Hard luck to the mayo under 20s they put in a fantastic performance with the players on the pitch. But one has to question the management team on the way the team set up. From early on they were beaten well at midfield why was Duffy played at midfield when he is clearly not a midfielder very unfair on the player. It was clear from early on this was not working out and should have been charged early on. The defence was way to open Louth cut through them on four separate occasions and scored on each occasion. The management team were way to slow to make changes.
I question why was Gardener given the job in the first place he had no experience in club football of been a manager he had no experience of been a manager at any level to be given a job of this importance. I am fed up with ex County players getting jobs that they have no right to get given the importance of the job.the county board need to be called out on this and held accountable in the decisions they make until this happens we will win no all lreland medals. They get well paid to do a job on behalf of the people that go to this games and support or County teams. It isn't good enough and I want to see a change in personnel on the country board that knows what there doing. There are members on that county board for over 20 years with no all lreland success at any level that isn't good enough. Delegates at club
level football need to act and act quickly they have the power to change things makesurethat a manageris given the job that has won County titles a club leve let that be under age ir senior level..Do your job and don't be yes men speak your mind your representing the wonderful supporters around the county of mayo have a responsibility to get this right until that happens we will win no all lreland medals.
Enough is enough.

@The west awake, In general I totally agree with you...however it must be said under Gardiner Mayo U20s are an enormous improvement on recent years comparing to Mayo U20s under another ex Mayo player in recent years, it must be said. Regardless it was a very high quality match, not without a mistakes, but both counties fans should very proud of their young men who left everything on the field, Congratulations to Louth, (what a crest of a wave that wee county right now, is on hope they go on to win the All Ireland now) but believe me Tyrone will be different gravy. Now for Cavan. Can we do it, Yes we can, Will it be raining?, No it wont...Should you wear the Factor 50?, yes you should. Should you choose Enniscrone, Keem, Old Head, or Carrinoskey instead of McHale Park...??? Ah Saturday for the beach, Sunday for the concrete seats that will burn your arse in Castlebar!

I wonder is there any from that 26 under age again next year ?

Plenty of them like Beirne, Lydon, Carey, Neary, Walsh, Lynch, Coghil, Mortimer, McGreal....

I did not make the game with work. There did not seem to be too many mayo supporters at the game. They put up a brave performance. We need to get the mayo roar back in castlebar tomorrow. I am expecting a good MAYO win.

There was a decent Mayo crowd there, Jimbo, but, as you’d expect given the venue and the day/time (which was outrageous at so many levels), there were more there from Louth. They brought their feel good vibe with them too and fair play to them - it’s great to see a county like that have its good days.

@The West Awake…completely agree with your first post, 100%.

@Leantimes, I’d question that in terms of improvement. Last year there was a strong potential panel and we lost to Sligo, Leitrim and Down. So Gardiner’s first season really couldn’t have been much worse. Add into that a lot of question marks over squad selections, absentees etc. 2024 was fairly was rock bottom and yet, the county board in its wisdom opted to retain the management which many supporters were audibly concerned about. This was amplified further in the knowledge that this management would have our strongest u20 panel in a decade (even taking into account recent injuries). Ultimately I think it’s fair to say our concern was well justified and 2025 will go down as a lost opportunity. A better management and I think we’d have been more impressive in Connacht and would have won yesterday. We did our best to lose the Connacht Final and yesterday we were cut open. I said it weeks ago that the Achilles heel of this team was our defensive structure. Some questioned that, asking what more could management be expected to do. Well, look at how well Louth snuffed out our attack, particularly from a goal’s perspective. Their defensive shape/strategy was different to ours and it was ultimately the winning of the game. Their tackling was also better than ours.

So as someone who closely follows underage football, I feel let down by the co board in their selection process and let down by management. I feel particularly sorry for the players who clearly gave their all. These young players need nurturing and guidance. I think the last two seasons haven’t been as progressive as they couple have been or ought be have been.

A real pity.

Just as a side, did I hear Ger correctly on pod saying 11 of Louths team yesterday are underage next year!?? If that’s the case then it casts even further spotlight on how poorly 2024 went. Never mind 2025.

You can see we have plenty of decent players coming through. Some perhaps a bit hyped up too much and others who might progress beyond expectations, so the future can be bright but only with correct management. Getting a bit tired of matches being lost on the line…similar feel to 2018 u20 final.

I liked Gardiner as a player and his winning point in Salthill was super, but as @Thewestsawake pointed out, what had he done to merit getting the job? A very important job at that. There were much better candidates.

Rossies were doing ok their , couple of two pointers for Kerry has put a bit of daylight between though . Still not out of it

*there

I agree Sean.
Roscommon have given a real good account of themselves.
Will there be goals?

Any latest score

1-15 to 0-8 to Kerry

All over for Roscommon

Kerry know where the net is that’s for sure

Is it over

The new round robin is the greatest waste of peoples time , just go back to the old format quarter finals.Same hammerings.Roscommon have gone back in this new format not forward.

Rossies didn't to badly though I thought they would be beaten by alot more .

They were beaten badly Clare. Kerry pulled up the handbrake in the 2nd half, they could've won that by 20 if they wanted to

Roscommon were hammered Clare . what time is the Galway v Dublin game on at please

Same old failings - not having a go with time up - the ref blew as they dilly dalied and played backwards . Louth showed how it's done

The goals killed them though .

Dublin going well

Yup I'd never write them probably fuming after loosing Leinster to .

PJ will be fuming at Walsh I suspect …….he has upset the balance a bit ?

Be an interesting second half . I’d fear some of the dubs older guard will tire in that heat . Con o Callaghan absolutely roasting Johnny McGrath , they should exploit that as much as they can .

Some statement by the Dubs they mean business, Dessie Farrell using his head by a placing a detailed man marker on Conroy,Shane Walsh looks way of championship pace too.

So much for people building up Galway here and on the national media, I knew it in Castlebar at the Connacht final, Galway will not be All Ireland champions for 2025.

Only reason we lost in Castlebar is because of our very weak management team.

It's only half time lads. Galway aren't beaten yet. They'll come out a different team n second half

@southmayo exile

Maybe so but Dubs are going well when written off for this game . I think they will do it.

I remember thinking at half time last year Galway were done against Dublin. I would not write them off turning this around yet but it looks to be in Dublins control.

Galway made the final via the PQF as well last year. Plenty of road ahead

Galway went 6/1 in running at one point but I hadn’t the heart to back them , Galway done enough when it mattered tbh , it’s all about the finish and boy can they finish in style in fairness .

Fair play to the dubs was sure Galway would drive on there .

Galway will not win the All Ireland because there are huge holes in their defence, Kerry and Donegal are ahead of the pack.

As Paddy Andrews said the team they always prepared for was Mayo,looks likely again,it is shocking how quickly age has caught up with Paul Conroy

Well done Clare...you were right about Dublin but I think it's a sting from a dying wasp and maybe Galway needed the kick up the arse they got.

On the day, the Dubs just about outfought Galway, bit surprised with the result. Galway now have to go to Derry and win but that should be well within their capabilities.

@Ever the optimist thanks!

Fair play to the Dubs they came out fighting.

I still think Donegal will win sam but we won't be pushovers either ( hopefully! )

That was a serious game of football. A huge performance from Dublin and a lot of posters on here will need to review their All Ireland contenders shortlist. Dublin targeted Galways midfield and that was the winning of the game. Kilkenny is still some machine and was the well deserved man of the match.

Plenty of Galway boys lectured me last year about how Mayo should have pulled every Dublin player down in the last minute to get the win. Well, Galway were level in the last minute today and lost. At home.

The window to win Sam won't stay open forever.

Great game of Football, disappointed with the defeat but Dublin were well worth the win..
Dublin did the homework on Paul Conroy and he found it tougher going than the Connacht final.
Walsh will be better with the game .
Always said we were probably 4th favs and it remains that way..
We'll know exactly were we are after we see the Mayo performance tomorrow..

Ps Well done to our Galway minor ladies winning the Connacht final in Bekan today

Tuamstar - I doubt if you'll know much more about Mayo after tomorrow.

@Catcol 100%

We won't know much where mayo are after tommorow .

The Tyrone game we will know .

That's 2 games in a row where Galway have shown they’re beatable. They're still capable of going long into championship but could have been beaten by mayo and lost to dublin today getting a lucky goal on the way so by no means are they the finished article. Happy days

Well Clare, Mayo, like Louth and others are producing some fine young prospects at minor and 20s level. That's not the case for the dubs though. Mayo will be winning Sam before Dublin do again I'd bet. Wounded pride won't save them in the long run. My wife is a life long fan and she's convinced she'll be in a nursing home before they're parading Sam again. That said, they showed tremendous heart today.

Great game of football and again just a kick of a ball in it. I thought the Dubs had Galway at arms length but the 2 Galway goals kept them in it.

I must have been half asleep the last 10 years. I didn't realise quite how good Kilkenny is in the air considering he isn't a huge fellow.

That game and the Ulster final show the rest of us the level that is needed.

Was it not Kilkenny that made that fetch in The Hyde last year that led to dubs equalising point ?

I think that was Fenton @Sean Burke

Connacht Title has been way overated after tonight, gone like the National League it really doesnt matter anymore, its just a matter of bragging rights in the West now.From now on is when you need to be playing your best football.

Correct Sean it was indeed Kilkenny. He has some leap on him.

Good match but the Dubs deserved to win, we had to rely on goals to keep us in it. I thought we might have snatched a draw but Cluxton with a fantastic final kickout. It's still all to play for, the Derry game a must win and another tricky fixture. Some flat performances from us, really disappointing that we were not ready for Dubs intensity but the league game made me fear this match and so it turned out. Good luck tomorrow, Mayo need the win as the other two matches are difficult fixtures.

Im with @ever the optimist here, I think Dublin needed a big reaction after Leinster and Galway were a little less in need. For me, Galway still have the deepest squad and are the team to beat come knock out.

What to make of Gleeson tapping the ball to himself?
Is this a possible solution to Reapes wayward kickouts?

@Sean, yes it was Kilkenny that made that great overhead catch, right on the sideline amd just beside where I was standing.

“ Im with @ever the optimist here, I think Dublin needed a big reaction after Leinster and Galway were a little less in need. For me, Galway still have the deepest squad and are the team to beat come knock out.”

They’ll have to make it to the knockout first . Derry have been poor but it’s above in Derry , Galway would want to be on it .

That result is a bit of a set-back for Galway, they'll probably beat Derry, like they always do, but I don't think they'll get the top spot. Dublin had their homework done on Conroy, he didn't get a sniff today, pity we didn't do the same two weeks ago.

Regarding the U20s last night, it feels like a serious missed chance. All through the year, this team has leaked goals and has never learned from that serious flaw. You can't win games / All Irelands and concede goals for fun. Louth, to their credit, defended very well, you can see the Tyrone influence all over their set up, it's all built off a solid defensive base. Gavin Devlin is the head man over the Louth underage set-up, their chairman is also a Tyrone man, they have their house very much in order at the minute. We should have a strong U20 team again next year, however we need to learn how to defend. I'm not sure this Management Team are the ones to take us to the next level at U20.

I was at the game and wonder what game some people were watching. Lorcan O’Dell and O’Cofaigh Byrne were Dublins 2 best. I didn’t see Dublin doing a number on Conroy either. I saw Shane Walsh taking up the position around the arc in the first half and Galway looking for him instead of Conroy. Galway were lucky with the 2 goals but unlucky too with the 2 goal chances and Dublins goal in the first half. Armagh game is going to be some battle.

Small margins alright Mike..
Silke making the mistake for that goal is something that we've never seen before...

Small margins you can say the same for the Connacht final sure!

Can only imagine what would have been said about Mayo if we celebrated a Connacht final win like an All Ireland and then lost the next game……

Big Mike beg to differ anytime Conroy got the ball there looked to be 2 Dublin defenders shadowing him.

Wouldn't be sure Paul about that. It'd be no shock to me if Armagh and Galway were there again, albeit somewhat unlikely, considering all the cards would have to fall into place.

@Paul Regan Quite a few team actually.
In the last 25 years, Galway, Armagh, Kerry, Cork, have all get to back to back finals. The on top of Dublin and ourselves.

While today defeat is a blow I wouldn't rule them out of reaching the All Ireland Final.

I wouldn't be writing off Galway yet. Not their greatest performance but they battled to the end. Kickouts are a problem for everyone

RIP Paul Durcan. Just seen he’s passed away at 80.

Galway will still be at the business end no doubt about it . Though it is a set back for them and Duvs will be on s high now they could even tip the group .

Looking forward to a hot sunny day in Castlebar tommorow I'm hearing it will be 25/26 tommorow in Mayo . So fitness will be key . Hopefully we will be sering Paddy Durcans first game back.

Galway has no midfield, an inept defence, can only kick two 2-pointers, poor kickout coordination. How did they ever bate America and Roscommon had bigger ambitions than Connaught.
Where does all that leave Mayo - I'll tell ye that at the end of this league stage - for tis easy to have all the answers after the event(s)
Up Mayo

PS : if two 17yr-olds are game-changers for Barcelona and Spain, surely to God a few of our U20 forwards should be now drafted into the snr.panel, end of:

I'm with ya Clare..should be a mighty day. 99's and factor 50!! How many will be there?

Mayo Exile who on the u20 team would you promote to the senior ranks?

After last night match which was a great match but Louth pipped us in the end and deserved their victory ??

No Mayo player raided their hand last night in my opinion to be promoted to the senior team but they will improve
Mhuigeo Abù

Mhuigeo

@Pullhard

I might be getting the 99 after the trip from Dublin ..

Bus to Portarlington then hop on the Galway train then hop off at Athlone to the Westport train will be needing a 99 after that haha

But well worth it still going with mayo for the win and a big cheer for Durcan back!

Galway might have lost but hard see past them when Comer is back and Walsh is feeding him ball in off both feet.
Especially in Croke Park where their forwards come alive.
It’s going to be a long Autumn I’m afraid .

@Km79 Donegal and McGuiness winning matches will do the job or Armagh .

Attendance tomorrow? 8K ?

Great to see the dubs bate them. Mighty. Well done.

Yes tomorrow will be a throwback to the days of the ''hawkers'' with the tubs of ices ...and the bubbly tar.
Whatever about how our neighbours are doing,we need to take care of business ourselves tomorrow. Avoid any more injuries and give Paddy a run...if only to banish his bad , memories of this game,same day last year.

I laugh when people write teams off after one game. I never had Galway as all Ireland favs (Their own odd on the Galway podcast did though) but Galway aren’t gone away yet. Dublin were full value for their win today and should have won by more but it looked like a draw heading down the stretch. I wonder is Comer far away from a comeback?

Interesting to see how Mayo go tomorrow. I’m guessing it will be another frustrating watch but you’d imagine we should have enough to get two points.

@Way out West, interesting post…I wasn’t aware Gavin Devlin is involved in Louth but it makes sense as to why Louth have come from nowhere in the past few years. What a remarkable turnaround. Just shows how well a county can do when they get the right people in charge ….

..ahem…

I nearly choked on my cornflakes earlier today when listening to the post-match podcast, I heard it referenced that u20’s mgnt’s “reputation had been enhanced after the past few months”. Just goes to show the variety of opinions in sport. But I’d be with you on this @WayOutWest. Definitely a change required at u20. Unfortunately it a should have happened 12 months ago.

Galway lost a game Shock horror, they’re finished. Just like when Mayo beat Kerry a few years ago in Killarney. That was it. Kerry were gone. Amazing how so many people pass judgement based on one game. PJ was the king of the sideline when they beat Mayo 2 weeks ago. Now he’s outfoxed by Dessie. Galway goalie was top player 2 weeks ago. What did you think of him today. Imagine if Reape did that. People would be foaming at the mouth. Today was the first day of AI series. One day. It does not mean that Galway are gone or Connacht final was devalued, it means Galway were beaten by a better team on the day. Nothing more. Tomorrow is a big game for us. Lose and I reckon the season is over. Win and we’re in a better place than Galway. Football is fickle

@Willie Joe, .As you said Poet Paul Durcan has passed away RIP, he was a nephew of the iconic Maud Gonne herself, well appreciated , but not nearly enough appreciated during his lifetime.Like Van Geough and others likely to become much more appreciated in the years after his death. From the village of Turlough in central Mayo himself, he wrote a beautiful poem entitled 'Anna Swanton' and mention of the once Ballyvary Railway Station a few miles away .

Very surprised with Galways performance. The one thing you'd want of your ambition is to win the All Ireland is to not give Dublin oxygen.

Our own game was lacklustre and very patchy.
Roscommon were physically and gave us our fill but lacked a scoring threat.

The attendance was under 7k which was appalling really.

Enjoy todays game,

Like our own county it maybe Mayos last home game for 7 months so get out and support your team.

I think Galway are in trouble now, if there is a kick in Derry which is possible they could struggle to finish 3rd. Armagh seem to me anyways to be playing better than last year. Interesting games ahead.

On today's game I expect Mayo to win by a bit more than last year in that it should be a bit more open. Mayo by 12+

Mayo by 2 today id actually rest Jordan today and give Bob Tuohy a run same with Aidan id nearly rest him in this heat keep him fresh for Donegal and Tyrone

@to win just once. You kinda shot yourself in the foot with that last post. Started off (and rightly so) criticising posts for writing off Galway after one loss say how daft it is to write off a team after one game and at the end you say mayo season is over if they lose (one game) today. You lost me there.

As the great Paul Durcan has been mentioned here's a somewhat topical poem:

The One-Armed Crucifixion
after Giacomo Manzù

How many thousands of hours on the shore at
Galway, In the drizzle off the back of the sea,
On the sodden sands,
Did we spend hurling together, father and son? Pucking the sliotar, one to the other,
Hour in, hour out, year in, year out. How many thousands of times, old man, Did you strike a high ball for your young son
To crouch, to dart, to leap,
To pluck the ball one-handed out of the
climbing air?

A little ironic Peej complaining about Gough and referring decisions yesterday.
Have seen that tug on the shoulder that Galway got the penalty for in matches multiple times since then and it hasn’t even been a free

Derry have had quite the break to prepare for what's coming but, in all honesty, I can't see them pushing to get out of the group. Galway should have enough to beat them but the final game between themselves and Armagh could be do or die.
Glad to see so many fans confident of a Mayo victory. It'll be tough going in that heat.

We'll need about 1-20 min, to win it imo,and restrict Cavan to no more than 0-18.
I'd settle for that today .
Up Mayo!

@KM hard to know what you're saying. The consistency of your posts makes little sense

...........

Stephenite - if you've got an issue with someone else's opinion then you need to point to specifics and not make a generalised allegation like that.