Mayo under 21 manager Michael Solan speaks to his panel.
Saturday April 30
EirGrid All Ireland Under 21 Football Final
Mayo v Cork, Cusack Park, Ennis, 6pm
By Cian O'Connell
A much anticipated decider involving Cork and Mayo concludes a gripping EirGrid All Ireland Under 21 Championship. Dripping with thrilling matches, the statistics confirm just how hard fought the 2016 instalment has been.
The biggest winning margin in the four provincial finals was three points. The All Ireland semi-finals were both thrilling affairs with Mayo and Cork heartened by stirring victories.
So who can claim national silverware in Ennis now? Resilient and resourceful, Mayo have staged dramatic late recovery missions to fend off Roscommon and Dublin. Cork’s direct approach earned glory against Kerry and Monaghan. Will Mayo be able to contain their physically imposing inside forwards? Can Cork disturb Mayo’s willing runners from deep? Plenty of interesting questions will be answered on Saturday evening.
Michael Solan’s clever sideline work has enabled Mayo enter this decider quietly optimistic. “We are really looking forward to it, we've had it tough in the last couple of games, but thankfully we've come through so it is nice to be in a final,” Solan told GAA.ie.
How Mayo responded in the dying embers of the Roscommon and Dublin contests was significant. “It is a sign of character, but on the flip side of that we've put ourselves in a position we wouldn't want to be in,” is Solan’s assessment. “We have been happy with some aspects of our play, but we have an awful lot of things that we can improve upon.”
A nifty Cork outfit bring a new set of challenges according to Solan. “We have been doing our work on Cork since the Sunday morning after we beat Dublin,” Solan said.
Cork under 21 manager Sean Hayes.
“That is when our focus turned. We know how good a team Cork are, they have several guys with senior inter-county experience. Cork scored 2-15 from play against Monaghan, that speaks volumes about what they can do. Their forward play was excellent in that game, they also scored 3-9 against Kerry, who had a lot of players from the last two All Ireland minor winning teams.”
The fluctuating nature of the Dublin match ensured it carried intrigue throughout. Mayo commenced brightly, then Dublin seized the initiative after the restart before the Green and Red finished strongly. “In contrast to our previous matches in the Connacht Championship we did start well,” Solan admits.
“We are just focused on the process of things we need to get through. Regardless of whether you're winning or losing you just need to focus on the next ball, the next play. That is the way we have approached every challenge throughout the year. We will be trying to stick to that approach.
“We would be happy with things we have done, but the flip side is that we have been in positions where we were tested. Of course we've been happy with the reaction in certain situations, but we just need to keep trying to improve incrementally.”
Cork captain Stephen Cronin reckons Mayo are blessed with a particularly strong panel at this level. Three years ago Mayo claimed the All Ireland minor title, but they didn’t face Cork during that campaign. “We didn't play them at all, we lost to Tipperary in the semi-final of Munster that year so we didn't get a chance to play them at all,” Cronin recalls.
“They have a few lovely players, Diarmuid O'Connor, Stephen Coen obviously, a lot of fellas who've played a lot of time at senior. Diarmuid O'Connor was the young Player of the Year last year, for a good reason as he showed in the semi-final last year. The last day he was outstanding. They obviously have huge belief in themselves and maybe that comes from minor, having an All-Ireland minor medal in your back pocket. That makes a big difference.”
Captains Stephen Coen and Stephen Cronin.
Cronin feels Cork have made strides in the intervening spell under manager Sean Hayes. “I suppose we probably would have seen ourselves as unlucky when we played three years ago against Tipperary,” Cronin commented. “We didn't show up at all. They won and rightly so, they were the better team. The same again the year before that as well.
“I suppose Tipperary were a good side at that time and maybe we were unlucky. At 21s grade, it's a total different ball game.
“I mean fellas develop, the likes of Michael Hurley, Ryan Harkin, and Peter Kelleher have been phenomenal. Three years ago, he didn't even play that day against Tipperary. So that's a huge thing. Fellas develop at different rates and I suppose we've just come on.”
That is certainly the case and a fascinating encounter beckons. What simply matters to Mayo boss Solan is the present. Mayo’s past difficulties in All Ireland finals isn’t an issue for this exciting crop of footballers. “It is very easy to deal with, our sole focus will be on the game,” Solan remarked.
“Nothing else comes into it. That is how we have dealt with our games up to now in the competition, it will be the very same for this match. Our focus is very narrow, it is simply on the game.”
