Oisín McConville: Mayo have gone about their evolution quietly, almost under the radar

The Connacht final was like watching football from a different era. It was a strange feeling and not that enjoyable

Mayo's Michael Plunkett and Ryan O'Donoghue celebrate after the game. Picture: INPHO/Lorraine O'Sullivan

Maybe I’ve been watching too much Ulster football of late but sitting in Croke Park yesterday for the Connacht final, where you might go 15 minutes without seeing so much of a tackle, is like watching football from a different era. It was a strange feeling and not that enjoyable. There’s such a difference, whether it be in tackling, intensity, the will to win.

It wasn’t a good watch for Mayo in that first half, where they didn’t bring anything to the table and fell well behind Galway. There was no co-ordination in their attacks and they played like a team of individuals. Galway had the chance to put them to bed, but even at the break, with a 2-5 to 0-6 lead, you weren’t entirely convinced they’d get over the line.

Mayo being Mayo, you always expect them to be able to up it a notch or two and they did that significantly. Galway withered, just like they did in the relegation play-off when they fell apart against Monaghan.

What would’ve pleased James Horan was the fact it wasn’t the usual suspects like Paddy Durcan, Aidan O’Shea, or Lee Keegan; they built from the pairing of Matthew Ruane and Conor Loftus. They work well together and they gave Rob Hennelly options.

Whereas Mayo looked perplexed in the first half, they played with fluency in the second. Aidan O’Shea linked up their attacks, they got the scoreboard ticking, players were performing with more confidence. Simple things.

Maybe it’s a bit too simplistic to say Mayo looked fitter and the intense heat played a part, as did a deceptive wind that made kicking into the Hill 16 end that bit more difficult.

Paul Conroy, Matthew Tierney, Shane Walsh, and Damien Comer fell into a hole. Comer was having joy inside and although he is still only coming back following injury and doesn’t have an awful lot of football under his belt, he could’ve been used better.

Three frees in the second half was the sum total of their efforts. They lost that second half 2-8 to 0-3 and that tells a story in itself. When you consider Galway ended up relegated from Division 1 and then lost the provincial final the way they did, it means it’s been a poor season.

What will really frustrate their supporters was when they consider they were better than Monaghan for 65 minutes and ended up with nothing, they were in control against Mayo and ended up with nothing.

The heart and bottle of Galway will be questioned. Who are the leaders? Did they lose it on the line? Why are they fading?

The implosion wasn’t a huge surprise. They didn’t even force Mayo to make wholesale changes, tactically or in terms of personnel, to win the game.

Mayo exposed Galway and their win was comfortable. The benches were significant as the players that Mayo brought on added something, while Galway’s did not.

Eoghan McLaughlin, Kevin McLoughlin, and Jordan Flynn all did their bit to turn the tide.

Mayo have, outside of Dublin, more experience of Croke Park in recent years than anyone. Even though the face of their team is changing, they will continue to carry a threat. They’ve gone about their evolution quietly, almost under the radar, where the youngsters were introduced last year in empty stadiums far away from the excitement and expectation of MacHale Park or Croke Park.

There was no baptism of fire and they found their groove.

Cillian O’Connor’s absence might be felt the further down the road we go and, interestingly, I found they missed him most from a defensive perspective against Galway.

He’s the type of player who can organise the shape of his forward line and Connor Gleeson, the Galway goalkeeper, was finding things a bit easier than expected. Once Mayo began to press, they began to get going. It bought some heat on Gleeson.

Assuming Dublin come through the Leinster final against Kildare, there will be another chapter in their rivalry against Mayo next month. Dublin have come out on top in the bulk of those clashes, but Mayo will never arrive at Croke Park thinking they don’t have a chance. It’s in their make-up.

They’re well set up and will need to use the template from the second half yesterday to have any chance.

And of all the teams out there who might topple Dublin — and I include Kerry in this — for me, Mayo have the best chance.

Whether that will be enough to actually beat them is a different matter entirely but they’ve a better chance than anybody.