Mayo attempt to bury Tuam jinx, again
Mayo GAA News 21 May 1997
Preview
by John Melvin
The ghost of Tuam past will revisit the Galway venue on Sunday (3.00) as Galway and Mayo meet once again in the white heat of championship battle to decide who goes through to the Connacht semi-final.
Mayo are favourites, but as any observer of matches between these two age old rivals will tell you, there are no favourites when Mayo and Galway clash, and certainly nobody carries the mantle of favouritism into Tuam, a venue that has been about as kind to Mayo as the Romans were to the christians.
Mayo were thrown to the lions when Galway devoured them in the 82 (3-17 to 0-10) and again in 95 (0-17 to 1-7) Connacht Finals and only a few years ago (92) some supporters were known to have left the venue believing Mayo had won, only to be told in Ballidine that the re-play was scheduled for McHale Park. Such are meetings between Mayo and Galway- unpredictable with just one Connacht title separating them-Galway holding 38 and Mayo on 37.
Twice in the past four years Mayo have proven the stumbling block as Galway attempted to come out of Connacht. Mayo's shadow over the Tribesmen in the 90's is lengthening by the year and the general perception is that Mayo will finally break the Tuam jinx which stretches back to 1951 when they last won a championship match against Galway ( 4-15 to 2-3, Connacht Final).
The fact that Mayo are defending champions and on the back of that close-call in the All Ireland last year, suggests they are shaping up for another serious shot at the title.
However, many question marks remain. A disappointing league showing in which they just managed to stave off relegation and some indifferent performances in some challenges games, suggest all may not be as wel as John Maughan would like it to be.
The rift between the county board and the Knockmore club has also exacerbated matters with many of the view that Kevin O'Neill and Peter Butler would considerably bolster Mayo's chances. But for one reason or another, Knockmore will not have any representative on the county team, and as a county champions, that is a pretty sad state of affairs.
It is particularly sad at a time when Mayo are searching desperately for forwards and it was the lack of forward power which was Mayo's undoing ultimately in the All Ireland Final. Thing don''t appear to have changed all that dramatically and unless there is a substantial improvement in the attack, Mayo's championship plans could be in tatters on Sunday evening.
Personally, I can't see that happening. I think we will find that players like Liam McHale, John Casey, Kieran McDonald, P.J. Loftus, James Horan, David Nester and Maurice Sheridan will up their performance. McDonald could be a major boost if he is right, but so far the indications have not been too positive due to injury problems. What will be interesting is the team Maughan names.
On the forty
It now seems likely that McHale will start on the forty but the big question is who is going to wear the number 14 shirt. James Horan certainly didn't impress in it against Armagh while John Casey was not a success when slotted into Horan's regular left half forward position. The only forward to produce the goods in that game was Maurice Sheridan who appears to be hitting form on cue for the championship. Maughan may be tempted to revert back to the old formation of Casey at full forward, McMenamon on the forty and McHale at midfield. It will be interesting. So to will the players he elects to put in the corners with David Nester, Kieran McDonald and P.J. Loftus pushing hard for places.
David Brady's hurry to get back in action has set him back another few weeks and a lot rests on the shoulders of Pat Fallon and probably McMenamon. They will be up against useful Galway partnership in Damien Mitchell and Sean O'Domhnail, particularly Sean O'Domhnail, the Carraore man who played a huge role in winning the county senior title for Carraroe.
Both teams are well served at the back. Garry Fahy (full back), Sean Og De Paor (centre back), Ray Silke, Francis McWalter and Alan Mulholland are familiar names to the Mayo attack.
Kenneth Mortimer, Kevin Cahill, James Nallen, Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly all went the distance last year and the in-form Fergal Costello is likely to be handed his spurs at corner back, although Dermot Flanagan is still a live contender for this position.
Veteran Val Daly will be hoping to lead the Galway attack and Mayo supporters know only to well the type of damage the Galway player\manager is capable of inflicting. The exciting young star, John Donnellan is another big threat to Mayo while Declan Meehan, Neill Finnegan, Michael Donnellan and Tuam man, Tom Carton is likely to be named at full forward.
Jarlath Fallon is a huge loss to Galway. A shoulder injury makes him virtually certain not to play, but I wouldn't rule that out completely. Galway may not have been impressive in their failure to get out of Division three. They lost to teams like Westmeath and Longford but beat Roscommon and drew it Down. They were able to get the points they needed to stay alive and that say's something for them. They are always a team for the championship.
A lot of questions hang over Mayo since last year';s great run. Is the appetite still there? Do they have it up front? Can they put Connacht titles back to back, something that hasn't been done since Mayo last achieved it in 92-93. We'll know on Sunday evening
Verdict: Mayo by three points- 1-10 to 1-13.
Roll of Honour:
Galway 38: 1900, 1903, 1911, 1913, 1917, 1919, 1922, 1925, 1926, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1945, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1995.
Mayo 37: 1901, 1902, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1914, 1916, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1955, 1967, 1969, 1981, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996
Roscommon 18: 1905, 1912, 1915, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1952, 1953, 1961, 1962, 1972, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1990, 1991.
Sligo 2: 1928, 1975.
Leitrim 2: 1927, 1994.
