recent marriage.

New or newish players they have in 1,2,4,5,6,9,12,15

That's a very very strong lineup for fbd. Andy obviously cant countenance the thoughts of losing to the rassies in any type of game. Lol.

I suspect at least 11/12 of that team would be considered likely championship starters as things stand.

I like ROD at center forward as he is by far the best kickpasser in the squad so my hunch is that it will be him at 11 and that exact full forward line starting in championship.
I believe 4 of the 6 defenders are already nailed on (i think McBrien will be back at 6 come summer).

So the big unknown is wing forwards and midfield. Those jersies seem to be wide open completely. I couldn't even hazard a guess on who will be playing at 8/9/10/12 in summer, you would think jordan flynn would take one of those spots but otherwise its wide open for anyone

Fair play to young Keaveney, I know little or nothing about him but on his recent cameos in fbd and sigerson he has really put his hand up, that's what you want to see this time of year, some bolter forcing themselves in

@Retrocuts....
Indeed, im still annoyed at last year and our inability/unwillingess to play the new rules the whole year, talk about handicapping yourselves.

I read in colm keys article during the week that David Clifford in the 1st half of the all Ireland final matched Mayos 2 point haul for the entire championship, which is unforgivable really. All 6 forwards need to be regularly kicking scores in these rules, this craic of carrying forwards for their turnovers or thd odd layoff simply won't cut it

He's the best kick passer as long as he has lads inside on the same wave length. ROD at 11 only works if he has cute runs to hit

A Mayo Gaa Tv game purchase lasts for 24 hours, is that correct ?

@Paddyjoejohntom: Connacht GAA in this case, but yeah. Same rules apply.

https://page.inplayer.com/connachtgaa/item.html?id=5077388

"GAME PRICE IS FOR 24 HOURS ACCESS ONLY"

A little time between the end of the game and when the VOD is uploaded for watch-back (I'd have guessed 1 to 2 hours from previous games watching back a contentious decision or the likes), so you do lose a little of that 24 hours if you were hoping to watch it immediately/closely after the game finishes.

Thanks TsuDhoNim, yes, Comnacht Player i should have said.
Dont know why they only give you 24 hours, its a fairly tight window if you can't it watch it live ,working , etc

This is my first post in a while and will start by wishing all the people on here and Willie Joe a very happy new year.
It feels like the same argument every year for Mayo supporters.
1.The goalkeeper.Imo Hennelly is not the answer.
His good kickouts don't gloss over the fact that he's prone to big mistakes in big games.
Andy should be giving minutes to other options.
I've met Hennelly a few times through a previous job and he seems a right nice sound fella but he can't be our number 1 for the year ahead.
2.What to do with Aido?
If Aido is at ff we need to put in fast long direct ball into him.History has shown we won't do this.
It's a waste of everyone's time having him in there especially with the new rules.
Kobe Carr Conroy are all better options here Imo.
Name Aido in the half forward line and put him sitting in midfield for the kickouts.
We are desperately short of options at midfield so Aido has to be considered for here.
It's january and no need to get too excited either way just yet.

Unreal comeback from Toreen ! Half time now 1 point game

Agree 100% Horans Hat but Hennelly has the experience now and will hopefully be able to cover his shortcomings better and think he is best we have .
Very early in year but I was dissapointed he didn't kick ball quicker last weekend .
Agin only FBD but we have no aerial winners in lineup for Ros ans keeper who's dodge under high ball so let's hope they done do us wirh high ball in .
All 3 of the fullback line and good man markers ans good on the ball winning, ground side but none of the three are aerially strong, you would imagine these 3 will all be vying for one postion come summer.

Aido , hasn't done nothing in fullforward line in longest time and agree he should be bit part midfield /sit in 8 role.
It is hard to try find a place for him but we need speed and interchangeable forwards and I honestly belive we have as good as pick as we've had in long time in Kobe, Mchales , lydon , Conroy, O donoghue, Carr, Kuba, Beirne, Irwin , Towey

Have candles lit for Toreen they need a goal to win this theyre playing mighty stuff

That's some game of hurling now.,.gooo on Tooreen.yep!

Some game of hurling ! Fair play to Tooreen whatever happens they are doing Mayo proud in a football mad county !

The Tooreen Goalie wasnt cute enough with the last puck out he was in an awful hurry to get it away and Gavin Ryan definetly brought the sliothar forward a bit hope Tooreen can find a way they have scored some mighty points

The last puck out should have went out wide over the sideline because a sideline cut would have wasted more time. Shane boland and lavin didn't get into the game at all and that was costly too.

Im sickened for Toreen

Ah that's horrible for Tooreen sickened is well

Another final loss foe mayo

Jesus so close at the end I feel sick for those lads.

What a battle by Tooreen and a great commentary on Mid West by MD and the man from Loch Garman!
Hard luck Tooreen

Tooreen battled courageously against a physically more powerful team.
Well done.
As a Mayo supporter I’m proud of them
Why do contributors name players and blame them for errors made in the heat of battle?
It was a heroic performance by both teams .

@ glorydays.. you are so right. I was screaming at the tv for the goalie to slow it down and find a man with the puck out. So disappointing again for tooreen but it wad a great game of hurling.

Mayoforever, for these contributors, it's all about themselves, smart men.

Back to the football and wishing we could all agree to let the team management pick the team without telling them what they should be doing as they've hardly got their legs under the desk.
Do ye really think that Andy, Colm and Paddy don't understand what differplayers need regarding playing time? These lads have been at the coal face for two fecking decades............they understand players needs for game time and rest better than any of us. Will just lt them get on and manage ffs!

@JoeG

Great post fully agree !

@JoeG.No matter what team Andy picked, some people would find fault with it-"you can't please all of the people etc." It's the totally irrelevant FBD League and Andy is looking at performances, systems, combinations and players suitability for the new rules and the Alliance is not far away. Did'nt see the Sligo, but, from reports, comments on here and Andy's own comments, the main take, which I am delighted to see, is Andy's intention to completely embrace the new rules, take advantage of the 2 pointers and get the ball forward quickly to the full-forward line. So I look forward to seeing us having a real go and providing more entertainment this year.

@Jimbo goalie should have pocked out as far forward and over the side line as possible.
Proud of Tooreen,an oasis of hurling in Mayo, not forgetting their neighbors in Ballyhaunis.

Great effort by Tooreen, unlucky to come up just short but for a football county to have a hurling team in the final shows the amazing work the club puts in year on year from underage all the way through the ages.

As for the football team named, I’d agree with others in that a mix of experience is needed with the young lads, Andy was clear I’m pretty sure in one of his interviews that for youth to excel they need that experience alongside them. Every line really has a nice mix of that experience and youth.

Getting the game time into players and focusing on some key areas like our midfield and speed of attack are no doubt the focus for management. It also has to be pleasing that the likes of Paddy and Tommy are fit ready to line out at this time of year. The likes of Lydon, Donoghue and Jordan on the bench is great for Mayo football. FBD or not, seeing a crop of young players come through is exciting. Andy, Boyler and co are getting the interest back into Mayo football. I for one am certainly looking forward to the league, not for any hype or nonsense like that but for the fact we seem to have front foot attacking exciting football to look forward to.

WJ, one minor item which I’m not sure if it needs a tidy up or just how it displays on my phone, but the browse by year function has 2025 randomly appearing between 21 and 22 instead of after 25. Not sure as I say if it is my phone display or something in the background.

Surprisingly strong team for FBD match ..
Nice to get a win over the ROSSIE’s

Bookies and punters reaction to the strong team named has Mayo 1/8 on to win the rossies 5/1

I believe it's 16 years since we had a Mayo v Galway FBD final.

Low quality stuff in the Hyde but Mayo leading by 3 and have the wind advantage now and should win.

Rob hennelly is in good form and great to see Tommy Conroy back in good form to .

Enda hession looks back to his best hopefully he can stay injury free.

Clocking up the 2pointers now. Good to see we are working on them.

Early days, but the CB made the right decision in July with getting rid of previous mangement.

@Sam og

Totally agree.

The difference in the style of play & tackling is so great to see. The confidence seems back in the guys and they are not afraid to shoot for two pointers some fines scores taken by the guys .

Loved the cameo by Lydon, no fear in this young man. I not sure will Keith Higgin see much of him this year because Andy might need him more. Tommy Lydon Darragh Beirne Kobe McDonald Colm Lynch Eoin McGreal all under 20 together with Josh Carey Rio Mortimer not to far behind them amongst others, should be a good Mayo U20 side if there are allowed to play. Hopefully the U20s and senior management are on the same page with style of play, loved Higgins as a player and I have a feeling he will do every well this year. Just thinking a U20s full forward line of Beirne Carey and Lydon will give most senior team problems.

Very early days but the shooting in the second half was mighty impressive, lovely to see the spread of monster shooters. Potential extra string to an already strong bow

Now you're talking Andy. This was great to watch, even if the Rossies were understrength. Rossies were impressive too in many ways, made it difficult a lot of time and Conor Ryan is excellent I have to say.

What I liked was the movement, speed of thought, sense of adventure and tough tackling. Lot of things coming together and a lot of talent there. Exceptional cameo by Lydon and I liked the look of Niall Hurley though it didn't run for him.

Rossies I thought had 16 on the field as the ref was playing with them for the 60 mins. Did we get any 50/50 decision?

Next Sunday at 1pm in Tuam is posted on official Mayo Gaa page there for the final.

Mayo had a easy day out today, some great kicking at the start of the second half by Jack Carney , Ryan O Donoghue etc and a nice cameo from Lydon. Really hard to take anything out of that, the Rossies were shocking.
Mayo moving extremely well, look fit, strong in the tackle and well in pressing kick outs.
Interesting to see team selections for next weekend compared to two weeks time .

Rossie commentators were impressive I thought, even if it took them a while to realise Jack Carney was on as a sub.

@Tuamstar: Can I ask which page that is?

The Connacht GAA site seem to suggest all 3 finals on the Saturday as a place holder, but that'd potentially rule out DB with a Freshers game Thursday evening (might be rested for either of those anyway) so the difference of Saturday/Sunday would alter things a bit for the 48 hour lockout.

Final is next Sunday in Tuam at 1pm.

Tommy Lydon for me deserves the number 15 jersey v Galway next week after that display.
The Mayo Public will be hoping that we see Kobe making his debut in either of the 2 next games v Galway.

Tsu - Based on today I think Adam Barrett and Tom Lydon should start ahead of Darragh Beirne next weekend. Also do we need to give some senior players a run out ahead of first league game the following week?

Final Whistle pod is up. I'm joined by Nigel Reape and Martin Carney on it and we've post-match audio from Midwest with Colm Boyle and Ryan O'Donoghue. Shay Rafter from London also features as some bonus audio.

@Done Deal: Not sure I'd say 'need', but certainly wouldn't be any harm in it.

Carr, (D) McHale, Callaghan, Towey, Clarke, Moore, Towey, Moran, Flynn and (D) O'Connor likely all chomping at the bit for a bit of action along with the lads that didn't start today... and the ones that did. The kind of competition that can only help a side.

TsuDhoNim, Towey certainly seems to be chomping at the bit!

We should split mayo in 2.

No doubt, the optimists and the pessimists?

Dont Read anything into this result , roscommon not trying an inch, bigger games against mayo ahead for them, still nothing like a game to break up the training this time of year.
Next sunday g8 to get a game like this before league kicks off, find out more about potential players etc.
Not quiet sure where Galway are the moment, lots of question marks hanging over the best team they have since 90's , looks like there werent 2 many after joyces job within galway which sends mix signals , lots of gifted footballers but do they have the steel to win the big 1, time not on there side.

Kerry look like the team to beat , club football seems to be unbelievable down there and jack o Connor going no where .
Dublin rebuilding difficult assignment in the capital as they could end up like man utd nothing like sir alex (jim gavin) and a very demanding supporters , ger brennan be looking around his back

Other leinster teams not showing no form at all regular big beatings when they get to the business end of things , meath and kildare offaly westmeath dark years behind there had-day years

The Northern teams not the force of old , donegal beyond sell by date, others are not near the teams they where including tyrone , armagh , derry and the new rules dont suit them.

So where does that put our chances . Come the business end of things the old spit fire could be firing on all cylinders heading into the heat of battle , fuel leaking, couple of guns locked, landing gear fell off, loads of bullet holes but god help who is the next battle.

Mayo 4 Sam

Dont see the need to drop Darragh Beirne he needs games and exposure at this level, for me hes the best 13 in the County and seems very comfortable kicking frees of the left something we havnt had since Conor Mortimer left in June 2012.

At the moment it's looking like the two Neale Tommies will be battling it out for the no.15 jersey but of course it's who is showing the better form next April that is all important.
There's still plenty of time for players, unheralded so far to force their way into contention.
Can't remember there being so much competition for jerseys in years,if ever. A headache for Andy but great for supporters.