Moran's perfect start but Brennan ready to wield Dublin axe
Conor Tyrrell of Dublin is tackled by Aidan O'Shea, righrt, and Sam Callinan of Mayo during the Allianz Football League Division 1 match between Mayo and Dublin at the Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in Castlebar, Mayo. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
The Dublin axe is being sharpened. Reputation and swollen medal counts won’t save you.
Following another fruitless league outing, Ger Brennan’s post-match verdict pricked ears and turned heads in a way Dublin performances have not over the past fortnight.
Winless and rudderless after two rounds, the Dublin manager was asked if the urgent requirement to accumulate league points would encroach on the space for experimentation and development of younger panelists.
Brennan’s reply let it be known loud and clear that it isn’t the emerging players who should be worried about game-time and continued membership of the Dublin panel.
The panel is currently 50-strong. A cull is coming over the next week. High-profile casualties look to be in the offing.
“I would suggest it is probably some of our fellas who've been around the block, there will be a few tough decisions to be made,” said the Dublin manager.
“You make those decisions through looking at the data; looking at the contributions fellas are making on and off the pitch, and then your eyes don’t lie. You can see what I can see. So, if a guy has done what he's done over the last couple of years, it's probably decision-time for a couple of guys in terms of what they want to do.
“That's something that's probably on our mind at the moment as a management team.”
In a separate part of the Dublin manager’s post-match interview, there was reference to comments made by Mick Bohan on Newstalk the day before Dublin travelled west. The point made was a contrast between the appetite of 35-year-old Aidan O’Shea, and his continued chase of an All-Ireland medal, and whether Dublin players who won so much in such a short period of time have any more of themselves left to give to the cause.
“And that is the question we're asking,” Brennan replied. “I didn't listen to the piece with Mick. It's a fair comment as described there.
“If Mayo had snuck their two or three All-Irelands over the last couple of years, is Aidan O'Shea playing this year? Probably unlikely. But it's a fair question that our fellas will have to think about.”
The new manager's sideline ruthlessness was clear for all to see at Castlebar. The midfield pairing of Brian Howard and Ethan Dunne, along with half-forward Killian McGinnis, had all been whipped by the half-hour mark. Brennan confirmed that none of these early substitutions were injury-related.
“No injuries, we’re just being as fair and transparent with the players as possible. We’ve a panel of about 50, with guys coming back from Sigerson and Ballyboden, and we need to cut the panel down next weekend. I'm fairly black and white. I will show the lads what it is they need to improve on.
“In the engine room last week, probably bar Seán McMahon, the middle eight were very poor against Donegal in the first half. And we would have gone through those learnings with the players during the week. We were getting outdone again in the engine room, so we said we’d make changes a lot quicker.”
A third-minute Luke Breathnach goal, followed by a Cormac Costello ‘45, had handed the visitors an early 1-1 to 0-2 lead. The lead lasted to the 11th minute. They trailed thereafter.
Ahead by 0-10 to 1-5 at the break, the hosts didn’t so much drive on in the second period as the Dublin challenge died a self-inflicted death.
In the 10 minutes after half-time, the visitors kicked four wides, dropped two more short, Cormac Costello rattled the crossbar, and Seán McMahon saw straight red for an off-the-ball incident with Ryan O’Donoghue. Match officials informed the Dublin sideline that MacMahon was sent off for “striking”.
With Paddy Small’s 51st minute major cancelling out Darragh Beirne’s latest Sunday green flag, Mayo sealed their second league win with a four-in-a-row in the final quarter.
Diarmuid O’Connor came off the bench and threw over a beauty. Cian McHale came off the bench and converted a free. Aidan O’Shea came off the bench and assisted a Jack Carney minor.
“There was the good and the bad in it. We like to control the game when they're down to 14, but I don't think we played really particularly well in the second half,” said Andy Moran in a correct summation of what was real February 1 fare.
Early security for Mayo. Early worry for Dublin. Greater worry for the more senior crew within the Dublin set-up.
R O’Donoghue (0-5, 1tp, 1f); D Beirne (1-1); D McBrien (0-3, tp); S Callinan, F Boland (0-2 each); S Coen, J Carney, J Flynn, C McHale (0-1 free), D O’Connor (0-1 each).
C Costello (0-5, tp, 0-1 free, 0-1 ‘45); P Small (1-1); L Breathnach (1-0); K McGinnis, J Lundy, S Bugler (0-1 each).
R Hennelly; J Coyne, R Brickenden, E Hession; S Callinan, D McBrien, P Durcan; B Tuohy, J Flynn; S Coen, R O’Donoghue, J Carney; F Boland, J Carr, D Beirne.
A O’Shea for Durcan (44); D O’Connor for Carr (47); C McHale for Beirne (53); P Towey for Boland (62); D McHugh for Coen (64).
E Comerford; D Byrne, S MacMahon, C Tyrrell; N Doran, E Murchan, C O’Connor; E Dunne, B Howard; J Lundy, N Scully, K McGinnis; P Small, L Breathnach, C Costello.
C Kilkenny for Dunne (21); K Stephenson for McGinnis (24); S Bugler for Howard (30); L O’Dell for Lundy (51); G McEneaney for Breathnach (59); E Kennedy for Byrne (67, temp).
M McNally (Monaghan).
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