TONY McEntee says he doesn’t know what it will take to end Mayo’s search for the Sam Maguire - but he’s looking forward to the challenge.
The Armagh and Crossmaglen All-Ireland winner was appointed as one of two coaches (the other is Donie Buckley) under new manager Stephen Rochford this week and has described the westerners as “one of the top three teams” in the country.
Mayo have earned his rating by coming agonisingly close to landing Gaelic Football’s biggest prize for the first time since 1951 over the last four seasons.
Beaten finalists in 2012 and 2013 under James Horan, they took eventual All-Ireland winners Kerry to a semi-final replay in 2014. Last season, under Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly they did the same against Dublin who went on to dethrone Kerry in the final.
The task for McEntee, Buckley and Rochford is to push Mayo a step further and McEntee, who will take coaching sessions in Dublin and in once a week in Castlebar, says he is looking forward to it.
But he admits he can’t explain why such a talented group of players has been unable to produce a string of performances good enough to win an All-Ireland Championship.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“I’m reporting on them over the last couple of years and I’ve watched them obviously but I don’t know. Unless you’re inside the camp it’s hard to put your finger on anything, you’re only guessing.
“You don’t know unless you’re involved yourself and that’s all part of what we have to learn. We have to get used to each other and try to develop our ideas and concepts and see what happens.
“Stephen Rochford is a good thinker, he has things well thought out and he’s well organised and I am sure he has some ideas that he wants us to coach towards.”
