Sylvester Hennessy: Mayo’s superior accuracy proves crucial
For years, the Mayo Achilles heel has been wayward shooting and an inability to maximise their scoring potential but on this occasion, Mayo converted 16/21 scoring chances, or 76% of their opportunities. The only caveat is that half of Mayo’s scores came from close-range frees. Galway on the other hand converted just 10 of their 19 scoring chances and Kevin Walsh will surely be disappointed with a return of just 10 scores in a Connacht final on their home soil in Pearse Stadium.
The Mayo management will still have huge concerns about the overall productivity of their forward unit however.
In the first half, Mayo created 10 scoring chances, which broke down as follows — Andy Moran 2/2 and Cillian O’Connor 6/8. In other words, only two players had shots on goal for Mayo in the entire first half.
With Moran leaving the field before half-time, this stat once again illustrates the importance of O’Connor to Mayo and his influence on the team is only bettered by the colossus that is Aidan O’Shea.
The Breaffy man was also hugely influential throughout. His tally of seven assists and one score meant he had a direct hand in half of Mayo’s scores. He also topped the Mayo tackle count as well as featuring near the top of their possession tally, despite playing the majority of the game at full-forward.
It leaves Mayo supporters to lament ‘what might have been’ in Limerick last year had both their most influential players been fully fit for the entire replayed All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry.
Mayo can also improve their collective work rate. Their tackle count of just 62 was lower than normal. Galway, in contrast, worked their socks off in the game and that will be one crumb of comfort for the Galway management.
Obviously for Kevin Walsh, a high tackle count and a willingness to make lung-bursting runs is a major part of the game-plan. However, Galway showed a lack of discipline on the day. The Tribesmen conceded 32 frees, nine in scoreable positions. Mayo also conceded a high tally of 26 frees.
A total of 58 frees in the game was hardly the advertisement the much-maligned Connacht championship needed.
It was that type of game, however; stop/start with a low shot count by both sides. The game was punctuated by long stoppages that prevented either side from establishing any kind of real flow.
Perhaps one of the reasons for Galway’s lack of coherence on the day is the inconsistency of their team selection. Only seven of the starting 15 that lost to Kerry in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final started on Sunday. Based on the evidence of Sunday’s performance, it is questionable whether Galway have progressed in the past 12 months.
The same could be said of Mayo, who are also under new management. As of now, it is would take a brave man to predict that the Sam Maguire will be travelling across the Shannon in September for the first time in 14 years.
