Decent pod. Looking forward to the next We Need to Talk about Mayo one later this week.

My interest was piqued when Oisin Mullin/AFL came up at the end. Obviously knew that update already (a highly disappointing one from a Mayo perspective it must be said). Obviously not enough done in the background to tempt him home and/or he just doesn’t want it enough. It has to be one or a combination of both.

It was a pity though not to hear Nigel Reape voice his opinion on it. I just think the whole discussion around us losing lads to AFL is a bit light in tone. The reality is it has proven significantly detrimental to Mayo’s All Ireland ambitions and the precedent it sets doesn’t really us in retaining future talent. Again, would it be any harm for someone…anyone, on a pod even just once, to be a bit more forceful on point. We can’t afford to lose anyone else.

I like to support mayo , have done all my life sense the early1952 but I don't think that entails telling any young man how to live his life and what sport he can play ,it's time mayo supporters stop looking back,and look to the young men that want to play for mayo

Could u imagine if we had pearce Hanley around that 2011 to 2017 period we definitely would have won an all Ireland so losing players to the AFL is alway a worry. In terms of management id be happy with andy or tony mcentee, the people they have around them in terms of coach and selectors are just as important, look at the impact cian o neill had with kerry.

Oisin made his decision and it should be respected. What more is there to be discussed on the topic Mayonaze? The GAA is an amateur organisation. It's the cornerstone ethos on which it is built on. We as its members and supporters value it as such. The implications of such a setup are that it cannot provide a professional career as a player. Oisin got an opportunity which few ever get and he took it. Even with all the perks and recognition it's a tough job trying to balance a career/family/education with the demands of being an inter-county player. It's not for everyone. There's also the personal challenge and potential rewards of succeeding in an elite professional environment. I also don't agree with your points in other threads about people with a laissez-faire attitude about players going to the AFL not being real supporters. What can realistically be done about it? I don't agree with bribing players with jobs or inducements to stay on and play for Mayo. They should want to do it for themselves for the right reasons. If playing for Mayo is not enough in itself then that's fine in my book. Each to their own.

It's not just a Mayo problem either, the most successful Irish exports to the AFL were from Kerry and Dublin

They needn’t go for the scenic beauty of foreign shores anymore , Achill island has been voted in the top ten of the most beautiful islands in the world .

https://www.midwestradio.ie/news/achill-island-ranked-among-most-beautiful-globally/?fbclid=IwY2xjawL3YP5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHrizfzw9sNz2YLM1DIPZ11uti-BKqeAleqNhkHSDVU227jCVTuY6QLinMd6e_aem_6twmJRu0Or5xP6OVy87W6g

Home with ya Oisin , we will have a whip round and set ya up with a house on the foot of sllievemoore . 😂😂

On a serious note though , ya can’t compete with professional sport , I don’t like it but honestly what can ya do , yes every effort should be made to keep them here if possible but that’s your limit , effort !

Everyone working in Croke Park on Sunday for the match from the referee to the stewards were paid. Everyone paid except the players who make it all possible. So if opportunity arises for any player to try other professional sports good luck to them.

So you are an exceptional athlete that can excel at two sports.

One is "amateur" and you play for a team with real potential but piss-poor management incapable of learning. You are unlikely to ever achieve the ultimate success but you will be required to train like a professional and sideline other aspects of your life. If you get injured or lose form tough luck. You will have earned nothing and probably lost out on career opportunities. You will also spend most of your time playing in rain, wind and, sometimes, fog.

The other is professional and you can earn money that most people can only dream of. You will be able to devote yourself full-time to fulfilling your athletic potential. If you are really successful you will be set up for life when your playing career ends. If you get injured you will have major insurance cover. You will play in the sun and receive the best possible training in a professional set up. You will also have other commercial opportunities in a market much, much larger than the "amateur" game offers.

So, young man, what sounds the most attractive? If you those option two how much contempt will you have for the eejits who think they have any right to lecture you on your decision?

Congratulations to Oisin. It is great to see him achieving such success.

Ah, it’s so disheartening to see the usual responses.

It’s frustrating when people misinterpret what you write. I never said that you tell a lad how to live his life. I’ve never said that. What I am saying is that the attitude toward losing lads to AFL and the commentary around it, is far too laissez-faire interspersed with lack of ambition for Mayo. It’s just a weak mentality in Mayo that needs fixing. An impossible task perhaps.

Kids in Mayo start out playing Gaelic Fooball because they enjoy the game. They’ll go on and play for clubs and schools. The more talented and hardworking will represent the county at some point. The dream or ambition for most is to go on to represent Mayo at senior level. It’s the place and team you adore, and maybe you can be a part of a team to bring home Sam Maguire. The ultimate sporting achievement, surely? Perhaps I’m being naive in thinking that and when you see fellas leave for the money (because let’s be frank, that’s what it essentially boils down to) it does make you realise not everyone has the same aspirations. But I’m tired of hearing people talk up the AFL and talk down Mayo and referring to the weather. Seriously!? You do realise that top intercounty players are ‘minded’ and have significant career advantages post-playing. Of course, it’s not comparable to a professional sporting contract but average salaries in AFL are not astronomical by any means. There are numerous top intercounty players in Ireland who turned down afl contracts. Why do you think they opted to stay in Ireland?

Mayonaze - you suggested not enough was done to maybe get him back or maybe he does not want it enough…

Fact is there’s more to life than trying to win an all Ireland with Mayo (and the abuse that comes with it) which may not even happen in our lifetimes. Getting paid good money to play a pro sport, probably paid accommodation, transport, sponsorship and other perks….the GAA simply can’t compete with that.

Then there’s the life style, climate, living in a new exciting place.

Giving a lad a car from Connollys and a job in Allergan simply is nowhere near the other alternative.

Just to push back on one point, a favorite one of the GPA.
So, we can only go on wfat is the more likely outcome.
Can one player lose a career opportunity in their circumstances, might happen.
But being an inter county player with Mayo affords you huge career opportunities.
When there was crash in the economy in 2008 I had club teammates struggling to find work At that same time I seen a young Mayo player get a job that my more experienced team mate would have more experience for.
I don't have an issue with that.
What I totally totally reject is the absolute misinformation and misdirection by the GPA that as a general statistic most likely to affect a player that their career opportunities would be hurt. That is absolutely not the case.
Their independent audit.
Well, sorry, audits in Ireland have a renownef history of telling the client what they want to hear.
Where's the information on all the directirships gotten by platers very early in their career?
I've seen players with roles you'd expect tto be a long term experienced employee internal promotion.
Agsan, fair play. But don't give me some guff that players are losing out on career opportunities.
In general it is the complete opposite.
The % of current and former GPA members that are millionaires across earnings and assets is way way above their similarly qualified peers.
All this with working limited overtime.

Well said Ex- Pat , couldn't have worded it better myself . We have lost 2 players afaik to Aussie rules over the years , Colm Mac went as well afaik but he came back so its hardly a crisis .
Mayo football isn't the be all and end all Mayonaze , perhaps for you and all real mayo supporters is it, however for others they have lives to live and as i said before players choices is absolutely none of our business.

On what planet would any young lad turn down chance to play professional sport in a place like Australia, to think we have anything to keep them here.
If it was my lad I'd tell him to go, be mad not too

In the immortal words of a sports star I won't name here,...If your son or daughter wants to play a contact sport, makes sense it's one where they get paid if they're injured.

Where I agree with Mayonaze is for this wish to be a deep rooted passion to win an All Ireland that is embedded in every Mayo person AND every effort is made to put something in front of the player to encourage him to stay.

Let’s take DClifford. I’d be amazed if this lad wasn’t contacted about going playing abroad back in 2017/18. Was he a homebird who just didn’t want to go abroad? Was the dream to win an Ireland with Kerry a key motivator for him to stay? Did Kerry county board influence his decision to stay in some way (I’d be amazed if they didn’t)?!

I’ve no idea but what I do know is he rejected the advances of this incredible life abroad to guide his county to an All Ireland. In Mayo if we keep losing our best players to other sports (not just Aussie rules) we will never lift Sam. We don’t produce enough elite players to be losing them.

@Rocco 88. Thank you. Exactly my thoughts.

And the soft ‘ah they’d be mad not to go’ approach in Mayo is so detrimental to what we are trying to achieve. I just cannot understand it. If we lose another elite player in the coming years then that makes our quest for Sam all the more difficult.

The guys running the pod series We need to talk about Mayo, should definitely include an episode around mentality in Mayo. I’m serious about this. The need to be popular and liked (other counties couldn’t give a _,_,_,_ about it. How sensitive Mayo supporters/people are to external criticism. The ‘ok with coming 2nd’ mentality (we are far too ok with losing finals); it’s simply not good enough…why do we lose so many finals from schools, underage and senior. It’s farcical but there’s a deep underlying flaw. I see the relaxed approach toward losing top talent to AFL as being another unwelcome link in this.

Mayo does a lot right. We produce sufficient talent but could certainly do more from a coaching perspective but why do we constantly fail? Mentality is a huge factor.

One mentality I'd like to see eliminated is this almost proud to be proven correct that we can't win Sam.
Mayo winning Sam in the next 5 years is not some out of reach goal.
Yes, it might be a 1 in 3 shot on the day against a brilliant Kerry or Tyrone or Derry or Dublin.
There's a view that we need loads of players to get to that level. One brilliant midfielder and two really good new forwards can lift you to that kind of level. Just three players.
That defiant "we're just not good enough that's how it is, now keep your head down". I can't stand it.

“ That defiant “we’re just not good enough that’s how it is, now keep your head down”. I can’t stand it.”

Ditto , it’s absolute cringe , even if you’re a pessimistic mayo supporter who revels in the drool and negativity, just avoid making statements like the one above . If you can’t , there’s a deeper fuckin issue and that’s always been my fear .

I agree with Mayonaze, it's disheartening to see that some of our supporters are OK and comfortable in seeing some of our best talent being poached by the AFL. I mean, do we want to win a Senior All Ireland or not? If so, we can't just accept that it's 'grand' to lose generational talent to a foreign sport. 75 years will become 100 years pretty quickly and we'll still be standing around again wondering where did it all go wrong? The mentality around this needs to change, we either become winners or we'll always be the lovable losers, everyone's second team. In order for Mayo to win another senior All Ireland, we need our best 15 present, we can't afford to have some of our best talents on an oval field in Australia. Fine margins swing games.

There is not one Mayo supporter who was not disappointed to see Oisin Mullin go to the AFL. Of course we all want the best players in the county playing for the senior team. But this notion about how it's somehow the fault of the Mayo support or because of a collective loser mentality within the county is borderline insulting. Players are entitled to make their own decisions. It makes not one jot of difference whether some random supporter approves of it or not. It's pointless whinging and moaning about it. It is what it is. In the past twenty years two Mayo players have gone to the AFL. Hardly a crisis. Why don't we hear the same complaints about Gavin Duffy deciding to play rugby?

I don't agree either that we're too accepting of final defeats in Mayo. Horan was nearly ate alive after 2021. The supporters abandoned the team in their droves. It still hasn't recovered and likely won't for a long time to come

Kerry lost Cillian Burke to the AFL at the end of last year - he was one of their standout players last season and a great prospect. Mark O’Connor departed in 2017 and that was also a big blow. Kerry have lost other high profile players in the past but none of these departures have stopped them from doing what they do best and that’s winning All Irelands. They build winning teams around the players they have available to them and we should be trying to do the same. Mayo have lost two good players to the AFL in almost 20 years which is not a big number. Yes, it would be great if they had stayed but as I’ve posted in the past people leave Ireland for lots of different reasons and that’s not going to change. We have no shortage of quality footballers in Mayo and we should be concentrating our efforts on them. Right now the priority is to ensure we get the best possible management teams in place for our county teams.

I can understand that point @ Finding Sam.

Ultair, Gavin was a solid baller. I played with him, but Hanley and Mullin were at a different level completely, with total respect to Gavin and he’s a great fella. Also, Gavin left to play rugby. A game he had played all his life or for a significant number of years up in Ballina so maybe he loved rugby more? I never asked him. Hanley and Mullin left to play a sport they had zero connection with on the other side of the planet. In short, they left for the money and for a life they obviously prefer. Are they entitled to do that? Absolutely. I’ve never questioned that. But I’m allowed express my deep disappointment in it and allowed to say that I don’t like it because it’s bad news for Mayo and Mayo winning an All Ireland is massive for me. It’s an unhealthy obsession but it is what it is.

I agree with you re:post 2021. Yes, that was the first time there was audible anger and frustration. Our team weren’t mentally prepared for that game. I was worried when a player saying after the semi final win that it was the best day of his life. It was only a semi final. Cool the jets, I thought. Roll on the final…we never showed up. It was a disgraceful performance and then the keeper comes out after saying Mayo people/supporters should appreciate the privileged position we had been in [getting deep into championships etc]. Again, just the wrong mentality. Utterly.

For me, the choice is a simple one, as an ambitious young Mayo footballer, do you want to be part of the team that maybe goes on to win a Senior All Ireland and end one of the most talked about sporting famines around, or, do you want to go off to Australia and play a sport that you have zero connection to / any love of? There's more to life than money. (And the good weather that Aussie Land has to offer as some on here like to talk about).

A very appropriate name you have Ex Pat . I see absolutely nothing wrong with people here saying it is a pity that we lose /lost/ will continue to lose really talented players to the AFL. This is Mayo GAA Blog, not an Appreciation Society of Aussie Rules. The vast majority of people who comment here want what is best for Mayo football . Losing some top players to AFL is not best for Mayo football. That is not a criticism or a begrudgery of anyone who goes and plays AFL . I can’t recall too many here being critical of Oisin or Hanley etc going to Australia. Quite the opposite. There is a relative pride in seeing Mayo lads doing well in this sport. But it is not a fraction of the pride we would feel for the lads from our county who could win the ultimate and realise all of our dreams.

Even if we hadn't lost those players we still might have come up short, there just no way of knowing.
We have plenty players, when Horan came in he put good structure in place and built a compateive team.
Donegal were on there knees 2 years ago and they are back in AIF
We need to get manager right who will get the best out of what we have and what we have coming,, and if what I have seen we have good lads coming

Interesting listening to Pat Spillane, Kerry have three players down under who would have been involved last Sunday, Cillian Burke, Rob Monaghan and Mark O’Connor (Oisin’s teammate at Geelong) and one of Kerry’s promising u20 players has signed an AFL contract which will be announced soon.

So ask yourself, if Kerry the most successful Gaelic football county, who can guarantee All Ireland medals can’t keep their players, what chance have Mayo? It’s not a resignation or an “oh well” outlook it’s just facts.

Everyone is disappointed to lose players to the afl but I’m not sure there is much we can do about it. Also Kerry have lost several players to them, more even than mayo so it’s not an issue that’s exclusive to our county.
Fully agree with posters like Sean, JP and mayonaze calling out the trend of talking down our team in recent years though. It’s unbelievably infuriating. It’s almost as if some of these prominent local podcasts can’t wait to be the first to say ah we are not good enough people need to cop on and forget about winning all Irelands.
We have heard it a lot for the last couple of years in particular where mayo were spoken of as a team who should only be targeting a Connacht title only - that would be a great year - while the big boys like Galway, Kerry, Donegal, Armagh etc competed for Sam. Do we think McGuinness was talking like that when he walked in the door of the Donegal dressing room 2 years ago for his first session with them? Not a hope.

Obviously Kerry are ahead of us currently, but surely the present gap between mayo and a team like Galway or Armagh or Donegal is not something that cannot easily be bridged in one year, with the right coaching and squad and managerial setup?
It’s comical to look back on it now in hindsight but there was even a period early last years where the boys on the most popular local mayo gaa podcast were convincing us each week that Derry were on a different level to Mayo.
It’s just not true. At any given time since mayo rejoined the top table of Gaelic football in 1996, 30 years ago, in any given year, a well coached, well managed mayo team with the right attitude will always be competitive against the likes of Armagh, Tyrone. Galway, Donegal and Derry.
If they aren’t, it’s not because we aren’t good enough in that year. It’s because that team is not optimised to get the most out of their ability. I think that was the case for the last 2 years and that’s the main reason this management team had to go.

Two Pointer - On our day we can’t beat anyone even if the team is not going well. Beat Kerry in Killarney a few years ago, beat Tyrone up in Omagh this year and should have at least drawn with Donegal this year. The problem is putting in that level of performance week after week. In the flip side the top teams can have off days too like Kerry v Meath this year.

I remember when we had our best team often struggling to beat inferior teams especially through the back door. That lack of killer instinct was our Achilles heal. I re watched the 2013 final again recently and the amount of mistakes and unforced turnovers through bad hand passes and kick passes was astonishing. Dublin didn’t even play well that day which makes it even more frustrating.

I will say again,will people stop looking back and look to the future,get behind the young men that want to play and win an all Ireland for mayo

Hairy Man You have won the Oscars for your 2 great posts put so concisely. I totally agree.

This thread was supposed to be about manager matters and ended up about Oisin Mullin.
Does anyone seriously think he should turn down the AUD300k salary (€170k) to return to Mayo to play under an unknown manager for a team that finished outside the top 12 in 2024.
Mayo aren't going to win the All Ireland next year, so why rush home. If we have a couple of good years and are able to get near Kerry and it looks like we are in with a shout, then who knows.
Making money as a sportsperson nowadays is not about player salaries either.
There is a world of financial opportunities available for those at the top of a popular sport.
Oisin won't ever be a top sports person in Oz, he could have been in Mayo.
Lee Keegan, David Brady and a few others have made a good living as pundits after retirement. You see a lot of ex intercounty players use their former role as a player to help them achieve in business, but not everyone can do that either.

The point is , a successful county team has a better chance than those that don't.
If you play rugby in Ireland for 10 years, you get your tax back on retirement. Yet those who play in the GAA don't get any tax breaks.

If you play in Oz, you can promote yourself to build your brand. Most GAA coaches won't allow a player do an interview FFS.

On balance, Oisin made the right choice for him. If Mayo won Sam the last two years it would have been the wrong one.

Back to the manager gig. It's McAntees to turn down I hear. Sligo had their replacements lined up as they knew it too. McStay couldn't be left hang around as the deal was done.

From media reports, there were very few candidates coming forward. As little as three, maybe even two, was the quote. So much so, there isn't any need to shortlist the contenders for interview. The shortlist is the list.

The Oisin Mullen discussion is ridiculous at this stage. I say he was right to go to Australia to have a career for himself and get paid.
For those who seem to be implying that Oisin's absence is in some way affecting Mayo's chances of winning Sam, bear in mind that he actually played in the 2021 All Ireland Final against Tyrone, and we all know how that turned out.

"A very appropriate name you have Ex Pat". I don't know what you mean by that. Perhaps you can enlighten me @to win just once?

How come the players that emigrate or are not a available are always put on a pedestal in Mayo.
As the late Mickey Burke said- you can only dance with the girls in the hall.

@Hairy man. You are so right. If our history was a glorious one, there might be some merit. It's worse than playing a game of 25 and continuously referring back to 5 games ago, when you had a great hand, a winning hand if you had done this and should have played that and if you still had the ace you had in the previous game.

@Observer 2

I highly doubt only two went for the job .

Sure who believes what's written in the media anyway.

Regards mullin it's disapointing but sure not much we can do about it but concentrate on the guys who want to play for us.

JR, that's very true, I got a good laugh at that, we have to make the best with what we have in Mayo right now. There is some very good footballers around the county & elsewhere in Ireland. The under 20s & the under 17s are very good but they have to be coached at a very high level & be properly provided with good S&C + modern day gaelic football skills, eg. good tight defence ; good midfield catches & how to pass the ball accurately,, good shooting skills for forwards,that's all forwards not 1 or 2.
Be ready for inter county football .

@ left boot add in ability to lead and inspire players around him, self belief and positive mental attitude

In answer to your question Ex pat An ex pat is a person who resides outside their native country. As Oisin is doing now - about whom you have suggested he was dead right to do so. Hence the appropriateness of your blog name . No offence intended in any way.