With the admittedly pretty significant exception of the 2021 All-Ireland final, Mayo’s record against Tyrone hadn’t been too bad going into the weekend’s All-Ireland Group 1 fixture in Omagh.
The counties were honours-even from the six matches played until Saturday. In the absence of Kevin McStay, happily recovering from a health scare, the reins were taken by his assistant, Stephen Rochford.
Nine years ago, Rochford was manager when Mayo sprang a tactical coup on Tyrone, then Ulster champions.
In his column for The Irish Times, now Donegal manager Jim McGuinness was impressed by how Mayo had shut down their opponents in the opening quarter before posing a conundrum by forcing them to choose between sweepers marking inside forwards where Aidan O’Shea was causing havoc and staying farther out to prevent the extra men being used as kickout options.
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“The fact that they had first pre-empted what Tyrone were going to do until the dust had settled and they had a good read on the game was also interesting,” he commented.
There were similarities on Saturday in that Mayo contained the home team in the early stages before turning the screw as it became clear that they were bringing more energy to the encounter than Tyrone.
As Malachy O’Rourke said of his team’s disappointing display: “They came and hit the ground running.
“We were hoping to do the same thing ... it was a flat performance. We didn’t get to the pitch of the game at all. At half-time we were whatever, six or seven points [actually, eight] behind. It was always an uphill task.”
The contest came within a week of superb result for Tyrone, the defeat of Ulster champions Donegal on their home patch in Ballybofey for the first time in McGuinness’s management.
That was never really an influence on expectations though, as Mayo’s most recent match had ended in a catastrophic home defeat by Cavan, which still threatens their progress.
For most, the halfhearted insistence that “you never know with Mayo – when least expected, they can produce a result," sounded like whistling past the graveyard.
Instead, the Connacht finalists rolled back the years and produced a major performance. Where did it come from?
There were extraneous influences. O’Rourke referenced Kevin McStay’s health issues but nothing that had happened looked likely to move the dial on two desperately disappointing if not demoralising performances, the Connacht final against Galway and the opening group fixture against Cavan.
There was, however, a fortnight to reset and take the sting out of the setbacks. They had been focusing on Tyrone for the previous fortnight, since the Cavan defeat whereas their opponents had to focus on Donegal for half of that time.
Pressure also eased with underdog status, as apart from the “wouldn’t be surprised” constituency, most people with a view on it, would definitely not have been expecting what happened.
For a team in that situation, a good start – as mentioned by McGuinness in 2016 – is very important. It steadies the nerves and also sows seeds of doubt in the opposition. Mayo were lively and alert in defence, challenging the ball carrier and winning the vast preponderance of their 12 turnovers in that area.
David McBrien’s patient tracking of Conn Kilpatrick and the deft tackle to dispossess him was an exemplar.
Mayo still effectively had to win the match twice. Thanks to Darren McHale’s fortuitous goal before half-time after Niall Morgan had spilled a dropping ball, they led by eight, 1-9 to 0-4.
It was a curious mirror image of the previous week when Tyrone were clearly the better team but looked to have been caught by Donegal before they finished more strongly.
Mayo looked better on Saturday but after Darragh Canavan had been allowed approach goal a little too closely and duly raised a green flag for Tyrone, Morgan’s two-point free cut the margin to one. Like in Ballybofey a week earlier, momentum looked to have switched completely.
Instead, the visitors looked like they had got their second wind and stretched the margin nearly all the way back again, to seven points by the end.
As well as the constant energy that Mayo brought to the task, they were able to supplement it off the bench, most eye-catchingly in the case of Davitt Neary, who earned the penalty that killed the contest and looked at times to be existing in a different dimension to the Tyrone defence, so easily was he speeding through the tiring defence.
Ryan O’Donoghue hadn’t been having the best of matches, turning over ball and missing kicks but when the penalty was awarded – despite its awakening obvious memories of the 2021 All-Ireland final – O’Donoghue stepped forward, underlining the view of him that he has no memory.
He simply moves from one task to another with no thought of what has gone before. His kick gave Morgan no chance.
One oddity of the win is that some of Mayo’s stats were those of a team that could have lost. Their conversion rate was poorer and players got blocked down when kicking, on seven occasions. It didn’t happen even once to Tyrone.
The big difference was that like Limerick hurlers most days they go out, Mayo amassed a big shots count. They had 35 against a very low 17 for the opposition – which meant they could comfortably carry a lower conversion rate.
This was made possible by a very impressive attack-to-shot ratio, which touched 90 per cent, meaning that Mayo were getting shots away with nearly every sortie forward, something that Tyrone were unable to do. That’s hard work.
There were also old-fashioned, big performances from leadership figures such as Paddy Durcan on his return from a year’s absence with a cruciate injury. Understandably rusty after such a lay-off, he was one of the players blocked but he compensated with 0-3 from play and was the GAA+ man of the match although Aidan O’Shea was surely in that conversation as well.
Tirelessly available whether on the inside where nearly everything sent his way stuck or around the middle for kickouts or simply orchestrating the sustained possessions that are so much a part of the new rules, he was still going at the end – shooting one of the last points and hustling all around the Tyrone half.
Seán Morahan and Conal Dawson made debuts, the latter shooting two points.
The performance and especially the result must have created massive confidence in the camp, presumably undisturbed by the engaging reality that if they can’t get something out of Donegal, the season is likely done.
But for a fortnight, Mayo will be back to what they do best – living in hope.
