Good luck lads. Do your best.

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in :-)

Will they be on sale in Super Valu branches?

Will the tickets be on sale in Super valu branches

Winning this game would be a nice tonic, having an All Ireland final appearance to finish the year on.

Good luck to them. I’ll very likely travel to this one. I hope they tear into Kerry. I need, we need, to see a strong display

Tough task best of luck to minors. Nice day out in Ennis

Thought this would beTullamore....went to the last semi there 3 years ago.Reckon I might head to Ennis for this one if i can escape Dublin at a decent time.....been my worst year I a while for games

Actually looking forward to this one. Win or lose they are great entertainment and so honest.

Best of luck lads.

Go and win the Game Lads.
Unfortunately it's because of the " do you best" and " a nice out " Attitude that Mayo teams have no fear of losing.
Can't imagine A Kerry Team being told do you best going into an important game.
As Mayo supporter's we need to kop on a little bit at this point.

Ah will you stop it Mike. They're literally kids.

Mike H and Anne-Marie I get both your points. I do believe though in Mayo we need to instill a winning mentality from a young age. Competitive sport is about winning first and foremost. That’s my opinion anyway. I’m sure these fellas want to win. So the structures there should emphasise development and coaching so as to enhance the prospects of success on the field. I recall a pod a year or two ago about the academy and developing the teens into fine young men etc (something along those lines). That’s a parents job. The role of Mayo GAA is turn them into winning footballers. A lot more could ad should be done imo.

With Anne-Marie on this one. Let them enjoy and express themselves. A lot of these lads are 15 and 16 year olds.

Yes but can’t you encourage the boys to express themselves in a manner that increases the chance of victory. I’m sure winning brings a significant amount of enjoyment. All those Ulster underage teams who’ve won in recent years look extremely happy with their successes. I’d prefer to see that than defeats. I’m sure the players would too. Teach them how to tackle and defend as a group; attack at pace; instill an environment where being equally competent off left and right sides is expected not just merely aspired to. I’d certainly hope it’s not just an ‘off you go and play as you see fit’ approach.

Anyone else find it strange that so many of Kerry's underage matches against Connacht teams are in Munster over the years?

I'm really shocked that we don't win more titles in Mayo because we have appear to have an abundance of top quality coaches on this forum .

Very droll, Deel... something to brighten the mood.😁

There was an American basketball coach who I am a big fan of, he coached college basketball and one of his many mantras was to do the best of which you are capable. After that, the rest would take care of itself.

He was also a big proponent of knowing the role of sport, for our minors we all hope they go on and play u20s, have good club careers and play senior for Mayo. The majority of them won’t and that is no harm. They are currently playing sport to an amazingly high level and good for them, long may they continue to thrive and enjoy it, and we as a county need to ensure that should they wish to continue being the best they can be we have the structures in place to facilitate this.

If we have then the winning we all want takes care of itself. Success at this age, for me anyway, is GAA helping to play a part in the development of these young kids.

Imagine in 20 years time Heaney bumps into one of those players, I’m certain his satisfaction will derive as much from seeing a well rounded person before him as it would from any sporting achievement.

This all goes back to what I posted last night, what is the blueprint for Mayo GAA?

Absolutely agree a blueprint is required.

I’d agree that Heaney in 20 yrs would like to see a well rounded person. That goes without saying. I just don’t think it’s Mayo GAA’s job to do that. It’s a parents job and to a lesser extent teachers and adult society in general. Of course, children, teens and young adults are influenced by and learn from their elders etc which includes coaches they look up to and admire, but the primary and arguably sole objective of the Mayo GAA Academy system is to improve the players football skills, strategy awareness, S&C an dietary and body knowledge etc all of which is channelled toward maximising the potential of each player which in turn increases the likelihood of success. That’s clearly not being done to its full. It’s disjointed and not fully Co-ordinated. Yes, some underage management teams are doing a fine job. Others not so much.

Mayonaze, I think we are talking the same thing, just in slightly different ways, everything you mentioned is certainly required and talent should be nurtured.

The question then becomes within Mayo GAA who and how is this talent developed, for example, a young talent who can go on and represent Mayo at senior level, how are they developed, training, skills etc, versus a player, every bit as committed but not as “talented” how are they developed? Is it county panel, academy or club to develop? I mean who is to say that at 14/15/16/17 we should focus on one over the other. The 15 year old could be unlucky with time of the year they were born and then suffer because they don’t grow as quickly or may not be as physically strong as others.

Do we lose talent because others are focused on at that underage level?

I don’t have answers but it certainly feels now is the time, as a county, to collectively try and address some of these questions.

Sadly Mayonaze, I don’t think it will happen.

100% @ Mayomayo1 agree. My faith it in happening is like yours and it’s sad. Really sad. Because I’m so certain we naturally produce the talent and the deep interest and passion is there. We just lack the leadership, vision, action in key senior decision making areas and until that changes we’ll continue on what I described earlier in another thread as the perpetual cycle of failure.

We certainly do produce the players, we have some phenomenal talent. Hopefully some day, structures are in place to allow it to flourish.