Mayo back in big-time regardless of the sneers

Considering the hype beforehand, All-Ireland semi-final weekend was probably a letdown.

Although not from every perspective.

The first semi-final was very one-sided and the Kerry-Dublin game was a cagey and tactical affair that lacked some of the wildness of previous clashes.

I'm writing this from Amsterdam. Anticipating the jokes, I can confirm here that any high I'm experiencing is a natural one induced by the display of the Mayo footballers last Saturday.

It's unseemly to engage in 'I-told-you-sos' though I did warn you all last week that Mayo would win and that Louth could struggle with the pressure of the occasion. Admittedly, I didn't quite foresee the margin of victory.

I wouldn't draw attention to it although at times last week, it felt like I was the only pundit in the country who thought Mayo would win the game.

The stampede to tip Louth was a bit baffling, to be honest.

Beforehand, I felt that if Mayo could break even at midfield, they had the forwards to make hay. In the end, they didn't quite manage to break even there but squeezed the life out of Louth with turnovers.

I don't think Louth had experienced the level of intensity that Mayo brought to their high press before. They weren't equipped to cope with it.

That was the mistake that Monaghan made in the quarter-final, where they allowed Louth too much space to build from deep. Having been involved with Monaghan last year, Andy Moran was quick to realise where they'd gone wrong in that regard. He wasn't going to make the same mistake.

When Mayo did get the ball, they attacked at breakneck speed and the forwards are playing with great freedom and self-expression. There's no fear there.

It wasn't just on the tactical front that Andy got it spot on last week.

I loved his answer to the Mayo hype question in the press conference afterwards. Not alone was there a lot of truth to his remarks, it was a tactically clever answer in getting the supporters onside.

Apathy had taken hold in Mayo for a while. But there's been a conscious effort to re-engage with the supporters since the Roscommon game. You can see it in players celebrating scores and taking every opportunity to gee up the crowd.

It's not just Mayo doing it. We saw it with Kerry last year. John Kiely highlighted the importance of supporters getting behind the team after their semi-final win over Clare.

But it wasn't just tactical either.

I think Andy was genuinely fed up with the constant sneering that Mayo football and Mayo supporters have had to endure in the last few years.

It probably wasn't just the question that annoyed him, as much as the giggling from the rest of the media when it was asked.

That dismissive attitude seems to be relentless when it comes to Mayo.

I can't help but think it explains why so many pundits were tipping Louth last week (just the 17 points in the difference in the end, was it?)

Of course the same evening, we were treated to more bulls**t nonsense in the Sunday Independent from a Knockmore resident.

It's good to see the same man hasn't lost any confidence after his column earlier this year when he was telling us that Donegal were champions-elect and saying that Jack O'Connor was out of his depth. It's all pantomime stuff anyway.

Moran shrewdly took the pressure off by telling the media straight out that none of them would be predicting a Mayo win in the final. I do have to pay tribute to the lad who called out 'No' in response.

Mayo will be underdogs in the final - and rightly so.

Kerry have the medals, they have a seasoned team and they're going for two-in-a-row. Mayo have a lot of talented young lads and haven't come through against the same calibre of opposition. It's logical that the Kingdom should be favourites.

They weren't at their flowing best last Sunday but still found a way to dig out a victory. Dublin did a lot right on the day and defended quite deep. They probably shackled David Clifford as well as anyone can expect to do.

The problem was that this left Paudie Clifford let roam free and do damage around the arc. It was reminiscent of last year's All-Ireland final at times.

On a day where scores were hard to eke out, they used the attacking mark very cleverly, a tactic that has been very underused across the season. So much so, you could hear fans wondering whether it was still a thing.

The Dublin crowd were fairly aggrieved with a few big calls. Understandably so, in fairness. The failure to spot the square ball was a real kick in the teeth. It's a black-and-white call and it probably triggered a massive swing in momentum in the game.

With my defender's hat on, I'd be extremely frustrated with the penalty call. I'm not sure what Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne could have done differently. Perhaps he didn't need to go into the challenge with that force and compel the referee to make a call? It's a harsh decision either way and I think Joe O'Connor made a meal of it.

On the Ross McGarry palmed goal attempt, I haven't seen a conclusive angle which tells you the whole of the ball is over the line. It's a bit much to expect an umpire to call it in real-time.

On the flipside, we've all had to endure our fair share of tough calls over the years. Dublin got the benefit of a few refereeing calls a fortnight earlier. The Dubs had enough chances but wild shooting killed them in the end.

The game was still in the balance in the final quarter and Kerry still had the know-how and class to navigate it down the stretch. They enjoyed some good fortune but ultimately did enough to justify their spot in the final.

Which, as we've been told, they're certs to win.

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