No, not even with a four-point interval lead, Galway couldn't bate Mayo

By JIM CARNEY Mayo ............................ 1-12 Galway .......................... 1-6 ONE of the worst ever defeats for Galway in the long history of this Connacht Championship 'old firm' rivalry, not so much on the scoreboard as for the poverty of the Galway performance in a shockingly poor quality match at MacHale Park, Castlebar on Sunday. Credit where credit is due, Mayo were worthy winners after turning a half-time deficit of four points into a comprehensive six-point victory, and their general play also improved significantly in the second period, in intensity, skill, teamwork and scoring power. In the second half too, Mayo were highly motivated and hard-working, and their new manager James Horan made considerably better use of his panel than his opposite number, Tomás Ó Flatharta, who presided over a series of baffling substitutions, having already made several puzzling and ultimately unsuccessful placement decisions in his team selection for this hugely important test.[private] Important for many reasons, including the manager's own survival in the job, which probably rests on the outcome of the 'back door' clash away to Meath on Saturday week, July 9th. It was also important for the sake of restoring the Galway players' confidence, and to maintaining the trust and loyalty of their followers, after relegation from Division 1 of the National League, with only three League points (a win over Armagh and draw with Dublin) out of a possible 14. And it was important in the context of Galway's poor record in the All-Ireland qualifiers. Since wining the 2001 All-Ireland title via the back door route, the qualifiers have not been a happy hunting ground for Galway. The records show just one victory against non-Connacht opposition in Championship football since then: over Louth (2-8 to 0-9) at Parnell Park, Dublin in 2004, preceding the end of the John O'Mahony era, on which Peter Canavan and Tyrone brought down the curtain next time out. The Herald Sport Man of the Match accolade after the 2004 win over Louth went to Michael Donnellan for giving a dynamic display at midfield alongside Kevin Walsh, while also in the Galway team that day were 1998-2001 All-Ireland heroes such as Gary Fahey, Kieran Fitzgerald, Tomás and Declan Meehan, Paul Clancy, Joe Bergin, Padraic and Tommie Joyce, and Derek Savage. That all seems so long ago, and now only Padraic Joyce and Joe Bergin remain in Maroon and White. As the O'Mahony era drew to a close (two 'Sams', four Connacht S.F.C. titles and an All-Ireland U-21 victory), Padraic was aged 27 and Joe 22. They weren't to know then that the glory days were coming to an end. It was a grim struggle for both of them last Sunday: Padraic Joyce, playing at right-corner forward, tried his heart out but he was repeatedly bottled up by Mayo defenders and he couldn't break through tackles, like in the past. Joe Bergin also tried hard, at midfield, but the harder he tried the more he struggled to make an impact. He too failed to beat the tackles coming from all sides, while in dealing with the kickout from either end Bergin and his partner Finian Hanley were outfielded by the O'Shea brothers from Breaffy, Séamus and Aidan, from start to finish. In post-match interviews, Mayo manager James Horan said the statistics made available to him at the final whistle showed Mayo winning cleanly caught kickouts on a score of 17 to 4. How long more Joyce (now 34) and Bergin (29) can keep playing inter-county football is a matter for themselves to decide, but it can't be very enjoyable for them in recent years, especially as they're also key men for their clubs. Like all involved in amateur sport, they're making huge sacrifices and putting a large part of their lives on hold, and those of us looking in from the outside must respect that. The extent of Galway's problems at midfield came as a surprise; I wouldn't go so far as to call it a shock, for there were always doubts about the experiment involving captain Finian Hanley: attempting to turn a natural full-back into a midfielder. The skipper was strangely subdued in this game, exerting no influence, and in my opinion it's not unfair to say it was probably the captaincy that prevented him from being replaced in the second half, when the team management, Tomás Ó Flatharta, Martin McNamara and Seán Óg de Paor, looked to their bench to shake things up. Tough decisions needed to be made as Mayo took control of the game early in the second half; Galway had massive problems in the half-back line and at midfield, but when players on the starting XV were called ashore two of them were forwards who, of Galway's final tally of 1-6, kicked 1-4 between them: Paul Conroy (1-0) and Cormac Bane (0-4, two frees). THIS was to become a huge issue, controversial and most of it inexplicable. At the end of the day it didn't cost Galway the match but a lot of it left a sour taste in the mouths of all who wish sport to be about fair play. Conroy's goal, in the 33rd minute of the first half, helped Galway to a bigger interval lead than we expected them to have, as Mayo had dominated possession for most of the half but their forwards were off form with their shooting. And if their freetaking was embarrassingly bad in London first time out - they used seven freetakers that day! - it wasn't much better in Castlebar. By half-time, Alan Dillon, Aidan O'Shea and goalkeeper Robert Hennelly had all missed the target; the captain Dillon's first effort, right-footed from the left, was a particularly poor effort and Aidan O'Shea's hesitant run-up to his frees betrayed an alarming lack of confidence. Galway, playing into the old Bacon Factory end of the ground with a strong wind at their backs, were heading for only a one-point lead at the interval but Paul Conroy's goal, from a breaking ball after Gary Sice kicked long to the Mayo goalmouth, shot it up to 1-5 to 0-4 at half-time. The first Galway substitution was made in the 45th minute: Diarmuid Blake for his young Milltown clubmate Mark Hehir, who had found it difficult to get into the game, mainly I think because his midfield in front of him were being outplayed - No. 11 is not an easy role to play if Nos. 8 and 9 are not winning the ball. Mark had no problems with being taken off; he is a fine young man who always plays for the team and willingly puts its needs before his own feelings, but the next two changes, Paul Conroy replaced in the 50th minute and Cormac Bane replaced in the 56th minute, by Matthew Clancy and Michael Meehan, respectively, were astonishing. Perhaps Conroy, always a hard worker on the pitch, was tiring; if he was, it would be understandable, but Bane, who had also worked very hard in the first half, was clearly enjoying his football, much more so than most of the team, and by then he was on 0-4: two well-struck kicks from play and two frees, neither of which was a tap-over. Here's a man who a few years ago hit two cracking goals against Mayo in a Connacht semi-final at Pearse Stadium. But, going back through the years, various Galway managers, not only Tomás Ó Flatharta, were slow and hesitant in their different ways to give Cormac Bane a vote of confidence. To me, it's beyond understanding. On the balance of play, I thought he was Galway's best forward in this match and I believe his substitution was not only wrong, it was an injustice. To anybody who says it's not enough to claim that a player shouldn't have been replaced, without saying who should have been taken off instead of that player, I have no hesitation in giving my opinion that Cormac Bane's performance in this game was vastly superior to the displays given by Eoin Concannon, Gareth Bradshaw and Finian Hanley, and I mean that with no disrespect to those three good Galway football servants. None of the Galway changes worked, not even the introduction of Michael Meehan, who has come a long, lonely road back from the two bad injuries which he sustained last year in the NFL (knee) and Connacht Championship (ankle). Last Sunday it was sign of his frustration that he received a yellow card, which is so untypical of this great sportsman. Incidentally, with Mark Hehir and Cormac Bane substituted, Galway finished the game without a recognised right-footed freetaker. Except, of course, for goalkeeper Adrian Faherty. He had no luck on Sunday, while Mayo goalkeeper Robbie Hennelly pointed two of his five kicks; indeed he was his team's top scorer (0-2) in the first half. Is it only a matter of time before we see football goalkeepers taking 13-metre frees? Mayo were well on top in the second half, with points by Alan Dillon, Alan Freeman, Cillian O'Connor and Kevin McLoughlin bringing the game back to level pegging. Galway's only score in this half was a 54th minute point by Eoin Concannon from a brilliant pass by Padraic Joyce. But from point-blank range and the net at the town end of the pitch invitingly open, it should have been a goal. Gary O'Donnell had driven a goal chance wide at the other end, in the 10th minute of the first half, and that too was from a Joyce pass. What a pity it wasn't Padraic himself on the end of those two great chances. Gary Sice had supplied a great delivery for the Galway goal, but that was the only memorable moment for all three in the half-back line, admittedly under extra pressure from the absence of support from midfield. For the Mayo goal, in the 57th minute of the second half, Andy Moran had the freedom of the field as he put Alan Freeman of Aughamore in to score confidently and stylishly, displaying lovely technique as he shot low to the Galway goalkeeper's right. There was nothing the brave, often heroic Adrian Faherty could have done about it, but it was the team's mistake that nobody was covering as full-back Colin Forde was cleverly drawn out of position by Alan Freeman. It wasn't Jonathan Duane's fault; he was having a great personal duel all day with the young Ballintubber man Cillian O'Connor, a minor last year, and to his immense credit Duane acquitted himself with distinction. It was now over as a contest. Mayo, who in fairness were excellent in the second half, coasted to victory and one late point from play, by sub Ronan McGarrity, on his way back from injury, was spectacular and a huge contrast to anything produced by the Galway forwards in this game. For the Connacht final at Hyde Park on July 17th it is surprising to me that the bookies are making Mayo hot favourites (4/7 Mayo 5/4 Roscommon, with Boylesports) as I doubt if the Mayo backs will have the pace, or football skills, to hold the Roscommon forwards. And it's not a good sign for Mayo that the biggest talking-point among their own followers appears to be the team's problems with free-taking. Donie Shine was the Roscommon hero in last year's Connacht final against Sligo, from play and off frees; he will be the key man in this year's final, too. LOOKING AHEAD to Galway's visit to Navan on Saturday week, Tomás Ó Flatharta, Martin McNamara and Seán Óg de Paor simply have to question themselves about the team selection for Castlebar. The dogs in the street know that Greg Higgins is not a centre half-back; that Gary Sice is best suited to the left flank of the defence, not the right; that it was asking too much of Finian Hanley to switch from full-back to midfield; that Eoin Concannon is not a natural right half-forward grafter (a Brian Dooher, a Patrick Kelly or a Paul Galvin); that Gareth Bradshaw is not a forward; that Paul Conroy is not a full-forward, and that Padraic Joyce owes nothing to Galway - it's the opposite - so he's either the first-choice full-forward or nothing. There are two big questions facing the players lining out in Navan against a Meath team with their confidence restored by Cian Ward's four goals against Louth last Saturday evening. Will Galway be able to play this game with their heads held high and their chests out? And will they be good enough to win? Only time will tell, but it'll be a mountain - or a Hill of Tara, at least - to climb. Mayo: R. Hennelly (0-2, one free, one 45); T. Cunniffe, A. Feeney, K. Higgins; R. Feeney, D. Vaughan, T. Mortimer (0-1); S. O'Shea (sub R. McGarrity, 0-1, 62 mins), A. O'Shea; K. McLoughlin (0-1; sub P Gardiner, 70 mins), A. Dillon, captain (0-1, free), A. Moran (0-1); C. O'Connor (0-1; sub E. Varley, 0-1, 64 mins), A. Freeman (1-2), J. Doherty (0-1). Galway: A. Faherty; A. Burke, C. Forde, J. Duane; G. O'Donnell, G. Higgins, G. Sice (sub D. Cummins, 67 mins); J. Bergin, F. Hanley, captain; E. Concannon (0-1), M. Hehir (sub D. Blake, 45 mins), G. Bradshaw; P. Joyce (0-1), P. Conroy (1-0; sub M. Clancy, 50 mins), C. Bane (0-4, two frees; sub M. Meehan, 56 mins). Referee: Rory Hickey (Clare). Herald Sport Man of the Match: Andy Moran (Mayo).[/private]