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Irish Times
a day 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 Examiner
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Despite distractions and defeats, Mayo do what Mayo do
All-Ireland SFC: Mayo: 2-0-17 (23) Tyrone: 1-2-9 (16) How did this happen? To explain this shock result, you first need to consider the current landscape of Gaelic football contenders. Then remember: this is Mayo. Over the past few weeks, we've been served periodic reminders that the margin between the Sam Maguire chasing pack is minimal. There are a whole host of quality sides and they all have obvious flaws. Mayo have bared them all in recent weeks. On the pitch, they suffered devastating losses against rivals Galway in the Connacht final and Cavan in their opening group stages game. Off it, their manager stepped back to deal with personal health issues, their county board hosted an explosive meeting and their support was dwindling. They were against an outfit that downed Ulster champions Donegal at home and buoyed by another U20 title midweek. So Mayo came to Omagh and mauled them. 1-9 to 0-4 up at half-time, the home side closed the gap to one midway through the second half yet Mayo surged again. 'You saw Tyrone last week, they went to Ballybofey,' said Stephen Rochford post-match. 'Who wins in Ballybofey in championship games? Not too many I can remember anyway. They responded. We knew it was going to be tight going down the final quarter. The energy that came off the bench, the support play they gave each other was really commendable. But there is always a but. There is always a but. We must do it again in two weeks.' Mayo's first green flag was fortunate. They worked the clock just before half-time and eventually freed up Bob Tuohy for a shot. He dropped it short, Niall Morgan failed to deal with it and Darren McHale took advantage. Even still, they were full value for the lead. Paddy Durcan was immense, finishing with three points and the Man of the Match award. Jack Carney moved to the inside line and found some form. Conall Dawson came into the half-forward line and brought unsurpassed energy. David McBrien was a rock in the middle. What happened to Tyrone? They scored just 1-6 from play. Their kick-out was destroyed, winning three of 11 long. The final shot tally was 29 to 17. 'It is hard to know,' said a frustrated Malachy O'Rourke. 'Sometimes when you get a bad performance, the next one there is a lot of soul searching in between and boys come back with a point to prove. Having said that, we were just looking for consistency. We got a good performance last week. 'We knew you had to go out and earn the next day. We just didn't do that. Overall we were disappointed with our play. Many aspects, we were flat and hadn't the energy we had last week. We thought we fought our way back into it. We thought we may be able to forge ahead. It wasn't to be.' Consistency. That preciously-sought commodity. As Stephen Coen said afterwards, if every team wants to be consistent, everyone has to be inconsistent. To their credit, Tyrone did respond after the turnaround. They hit 1-2 without reply, including a sweet Darragh Canavan goal. A Morgan two-point free cut Mayo's lead to a point. Davitt Neary came off the bench and hit back. He stole short kickouts, he won frees, he took off and was felled by Liam Gray for a Ryan O'Donoghue penalty. He missed a huge kick against the same opposition in the 2021 All-Ireland final. This time, he slotted it. They still need a result in the final round, but the benefit is profound. A host of young prospects showed what they are about. After a momentous low, they lifted it. 'Why was it different? We just did not perform against Cavan,' said Rochford. 'Our opening 12 minutes was just lacklustre. We tried to do a lot of things well, when you are just a bit off and a team come against you, you look really mediocre. 'I think we are better than a mediocre team. But you just can't be at that. There is no way of getting into the psychology of it. We just backed each other up today. We supported each other. 'We got scores and also left scores behind. That was not anywhere near a complete performance. We will go after that because we know we need to be better when we got to play Donegal.' Scorers for Tyrone: D. Canavan 1-3 (2 frees); N. Morgan 0-4 (2 tpf); D. McCurry 0-2 (1 free); M. Donnelly, B. McDonnell, M. McKernan, K. McGeary 0-1 each. Scorers for Mayo: R. O'Donoghue 1-6 (1-0 pen, 0-5 frees); D. McHale 1-0; P. Durcan 0-3; R. Brickenden, C. Dawson 0-2 each; A. O'Shea, C. Reape (45) J. Carney, J. Coyne 0-1 each. Tyrone: N. Morgan; C. Quinn, P. Teague, N. Devlin; M. McKernan, R. Brennan, K. McGeary; B. McDonnell, C. Kilpatrick; S. O'Donnell, M. Donnelly, C. Daly; D. McCurry, M. Bradley, D. Canavan. Subs: S. O'Hare for O'Donnell, L. Gray for Brennan (both half-time); P. Harte for Bradley, R. Canavan for Daly (both 47); A. Donaghy for McDonnell (61). Mayo: C. Reape; J. Coyne, S. Morahan, E. Hession; R. Brickenden, S. Coen, P. Durcan; D. McBrien, M. Ruane; C. Dawson, D. McHale, B. Tuohy; J. Carney, A. O'Shea, R. O'Donoghue. Subs: D. Neary for McHale, J. Flynn for Tuohy (both 52); F. Kelly for Dawson (55); F. Boland for Ruane (64), S. Callinan for Durcan (67). Referee: D. Coldrick (Meath).
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
'No excuses' for Tyrone in Mayo loss - O'Rourke
Tyrone manager Malachy O'Rourke felt his side did not "get to the pitch of the game" in their 2-17 to 1-13 defeat by into the All-Ireland round-robin contest off an impressive win over Ulster champions Donegal seven days prior, the Red Hands found themselves 1-9 to 0-4 down at they would cut the deficit to a point in the second half, Mayo, under the charge of Stephen Rochford after Kevin McStay stepped away for health reasons, pulled away to bounce back from their opening-round loss to Cavan."We'd a great win last week and we came here knowing, after the disappointment of the Cavan game, Mayo would be coming here with real hunger," said O'Rourke."We knew we'd have to meet that head on and I suppose that's the most disappointing thing, we felt in the first half we didn't get to the pitch of the game. "We were a bit flat and left ourselves with a lot to do. In fairness to the boys, we dug in well, we got it back to a point but we made too many mistakes, we weren't playing well enough and Mayo deserved the victory. We've no excuses."While Tyrone were in action on consecutive weekends, Mayo had a week's break from their last outing, although O'Rourke did not feel that was the telling reason for his side's flat performance."There's no doubt that the week turnaround is very small and it could have some effect, but we're not using that as an excuse either," he added."We knew what the story was, we knew exactly what Mayo would bring and we were hoping we'd be able to meet that and get another really good performance."For all of us in the changing room, we didn't get to the level that we need to get to and the level we expect of ourselves."Tyrone will conclude their round-robin action against Cavan at a neutral venue during the weekend of 14/15 June.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘He'll be so proud' – Stephen Rochford gives update on Kevin McStay with touching tribute after Mayo win over Tyrone
INTERIM chief Stephen Rochford dedicated Mayo's shock win over Tyrone to boss Kevin McStay after the Westerners stormed back into the Championship. Advertisement 2 Mayo beat Tyrone in the All-Ireland SFC Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile 2 Stephen Rochford dedicated the win to Kevin McStay Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile But his assistant Rochford, who Donegal when All-Ireland quarter-final places will be on the line. Rochford beamed: ''Kevin will be so proud sitting on his sofa watching this. 'We hope we will have him back on the sideline for the next game in two weeks' time.' Mayo were slated after slumping to a home defeat against Cavan but responded brilliantly by doing to Tyrone what the Breffni had done to them in Castlebar two weeks ago. Advertisement Read More on GAA Having led by eight points at half-time — 1-9 to 0-4 — thanks to a Darren McHale goal after the half-time hooter had sounded, Tyrone clawed their way back to within a point. Darragh Canavan's superb goal had the home fans on their feet as Tyrone got back to within a point — 1-11 to 1-10 — with over 20 minutes to play. But Mayo were in no mood to be reeled in and despite a glut of wides and hitting the woodwork in the second half, they finished strongly. A penalty by Ryan O'Donoghue put the gloss on a fantastic night for the Connacht finalists. Advertisement Most read in GAA Football Tyrone could still top the group if Donegal beat Cavan today and Mayo in two weeks' time, allied with a Red Hands victory over the Breffni in the final round. But Mayo have momentum and Rochford insists they will do something against Donegal that they have not done all year — back up one good performance with another. Tipperary GAA star 'had to do live apology on RTE' the day after cursing during All-Ireland interview - The former Mayo manager said: 'That's the challenge , we knew we'd have to win the two games and that's the way it is. 'We need to rest because that took a massive effort and we know we are coming up against a top-quality team the next day in Donegal but we will show up in two weeks' time.' Advertisement After a stunning win over Donegal a week ago, Tyrone came in on a high but it became quickly evident that Mayo were playing with purpose while their hosts were flat. The Red Hands could not get into their stride with the forwards well tied up, the midfield cleaned out when the kickouts went long and slack passing and lapses in defence. If Malachy O'Rourke's side thought they had turned a corner with their Donegal win, they were brought back down to earth by a slick, sharp and rampant Mayo side. After a cagey opening five minutes, Michael McKernan put Tyrone ahead for the only time in the game. Advertisement Mayo replied through Rory Brickenden, Colm Dawson and two O'Donoghue frees. The second of those seemed harsh and Tyrone's frustrations with referee David Coldrick grew, but they were the architects of their own downfall with a shocking first-half display. ON THE RISE Mayo lorded the skies in Omagh. Ben McDonnell — a late replacement for Brian Kennedy — cut through for a fine score in a rare moment when the Mayo defence was breached. Advertisement That cut the deficit to 0-4 to 0-2 but Mayo hit the next five points in a row in a ten-minute spell with O'Donoghue, Paddy Durcan, Dawson and a Colm Reape 45 among their scores. Canavan got his hands on the ball to score from play and a free to again sliced the gap to 0-9 to 0-4 approaching half-time. However they suffered a huge blow when McHale hit a Mayo goal after the hooter had sounded for half-time to put Mayo 1-9 to 0-4 ahead. The visitors kept the ball for over three minutes before shooting for a point, but it was dropped by Niall Morgan and McHale nipped in at the back post to drill low to the corner. Advertisement Tyrone pair Liam Gray and Shea O'Hare were brought in at the break and in the third quarter it looked like the Red Hands were mounting a charge. Canavan was well held by Jack Coyne but he cut free to drill home a superb goal after 45 minutes and it was game on. But the fumbles, over-elaboration and malfunction of the kickouts meant Mayo were not punished for their own lapses. When Cormac Quinn conceded a penalty, O'Donoghue dispatched it to seal an important win for Mayo and keep them in the mix for a place in the All-Ireland quarter-finals. Advertisement TYRONE : N Morgan 0-4, 2tpf; C Quinn, P Teague, N Devlin; M McKernan 0-1, R Brennan, K McGeary 0-1; B McDonnell 0-1, C Kilpatrick; S O'Donnell, M Donnelly 0-1, C Daly; D McCurry 0-2, 1f, M Bradley, D Canavan 1-3, 2f. Subs : S O'Hare for O'Donnell h-t, L Gray for Brennan h-t, P Harte for Bradley 46 mins, R Canavan for Daly 46, A Donaghy for McDonnell 61. MAYO : C Reape 0-1 45; J Coyne, R Brickenden 0-2, S Morahan; S Coen, D McBrien, E Hession; P Durcan 0-3, M Ruane 0-1; J Carney 0-1, D McHale 1-0, B Tuohy 0-1; A O'Shea 0-1, C Dawson 0-1, R O'Donoghue 1-6, 1-0 pen, 5f. Subs : J Flynn for Tuohy 51 mins, D Neary for McHale 51, F Kelly for Dawson 54, F Boland for Ruane 63, S Callanan for Durcan 67. REFEREE : D Coldrick (Meath).
BBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Mayo bounce back to beat Tyrone in All-Ireland group stage
Mayo bounced back from an opening day defeat to shock Tyrone 2-17 to 1-13 in their All-Ireland round-robin meeting in O'Donaghue top scored for the visitors with 1-6 including a second-half penalty while Darren McHale grabbed the other Mayo goal after the first-half hooter had blown. Stephen Rochford took charge of Mayo for the game after manager Kevin McStay confirmed earlier in the week that he was stepping back from his role for the immediate future to deal with some personal health came into this one as favourites after their victory over Ulster champions Donegal in Ballybofey seven days ago while Mayo had opened with a home defeat to Cavan a fortnight ago. The difference in turnaround times for both sides may have been a factor as the visitors dominated the hosts, who looked flat throughout and struggled on their own restarts. Mayo blow Group One wide open Mayo led 0-6 to 0-2 midway through the first half with Rory Brickenden and Ryan O'Donaghue amongst the scorers, but their lead could have been greater as the cut the Tyrone defence open on multiple occasions with O'Donaghue and Aidan O'Shea coming close to Red Hands would go 13 and then 12 minutes without registering a score during the first half with efforts from Ben McDonnell and Darragh Canavan stopping the rot. But it was Mayo who would lead by eight at the break (1-9 to 0-4), after scoring a late held possession for over three minutes before the hooter sounded and Bob Tuohy then had a shot on goal which was spilled by Niall Morgan in the Tyrone goal, allowing McHale to shoot into the empty net. Malachy O'Rourke's side needed a response in the second half and got just that with a quickfire 1-2, Darragh Canavan finishing off a fine individual goal before O'Donaghue and Darren McCurry, who took 49 minutes to register a score, exchanged efforts. Morgan came forward and nailed a long range free from two-point range to cut the gap to just a single point and when it looked Tyrone had the upper hand, Mayo replied with an unanswered 1-4. Their second goal came from the penalty spot after referee David Coldrick adjudged that Ciaran Quinn had pushed Davitt Neary inside the box. O'Donaghue stepped up and sent Morgan the wrong way, atoning for his penalty miss in the 2021 All-Ireland decider between the sides to seal victory for the Connacht men. That result blows Group One wide open, with Mayo taking on Donegal in a fortnight's time while Tyrone face Cavan with all-four counties having a real chance of advancing beyond the group stage. Tyrone: N Morgan (0-4 2 2ptf); C Quinn, P Teague, N Devlin; M McKernan (0-1), R Brennan, K McGeary (0-1); B McDonnell (0-1), C Kilpatrick; S O'Donnell, M Donnelly (0-1), C Daly; D McCurry (0-2 1f), M Bradley, D Canavan (1-3 2f). Subs: Liam Gray for S O'Donnell (HT), Shea O'Hare for R Brennan (HT), Peter Harte for M Bradley (48), Ruairi Canavan for C Daly (48), Aodhan Donaghy for B McDonnell (62)Mayo: C Reape (0-1 1f); J Coyne (0-1), S Morahan, R Brickenden 0-2); S Coen, D McBrien, E Hession; P Durcan (0-3), M Ruane; J Carney (0-1), D McHale (1-0), B Tuohy; A O'Shea (0-1), C Dawson (0-2), R O'Donaghue (1-6 5f, 1 pen). Subs: Jordan Flynn for B Tuohy (52), Davitt Neary for D McHale (52), Fenton Kelly for C Dawson (57), Fergal Boland for M Ruane (65), Sam Callinan for P Durcan (67).
