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Irish Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Stephen Rochford's influence was all over Mayo's strong display over Tyrone
With the admittedly pretty significant exception of the 2021 All-Ireland final, Mayo 's record against Tyrone hadn't been too bad going into the weekend's All-Ireland Group 1 fixture in Omagh. The counties were honours-even from the six matches played until Saturday. In the absence of Kevin McStay, happily recovering from a health scare, the reins were taken by his assistant, Stephen Rochford. Nine years ago, Rochford was manager when Mayo sprang a tactical coup on Tyrone, then Ulster champions. In his column for The Irish Times, now Donegal manager Jim McGuinness was impressed by how Mayo had shut down their opponents in the opening quarter before posing a conundrum by forcing them to choose between sweepers marking inside forwards where Aidan O'Shea was causing havoc and staying farther out to prevent the extra men being used as kickout options. READ MORE 'The fact that they had first pre-empted what Tyrone were going to do until the dust had settled and they had a good read on the game was also interesting,' he commented. There were similarities on Saturday in that Mayo contained the home team in the early stages before turning the screw as it became clear that they were bringing more energy to the encounter than Tyrone. As Malachy O'Rourke said of his team's disappointing display: 'They came and hit the ground running. 'We were hoping to do the same thing ... it was a flat performance. We didn't get to the pitch of the game at all. At half-time we were whatever, six or seven points [actually, eight] behind. It was always an uphill task.' Mayo manager Stephen Rochford and Tyrone manager Malachy O'Rourke after the game. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho The contest came within a week of superb result for Tyrone, the defeat of Ulster champions Donegal on their home patch in Ballybofey for the first time in McGuinness's management. That was never really an influence on expectations though, as Mayo's most recent match had ended in a catastrophic home defeat by Cavan, which still threatens their progress. For most, the halfhearted insistence that 'you never know with Mayo – when least expected, they can produce a result," sounded like whistling past the graveyard. Instead, the Connacht finalists rolled back the years and produced a major performance. Where did it come from? There were extraneous influences. O'Rourke referenced Kevin McStay's health issues but nothing that had happened looked likely to move the dial on two desperately disappointing if not demoralising performances, the Connacht final against Galway and the opening group fixture against Cavan. There was, however, a fortnight to reset and take the sting out of the setbacks. They had been focusing on Tyrone for the previous fortnight, since the Cavan defeat whereas their opponents had to focus on Donegal for half of that time. Pressure also eased with underdog status, as apart from the 'wouldn't be surprised' constituency, most people with a view on it, would definitely not have been expecting what happened. For a team in that situation, a good start – as mentioned by McGuinness in 2016 – is very important. It steadies the nerves and also sows seeds of doubt in the opposition. Mayo were lively and alert in defence, challenging the ball carrier and winning the vast preponderance of their 12 turnovers in that area. Tyrone's Rory Brennan and Conal Dawson of Mayo. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho David McBrien's patient tracking of Conn Kilpatrick and the deft tackle to dispossess him was an exemplar. Mayo still effectively had to win the match twice. Thanks to Darren McHale's fortuitous goal before half-time after Niall Morgan had spilled a dropping ball, they led by eight, 1-9 to 0-4. It was a curious mirror image of the previous week when Tyrone were clearly the better team but looked to have been caught by Donegal before they finished more strongly. Mayo looked better on Saturday but after Darragh Canavan had been allowed approach goal a little too closely and duly raised a green flag for Tyrone, Morgan's two-point free cut the margin to one. Like in Ballybofey a week earlier, momentum looked to have switched completely. Instead, the visitors looked like they had got their second wind and stretched the margin nearly all the way back again, to seven points by the end. As well as the constant energy that Mayo brought to the task, they were able to supplement it off the bench, most eye-catchingly in the case of Davitt Neary , who earned the penalty that killed the contest and looked at times to be existing in a different dimension to the Tyrone defence, so easily was he speeding through the tiring defence. Ryan O'Donoghue hadn't been having the best of matches, turning over ball and missing kicks but when the penalty was awarded – despite its awakening obvious memories of the 2021 All-Ireland final – O'Donoghue stepped forward, underlining the view of him that he has no memory. He simply moves from one task to another with no thought of what has gone before. His kick gave Morgan no chance. Mayo's Rory Brickenden and Mattie Donnelly of Tyrone. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho One oddity of the win is that some of Mayo's stats were those of a team that could have lost. Their conversion rate was poorer and players got blocked down when kicking, on seven occasions. It didn't happen even once to Tyrone. The big difference was that like Limerick hurlers most days they go out, Mayo amassed a big shots count. They had 35 against a very low 17 for the opposition – which meant they could comfortably carry a lower conversion rate. This was made possible by a very impressive attack-to-shot ratio, which touched 90 per cent, meaning that Mayo were getting shots away with nearly every sortie forward, something that Tyrone were unable to do. That's hard work. There were also old-fashioned, big performances from leadership figures such as Paddy Durcan on his return from a year's absence with a cruciate injury. Understandably rusty after such a lay-off, he was one of the players blocked but he compensated with 0-3 from play and was the GAA+ man of the match although Aidan O'Shea was surely in that conversation as well. Tirelessly available whether on the inside where nearly everything sent his way stuck or around the middle for kickouts or simply orchestrating the sustained possessions that are so much a part of the new rules, he was still going at the end – shooting one of the last points and hustling all around the Tyrone half. Seán Morahan and Conal Dawson made debuts, the latter shooting two points. The performance and especially the result must have created massive confidence in the camp, presumably undisturbed by the engaging reality that if they can't get something out of Donegal, the season is likely done. But for a fortnight, Mayo will be back to what they do best – living in hope.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Mayo prove they've still got it in win over subdued Tyrone
All-Ireland SFC: Tyrone 1-13 Mayo 2-17 Mayo gonna Mayo. The vibes were terrible, the manager was laid up, the noise off the pitch was turned up to 11. And so of course they came to Omagh and beat Tyrone up a stick. What else did you expect? They showed a side of themselves here that most of us, in our innocence, presumed was gone for the year. They were full of running and purpose, tackling like dervishes, emptying themselves in every position. Paddy Durcan made his first championship start in 14 months and went back down the road with three points and the Man of the Match award. Davitt Neary came off the bench to leave scorch marks in the grass. Aidan O'Shea was the fulcrum for everything. For Tyrone, this was largely a non-performance. Other than 20 minutes of resistance after half-time, they looked like a team that had left their gallop behind them in Ballybofey last week. They played against a strong breeze in the first half but that didn't look like reason enough for their troubles. It was more of a demeanour problem – too passive, too meh, too inclined to wait for the half-time turnaround. READ MORE By contrast, Mayo were snappier in the tackle and more forceful in their attempts to break up the field. The visitors didn't always look fluid in attack but this was the sort of night where sweat was worth more than swagger. Tyrone's Ciaran Daly and Mayo's Paddy Durcan. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho They carried the ball with purpose and even tried a few kick passes into the full-forward line, in a notable departure from what they've been doing all year. They won breaking ball and frequently burst through the first line of Tyrone's defence, butchering two goal chances before finally cashing in on the stroke of half-time. That goal from Darren McHale was a lotto win. Mayo had the ball with two minutes to go until the hooter and played it around among themselves – another sign of Tyrone's curious lack of bite. When, in the end, Bob Tuohy tried to kick a point to end the half, it dropped well short and Niall Morgan came to claim. Maybe the sun got in his eyes but even so, it was quite a howler from the Tyrone stopper – McHale will never score a handier one. It left them eight points up at the break, 1-9 to 0-4. Even though the goal was jammier than a lock-in at a Chivers factory, it gave Mayo a cushion they probably just about deserved. They had been braver and more cohesive than the home side and got their reward in spurts. Rory Brickenden scored the first two points of his championship career, Conal Dawson curled a beauty in on the wind. Everybody threw into the kitty. All of it was needed to. Mayo had plenty of the ball at the start of the second half but couldn't convert it to scores. They left 1-4 behind them in the first seven minutes, with Ryan O'Donoghue hitting the post after a deflection off Conn Kilpatrick. When O'Donoghue missed a kickable free on 43 minutes, it looked a crucial error. Mayo's Ryan O'Donoghue scores a penalty. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho All the more so when Darragh Canavan had the ball in the net a minute later. Durcan made his only mistake of the night, backing off the Tyrone magician and basically inviting him to have a go if he thought he was good enough. He did and he was. That made it 1-9 to 1-6, with all but three points of Mayo's half-time advantage wiped out. They sucked it up and went again. O'Donoghue pointed a free, Drucan notched another from play. Even when Niall Morgan landed his second two-point free of the night to bring the gap back to one, Mayo didn't quail. Durcan and O'Donoghue went again and by now Neary was off the bench and causing wreck. When he was fouled by Liam Gray for a penalty seven minutes from time, O'Donoghue stepped up and did the needful. So after everything, Mayo went back down the road with their best championship win since beating Galway in 2023. You couldn't be up to them. TYRONE: N Morgan (0-2-0, 2tpf); C Quinn, P Teague, N Devlin; M McKernan (0-0-1), R Brennan, K McGeary (0-0-1); B McDonnell (0-0-2), C Kilpatrick; S O'Donnell, M Donnelly, C Daly; D McCurry (0-0-2, 1f), M Bradley, D Canavan (1-0-3, 2f). Subs: S O'Hare for Brennan, L Gray for O'Donnell (both ht); P Harte for Bradley, R Canavan for Daly (both 47 mins); A Donaghy for McDonnell (62). MAYO: C Reape (0-0-1, 1 '45); J Coyne (0-0-1), S Morahan, R Brickenden (0-0-2); S Coen, D McBrien, E Hession; P Durcan (0-0-3), M Ruane; C Dawson (0-0-2), D McHale (1-0-0), B Tuohy; J Carney (0-0-1), A O'Shea (0-0-1), R O'Donoghue (1-0-6, 1-0 pen, 5f). Subs: D Neary for McHale, J Flynn for Tuohy (both 52 mins); F Kelly for Dawson (55); F Boland for Ruane (64); S Callinan for Durcan (68). Referee: D Coldrick (Meath).
Irish Times
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Mayo manager admits his team came up against ‘really energetic' Cavan side
There aren't many Cavan fans around who were there the last time the Breffnimen defeated Mayo in the championship 77 years ago but the ones who did make the trip west, with apologies to Prince, partied like it was 1949 as Mayo walked into a blue and white haymaker. Cavan were eight points up entering injury time, and while Aidan O'Shea's tremendous goal in junk time helped take the bad look off it for the home side, that's what this was – bad. Manager Kevin McStay didn't try to dress it up as anything else either, admitting that his side were fortunate to be within three at Paul Faloon's long whistle. 'No points now, the challenge becomes a bit more steep,' said McStay. 'The game against Tyrone was always going to be a big game but it's got a bit of edge to it now, obviously. Planning for home points, didn't work out. 'Just came up against a Cavan team that were really energetic, got stuck into the game. Like we've no complaint whatsoever. The three points maybe flattered us.' READ MORE Asked for positives, McStay took on the air of a forensic investigator at a particularly ugly crime scene. 'From our perspective we kept at it. Aidan got the last-minute goal. If there had been another minute or two who knows what would have happened. The teams were fairly out on their feet at that stage. Their job is going to be all the more acute now because we have to rise it to get ready for Tyrone. It's all going to be a tricky fixture.' Opposite number Raymond Galligan, meanwhile, stressed that he and his players kept the faith after a heavy defeat by Tyrone threatened to derail what was a solid spring's work in Division 2. 'We knew after the Tyrone game that we really didn't perform,' said the 2020 Ulster-winning captain. Mayo manager Kevin McStay and Raymond Galligan, the Cavan manager. Photograph: James Lawlor/Inpho G 'Between missing key players, weather conditions, ah look, there were a number of different reasons. But we knew that we were no bad team, we were a kick of a ball from Division 1. 'There was enough evidence there over the last three months that we could really compete, and so we put a massive emphasis on our athleticism and our fitness over the last five weeks because we knew we had to match them. 'We watched them and the one thing that stood out was that they had huge athleticism so we had to match that, and then we had to bring another layer of aggression, physicality and willingness to work, because that has to be the foundation of our team. To a man they showed that in spades.' Cavan will host Donegal – whose manager Jim McGuinness was an interested spectator at a sun-drenched MacHale Park – on the June bank holiday weekend buoyed by the win and their minors' progression to a first Ulster final in eight years. For McStay there are more questions than answers. 'There was two weeks in between (this game and the Connacht final loss to Galway). I don't really want to look back. We just weren't at the pitch of it today. We really have to get ourselves together for this challenge against Tyrone. We have a fortnight to do it. It's not a simple process. 'Morale swings up and down and that's the nature of sport. But our job is to get after them now and bring the troops together. The game is behind us now no matter what way we look at it.'
Irish Times
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Cavan stun Mayo to get off to winning start in Castlebar
All-Ireland SFC: Mayo 1-14 Cavan 1-17 With just over 10 minutes to go at MacHale Park, a long ball was aimed in the direction of Aidan O'Shea. His marker, Killian Brady, rose highest to break it and when the ball bounced, three Cavanmen descended on it. That was the story of this All-Ireland SFC clash as Cavan out-hustled a Mayo side who came in as 1/6 favourites – and, if anything, the final scoreline flattered the hosts, for whom O'Shea hit the net in the last play of the game. Cavan started well against a home side who looked, even at that stage, out of sorts, but the Breffnimen were dealt two hammer blows in the first half as young attackers Barry Donnelly and Sean McEvoy were forced off injured. That, and five wides, proved costly for the visitors, who grew a bit ragged in the second quarter and found themselves 0-7 to 0-4 in arrears at the break, having been level at 0-4 apiece. READ MORE Cavan, so passive against Tyrone, had a lot more zip in the early going in Castlebar and looked to create one-on-ones with hard running. The impressive Cormac O'Reilly opened the scoring with a fisted point and Ciaran Brady doubled the lead on four minutes with a trademark effort but Cavan needed to trouble the scoreboard more during their early period of dominance and three wides didn't help. After a five-minute delay while Donnelly was treated, Mayo opened their account with a Ryan O'Donoghue free on 18 minutes. Seconds later, Dara McVeety made it 0-3 to 0-1 but Mayo would score six of the remaining seven points to the interval. A two-point free from O'Donoghue after a Cavan breach tied the game. Mayo spurned a good goal chance, Cian Reilly denying Darren McHale as the hosts ominously grew into the game and Cavan began to miss tackles. O'Reilly added his second after a good handpassing move but, although they lost Davitt Neary to a black card, Mayo pushed on. Stephen Coen kicked two points, one from two-point range but which was touched over by Liam Brady, and Mattie Ruane another as Mayo went in three up and looking good. But it all changed after the break. Two minutes in, Cian Madden found Gerry Smith, who sent a rocket to the roof of the Mayo net and when O'Reilly and Padraig Faulkner both fired over, Cavan were two ahead with four minutes played in the second half. Mayo pulled back two but were running on fumes as Cavan outworked the hosts. Two points from Madden and one for Oisin Kiernan kept the scoreboard ticking over for the Breffnimen, with the elusive Coen – who had a career day with 0-5 from play – keeping Mayo in contention. Cavan kicked on again with two massive scores in the 53rd minute, O'Reilly swinging over from the right wing and Kiernan landing a two-pointer from downtown. With normal time up, Ray Galligan's side were, implausibly, eight to the good following a succession of breakaway points, including a belter from the returning Paddy Lynch. O'Shea fielded well and goaled on 74 minutes but by then, it mattered little. MAYO: C Reape, J Coyne, D McHugh, D Thornton (0-0-1), S Callinan, D McBrien, E Hession, S Coen (0-0-4), M Ruane (0-0-2), D Neary, J Carney, J Flynn, A O'Shea (1-0-0), D McHale (0-0-1), R O'Donoghue (0-1-3, 1tpf, 3f). Subs: F Kelly for Carney (55 mins), P Towey for Neary (58), P Durcan for Hession (59), F Boland (0-0-1) for Flynn (68), F Irwin for McHale (70). CAVAN: L Brady, Cian Reilly (0-0-1), B O'Connell (0-0-1), N Carolan, K Brady, C Brady (0-0-1), P Faulkner (0-0-1), B Donnelly, E Crowe, G Smith (1-0-0), D McVeety (0-0-2), O Kiernan (0-1-1), Cormac O'Reilly (0-0-4), R Donohoe, S McEvoy. Subs: C Madden (0-0-3, 1f) for Donnelly (14 mins, inj), O Brady for McEvoy (temp, 24), P Lynch (0-0-1) for Donohoe (55), L Fortune for Brady (68), R O'Neill for O'Reilly (68), L Molloy for Crowe (70). Ref: P Faloon (Down).
RTÉ News
18-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Cavan produce superb display to defeat flat Mayo
Mayo's All-Ireland Football Championship hopes are already under threat after Cavan came away with a 1-17 to 1-14 victory in MacHale Park this afternoon. The Connacht Championship runners-up were more soundly beaten than the scoreline suggests as a goal by Aidan O'Shea offered some consolation in the last action of the match. Mayo had led by 0-06 to 0-04 after a low-scoring first half. But a goal from Gerard Smith was followed by some superb shooting by the visitors as they raced away to victory. Kevin McStay's side must now beat either Tyrone or Donegal to have a chance of staying in the competition, with the former up next for them.
