Still a work in progress

Will Galway bate Mayo?

You know, the Saw Doctors were on to something there.

For all the faults Mayo get labelled with they have always been solid in defence and midfield with a plentiful selection of hard-working half forwards but when it comes to free-scoring forwards, the choice has been thin.

Put it up to the men in red and green in their areas of strength and the attack will let them down. The subject has almost become taboo in the county: ‘Don’t dare speak of the forwards’, ‘concentrate on the positives’ ‘sure what other county would keep bouncing back?’

But when, Conor Counihan, Pat Gilroy, Jim McGuinness and the host of other managers write their memoirs in future years, there will be a passage about weaknesses they targeted in teams and Mayo’s traditional one will no doubt surface.

Hell even Jack O’Connor said it in his Keys to the Kingdom book five years ago that if they could get into the Mayo forwards’ heads before the 2006 final, everything would fall into place: “Before we go into the press room I give about five minutes’ media coaching to the lads. Turn up the bit of heat on the Mayo fellas, pinpoint a few key players. Say nothing stupid. Any Mayo players you want to talk about, chooser the fellas with blond hair.”

Since 1989 and the summer of Willie Joe Padden and Kevin McStay you could not name a Mayo forward who was unmarkable for more than a game. Yes, I hear your cries ‘what about Ciaran McDonald?’ but was he really a marquee forward in the true sense of the word? No he was a stylish player with the ability to turn a game but consistency is not one of the words you will read on his epitaph.

So who else has there been? Conor Mortimer, Andy Moran, Alan Dillon. Now put them up against All-Ireland winners Colm Cooper, Declan O’Sullivan, the Brogans, Peter Canavan, Stephen O’Neill, Padraig Joyce, Daniel Goulding, Ciarán Sheehan, Steven McDonnell, Trevor Giles, Dara Ó Cinnéide etc. As Jimmy Magee might say — different class.

It’s nothing new. Look at Mayo’s modern history. Out of the county’s 25 All Stars, 10 have been forwards. Of those, only four went to players in the full-forward line: Moran, Mortimer, Joe McGrath and Kevin McStay.

The awards are running for 41 years but a county which contested five All-Irelands (six if you include the ’96 replay against Meath) in that time has only had four men in the full-forward line. No matter what you think of the system to pick the winners, that statistic is damning.

It’s the elusive piece of a jigsaw the current manager can’t coach into a player. As Mayo’s only forward to win two All Stars, James Horan knows the necessity of a consistent, reliable scorer. He was arguably the county’s top performer in those final losses.

The big-game player works for Coca Cola in a job where the pursuit of excellence is part of his day’s work. He has taken that mantra into the Mayo job.

While Conor Mortimer’s meltdown has weakened his bench it does not affect Horan’s plans.

Alan Murphy from Ballinrobe was brought into training since the Shrule man’s departure. Airtricity League fans might know the name. The former Derry City and Sligo Rovers striker moved to Mervue Utd when Galway Utd went belly up and returned to the GAA at 31. His club form warranted a call up to a county desperate to find the missing link. Set to sit on the bench today he picked up a foot injury and will not make a Mayo debut now.

It’s an insight into Horan’s thinking. No longer relying on the traditional triumvirate of Ballina, Crossmolina and Knockmore he knows from personal experience there are hidden gems in Mayo football. When he was playing, Ballintubber were playing in the lower ranks of the club championship yet he was probably the closest thing to marquee from the era.

His faith is now on players like Cillian O’Connor, last year’s young footballer of the year, and Evan Regan, a teenager with a big reputation within the county.

While today he looks to Dillon and Moran to lead the attack, his vision is on the future. Don’t expect Mayo to beat Down. They may be favourites but this is a work in progress.

If Down don’t get on top of Mayo’s core strengths, heart and guile will set them up for an All-Ireland semi-final. But behind it all, Mayo won’t put the two performances back-to-back needed to win an All-Ireland.

That is where the Saw Doctors differ from Mayo and Horan, to win just once would not be enough.