Mayo V Tyrone: All-Ireland Semi-Final 25/08/2013.

Comfortable win for Mayo. The stars are aligning for them this year.

Noted the Donal Vaughan incident Omar is referring to and also remarked on 1) the lack of yellow card, 2) no comment from commentators. Also if we're being fair, Aidan O'Shea's "Rivaldo" moment is worthy of more comment.

I thought Mayo got a lot of favourable calls. A pair of points at the start were very soft frees, the double-hop from Seamie O'Shea led to a point, the penalty - well I didn't think it was a foul, let alone inside/outside, and Sean Cavanagh's perfectly executed tackle was ruled a foul.

Lots of mistakes and lots of inconsistencies - the referee was intent on yellow carding arm-around-the-neck tackles
early on but was more lenient as the game went on.

All decisions aside, Mayo were the better team. They got big performances from a lot of their lesser lights if you could call them that - Barrett, O'Shea, Freeman. The likes of Cafferky, McLoughlin and Moran weren't at their best. They look a formidable outfit but one more big games needed - on the biggest stage of all.

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:Noted the Donal Vaughan incident Omar is referring to and also remarked on 1) the lack of yellow card, 2) no comment from commentators. Also if we're being fair, Aidan O'Shea's "Rivaldo" moment is worthy of more comment.

I thought Mayo got a lot of favourable calls. A pair of points at the start were very soft frees, the double-hop from Seamie O'Shea led to a point, the penalty - well I didn't think it was a foul, let alone inside/outside, and Sean Cavanagh's perfectly executed tackle was ruled a foul.

Lots of mistakes and lots of inconsistencies - the referee was intent on yellow carding arm-around-the-neck tackles
early on but was more lenient as the game went on.

All decisions aside, Mayo were the better team. They got big performances from a lot of their lesser lights if you could call them that - Barrett, O'Shea, Freeman. The likes of Cafferky, McLoughlin and Moran weren't at their best. They look a formidable outfit but one more big games needed - on the biggest stage of all.

One thing i took from mayo's performance today was they haven't got the balls to win an all-ireland,they had a chance today to lay down a marker and failed miserebly

OMAR wrote:dimmer view was to be taken of cynical fouls if commited by Tyrone.

I think its called reaping what you sow. Mayo the far better side and deserving winnets.

Tyrone were there today because they got away with things before that they didn't get away with today. Now come on Kerry!

KerryKatriona wrote:

OMAR wrote:dimmer view was to be taken of cynical fouls if commited by Tyrone.

I think its called reaping what you sow. Mayo the far better side and deserving winnets.

Tyrone were there today because they got away with things before that they didn't get away with today.  Now come on Kerry!

hardly worth the fair hilda,stan would spend it better staying at home and watching it on the box,heard killian is out sorry to hear that

Mayo were the better side on the day, and deserved their win. They are ahead of Tyrone in terms of development, particularly physically, and Tyrone faded as the hard hits began to take their toll.

In saying that, this was a game that Tyrone will look back on ruefully, as everything that could go wrong seemed to go wrong. From inuires, to decisions, to off-days from some of our bigger names. If you had written a list of things that you wouldn't want to see happen as a Tyrone fan, most items would have been ticked off it by the end.

I'm not a fan of blaming referees, but everyone seems in agreement that Maurice Deegan had a very poor day at the office. Mayo were gifted a very handy (i.e. incorrect) 1-3, and Tyrone players seemed to be more harshly punished for comparable indiscretions. Deegan missed not one but two double-bounce fouls from Mayo, the lesser commented upon mistake occuring when Colm Boyle double-hopped on 33:35. The 'disallowed goal' is a bit of a red herring, as Joe McMahon made no attempt to tackle or block Freeman, presumably because he had heard the whistle. The footblock was yet another 'seen them given' call that went to Mayo. I'll dwell for a moment on the penatly, as this was the real turning point. Moments like these can have a much greater impact on a game than merely the 3 points on the scoreboard - they give a massive boost to the scorers, and can bring about a huge shift in momentum, and Mayo have always been far better front runners than battlers (e.g. Alan Dillon).

Despite all this, I still think that Mayo would have won, as Tyrone were delving too deep into their well of resources. If you look at the side that Mickey selected to face Donegal in the championship opener, we had already lost starters Niall Morgan, Justin McMahon and Martin Penrose, as well as Paddy McNeice who was the first sub to appear. So, 4 of our first choice 16 already out, and that was compunded by the injuries to Harte, O'Neill and Joe McMahon. By the second half, Tyrone were without 7 of the first 16 players used against Donegal, and we don't have the reserves to weather that type of storm against as good a side as Mayo. To be fair, I don't think any county does. Of all the losses, I think that Peter Harte's was the worst. His pace and energy would have been ideally suited to a game like this, and Dermy Carlin was far too far off the pace when he replaced him. I felt that the challenge that took Harte out was dangerous and should have been a freekick. Cunniffe was certainly not, as Martin Carney felt, 'bravely going for the ball', unless the ball had a shock of red hair.

I opined before the game that Tyrone would be faster than Mayo and, in the first half, this was the case. We put huge pressure on them, and broke with real pace. Having dominated the first 30 minutes, it was very disappointing to go in just a point to the good at half time. If we had led by 4-5 points, Mayo's early blitz in the 2nd period would not have been so decisive, and we may have been able to hang in there for longer.

Mayo, however, took over as Tyrone faded, and outscored us 1-12 to 0-3 between the 31st and 61st minutes. They were completely on top then, and had the game won from a long time out. For all the talk about their star forwards this year, they are still 'Mayo forwards'. Great when under no pressure, but liable to revert to type when the going gets tough. I've liked Alan Freeman all year, but he needs more around him. On the contrary, their half backs are excellent, and Boyle, Keegan and the sweeper Barrett were their real heroes on the day. They are powerful, fast and skillful, and they completely dominated the Donnellys.

Mayo will need to be better in the final, and will need much more out of their attackers. Michael Conroy will come in for Cillian O'Connor, but Cathal Carolan should also play in place of Andy Moran. They will also need to be more mentally tuned in from the start, as Dublin or Kerry would have punished them more heavily than Tyrone did in that first half.

As for Tyrone, I'm not too disappointed, as our league/championship both went better than I had hoped back in January. A lot of our newer players showed well yesterday, and the likes of McGinley, McKenna and McAliskey all have the frames on which to add considerable muscle over the winter. McAliskey showed yesterday what I've said all year - Mickey has been wrong not to play him. He can win ball, can score, and likes the big occasion. Kyle Coney also showed that he has more to give, and Ronan McNabb, Darren McCurry and Ronan O'Neill showed flashes. Cathal McCarron has improved immensely this year, while Mattie Donnelly will have better days.

Finally, I was pleased to see how gutted the Tyrone players were at the finish - they were devastated. They believed they would be in the final today, and I hope that such hurt inspires them over the coming months.

All that needed saying has been said, here and elsewhere. Mayo are in the final and deservedly so.
Tyrone, after the initial reversal in Ballybofey, have had a good season. League finalists and last 4 placing.

This however, masks the real problems that I associate with this current crop of Tyrone footballers. Their outstanding performers of the summer have been the veterans Gormley and Cavanagh (hardly qualifies but).
Call me old-fashioned but their game-style is not only unattractive to the eye but unsuited to their abilities.
They are a containing, defensive 15, ponderous in the build-up and lacking in cutting edge inside men.

Granted, O'Neill has had a lot of injury doubts, but his overall contribution over the summer has been below his own lofty standards. Penrose I've never fancied, the Donnellys ran out of juice yesterday, McCurry is quick and reasonably accurate, but not capable of battling through/by the modern corner back. Coney, if fully fit and able to apply himself has potential but they will need to amend the game plan to revert to the more traditional style that now applies.

Mickey Harte will IMO have to adapt to the flavour of the moment and adopt a quicker and more flowing style.
A playmaker, a'la Brian McGuigan, is once more required, to be augmented by stronger and better quality finishers in the inside trio, the likes of Mulligan for example. (Canavans don't grow on trees, even in Tyrone).
McCarron and McGinley performed well yesterday in the face of a maelstrom, Clarke has the physical attributes for a top quality midfielder and would be a great foil for Cavanagh. Colm C has a future at wing forward, Cassidy has enough years to stake a permanent place and Morgan will return to the goals. On the issue of goalkeeper, McConnell had a poor day in fairness. Contrast it with Hennelly in the Mayo goal. He's
3rd choice, yet he's out at the 14/21 roaring encouragement, capable in his duties and strokes over a long ranger with the aplomb of a Maurice Fitz....

Tyrone need to reevaluate the situation, style and results garnered therefrom. Mayo were fitter, stronger, quicker, more organised and more clinical. The clinical bit comes of course from getting a stranglehold, which they did.
Have I omitted Conor Gormley? We may not have seen the last of him yet...... 

I disagree with Boxty - Tyrone's curve is upward.

Don't agree that they need to change their "style" as Paul Earley suggested in the media today. In fact, "styles" and "systems" are over-rated. The basics of the game haven't changed.

The first 20 minutes of Sunday's game must have made great viewing for a Tyrone supporter - it did for me anyway. Again no need to talk about "style" but the attitude and the courage on display was like the Tyrone All-Ireland winning sides.

Tyrone have the pick of the youngsters in the country - All-Ireland minor champions in 2008 and 2010 (haven't followed up on that at u21 though which is a worry) and are in another minor semi-final next weekend.

So resources are there - it's about getting the right players with the right attitude. Plus the ones that are there - McCurry, Clarke, McAliskey are serious players. They are all one performance away from the top table of footballers - the public are naïve enough when it comes to rating players I think. Dosen't take a lot to rise up into AllStar material when you're with a big team.

Also Boxty - I haven't been impressed with Gormely this year - he's cute. But he's not quick and has misread a few plays this year. Freeman gave him a roasting too. Being honest, if Tyrone were in the final, I'd be questioning his place in the team. Colm Cavanagh on the other hand - rose up out of the ashes (Tyrone MOTM). Think the omission of Cassidy was justified in the end.

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:I disagree with Boxty - Tyrone's curve is upward.

The first 20 minutes of Sunday's game must have made great viewing for a Tyrone supporter - it did for me anyway. Again no need to talk about "style" but the attitude and the courage on display was like the Tyrone All-Ireland winning sides.

I'd agree with these comments, and a few others you made.

Mickey Harte is well down the line of building a new team, while simultaneously avoiding the drop to mediocrity that often accompanies such down periods. Sean Boylan's building of 2 completely different AI sides, while always remaining in the top half dozen in the country, must be the model that we aspire towards. I think that Tyrone hit their low point in 2011, and have slowly started to climb since then.

I know that we have to replace a few older lads, but when you look at it the likes of SON was there in name only this summer, while Penrose, Carlin & Pascal McConnell have all been in and out of the side this year. Of the others, Joe McMahon is 30 and probably has a year or 2 left if he can get fully fit, while Sean Cavanagh (assuming he doesn't retire) is the same age. Admittedly, Conor Gormley is unlikely to get back into such good shape again.

If you look at the team that played on Sunday, Kyle Coney, Peter Harte, Ronan McNabb and Mattie Donnelly are 23, Connor McAliskey and Ryan McKenna are 22, while Conor Clarke, Ronan O'Neill and Darren McCurry are 21. Niall Morgan, who would have started on Sunday, is 22. You would expect that all of those lads still have plenty of scope for improvement. In addition, Colm Cavanagh, Aidan Cassidy, Cathal McCarron and Ciaran McGinley are all no older than 26.

I appreciate what Boxty is saying about replacing McMahon, Gormley and Cavanagh, but that will gradually happen. I'm not expecting to find a new Sean Cavanagh overnight, but we can still have a good side without having that type of superstar. I don't think anyone in Tyrone is expecting another burst of 3 AI in a 6 year period, as that was just a once in a century influx of talent, but we can certainly continue to get better and challenge for silverwear over the next couple of years. Our new Centre of Excellence will help, and I'll post about it separately...

colm cavanagh really game alive sunday never seen that coming

bronco wrote:colm cavanagh really game alive sunday never seen that coming

Colm is much maligned, often by his own supporters, but he is a fit, game lad with reasonable feet and a little bit of pace. He'll never be a star, but he isn't as bad as some make him out to be.

He is really a wing forward, and doesn't quite have the powerful frame that you need for midfield. I was very pleased that he put in a big game, and he can be proud of his personal display.

Thomas Clarke wrote:

bronco wrote:colm cavanagh really game alive sunday never seen that coming

Colm is much maligned, often by his own supporters, but he is a fit, game lad with reasonable feet and a little bit of pace.  He'll never be a star, but he isn't as bad as some make him out to be.  

He is really a wing forward, and doesn't quite have the powerful frame that you need for midfield.  I was very pleased that he put in a big game, and he can be proud of his personal display.

if dublin beat kerry sunday,im sure gavin will watch the way c cavanagh opened up the mayo defence when he ran at them,showed up a big weakness

Hello everyone. Good to see you are all behaving.