Mayo manager Stephen Rochford.
By Cian O'Connell
Since Stephen Rochford flared to prominence on the club circuit with Corofin consistency is what has dominated the conversations.
Mayo attained a high level of performance in the drawn All Ireland Final which satisfied Rochford, who still acknowledges that there is room for improvement.
“The Tyrone game we were quite consistent, but there was a bigger prize on offer the last day and we came across bigger challenges in that we were five points down and three points down at the end and Dublin have that knack in the last 15 minute spell of being able to blow teams away.
“And in that spell we scored four to one or three-zero or whatever it was. So that was pleasing and we have been saying all year that we can get to a level of consistency in our performance. But the quality of it is now the challenge that we need to rise to.”
Is the fact that Mayo have failed to score goals against Tyrone and Dublin a concern for Rochford? “If we had lost the game, it would certainly be a concern,” Rochford remarked.
“Yeah, like I mean the aspect here is that we created one chance maybe in Andy’s and maybe a half chance with Paddy Durcan’s in the first half.
“It is certainly something we need to work on because I think you need to score a goal to beat this team. You think 15 points will do the game: you get 16 and you would have won it, but in the broader aspect you need a big score to beat Dublin in that you need to score a goal.”
Will the replay be more difficult due to the potential changes that may be made by both teams? “So be it,” is Rochford’s assessment.
Cillian O Connor kicked a late equaliser in the drawn game.
“We will know it at probably 4.40pm on the Saturday. My view on it is that you look at the opposition from a point of respect to try to understand the qualities they bring in order to arm your team or provide them with a knowledge of how the other team will play.
“To be honest, and I say this in a very respectful manner, whether it is Paddy Andrews that is in there and one of the other starting six drop out or Paul Mannion or Eoghan O’Gara, they still bring enormous quality and threat.
“So we will still be focusing on what the challenges are. I am sure it is tight margins as to who gets in or who doesn’t but we won’t be over focusing on whether it is player A or player B: I am sure Dublin will still play in the same style whether it is the same six or five plus one. It won’t be something we will be totally distracted by. It will be what it will be.”
In the past two Championships Mayo suffered harrowing All Ireland Semi-Final replay losses against Kerry and Dublin. Will those replays carry any relevance?
"From a management point of view, Donie Buckley has been involved in those two previous replays. You're comparing apples and oranges there because the six-day turnaround in the two replays is a totally different situation.
“I genuinely don't know if there are such lessons to go back on, what can be done from one game to the next, apart from looking at the opposition, what did they do well. Your preparation, is it different? The thing that may not have worked in a six-day turnaround aren't provided there as an obstacle in a 13-day turnaround.”
Rochford isn’t overly bothered by some of the media reaction since the September 17 clash. "My ask has always been about it not being personal. We're all big boys and we understand that we're open for analysis, and analysis can sometimes be critical as well as it can be supportive or players being highly acclaimed for some performance, here and there.
"I would think that, you know, 'celebrity losers' - no more than a player being called a cheat during the summer – I don't think it's necessarily fair language. But again, that's a choice for that journalist or pundit to make. It certainly didn't keep me awake when I heard about it."
