There is a freshness about Mayo that I like, and I expect them to beat Tipperary

Pat Spillane

Eoghan McLaughlin is one of the many new faces in the Mayo team this year. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

December 06 2020 12:27 PM

THE better team doesn’t always win.

But the best team on the day does as Tipperary demonstrated in the Munster final. They wanted it more, they worked, tackled, and ran harder and brought more energy to the game than Cork.

So, what can we expect from today’s unexpected semi-final pairing between Mayo and Tipperary, a repeat of the 2016 semi-final?

It is 100 years since Tipp last won the All-Ireland (the delayed final actually took place in 1922, but officially they are the champions of 1920) and 69 since Mayo’s last win, so neither lack motivation.

The character of Tipperary is admirable. Against Limerick, they were seven points down at half-time but came back to win in extra time. Against Cork, they were rank outsiders, but they never played like a team who considered themselves outsiders.

They might be intimidated facing Dublin or Kerry. But they didn’t fear Cork and they won’t fear Mayo.

They need their two key scoring forwards, Conor Sweeney and Michael Quinlivan, to reproduce their Munster final form and their half-back line of Bill Maher, Kevin Fahey and Robbie Kiely to be as dominant again.

The big question is whether they can replicate the hunger, passion, and intensity they brought to the Munster final. All the Gods were aligned that day.

It was the weekend of the centenary commemoration of Bloody Sunday. Sporting that once-off, specially-commissioned jersey – with the image of Michael Hogan on the sleeve – had to rub off positively on the players. I’m not too sure they can replicate that passion again.

On a practical level, they are too dependent on Conor Sweeney for their scores – so far, he has contributed 40 per cent of their tally.

There are question marks about their full-back line and I’m just not sure how good they are. Remember they were in the relegation zone of Division 3 when the league resumed.

They were eight points up near the end of the Clare game – but scraped home by three and made heavy work of beating Limerick, who had played in Division 4 this year.

Mayo’s problems are well-documented – they have a poor conversion rate: 17 scores from 31 chances against Roscommon and, worse again, barely 14 out of 29 against Galway. At the opposite end of the field, they don’t have a recognisable defensive system.

On the other hand, there is much to admire in the 2020 Mayo model. Goalkeeper David Clarke has kept two out of three clean sheets and they’re conceding an average of just 0-12 per game.

For the first time in many seasons, they have a mobile midfield partnership in Conor Loftus and Matthew Ruane and, like Dublin and Donegal, they build exceptionally well from the back.

But what’s different about them this year is how the newcomers have blended in with the experienced players. Only nine of the 21 players who featured in last year’s semi-final, in which they endured a 10-point drubbing from Dublin, will play today. There is a freshness about them.

If they play direct ball into their full-forward line of Cillian O’Connor, Aidan O’Shea and impressive newcomer Tommy Conroy I fancy them to win.

VERDICT: Mayo

Related Content

Joe Brolly says that Dean Rock's reaction to a missed free highlights Dublin's relentless pursuit of excellence. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Gaelic Football Premium

Joe Brolly Opinion Dean Rock, the missed free and the 68th-minute moment that sums up Dublin's relentlessness

The fear beforehand was that this semi-final could be more one sided than Trump’s litigation

‘Cillian O’Connor, Aidan O’Shea, Lee Keegan and Paddy Durcan man the pumps’ Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Gaelic Football Premium

Colm O'Rourke Opinion Mayo's new guard to have the final say as Horan reaps rewards for investing in youth

Mayo and Tipperary come to dance today, mostly under the bright lights and in the proper cold of winter. Not that any of the players will complain. They feel lucky and privileged to be here and we have been blessed by their commitment and skill which has shortened the winter and given hundreds of thousands something to look forward to at the weekends.