O'Donoghue confident Mayo can bounce back from Roscommon defeat
Pictured is Tyler Barden and Ryan O’Donoghue, Mayo footballer, in Croke Park at SuperValu’s launch of the Senior Football Championship. SuperValu has launched the “real nourishment” campaign to improve nutrition confidence. New research conducted by SuperValu shows Irish parents with children involved in sport and over 400 intercounty GAA players highlights that sourcing trusted information on nutritional support for performance is a shared challenge across all levels.
By John Harrington
Ryan O’Donoghue doesn't even attempt to sugar-coat the bitter taste left in his mouth by Mayo’s defeat to Roscommon in Sunday’s Connacht SFC semi-final.
They were eaten without salt in the second-half by the ravenous Rossies who scored an incredible 1-17 in a 25-minute period without kicking a single wide.
Key to Roscommon’s superiority in this phase of the game was their absolute dominance of the kick-out battle.
Mayo were tactically outsmarted and, perhaps worse, also bested for hunger for breaking ball in that middle third warzone.
“Yeah, disappointing, especially considering we thought we were in a good place after the league, but it just goes to show you with the new rules, if you're slightly off it, especially with the results after the weekend, that you can be punished and we were off it on Sunday and that's what happened,” said O’Donoghue at the launch of SuperValu’s ‘Real Nourishment’ campaign.
“I think we were good in the first half and then just the third quarter after half-time just never seemed to get to the pitch of the game, just lost the kick-out battle, lost the ground battle, and we just weren't able to claw it back.
“To be fair to Roscommon, they're a good side, some great forwards, and we just never got to the pitch in the second half, which is the most disappointing thing.
“That's the nuts and bolts of the game now, the kick-out battle, and we lost that, and it's not luck that you keep losing that and we got destroyed on it on Sunday, which is very disappointing.
“We have a lot of things to work on, we were way too open when we lost a kick-out. Roscommon put on a good press and they figured out what we were doing, so yeah, we have a lot to work on over the next four weeks.”
When Mayo have lost matches this year they’ve done so by big margins. Against Donegal and Kerry in the League, and now last Sunday against Roscommon.
Keith Doyle of Roscommon in action against Ryan O'Donoghue of Mayo during the Connacht GAA Football Senior Championship semi-final match between Mayo and Roscommon at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in Castlebar, Mayo. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile.
The common thread in all of those matches was their inability to secure a solid platform in the middle third of the pitch.
Does O’Donoghue think this is something that can be addressed successfully in time for the All-Ireland series?
“Yeah, I do, and it's the reason I'm putting my life on hold and training seven days a week,” he says. “If I didn't believe that, I'd be away sunning myself in Australia like everyone else.
“So, I do believe that, and I do believe that we're close, but yet far away. We have to earn the right now to talk about going to the top table because we just haven't been there over the last couple of years, and that's the goal.
“But I think if we sort out our kick-outs and the 50-50s is an attitude thing, and then our conversion rate, that's something every team is trying to succeed with.
“They are massive things, but something small can just tip the scale, and that's the challenge and the opportunity that we have over the next four weeks. And I'm looking forward to seeing what can happen and try and turn last Sunday into something positive.”
The silver lining from a dark day for Mayo in Sunday’s Connacht semi-final defeat was the performance of Kobe McDonald who scored isx points to further frank his status as one of the most exciting young footballers in the country.
“Yeah, 18 years of age and he was the one taking the game to Roscommon in that second-half, it's outstanding,” says O’Donoghue.
“He's a great lad and it's great to play with him and we're delighted to have him for as long as we do.
“He can do anything like and he's so mature, you would not think he's 18 years of age...even that score he got in the second-half for a dummy solo twice and then blasted over the bar, outside the boot from the 21, he's brilliant.
"Crossmolina beat us in Bellmullet in the championship (last year) and we were trying to get close to him and to put contact on him, but we couldn't get close to him and he was 17 playing senior club championship.
“He's brilliant, just a great lad and he's very humble. He's great to have around the group and we're just delighted to have them at the moment.”
