O’Neill pinpoints areas for improvement

HISTORY does not bode well for this Mayo team.

In 1985 a young side took Dublin to an All-Ireland semi-final replay but didn’t take the next step until 1989. The youthful sides of 1996 and ‘97 faded into obscurity and the teams of 2004 and 2006 largely left the inter-county scene after the Longford and Sligo losses last season.

Knockmore’s Kevin O’Neill joined the panel in 1993 as a fresh faced 19-year-old and claimed an All Star in his debut year but despite an inter-county career spanning 14seasons, he never landed the elusive Sam Maguire. Watching his county men in Croke Park on Sunday, a side where Trevor Mortimer, Andy Moran and Alan Dillon are seen as the old guard, he believed there was a lot to be positive about but called on James Horan to conduct an independent review of his resources to make the step up to the next level.