OMG - 26points scored against us and no defender replaced in the entire match. New defenders on the subs and not given a chance. Division 2 here we come big time.

Yes I agree with above, poor day at the office today. There were a few positives we had a few good goal chances. Galway really got stuck in and we got ourselves in trouble and turned over by trying to play too many intricate passes in front of goal. Going direct might serve us better because we did open up Galway a few times. Mid field did OK I felt (and I was worried about that) but the inability to take 2 pointers killed us. I know they are saying that 2 pointers will make the games closer but they could also be the killing of the game putting them out of sight. I wouldn't worry too much about the score line its more about the performance which was disappointing.

Hopefully there’s some sort of wake up call after this. We live in delusional hope

When a team goes down to 14, they only have to leave 2 players in the opposition half, is that correct?

@WJ . I think I noticed Frank kicking a point for us in 2nd half also...not that it matters much.

Physically bullied.

Useless defensive structure. Whereas Galway gave our forwards far less room.

No obvious attacking strategy. This is a concern, but not nearly as worrying as being so porous at the back. I was a big advocate of The current management getting the gig but I’m afraid my confusion then is really low now. I’m not seeing any improvement. In fact we just seem to be going downhill. Will reserve total judgement but the shape of the team doesn’t look good. Players aren’t playing well. Someone on the last thread said Callinan is overrated and I was actually thinking that during the week but didn’t want to say it.

Just back to the point in physicality. Why do so many of our lads look scrawny despite being 2 to 3 years on the senior panel?

I’m struggling to say anything positive other than it’s only the league and early days yet. The only way is up folks…

*my confidence in them!

That was one of the most sobering days in living memory. We aren't within an asses roar of Galway.
They are stronger, fitter, faster and more skillful.
They hammered us and we were lucky it wasn't by a greater margin. Truly depressing.

Hopefully Aidan and Jordan will be back for tyrone game. For the next two weeks the team should be practising kicking Two Pointers. It was terrible to see MAYO supporters leaving the ground early.

I said it when the rules came in and I’ll say it again . If the 2 point rule stays Galway are winning the All Ireland

S&C is a major issue. At underage too

Its seemed to me Galway didn't even try to get goals. They seemed decided 2 pointers are the winning of the game. Remember there is only one point in the difference and maybe that is why they thought about 4 for a goal. 2 pointers have changed the game significantly and forever (if retained). On our home field we should be able to at least try to hit a few. I know Fergie B did try and didn't work out, But home field should be a major advantage on 2 pointers. Regardless of that our performance just seemed flat.

KM79 I said the same, and today did nothing to change my mind! Pebblesneller yes, two back when down to 14.

Lost every 50 50 ball. In truth we lost the 60 40 balls that were in our favor! Who the fuck decided to out Reid in v Maher for the throw in? A ludicrous decision. Maher bullied every Mayo man in the pitch all day amd he gobbled up Reid here also.
What the hell is Buckley and our new S&C man doing, because I've seen better conditioned club sides than we were today. Defensively we were a shambles. Leaderless, rudderless and without a structure.
McStay better sort this out or step aside and take Rochford with him. Today was totally unacceptable

I'm just glad that we didn't name the subs until the day of the game.

Lord knows how many more points we would have lost by if Galway knew what our bench was a day sooner!

We are one of the only counties left who do this stupid media exercise of withholding subs.

I wanted to get that out there, on top of all the other reasons to be negative after today's game.

Final Whistle pod is up. Rob and I are on it with Colm Boyle and there's post-game audio from the two managers.

3 years ago this job was a very appealing one. Many would have felt that the team Horan had assembled just needed a few tweaks and a bit of fresh blood.

I would be absolutely stunned if McStay and his side kick last another season after this one is finished. But my word this job won’t be nearly as appealing as it was 3 years ago.

I’m already thinking of the next manager and praying for him/her because by fuck have they a job on their hands.

O’Shea will retire at the end of the year.
We have no ball winners around the middle.
Absolutely no physicality (with the exception of RoD) in our attack (hopefully Neary can develop)
And we don’t have great man marking defenders.
Our S&C has gone to the shitter, players don’t look like they know the rules. What are we coaching 5 nights a week?
And under Rochford we have been coached to play something closer to Rugby then Gaelic.

Rochford was the same man who brought Donegal to their knees. The minute he left Corofin they won 3 All Irelands in a row. It’s clear as day that McEntee was the brains behind his first run as manger based on how good he’s doing with Sligo.

It’s such a shame McStay has allowed him to have such a grip on style of play. As a former forward Mcstay must be sick watching the way we hang our inside like out and never move the ball quick to them.

Mayo football at its lowest point since pre 2011.

Sadly we're not a top ten team anymore and can't expect to be dining at the top table. Under McStay we've completely lost our way and are not a division1team anymore.
It's won't be the end of the world if we go down a division, as it might allow us to regroup and nurture new talent under a new manager team.
I feel for the players who are doing their best but even they must know it's a hopeless task.

I think,after seeing Kerry score five goals against Derry,some of them absolutely brilliant,it would be a fool who’d bet against them winning the All Ireland.They have some brilliant new players as well.

Been saying this for a while but we have turned into choir boys under McStay.The same ones have probably have probably the J1s booked for July

Leaving Croke Park last week, I was very downbeat at our failure to display any clue of how to exploit the new rules. A week on and this failing was seriously exposed again. Every county had the same amount of time to adapt, but we are way behind. The only positive development from last week is that the kick outs were better, but the rate at which Galway were scoring, there was plenty of opportunities to practice correcting them!
I didn't expect such a big crowd, but it was a nice day for football and after most of the county suffering power and water outages for most of the last week, Mayo and Galway people really needed a day out. It was sad to see hundreds leaving early, but you can't blame them as it was a tough watch.

Sorry but I think this is a bit of a panic response. Take the 2 pointers out of it (back to old rules) and we loose by 3 points? Remember when the new management team came in we destroyed everyone in the early part of the league that year (I remember us hammering Kerry in Castlebar) but couldn't translate in the Championship. I remember Tyrone being destroyed by Kerry in Killarney and going on to win the all Ireland that year. This league was always about experimentation and introducing new players and I don't care if we go down to D2 as long as we come up with new tactics and players. That said, as I say however, the performance was disappointing today.

A bad day at the office. Regarding the new rules, there's just too many of them, I spend most of the game wondering why the ref is making another call. Surely they won't all stay for the championship.

Far fetched notion I know but I honestly believe Kevin needs to try get Cillian , Carr and o hora back in the fold . It won’t win us an all Ireland or even close but imagine getting that kind of thumping in a Connacht final in castlebar v Galway and that’s if we can manage Sligo and Leitrim .

If im honest im in shock of how bad we were today , are we really that bad or was it just a bad day .

We can’t let this spiral downward ala Meath /koldare /cork etc ,

Did anyone think it looked like a team who were lacking any kind of spirit , Mchughs shot really summed it up for me , so rudderless .

Perhaps there’s a bigger plan and they’ve conceded the league in the process to peak in the summer . (I’m clutching here

Only the second round of the league and all but the season doesn't be long passing these days and we look like we're miles off the pace. Tactically inept at the back and lacking physicality upfront. How many tackles did we break today. Damn all. Unacceptable that points should be cancelled because of a 3v3 infringement. Was James Horan not consulted about the rules at any stage. The two-pointers will be more impactful than goals but bar Towey we're not threatening the posts at distance. Second half was as bad as I can remember in McHale park. Bullied and thrown around the place. O'Curraoin should have seen red for the hit on Diarmuid. ROD marked out of it and Boland misfiring. Towey has to be ahead of him now. At least Neary and Reid are putting their hands up for the championship.

Ref was inconsistent with the new rules. Reape received a pass outside of the box and I don't recall many balls being handed back for frees.

No use losing our minds over a league game in February but the warning lights are flashing on the dashboard, need a serious response against Tyrone.

Don't know if we won the toss but if we did and opted to play with the breeze - that was blunder No.1.
Contrary to an earlier poster"s opinion, we were out of it in the middle.
Paul Towey's point scoring was reminiscent of COC in his prime.
They knew what they were at today, while we just didn't.
Salvation is possible but unlikely - AI to the rescue?

Not a good look today,
Somethings not right ,
O donohue not in it , can't take points from distance, can't understand why players can't take on longer kicks , same old passing the ball around, going no where,
Seems to me we need a change in management.

We can't try and gloss over it by "taking the two-pointers out of it". That's an "if my auntie had balls" argument. If we don't start defending against them and adding them to our repertoire we'll be killed stone dead before we even reach Croke Park

A big problem playing Galway is that ROD is our best forward but McGrath consistently has his number and puts the clamps on him. So we are not getting the usual scores from ROD at all. Which means others have to score. And the scoring options outside of ROD are not hectic. Might get a couple from Flynn when he's back. And Conroy but how long until he's up to speed again? Might take a while.

@Foodforthought, Kerry conceded 1-24 and were losing with minutes to go. Galway, imo, are stronger than them. Galway to win the NFL and Sam is a tempting double

@Sean, Cillian is a huge loss. He was under-utilised last season. In fact some of the team selections abd substitutions last year were headscratching. Anyway…we can all see what the problems are.

There's no point saying how much we lost by "in old money". We're using new money now!
Discipline is even more important now because of the new advantage rule where ref seems to allow it go on for ages and then call it back for a free if they don't score from play.
Then when there's a breeze, those 2-pointers become relatively straightforward and before you know it, the lead is unassailable.

The sad thing is most people on here and in the stands have identified our problems since mcstay and co took over - no proper S and C, no proper defensive structure, no forward plan, too slow in the build up etc.
These issues are getting worse not better. How the management team review games and don't try to change something in the next game beggars belief.
Only in counties like Mayo would lads like McStay and Gardiner be reappointed for another year after the shambles of last year. County board completely asleep at the wheel

@Southmayo Exile. That’s it exactly. I’m genuinely shaking my head at it. Like it’s so bloody obvious. We have players 22/23 who look like 19 year olds in their debut season.

The defensive stuff is so clear is it even worth my time saying it. So many examples from our games over the past 18 months +. Like our fb line being so exposed in Salthill last year. Today just so much space for Galway attackers to nonchalantly kick over scores. Like you’d see at the end of a training session where you kick points with no defender!

The most worrying thing for me is the apathy and lack of intensity - fellas pulling out of tackles or not pouncing on the breaking ball. Just not hungry enough - players like Colm Boyle or Jason Doherty didn’t just win their 1 on 1 battles, they set the tone for the whole team by being fearless in winning breaking balls. Management need to decide quick what is the goal here and who is or is not up to the task. It’s nice to see some of the new lads kicking points but do they have that dog in them - that interests me more.

A really spineless performance. Bullied at home.
Couple of lads not going 100% for the ball and putting the body on the line, absolutely unacceptable.
Played like a div 3/4 team.

@Southmayo Exile,

What are you on about? Sure didn’t the geniuses at the county board conduct an in depth review and conclude that our mgmt was very much fit for purpose. A healthy 4 year term is only half way through atm. And this is the most experienced mgmt team in the country (Kevins words not mine) who just have “that little bit extra” (Chairman Toughys words)

Absolutely nothing wrong with the mayo CB in my opinion (wink wink, nod nod)

The last time we got relegated from the league we got to the all Ireland

Poor. Poor performance. Poor spirit. Poor preparation. Poor game plan. Poor execution. Poor attack. Poor defence. Poor overall. Poor Mayo.
I'm sad.

Mcstay on interview after the game saying Diarmuid has a shoulder injury. Fingers crossed on that.

When questioned on the rest of the injured players and the Crossmolina contingent he said we'd see them all before the end of the league. Fingers crossed on that.

Interesting to hear Mcstay talking about the 3 back rule and that he was led to believe there would be some discretion if the offender wasn't interfering with play.
I don't think we should be playing with fire on that one. Make sure we have 3 back and make sure we're in the linesmans ear if the opposition haven't.

Ps... Well done Galway. You looked good today.

Sobering day. These new rules designed to open up the game and reward teams committed and equipped to attack to make it a better spectacle. Huge improvements needed in that area for Mayo and it has been a perennial weakness for us. Need improvements this year urgently.

Kevin Mcstay got the Mayo managers job 9 years too late. He does not have the qualities to motivate this current team. His time is past but he should be let see out the year. Btw I said this at the time of his appointment on this blog and I would have gone with Ray Dempsey. Hopefully we will have a good crowd in mchale park for the Tyrone game.

Fellas just not committed, not willing to take shots and not willing to die for the cause. We're fecked altogether unless management can fix that (...that is, if management thenselves are bothered). The 2-pointer is a great new rule, but unless our forwards commit to staying to hours and hours of shooting practice, we've no chance. Time for all involved to cop on and grasp the nettle.....

Yes we have players to come back and blah blah blah but so do most teams, I'm struggling to find anything to hang my hat on for the year ahead...

A couple of fundamental things are abundantly clear....

- our culture of not producing high class quality attackers is coming home to roost now. The new rules will see us full farther behind the leading pack as most of the top teams have 5 or 6 scoring forwards that can shoot comfortably from long range
- pointing to the return of Conroy and AOS as a panacea to our attacking woes is delusional, the Conroy we seen last year was a long way off his pre injury level, and a 35 year old AOS has rarely troubled the scoreboards in big games the past few years so I can't see him making up the difference now
- I'm probably on the 'McStay/Rochford Out' way of thinking at this stage, their position was undermined by the CB dragging their legs over a confirmation but standards have undoubtedly dropped. I could tell you right now what their starting championship team will be. Theres lads with countless poor performances now amongst them
- I just can't get away from the McStay interview from a few weeks ago where he more or less said they weren't too bothered about the new rules as they may not be around in championship. They mostly all will. (I don't think he was being cute to the press either, as he would tell the press his bank pincode if they asked him) Most of the other teams around the country are utilising then to their advantage, Mayo look like one of the only teams who have done no coaching with new rules in mind.

...also as much as I lament our forward issues what would we give for a lad like Johnny McGrath, he is some bit of stuff, one of the few who always bests ROD. A proper dog of a corner back, the likes we used to specialise in years ago

We need to start by getting the full backline right.
Jack Coyne David McBrien Eoin O'Donoghue
Rub Eoin O'Donoghue's hair and see what happens.
Fill the middle eight with height and pace. I won't name check playsrs but there is now no room for a an old rules workhorse Volvo diesel player. They're not effective now under the new rules.
Improve those two selection areas and we'll improve a lot.

@Louis Gunnigan...agreed 100%
The most galling thing for me having watched a lot of games in the best 2 weeks is there has seemingly been no attempt from Mayo to adapt to and avail of the new rules, when almost every other well coached team is doing so.

McStays blase remarks about the new rules confirming my fears. Unacceptable if that is the case

Was interesting listen to Rory Grugan after the Armagh game on rte, he talked about 3 or 4 things they learned and worked on on the rules from round 1 and immediately rectified them on night 2. Proper coaching!

@SouthMayo Exile, bang on. 100%

As someone posted earlier think there might be a bit of panic setting in here. I hate as much as anyone losing to Galway by any amount but honestly I expected at least a 10 point defeat b4 the game looking at the 2 squads b4 throw in. Galway had everyone bar comer and neary, reid and irwin are so new to the starting 15 and towie not far behind. For me we as well off to lose with these lads getting game time and performing well and very well in cases than winning with O'Shea and the other experienced players on the field and these youngsters warming the bench. Yes we're behind Galway development wise and are probably going to have some bad days along the way but that's what the league is for now and maybe we need to be more patient as supporters.

Don't need to score many 2 pointers, but definitely need to stop conceded them

In terms of the lack of aggression, I don’t see any quick fix here unfortunately. Jordan Flynn and AOS are will add some heft but they are only 2 players and long gone are the physical power of Vaughan, Keegan, OSheas, Parsons and Boyle around that middle 8.

I know there is a lot of references to S&C and certainly it had a big role to play but surely lads have to be accountable too for their progression? Are these players happy to just be part of brand Mayo and is the notoriety of being on the team/panel of the Mayo team enough?

I know I’m harping back to the past but think of the journey Colm Boyle made to physically build himself up to excel for Mayo, Tom Parsons training himself in a park in Wales to get back into the Mayo panel. These were two of Mayo’s most physical players but it was mostly self made because of their insane focus. In more recent years, for Galway at the moment, I’d assume John Maher and Cein Darcy both worked off their own programmes in years off the panel. The point I’m trying to get to in a long winded way is if certain players are not physically progressing it mightn’t be just down to S&C

Today also showed us that playing corner backs with an attacking mindset in their dna is a disadvantage. We love to see Hessian bombing forward a la Keith Higgins,with his give and go and probably our best move of the day that ends with Neary tapping over, but is this not where our captain and organiser in chief gets someone else to step back to make sure the numbers are right. Surely must have been a scenario that was envisaged and planned for in training no??? Maybe not.

[Deleted].

Unfortunately for mayo and this current team is that,, the gung ho ,cul de sac running game is now totally gone thanks to the new rules..players have to look up and accurate shooting fowards are now essential to survive in today's game...all six forwards need to be scoring not just from frees but from play..it has been a generational flaw in this county for at least 40 years,we're natural scoring fowards were replaced by running fowards, who Unfortunately spent too much time running and were to tired for scoring when it mattered.. back to the clubs,, for the players and youth too learn the natural skills of the game,,,defenders,,midfielders and forwards also...it can change quickly but it needs buy in from all levels....and in relation to division 2,,,the last two winners came from there,,were they reset and tweaked their games in the league for the big days in the summer....it wouldn't be such a bad thing....mayo 1996 were division 3....

From a Galway point of view I was surprised with Mayo today and I know it always gets thrown out but possibly at different stages training wise. Galway seemed fitter and in better condition which is a new one in Galway v Mayo. I thought the set up was strange too. O’Donoghue close to goal in the first half and not getting any change from McGrath, remember his booming equaliser a couple of years ago, that’s where he could have done damage out on the arc with the wind. The No 3 Brickenden, I’m sorry lads but he looks like a club player and I’m not sure I’ve ver seen him actually defend when playing Galway.

We are so invested in training with running kms that it's undoing our weight training. It was public knowledge that Mayo cover x km per week and hence the runs at the end of the games. Well you won't be muscular if you're also doing significant kms of relatively slow kms.
James Horan had mentioned about the coveting kms and hence those runs.
It's also known the players for a fitness benchmark ran 10*100m for time. A terrible fitness benchmark for modem explosive pacey sharp Gaelic football. So Jakub Inhebritzen a
1500m runner would be no. 1 in one of our fitness benchmarks.

It’s year 3 of the managements reign. Have we seen any improvement in our defensive shape? No we haven’t. We are wide open. We’ll win F-All with our defensive structure as it is.

I said it on another thread, I don’t mind us losing a league game in circumstances where we can see that management have given new/new-ish players a proper chance. Or where we can see different strategies being employed. I cannot accept defeat where we are bullied physically (we have lads in their 3rd season with Mayo who look way off it physically)…, where we have no adequate defensive structure and clearly nothing different in terms of our attacking approach. It looks like there have been no chances in strategic thinking since last summer. It’s ridiculous

I know nothing about s&c but read as much as I can like everyone else , picking up on the latest etc but for me I’m not sure we are being honest with ourselves . When I looked at Johnny Heaney coming on it was like look at the physique on him compared to our lads, it reminded me of when ya were playing under 14 and the opposition all looked like grown men who were shaving and we were still boys . It’s more than just s&c though imho , have a look around ya and you’ll see we have a lot of light boned lads . They will have to put some serious yardage in to developing bigger players cause all I’m seeing with the better teams is bigger stronger men . Sorry if that sounds insulting , it’s not intended that way . I also suspect there’s something gone fundamentally wrong with development from 14/15 yrs old a few yrs ago , a prototype was generated for a running game that’s no longer as desirable. Plus even if we are persisting with a running game , why are we not making decisive runs off the shoulder more often . We don’t do anything really and haven’t done under this management, we ponse about the arc afraid to shoot and afraid to make a bust for it . It’s just a complete mess tactically.

Given the new football rules lend to more sophisticated technical and kicking skills, would the management team consider bringing Liam McHale back on board. He advocated a confident attacking style of play. I was glad Galway didn't win by more than 10 points, as overconfidence might creep in and sure we all hope a Connaught team win the AI.

I'd agree with the comments regarding the lack of physicality from most of the players today. However, it's very obvious that there is now a huge gap in quality between Galway and Mayo unfortunately.
Separately, I also prefer the body language from the Galway management camp. It looks like they are kicking and tackling every ball. I wouldn't like to go into their dressing room if I hadn't died with my boots on.

Positives.
Towey looks like an accurate forward and could excel in a stronger team.
We have 6 or 7 starters to return.
We took bad beatings in the league before and regrouped for the championship.
Negatives.
Players playing out of position and struggling badly.
Callinan is not a man marker.Hes a 6 or wing back.
Hession wasted at corner back.
Brickenden not a full back line player.We need dogs of war in here with O donoghue to be given a go.
Coen has never convinced me and needs to be replaced.His lack of pace is a real killer.
Midfield non existent.Flynn and Carney here for me.
Would like to see Loftus at wing forward with Conroy centre forward and one of Ruane/Diarmuid on the other wing.
Aido at ff with Rod and whoever puts the hand up.
As I said on another thread management are not doing themselves any favours.
Some of the selections and positional switches are head scratchers.

Listened to the game on the road down from Derry.

No point in beating around the bush losing at home by 10 to your nearest rivals will sting.

I've always liked McStay but he seems to be ignoring these new rules. I might be mistaken but his understanding of the 3 up rule seems odd.

On a separate note there's a video doing they rounds of a supporter shoving the Ref and I hope he's identified and banned at a minimum.

You’re right Seán…’a complete mess tactically’. That’s what irks. I can understand new players not being as influential against more seasoned veterans, but there’s no excuses for the way we are being set up. It’s dreadful. It doesn’t work.

Is anyone on here involved in academies or know someone involved? Have we any decent 6’2+ lads coming through? Big mobile fellas with pace who can catch a ball?! Even our past 3 minor teams havnt had many big central ball winners. It’ll be really interesting to see who starts 8 & 9 for the u20’s this Spring…

Do the new rules apply to underage in 2025?

The problem with brickenden is he's not a full back at inter county level hes just not aggressive enough for that position gets bullied too easily. We badly need aidan back to Lead the full forward line he will create the space for rod and we badly need jordan flynn and jack carney back in the middle of the pitch to add physicality and they are also good shooters.

I am actually stunned to hear McStay admit in his post-game interview that he basically didn't understand that if the 3x3 rule was broken, the offending team would be sanctioned. Speechless.

''If he's not interfering with play'' he says.
Watching too much champions League, looks like.

Anne-Marie, I'm beginning to think this lad isn't the messiah. Few weeks ago, after the Monaghan game, he completely downplayed the impact of the new rules. I was gobsmacked that day. What he just said about the 3 up/back rule is astonishing. Even a cursory glance at the telly last night would have told you you're not just given a friendly warning that you're breaking the rules.
We were utterly outclassed today but the sideline knowledge, or lack thereof, is frightening.

The ignorance of the potential impact of rules is baffling. Kevin has always shown his knowledge of the rulebook and gobbled that up for TV. Why not now? It's almost as if he is the front for somebody else to he 'Head Coach'.....

The outcome of the review lastvyear as quite clear and Kevin and the CB changed nothing significant. Players have walked and you would have to think it is a dispirited and demotivated camp.

Somebody mentioned the risk of going the way of Donegal under Paddy Carr. That seems a very real risk now. Tbe games are hard. This could get ugly

Obviously the lads that walked but didn't retire are waiting for current management to go and I can't blame them.

I did fear us getting cleaned out at midfield and came through .
ROD being held so tight was a shock but a lesson in disguise, it's often posted her our over reliance on him. That said Towey and Frank Irwin did fine.
Two corner backs did their best and all things considered were OK, fullback has to be changed, I wouldn't be advocate for Mcbrien there but need someone who can run and turn . With his deficiency going forward for me Mchugh is out fullback.
Halfbackline need s more speed to supplement Mcbrien. Bit more cuteness and sharpness and the thrust and power Eoghan Mac brought on highlights that need.
That pairing centerfield is not by any means anyone's choice but can't be fielding that combo come bigger games.
Boland put in Sam's performance as he has previously against Galway and likewise isn't a Championship.player.
Hugh credit to Davitt Neary and Reid they did very well and show cased shooting ability.

Ya light team, no heart, no under standing of rules, no subs of any standard , just poor around bar the few, but why oh why we can't have gameplay to get someone in the pocket to tap over inside the arc is crazy, you forgive the team that we don't have forwards the standard of Walsh, Finnerty and Co to kick the 2 pointers but least have plan to create overlap and confidence in player to kick from the 30

A team eventually reflects the nature and the character of the manager. McStay has been successful in that regard.
We now have a lovely bunch of players playing a lovely old fashioned brand of football well capable of winning an all Ireland. In 1940. Timid, meek, obsequious, agreeable, risk adverse, indecisive is how I would describe managerial McStay and the same characteristics sum up our style of play.
And this isn't just an overreaction to today's performance. Sure, the result was especially bad, but evolution wise, it shouldn't be too surprising.

Sack the management Get rid of lots of players. Out with the county board etc etc. Fat lot of good all that complaining will do. Just in case anybody hasn’t noticed we do not have a group of players good enough at the moment When we had an excellent team we couldn’t win the big one. Very few of this present team would have got on the team in our ‘glory’ years. We simply are not good enough at the moment and we can blame everyone and anyone but that won’t change things . We are now like Galway were from 2010 - 2014. Now Galway have a very good team who have most of their players on the field at the moment and make no secret of their desire to win the league something they haven’t done for over 40 years.. The new rules seem to suit them as well with an excellent ability to kick 2 pointers. The new rules will probably encourage them to be a bit more offensive now because if they had the courage to go with their ability they would have won the AI last year. If I was prepared to scrape the barrel and come up with something positive I could say we beat them by 8 in league last year. That didn’t do them much harm or us much good in the greater scheme of things. There is no doubt but that we will be better later in the year when we get some of our better players back but even so I don’t think we are good enough to win Connacht and in all honesty we need to be aware of Sligo in Connacht semi (even allowing for the fact that they too have started the league badly) Our under age teams have not delivered in a number of years and we are suffering the effects of that. R O Donahue is struggling for form at the moment but form is only temporary and one hopes he will be back to his usual self shortly. I like McStay but feel he got the job 9 years too late, and I don’t think his tenure will have a happy ending. We have quite a number of decent younger lads in the team and while they will improve they will still lack the consistency til they mature a good bit more. Pity to be so negative but I think realistically we are not in a good place and would be very surprised if we avoid relegation

@Anne - Marie can't believe he said that either tbh : /

Also Ryan O D seemed off form today not like him. Hard for him to carry most of the scores but he just seemed off..

Paul Towey really stood up. Fergal boland tried his best but got a good few wides.

All in all bad day for us. Those 2 pointers just killed us.

Hope Diarmuid O connor is ok after that hit.

I'd say we wlll get relegated now. Sure might not be any harm Rossies are flying it in Division2.

Who knows what will happen but mcstay must be feeling the pressure atm tonight.

To win just once
You obviously didnt attend the Mayo Galway game last year if Galway are so far ahead of us, this time last year we give Galway a good beating in Pearce Stadium in the League, what good did it do us, some people need to relax.
I remember a former Galway footballer Micheal Martyn calling out Shane Walsh on a local podcast for that game.Its only Febuary.Shane Walsh kicked a 2 pointer today with no one within 10 yards of him.That wont be the case in April/May
I think we have a we have players capable of beating Galway come championship injured and absent.McStay really needs to make amends with Cillian, Carr and Orme and get them back in.

I think that was Davitt Neary, 2 hops - Frank only got the one point.

Davitt Neary was one of the few positives for us today, and I thought Sean Morahan showed well in the first half. Galway were just bigger, stronger, faster and hungrier than us. Credit to McGrath, he was absolutely dogged out there today and along with Maher I thought was one of their best players.

To win just once I take your point, and I agree that the players we have now are not on a par with the players we had a decade ago but all that aside, management still have an obligation to control the controllables to ensure that we can give the best of ourselves. Knowing the rules and ensuring players are fully prepared is a controllable. Playing players in their optimal positions is a controllable. Using the bench to replace tired legs is a controllable (we didn't even empty our bench today). Encouraging players to throw off the shackles and not be afraid to take on a shot is a controllable (our wide count may be high, but we definitely won't score points when we are not shooting). And so on, and so forth. Is management really doing all they can to ensure they are getting the best of out what they have? I'd find it hard to suggest that they are.

Although re: the rules, maybe McStay will ultimately be proved right, and maybe they won't all be retained for championship. Who knows? But it still doesn't justify not actually knowing what they are, IMO.

The more time that passes the more annoyed I am getting, so maybe it's time to step away from the blog for the night ;-)

Sorry WJ, just after seeing that one on Sunday Game. You are spot on.

Jesus that was some horror show of terrible defending, a sport now dominated by technicalities and a forward line who were averse to shooting for points before this and getting turned over…now prefer to spurn 2 pointers to still get turned over instead.

Seeing the highlights & seeing lads standing MILES off Galway shooters is bad enough but when Diarmuid took that cheap shot no one dreamt of jostling (letting Ó Curraoin know not to ever do that again) nor querying with linesmen / umpires to have a word with Mr Mooney.

Despite all our inadequacies…we have unearthed two newcomers in the half forward line scoring!, for a long time that would never happen…shame our backs, Midfielders & full forward line are fading!

Also; players have came into the squad and got game time…and still poor Kevin Quinn gets splinters (ALL of last season and 2 games gone in ‘25) and no run out…it must be soul destroying! - I wouldn’t stick it!

Just after watching the match on tv tonight- still getting my head around the new rules. I thought one of Shane Walsh’s two pointer was right on the line -,I wonder in a Junior B or any cub match it will be a brave call by the ref. Even braver will be the lines man on the stand side calling out the three man rule against the home side

Relax, in my memory,72 every time we won the League we were beaten by Roscommon in the first round of the championship.
Hope there is no split in the camp.
Disgusting what we did to Holmes and Connelly.
Are there still remnants of that?

Right, things seemed to have calmed down again here!

PJ/Achill75 - you're both in moderation for now, for obvious breaches of the house rules. But I guess you know that already yourselves.

I've deleted several other comments that crossed the line. I do wish that those involved would have had the cop-on to stop and think before sending their responses.

Loads of trolling comments too, of course, but they've all ended up where those kind of comments always do. What a bunch of sad people.

I think Galway more or less conceded the short kickouts to Mayo in the first half, because they knew it would take them so long to transition the ball up the field. Galway were going long with theirs in the second half and when they won the ball they had Mayo under pressure straight away!! Reape was getting it a lot harder to get the short ones away in the second half.

Galway looked bigger and stronger.
They tackled harder and gave away nothing soft.
Mayo looked skinny and timid.
Horan started a rebuild in 2020, but we seem to have started another one this year.

The lack of knowledge and any kind of plan to exploit the new rules was embarrassing.

I feel sorry for the inside forwards as the Mayo middle 8 all like to take 3-4 solos before they will look at kicking it up the field or into the D.
We don't have anyone who can kick long ranges scores, not have we a ball winning midfielder. It's going to be a painful year

I Hoped McStay was the answer as I like him but I think he should have kept Rochford out of it.
I think new rules would suit JH,, the running game that he had wouldn't be exposed now against northern teams.
Still one worry that has haunted Mayo since time began, we can't kick it over the bar

I wouldn't worry to much about today, we didn't take enough of are chances in first half and we were poor n the second, Galway had a stronger team out today, we will need some lads back for sure, Flynn and O Shea, think new rules will suit O Shea

I think that Diarmads tackle was late and the ref never consulted the linesmen and neithe did he go into the Galway goalkeeper until late in the first half about his delay in taking the kickouts. My agreement on the strength and conditioning; it's at a zero!!

Agree Annmarie. The rules may change but we have to play to the rules that are in force today, not at the end of the League. It would be a help to know what they are too. Even us 5/8ths have a good idea of them but unlike management, it’s not essential.

I've seen a few people post here asking "Why hasn't X or why got a chance over the past year or two" with regards to some players like Kevin Quinn, Evan Ivers, Eoin O'Donoghue etc.

Now I'm no defender of this current management, quite the contrary. But maybe these lads are just not excelling in training?

It's no secret that we have regressed. Anyone who tells you to stop overreacting and "it's only the league" needs to go back and actually watch the games. We are heading in one direction only, not just for 2025 but for the foreseeable. For that reason, isn't it fair to assume that the overall quality in our squad has either dropped a notch, or the opposition squads have stepped up a gear and left us behind?

Kevin Quinn had a fantastic year in 2023 but was so-so in 2024. Maybe he just hasn't made the jump to this level? Nothing personal to the guy, just my two cents.

We love to see new players tried out, but at the same time, these players have to earn their chances. Maybe Towey has outperformed Quinn consistently in training? Maybe Sean Morahan or Conor Reid have outperformed Ivers and that's why they have got their chances ahead of him? Same could be supposed for Enda Hession and Eoin O'Donoghue for example.

Someone commented above that McStay needs to make amends with Carr and Orme and get them both back in the squad! Sweet Jesus, if it's down to those two we're serious bother. Carr could never stay fit and reliable, Orme was never good enough.

I noticed that too about Joyce. He went over to every Galway player he subbed off and shook their hand etc. Their morale seems and higher and there seems a much greater sense of unity. I think Cillian walking away abd the manner in which is happened speaks volumes as to where we are at. It’s a shame

@Pebbles, I think Carr leaving on top of Cillian doing so, was strange. These rules would have really suited Carr. Yes, he had injury issues but he remained one of our better more accurate long range shooters and he’s well able to win his own ball. I’d agree with you on Orme. I didn’t think he had a particularly strong season with Knockmore. Wasn’t as influential as others in that team.

Sad to say it but I just don’t think we have the players. But that’s still no excuse for being wide open at the back. Management dictates strategy and set up and we are miles off it. We give opposition far too much space to shoot. It’s been like this for several years. I’ve seen absolutely zero progression defensively (or offensively for that matter) since McStay/Roch took the reigns. I thought they would be good. So far it seems I was wrong. I know it’s only February so it could be a bit premature, but we look like we’ve slipped further away from the top table over the past three seasons. I don’t see any progression whatsoever. We are boring to watch. We are slow and lateral. We leave huge gaps in defence and I can’t think of any individual player who has excelled under the new regime. I think everyone feels a bit deflated in Mayo at the moment. We can only hope it changes.

Galway were missing Comer, Tierney and Daly yesterday :/

We missed Durcan, Flynn, Carney (may not have started given his form; hoping he has much more aggressive ‘go forward’ approach in 2025, like John Maher), Loftus, O’Shea and Conroy. Am I missing anyone?

@Mayonaze Galway were missing Cian Hernon and Sean Mulkerrin too.

My last word on this - we were beaten by 10 points and few if any contributors have mentioned the fact that all six defenders started and finished. We are goin to struggle to put up any decent score with the forwards and type of system we play so defence needs to be tight. How fellows perform in training is of little use, defenders on the bench should’ve been brought on and given a chance in real competition and no better time than yesterday - couldn’t been any worse. Is it GPS that determines who’s subbed nowadays or is management not able to read the game on the go.

I know we're only two competitive games in, and we have had woeful and stuttering starts to the league before. Trying to keep some perspective.

BUT.

But given the apparent lack of progression and innovation it's not hard to see why so many players pulled away - but notably did not retire - this year. They'll all have their own reasons, but Carr's recent interview with Cahair O'Kane was enlightening. He basically said he was hating it. Injuries aside, if the vibes are really good within a camp, that's not something you'd expect to hear. That lad is not coming back in any time soon, so ye can park that notion. And I'm sorry, but Orme is not the answer either.

I also agree strongly with what Mayonaze said elsewhere - I'd really like to hear a stronger line of questioning on the podcast and in the media about our complete lack of a defensive structure for the third year running. Yes, Kevin is affable and forthcoming and by all accounts very nice, but we have been a nice team for 40-odd years now and where has that got us? We're all talking about the defensive issues here, it clearly is an issue, so if no hard ball is going to be played on the pitch, maybe it's time to deploy it off the pitch? And while we are at it, can we make some enquiries as to what exactly is being done in coaching sessions to encourage our forwards to kick the blasted ball over the blasted bar?

Boyler on the pod also brushed off the very pertinent question about Mayo being up to speed on the new rules, and at the risk if sounding like I have a bee in my bonnet (I do) I think a harder line should be taken there too. We clearly are not up to speed - on the pitch or on the sideline - and this point it feels like we are the only county out there that has failed to take them seriously. It's not a good look, and it would make you seriously question the culture in the camp right now.

I hope we'll see a good reaction for the Tyrone game, and that's very possible, but we'll be turning up more in hope than expectation.

To put things in perspective it was 16 scores to 19 scores, we lost by 3 points in old money. My bigger worry is 15 (what we got against Dublin) or 16 scores wont be good enough as we progress. Also think when we get to the Provisionals these 2 pointers are going to see some hammering of teams. You could envisage 30 or 40 point wins when there is a serious mis-match between teams. Maybe the 2 point rule needs to be altered to a 2 pointer if kicked outside the arc off the ground. The 2 pointer is such as massive game changer with only 3 points for a goal what's the point in going for goal at all just keep going for 2 pointers.

@In Exile, I think looking back now it's clear to see why the FRC wanted 4 points goals. At the moment, if you have a gale force wind, it's not worth your time or effort to go for goal, just chip away 2 pointer after 2 pointer.

I think they may end up going back to the 4 point goal eventually to counteract the 2 pointer, but I don't think the 2 pointer is going away anytime soon.

One of the most disappointing things for me yesterday was the lack of reaction from our fellas when Diarmuid was taken out.
Ffs this is our biggest rivals in our home ground acting the boyos and no one got stuck into any of them.

@onthefence - totally agree. If you have the 2 point frees you need the 4 point goals to keep the balance.

Again though this will further separate the top teams from the rest. Its hard to see how any average team can ever hope to win games or progress under the new high scoring rules except in their own division. This will certainly kill the Provisionals and create a new premiership.

Can't see us beating Tyrone with their new manager bounce. Depressing enough after yesterday.

Hope Diarmuid O Connor is ok.

Question for Management how many times do you allow a corner backs get roasted before you do anything about it even switch him to half back line.

In my opinion, the 2 pointer should only be from play and not deadball situations. Yesterday we were shite, fair enough, but we had a score chalked off the board for a free 40 yds back the field that the ref didn't even see, then, on two separate occasions we were punished for minor indescretions by having the ball brought 50ms up the field straight in front of goal. On both occasions Galway took the ball back outside the arc for 2 pointers, which were in effect tap overs with that wind at their backs. That's a 5 point swing for really, really minor offences. The punishment far outweighs the offence.
By contrast, the Galway keeper had wasted nearly FOUR mins (yes, I was timing him) of gametime by dragging his arse on his kickouts before the ref finally spoke to him. By being cute, Galway ensured they had 4 mins LESS against that wind compared to us. That's alot. I'm certain our lads wouldn't have been so cute and would have been sprinting out with the ball and tee, but, the point is that their keeper was allowed get away with it by the ref.
Also, undeniably O'Connor was hit late that resulted in him leaving the field (and I'd say he's out for months) and the ref didn't even speak to the Galway player. Fair enough, it's a contact sport, but that was dangerous play and he wasn't even ticked. Ref also baulked at a black card midway through the 1st half when a Mayo player was dragged to the ground.
To summarise, I'm not whinging about us being unable to match their aggression and physicality (we did it to them for 7 or 8 yrs at our pomp) which for me was the biggest disappointment yesterday, but moreso the inconsistency in reffing that defo screwed us more than them. We're miles off Galway at the minute but such inconsistencies in reffing offers one team a competitive advantage over the other.

On a side note, I'm fully aware of the fitness testing refs have to pass to stay on the national panel but no one is going to tell me that Mooney passed the fitness tests. Off the top of my head I know 2 refs far more athletic than him who struggled to meet the 16.1 on the bleep test. Mooney was yards behind play at times yesterday. Also, whatever Mayo supporter who approached the ref on the field needs to be identified and banned.

The days of nice footballers playing in the full back line driving forward with loose ball are gone.
Yoe have to be able to man mark.

@Anne-Marie, thank you. Serious questions need to be asked. Morale, unity…that ‘Esprit de Corps’ that Jim Gavin regularly referred to at the height of Dublin’s success. It just seems lacking. You see it in the little things….they all add up. Keegan retiring relatively young (look at Conroy). Mullin going to Aus (ok these two might be unfair to pitch at the current management but they still happened under their watch). McHale leaving after year one. The reaction or rather lack of it when Diarmuid got pummelled yesterday… hair-rub-gate from last year…key players leaving but not retiring…and even in comparison the way PJ physically congratulated players as they were subbed off. Nothing like this on our line. Ok, easy to do when you’re going well but it was still noticeable. Even the sidelines in last years Connacht final… one animated and vociferous. The other much more tame and then giving plaudits to a ref who made critical errors which cost us. Some at the time flagged it as being cute, in the event of future games with the same man in the middle…

We just seem robotic and lacking in energy and passion on the line. There’s no progression. No defensive structure whatsoever and a meandering approach to the attack and one where we race our full back line up top which hasn’t had any noticeable positive impact. All it does is leave us highly vulnerable to counter attack!

We have players whose progression has regressed in the past 2 seasons, playing ‘crab football’, afraid to have a go.

S&C is so obvious to see many of our lads are too light.

I’ll say it again, I was a big advocate of McStay getting the gig. More so 10 years ago, but still I was very satisfied when his ticket got selected this time around but I’m having serious doubts now. I can’t think of any positives. We won the league at the beginning of his tenure but it’s been a slippery slope since. I’d love to see him and the team have a stellar year but all the evidence, form and noises suggest the opposite.

It really is time for media to ask the hard questions.

Apropos of absolutely nothing, the GAA is inviting feedback from the public on the news rules at this link: https://www.gaa.ie/article/gaa-public-can-give-feedback-on-frc-rules-through-open-online-survey

I'd recommend not disclosing you are from Mayo when filling it out ;-)

There is no option to call out the fact that awarding two points from a dead ball is scandalous, mind.

You can't have a 2 pointer without having 2 points for a dead ball too. The incentive to foul is just too high if it reduces it to a 1 point score (45% conversion from a free [0.45 expected return per shot], 30-35% from play depending on pressure from the same position [0.6 to 0.7 expected return per shot]. You'd foul every time - twice over if it's a Conroy/Walsh/Clifford). Just too many scenarios where it would create an incentive to foul outside or to dissent if a free can't be pulled back outside the arc. Both of those are necessary pillars of the new rules if the arc remains (which I'd expect it will).

Room to tweak the 3/3 breach being brought out, if anyone feels strongly on that.

That can't be forced/manipulated by opposition (at least the way the motion is worded, I guess I'll have to see what the rules committee have done to it to know for sure - Gough seemed worked up enough in his interview a few of the rules could have been butchered), so that one can get the chop. In reality, most sides shouldn't be taking the kick outside. 45% conversion outside versus the +90% on the 20 and on average sides should be taking the 1 unless they need the 2 coming down the final stretch.

I just completed that form Anne-Marie…you should post that link to other threads. I don’t like the 2 point arc, at all. I do like tap and go and I do like 3up/3back.

I don’t see the need of the 2point rule.

Either get with the rules and adapt or else play the same and do not make excuses. Early yet but pressure beginning to grow on management. Badly coached so far on new rules. Galway had a plan for 2 pointers we didnt simple as

Pebblesmeller, 100% agree with you on the 2 pointers, Walsh’s 2 pointers from play were impressive. O’Curraoins frees where he just came out to the arc and pointed weren’t. Shouldn’t be worth the same thing

Mayonaze, like the two-point rule, to be honest. Just because we can't capitalise on it ourselves isn't enough of a reason to hate it. I think incentivising long-range shooting is a good thing. I'd probably just award 1.5 points though ;-)

Fair point, TsuDhoNim. I am clearly too un-cynical for this game!

100% Tsu the 2 point free will have to remain, as a deterrent to fouling. But someone referenced earlier that it should be taken off the ground to be worth 2 points & I'd favour that (if arc remains).

The 3 up infringement where you can bring the ball outside the arc is a joke. As is the 50m rule for not handing the ball to your opponent with a bow on it.

But in any event I am majorly concerned at our attitude to the rules, or lack of should I say

Jesus these comments would depress an ass, it’s the 3rd of February.

We beat Galway by 8 was it last year ? We were missing a considerable amount of influential players, like them last year.

While the defence is concerning it’s not fatal. We have time to get things right and I still believe when we play Galway in championship (if we get over Sligo) the gap will be much closer.

For those saying we will be years in the wilderness again should follow our under 20 team this year and revise their opinions afterwards.

We are certainly not as bad as yesterday seemed and fully expect us to pick up points as the league progresses.

What is the rule on who you put in for the throw in and who you move to the sideline? Is Mattie really the guy we want on the sideline? Feels like you'd be better off trying to free up either a running or kicking specialist.

No set rule.

@Clubman51 - two points on your post.

We have been saying the same thing about U20 teams for 10-15 years and every year bar two (2016 and 2018) have been monumental let downs. We are not performing at that grade and we are not bringing players through. It can be seen in the quality of our team currently and in the quality of our senior championship, which is really poor.

Also, the fact you had to add "if we get over Sligo" (I would do the same, its a tight one) says everything about our team currently. We are back in the middle of the pack, bang average, and will be lucky to see Croke Park this season.

FrostTHamner - Galway putting Walsh as the spare midfielder for the throw in was another example of Galway management been streets ahead of our management in their preparation for these rules. They knew if they won the midfield throw in then Walsh would be in acres of space if they got him the ball.
I really don't know what our management team are at. They seem to be for some mad reason in denial or don't accept the new rules are in. Also our players were not well versed in the rules. For example we were pulled a few times because we didn't execute the quick free properly.

Clubman51 - well said.
So many comments, lacking context perspective and objectivity.
There are so many variables in any such contest that making doom and gloom or indeed the opposite, projections is facile.
Imo football of all codes, is as much an art as a science - the former, subject to God knows what and the latter robotic repetition.
Seems to me the latter is swamping the former and has squeezed the life and soul out of free spirits who respond only to the excitement of 'what if" in all its possibilities.

@Clubman yes well said..

Fully agree.

@Clubman51...

This eulogising of our current under 20 group doesn't stand up to any scrutiny currently, I keep hearing about from Mayo we have an extremely talented group coming through. And that may well prove to be the case, yet last time I checked we ended up 5th in a group of 5 in connaught. Losing to powerhouses like Leitrim and Sligo in that championship campaign.

They might be a talented bunch alright but show me, don't tell me

Similarly everyone was getting giddy over last years u17 group and while they played lovely brand of football getting through connaught it was men against boys when they met a well coached armagh outfit.

We do have a habit of putting guys on ridiculous pedestals in Mayo

Honestly don’t understand why people are saying on here that you shouldn’t give two points for frees outside the 45. Have ye actually thought about the implications of this?
It would lead to constant fouling of anyone who looks like they’ll even attempt a two pointer. You have to weigh up the consequences of any changes and this is exactly what would happen if this change were to be made. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out

@unstoppable I certainly wasn’t saying the same thing about every Mayo underage teams over the last 10/15 years. For example the players during Maurice Sheridan reign were distinctly average. I do believe we have a special group of forwards this season (Beirne/Lydon/Hurley/Guilfoyle). And it’s reason to be positive and get in behind the team- follow the journey.
Why not be excited about a team coming through?!

While there has been some fair points about the game yesterday we need to reel ourselves in and provide a bit of context for once.
-It’s the 3rd of February- a lot of ball to be played. The shoe was on the other foot last year when we beat Galway. They didn’t panic, got their players back and regrouped.
-The league is very up and down week on week: an example would be Tyrone’s inconsistent performances and Armaghs. I think we will bounce back.
- A lot of people have called for us to blood new players and build squad depth: I think so far that’s been a relative success when you look at Davitt Neary, Sean Morahan, Frank Irwin, and Conor Reid

Yes, a lot of aspects of yesterday was disappointing and I was in bad form after it myself. As Mayo fans we seem to get too high with the wins and too low with the losses. It’s time to find a bit of balance and objectivity before completely writing them off.

I think our new lads are doing reasonably well particularly the new forwards without the muscle of Flynn and OShea.
Who marked Maher yesterday?
He was kept quite.

Team for Tyrone:

Reape
Callinan McBrien Hession
Kelly Loftus E McLaughlin
Flynn Carney
Reid Towey Neary
R O'Donoghue Irwin Boland

We have to persist with Reape, but we need to build a slow kick routine and an emergency out.

We are not going to defend our way out of this rut so I am going with my most attacking halfback line players in Loftus and McLaughlin, and I hope we continue to give new players game time, and while I was happy enough with Morahan, I think Kelly's game might be more suited to what else I have picked.

Flynn straight in at midfield with Carney if he has 35 minutes in him, otherwise Bob Touhy. Ruane has gotten minutes in his legs and his form isn't fantastic. I'd be eyeing up bringing Aidan in at half time and given our kick out struggles I'd be looking at midfield.

I have been happy enough with our forwards at least in first halves. The balance isn't fully there and there's an element of too many players wanting to do the same, with Ryan currently being the guy to suffer most. Boland has struggled imo throughout his career to back up a really positive performance a week later. Again though I would be identifying someone I can bring in at half time. Three games in three weeks coming up and we now need points. That's a lot to be asking of young lads like Neary, Reid and Irwin. Topped with question marks over the consistency of our other forwards. Not to mention injuries. I think we'll have ample opportunity to give new forwards a try in the next few weeks.

@frost the hammer. We are getting eaten alive at midfield so would think our HB line and HF forward line would need to be more sizeable than that. Although completely out of form I think we have to start Mattie somewhere around the middle 8.
With the new rules in mind Aidan O’Shea will have to play around there, we have a serious lack of out and out midfielders of the elk of John Maher. If there was a transfer market midfield would be a priority.
What we do to have one of Parsons, SOS, or Big Barry Moran back.