Mayo boss McStay not happy with tackle which led to O'Connor injury
ANNOYED: Kevin McStay said Diarmuid O'Connor was taken to hospital due to the shoulder injury which the Mayo man suffered against Galway. Pic: ©INPHO/James Crombie
IT may have just been the second day of February but there was no disguising the fiery rivalry between Mayo and Galway in Castlebar on Sunday afternoon. The neighbours had met on 146 occasions, but this was different. The new rules reward long-distance kicking and Galway totally outclassed the home side in this department when they kicked seven two-pointers in a wind-assisted second half.
Padraic Joyce was quick to acknowledge his side's long-kicking prowess after the game.
“We felt we did well overall in the first half and controlled most of the play. We gave Mayo six or seven turnovers for them to kick scores at the other end. After half-time Shane (Walsh) kicked a two and for us to go on and kick seven twos overall was a big score,” the winning manager added before pointing to another pleasing aspect.
“Over the years we were seen as a nice team to play against so we're trying to bring a lot of physicality to the pitch and we have a lot of men over six foot out and they got stuck in today which was great.”Â
Joyce's opposite number Kevin McStay wasn't as happy about the new two-point rule. His team only scored one from outside the arc and the home side fell foul of the new rules on a few occasions.
“Obviously the breeze is now linked with the two-point capability. We were a bit unfortunate with some of them,” he added before addressing the censure his side received on two occasions for only keeping two defenders back.
“Our understanding was, if you wandered behind the mid-point you'd just be asked to come back because there was no intention to gain an advantage. That's the hard part of the three-on-three rule because the sanction is draconian – no question."
The ten-point winning margin was a clear indication of Galway's dominance in most sectors for the majority of the game. They seemed much more comfortable with the new rules and system of play as the home side struggled to make an impression other than a purple-patch in the second quarter when Mayo came from four points down to lead by one at the break.
The fact that Mayo gave away four points by twice being punished for only having two defenders in their own half said all one needed to know about the home side's embrace of football's new era.
Galway set out their stall before the game began when there were three changes to the starting 15. The addition of Liam Silke, John Maher and Shane Walsh signaled the visitors' intent. The men in maroon were going for the jugular from the start and that's what occurred.
Maher, Paul Conroy and Cillian McDaid ruled the roost around the middle and the guests found time and space in the attack, particularly up the right flank. Conroy, Sean Kelly, Dylan McHugh, Walsh and Connor Gleeson all popped points into the wind while Mayo responded with singles from Sean Morahan and Conor Reid.
Mayo needed to make some sort of impression and they did as the half progressed. For the second game in succession Kevin McStay's side were the better team in the second quarter, after the previous weekend's exploits in Croke Park.
After 17 minutes Davitt Neary had a Mayo point chalked off when the home side only had two defenders in their own half and Cillian Ă“ Curraoin knocked over the subsequent Galway free, but Mayo were finding their feet.
Single points arrived from Frank Irwin, Paul Towey, Conor Reid and Donnacha McHugh while Towey lifted the home supporters with a long-range two-pointer. McHugh also sent a goal chance wide after fine play from Ryan O'Donoghue as wind-assisted Mayo poured forward However, Sean Kelly stopped the rot for Galway just before half time and Mayo went to the dressingroom with a one-point advantage, 0-9 to 0-8.
The second half was an exhibition of how to use the new two-point scoring system. Walsh had the uimpire waving an orange flag just eleven seconds after the resumption and that set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.
Galway were smarter, smoother and more decisive while Mayo found space and time hard to locate. Johnny McGrath kept Ryan O'Donoghue scoreless from play and Mayo's only other attacking threats were Paul Towey and Davitt Neary.
However, the home side never found any momentum as Galway kicked six more two-pointers – three apiece from Walsh and Cillian Ó Curraoin.
Mayo were dealt a blow when substitute Diarmuid O'Connor had to leave the field injured after 56 minutes. The former Young Footballer of The Year had only entered the fray ten minutes earlier as he looks to return from a long-term injury.
Aftewards, Kevin McStay said Mayo were unhappy with the tackle which led to O'Connor's injury.
"We're a bit sore about it. Diarmuid won the ball and popped it to a Mayo lad and was hit late and that's a black card - minimum, but nothing was done. You spend all winter carefully rehabbing him so that he'll be fit for the spring and this happens. He's a top player, an All-Star and he's off to hospital. We're sore about it, but we're not pointing the finger at the ref, he was fine."
Their woes continued when team captain Stephen Coen was dismissed for a second bookable offence and Galway played out the last few minutes happy in the knowledge that they had recorded a handy win in Castlebar against their biggest rivals.
Shane Walsh (0-10, 2 2ptrs, 2 2ptr fs), C Ă“ Curraoin (0-10, 3fs, 3 2ptr fs), Paul Conroy and Sean Kelly 0-2 each, Connor Gleeson 0-1 ('45)Â
Paul Towey (0-5, 1 2ptr), Ryan O'Donoghue (0-3fs), Davitt Neary 0-3, Conor Reid 0-2, Sean Morahan, Frank Irwin and Donnacha McHugh 0-1 eachÂ
Connor Gleeson; Johnny McGrath, Sean Fitzgerald, Daniel O'Flaherty; Dylan McHugh, Liam Silke, Sean Kelly; Paul Conroy, Cillian McDaid; John Maher, Finnian Ă“ Laoi, Cein Darcy; Cillian Ă“ Curraoin, Shane Walsh, Sam O'NeillÂ
Jack Glynn for Kelly (47), Robert Finnerty for O'Neill (48), Cathal Sweeney for McDaid (51), Johnny Heaney for Ă“ Laoi (61), Colm Costelloe for Walsh (66)Â
Colm Reape; Sam Callinan, Rory Brickenden, Enda Hession; Stephen Coen, David McBrien, Sean Morahan; Donnacha McHugh, Matthew Ruane; Conor Reid, Fergal Boland, Davitt Neary; Paul Towey, Frank Irwin, Ryan O'DonoghueÂ
Darren McHale for Boland (44), Diarmuid O'Connor for Reid (47), Eoghan McLaughlin for Ruane (53), Bob Tuohy for O'Connor (56, inj), Cian McHale for Irwin (61)Â
Noel Mooney (Cavan)
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