Football

High-octane suits Mayo as much as Dublin: Stephen Coen

Mayo defender Stephen Coen pictured in action against Donegal last year. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin
Mayo defender Stephen Coen pictured in action against Donegal last year. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin Mayo defender Stephen Coen pictured in action against Donegal last year. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin

THE high-octane nature of Mayo-Dublin encounters suits the underdogs as much as it does the champions, believes Mayo defender Stephen Coen.

The two counties meet again in Saturday evening’s unique All-Ireland final, having provided a nation with unrivalled entertainment over the last decade.

Dublin have had the upper hand but seldom get off lightly against Mayo, with the second half of last year’s semi-final the first time there had been any real daylight created in a championship game.

Mayo’s approach has always been to have a go at Dublin and as much as it leaves opportunities for the five-in-a-row winners, Coen believes that Mayo are more comfortable playing that way themselves.

“It's hard to play [such a high-octane style], regardless of who you're playing because you're working so hard.

“But the shape that we're in at the minute, the players that we have, the calibre of players we have, the fitness levels, the strength we have, the power, it's something that suits our game.

“So we don't need any motivation to play that way, because we know it's what works for us.

“Obviously you're saying Dublin have a lot of control on games, and we'd like to have a lot of control on the game as well, but that remains to be seen. We'll see on Saturday.

“But I think if you apply enough pressure on any team, they won't be as comfortable, regardless of who you're playing.

“So we're just focusing on ourselves and ensuring we can get the max out of ourselves for 70 minutes.”

Mayo come into the final with a level of expectation far below anything they’ve been used to. The hype and near-euphoric state of their supporters in the stadium will not exist, while many observers felt their midfield and defensive issues in the semi-final win over Tipperary were so pronounced that they will struggle to cope.

They did, however, hit a record score for an All-Ireland semi-final by registering 5-20 and have added fresh dynamism to their attack through the likes of Tommy Conroy and wing-back Eoghan McLaughlin.

“I think if you watch the game the last day, the key things we need to focus on are the things we did well the last day,” says Coen.

“That’s going to put us in a good position. That’s what makes us good, high-octane football, lot of place, moving it quickly, lot of pressure up top, great tackling, and then obviously we need to tighten up a bit in defence from the last day and get that balance right.

“It’s not easy to get the balance right when you want to press high but, yeah, it’s something we’ll be focusing on.

“As I said, we’ve kept clean sheets in the whole Championship except for the last day so it’s just trying to get the balance between the two and if we can do that we feel we’ve a good chance.”