Mayo v Cork - NFL Div 1 Final - Croke Park - 25/04/2010

Can Mayo repeat their performance in the last game? While I think that Cork have their eye on a bigger prize I think that the chance of a national title will be attractive enough for them to lift their performance. Cork by 4/5 points.

I feel if Cork really want to win it they will. If they beat Mayo it would have been a Dub-Cork final. Perhaps they wanted Mayo again .... Would also call it Cork by 4/5.

Varley and Higgins will be returning for Mayo, along with Kilcoyne. Mayo will want to win this one to set a strong marker down for the Championship. Regardless of whether they win or not, it's good for them to get a run out in Croke Park before the Summer. I'll be heading up there myself, and hopefully they'll do the job.

Hopefully one of the two teams will be able to win a final in Croke park at long last......

Cork obviously let Mayo win the last day.

Said as much myself but the Mayos were in denial about it.

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:Cork obviously let Mayo win the last day.

Said as much myself but the Mayos were in denial about it.

Agree. Nothing like making a team think that they are better. Then going in for the kill when it really matters.

I also voiced this opinion and the 13 point swing tells its own tale - if it was horse racing there would be a Turf Club inquiry. A pity really - Cork didn't bother in the Div 1 league game knowing they would avoid the Dubs in the final. The result is we had a one-sided game, a paltry crowd and the finish of the second biggest football competition was a damp squib - costing the GAA money.

Hopefully we will get to play them at some point in the C'ship.

Jayo Cluxton wrote:I also voiced this opinion and the 13 point swing tells its own tale - if it was horse racing there would be a Turf Club inquiry. A pity really - Cork didn't bother in the Div 1 league game knowing they would avoid the Dubs in the final. The result is we had a one-sided game, a paltry crowd and the finish of the second biggest football competition was a damp squib - costing the GAA money.

Hopefully we will get to play them at some point in the C'ship.

Jc would you really want to win the league-Dublin are in a good place at the moment -as for Cork we have nothing to fear from them.....

Can we have some feedback from our Mayo posters as to what they think went wrong yesterday?

Well to be honest its not too easy to pin-point where it went wrong as we were beaten quite comprehensively in so much areas of the field! But as a starting point one just has to look at the forward line - not one leader amongst them,no player able to win his own ball,turn and put it over the bar.Conor Mortimer was Mayo's only half decent forward yesterday that Cork might have been a bit wary of and he was simply doing what any proper forward is expected to do.Where were the rest of the forwards?Aidan O'Shea won a lot of ball but ran into a cul-de-sac every time?The two wing forwards Moran and Mortimer were not at the races at all and even on a good day are not scoring forwards.
The midfield were well beaten with Parsons failing to feature at all during the game.Seamus O'Shea tried hard and scored two points but isnt the commanding midfield presence.
And as for our defence!The Cork forwards were playing hell with them bar maybe Chris Barrett (who kept Kerrigan scoreless) and Kevin McLoughlin.Every time the ball was played in you could sense danger.
As for David Clarke who kicked three or four kickouts straight over the sideline or into a Cork players hands what can you say?

Cork in their own right done just about what was needed and I felt that they always had a higher gear!They played an excellent brand of football varying from a short-passing to direct game and that exposed the Mayo backline.Certainly when Nicholas Murphy,Colm O'Neill,Pearse O'Neill,Graham Canty,Anthony Lynch and John Miskella return to the team they will be hard beaten.
As for Mayo,we'll still be knocking about at the quarter final stage (regardless of whether we deserve to be there or not) and if O'Mahony can instill a style of football into their play who knows what might happen on any given day.

Good summary Adam and can't disagree with it. Mc Loughlin was excellent when raiding and set up 2/3 points. Lack of movement and cohesion in the forwards was awful. Some old failings came back too - wrong shot options or afraid to shoot when in a shooting position. Parsons continues to disappoint considering the promise he showed a couple of seasons back.

I expect more from them in the C'ship but a lot of the confidence built up by a good league campaign was eroded yesterday - not what Mayo or their fans needed.

Exactly..the movement in the forward line was not up to the standard of a team with serious expectations for the year.The type of runs and co-operation that you would find in the likes of the Kerry of Tyrone froward line just isn't there!
Yes there are quite a number of failings which sping to mind - lack of a 45 kicker being one.I know Kilkoyne can kick them so when he is fully fit it will be a boost but surely we could have made a better fist at the first 45 we got whern we were still in the game?
I still feel Parsons has more to offer..he just seemed dis-interested yesterday (quite prone to that) but on his day he can mix it with the best.Hopefully that day can come soon enough though.

AdamG wrote:I still feel Parsons has more to offer..he just seemed dis-interested yesterday (quite prone to that) but on his day he can mix it with the best.Hopefully that day can come soon enough though.

But this is exactly the thing that drives you mad about players like Parsons. I agree totally - he didn't look interested - and if you can't be interested in a National final then ...

I know what you are saying about 'on his day' but its no good him having a stormer in the Qfs for example and disappearing in the semis. Needs to get his head right it seems to me!

Parsons is not good enough to play midfield...Half forward at most..

Adam, I think you are reading too much into it. I thought it was fairly clear what went wrong for Mayo - they were knocked about like children by a much bigger, stronger side. Mayo don't look to me like a side with much scope for improvement in the summer.

Down experienced exactly the same situation against Armagh, and I can't see either Down or Mayo featuring in the latter stages of the championship.

Mayo are shocking altogether. Cork are a pretty ordinary team and played with them. Also the support for this game from both sets of fans was shocking. Say what ye will about Kerry fans but we turn up for our finals.

Esther, Swinny, Mayo Mick - your silence on Sunday is deafening. Can we have your views on what went wrong ...

still sick jayo, after that performance, as they say i'm considering my position

mayo.mick wrote:still sick jayo, after that performance, as they say i'm considering my position

I know that pain Mick! And I know it went wrong all over the pitch but I was curious as to where the fingers were pointing - at management, tactics, certain players etc.

Don't know what went wrong, a combination of things, no leadership on the field, (and on the sideline) trying to walk the ball into the net, not taking their points when they were on, poor passing, goalkeeper either kicking the ball out over the sideline or straight into a cork player, the list go'es on and on and on. This team is better than this, i don't think i'll give up on them just yet' move on to the c/ship.

Lads what is all this "what went wrong" stuff about? Cork are at least 8 points the better team. Plain and simple Mayo are nowhere near as good as them. Thats why they were hammered. Cork have far better players and won their individual battles. (as most people expected them to). No real analysis needed.