Mayo defeat one of worst I’ve seen, says Joyce

FORMER All-Ireland winning Galway selector Stephen Joyce has described the county’s Connacht SFC semi-final loss to Mayo as “up there with the worst performances I have ever seen”.

Joyce, a selector under John O’Mahony when the county claimed Sam Maguire in 1998 and 2001, admitted that confidence is at a low ebb amongst football fans.

Joyce said: “The performance on Sunday was up there with the worst performances I have ever seen by a Galway team. There was no spirit there. They were very lucky to be ahead at half-time, especially considering the amount of wides Mayo kicked, and we only scored one point in the second-half. It was a very bad display. Anyone who paid €25 to go in and watch that would not be happy.”

He felt the management team of Tomás Ó Flatharta, Seán Óg De Paor and Martin MacNamara along with the players must share the blame.

Joyce told RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta: “The players have to stand up because there is no excuse for that type of performance. Having said that the management team do bear some responsibility. We were under pressure at midfield for the entire game and there were no changes made in that area. Two of the full-forward line were taken off (Cormac Bane and Paul Conroy) at a time when there was no ball going in to them, we were beaten at midfield from the very start of the game, and our half-back line was in trouble. Diarmuid Blake, who is a defender, was brought on in the forwards and Matthew Clancy was left on the bench. I was surprised by that.”

Despite the doom and gloom, Joyce believes that the standard of football in the county is in a healthy state.

“I don’t agree with the theory that there is something fundamentally wrong with Galway football. The county have won three U21 titles and a minor title in the last 10 years so the players must be there. Maybe we have to start again at the end of this year and bring more of the young lads in.

“A few years ago Roscommon looked to be in bad shape and they brought in Fergal O’Donnell who had been in charge of the All-Ireland winning minor team. He brought a lot of those young players into the senior panel. Jim McGuinness did the same thing in Donegal. I think that is the direction that Galway should be going.”

And crucially he backs Ó Flatharta’s side to rattle Meath in the All-Ireland qualifier in Navan on Saturday, 9 July.

“I would give Galway a chance against Meath in the qualifiers because I don’t think that Meath are as good as some people are saying. They beat a poor Louth team. Galway had a tough game against Mayo and they know now what they need to do.”