Sammon: Galway now have a psychological effect on Mayo

Six years ago in the run-up to the counties’ Connacht quarter-final, The Mayo News’ Edwin McGreal had the audacity to suggest nine Galway players would improve Mayo.

As Mayo came off the Salthill field the following Sunday, 15 points better than their neighbours, he was told in no uncertain terms that his piece was read by at least one of James Horan’s men.

It seemed the player in question had felt the piece suggested nine of the Galway side would make a 15 combining the two counties but that was not the case.

As considerably as the initiative has switched these past three seasons, McGreal’s number would stand the test of time. Mayo have the better individuals but Galway’s whole is greater than the sum of its parts (for argument’s sake, our combined side: David Clarke; Eoghan Kerin, Sean Andy Ó Ceallaigh, Keith Higgins; Lee Keegan, Colm Boyle, Paddy Durcan; Thomas Flynn, Tom Parsons; Shane Walsh, Aidan O’Shea, Kevin McLoughlin; Ian Burke, Damien Comer, Andy Moran. And that’s tough on the O’Connor brothers).

In Mayo’s three SFC wins over Galway in Horan’s first term, their lowest margin of victory was six points. Two of Galway’s wins these past three seasons have come by three points, the other in 2017 by a point. Yet what period of dominance has been most scarring on the other?

Former Galway star and manager Liam Sammon has his opinion. “I think that Galway now have a psychological effect on Mayo and I think that will be big for them going into Castlebar. They might be depleted but we’re good enough to win that game.

“Both teams lost last weekend but we had a load of chances and there were encouraging signs. I do wonder about our strength in depth at the moment, we’re missing so many stars and established players, but we’re in a good position and go down to Mayo full of confidence.

There has never been a lack of confidence in Galway against Mayo when the game has been there for the taking. We have always felt capable. James Horan brings something new to Mayo, there’s no doubt about that. They didn’t perform against Dublin, I don’t think they had the right approach for that game but this will be very high octane.

Sammon prefers not to expand too much on Galway’s style, only to say “Kevin has his way of doing it and we can’t disagree with that.”

But he certainly would love to see Shane Walsh playing closer to goal. “I’d love to see that. I think he’s a forward and an out-and-out one at that. Spare him from all that defensive work and keep him up there with one or two others. I think that would pay dividends. Shane, Damien Comer, Ian Burke — if we could afford to keep those three up there, we would be fairly hard to beat. Our forwards are talented players but it’s getting the ball up to them that’s the problem. You do need the variation in how you play and these days you have to be able to carry the ball more but directness should be used too. There’s no point pumping high ball in at the moment when Damien isn’t there but when he is it’s worth it because if he doesn’t catch it, nobody else will.” Mayo’s strength has been to carry with purpose and it appears it’s Galway’s now too.

It’s not as simple as replicating the Dublin template, says Sammon. “They have very skilful players that are able to kick the ball and they are assured in themselves and each other. The fact they are All-Ireland champions the last number of years means that confidence courses through the team. When they do things, they know their team-mates are going to respond to benefit them.”

On a general point, Sammon thinks far too much football is being played between the 45-yard lines and if risk isn’t going to be rewarded, then something has to be done.

“The hand-pass is the big bone of contention but there isn’t one rule that will address that but a set of rules. I don’t think there has been enough discussion about the changes that can be made to the game and we’re not prepared to give an opportunity to them to see how they work.

“It’s not the hand-pass that is the problem but what it has become and where it is being played, the continuous hand-passes across the field between the 45s. It’s a problem for spectators but this is a players’ game and they seem to enjoy it.

But I would limit the hand-pass in the defending side of the half so that you can’t over-play it there.

“Once you cross the halfway line you can hand-pass as much as you want but not in your own field.

“I wouldn’t have an exact number in mind but it would be low. That way, you won’t have the blanket defence and there would be a lot more kicking.”