Kevin Madden runs the rule over Sunday's semi-final at Croke Park...
1. WE ARE in an age when everything is scrutinised. From team tactics and refereeing decisions, just about everything is fair game for criticism. Of course, we pundits give and receive our fair share of digs and there are even some of us who moan about other pundits because they have a different opinion.
If you aren’t that bothered about the intelligent, insightful analysis which is offered on Sky, then a good old (free) Sunday afternoon in front of the telly listening to Pat Spillane and Tommy Carr is hard to whack.
Jack McCaffrey articulated it perfectly when he tweeted: “The fact that Tommy Carr is making money off commentary gives me hope of one day being an astronaut.”
If there are lots of you out there who wish Tommy Carr would disappear into space then Pat Spillane must also be on your radar. When asked about Kerry’s chances against the mighty Dubs, he immediately told us that it was “last chance saloon” for Eamonn Fitzmaurice and his management team.
Four Munster Championships in four years, two All-Ireland final appearances in three years and a Sam Maguire to boot is obviously a bit of a failure for a county that many would say were in transition. Good man Pat. Okay, that’s enough spacers for one day.
2. I WATCHED the post-match analysis on Sky, where Peter Canavan and Jim McGuinness were having a difference of opinion about Mayo and whether winning with patchy performances and coming in under the radar was a good or a bad thing.
McGuinness was of the opinion that the inconsistency and inability of Mayo to string even a good 55 minutes together leaves them vulnerable to stronger opposition in the final. Given the number of false dawns Mayo have had, I was more in agreement with Canavan who felt that they could now peak and produce their best performance when it matters most.
Mayo have failed in so many All-Ireland finals in the past after producing champagne football along the way. They have struggled with hype and expectation, but winning ugly is a thing they can handle. I tipped Dublin at the beginning of the year and I will stick with that prediction but I’m starting to think that if Mayo are finally to bring Sam home, this will be the way it will happen.
3. I KNOW I say it nearly every week, but so many games now hang on the outcome of kick-out strategies. In the early part of yesterday’s semi-final, Tipperary’s Evan Comerford resembled the conductor in an orchestra as he picked out his midfielders and halfforwards with tremendous precision time and time again.
The Mayo goal was a clear moment of inexperience as on the halfway line right corner-back Colm O’Shaughnessy messed up a pass to right half-back Bill Maher. With two defenders well out of position the only thing speedster Keith Higgins had to worry about was sidestepping the sweeper Brian Fox to slip Jason Doherty in.
At 0-6 to 0-3 ahead Tipperary were controlling the game but the goal completely changed the match. From then on, Tipperary imploded on their own kick-out. In the next four minutes Mayo scored another 0-2 from the Tipp restarts as they went on to outscore them 1-7 to 0-1 for the rest of the half.
When you factor in the damage Mayo did on the Tipperary kick-out along with the stat that they also won 19 out of their own 22 restarts you can see the importance this had on the outcome of the match.
4. AT 33, Mayo full-forward Andy Moran is probably still one of the best ball-winners in the country. Michael Quinlivan of Tipperary is up there too but one was handled on the day better than the other. Quinlivan was marked by Lee Keegan who got away with far too much.
A less liberal referee than David Coldrick could have sent Keegan off and awarded a penalty. Mayo sweeper Barry Moran was ineffective in the early parts of the game as the Tipperary marksman drifted between full- and centre half-forward, often leaving Moran caught in no man’s land.
But as the game wore on his positioning improved and although Quinlivan was fouled on a number of occasions his failure to score from play was a big blow to the Tipperary challenge. Andy Moran on the other hand had no such problems in escaping the attentions of the Tipperary sweeper Brian Fox, who seemed more keen to protecting the centre channel than doubling up on any one Mayo forward.
Credit must go to Mayo for the clever diagonal ball they played to their inside line. Perhaps it is no coincidence when you consider the two men at the helm. That is exactly the type of football that both Corofin and Crossmaglen played when Stephen Rochford and Tony McEntee brought All-Ireland success to these clubs.
5. THERE was only nine minutes on the clock when Tipperary’s Robbie Kiely received a black card. He deserved to go as he deliberately brought down Diarmuid O’Connor. His loss was huge as it called into question the strength and depth of the Tipperary panel.
The fact his direct replacement Shane Leahy was actually subbed before half-time is a fair indication of just how big a loss the centre half-back was to the Tipperary challenge. The fortuitous second goal flattered Mayo, somewhat, as the covering Tipperary defenders looked dead on their feet compared to a fresh and hungry Conor O’Shea who pounced on Evan Regan’s mis-kick.
There doesn’t seem to be a game that goes by when a linesman has to get in the act when often there is no need. Don’t get me wrong, if there is a clear striking action off the ball then his intervention should be commended, but the sending off of Bill Maher was absolutely ridiculous.
When red cards are being dished out for nothing more than a shove, you have to call into question the extra eyes the referee has at his disposal.
