Mayo v Louth (All Ireland 2026 Semi Final Preview Part 1)

We preview this weekends big semi final between Mayo and Louth in Croke Park.

Check out our other extra episode this week which previews Dublin v Kerry.

Host: Brendan Tierney

Guest: Darren Kearns

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hello and welcome to the first of our Arl Ireland semi-final football championship previews. We're going to kick off straight away with Mayo and Lal. Darren is back here again. Darren, you welcome back.

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Thank you, Brendan.

SPEAKER_01 0:09

Here we go. The last three games left in the championship. So let's get straight into it. Okay. We're going to read the positives and maybe the negatives of all the teams left and see if can we kind of come up with a solution of who's going to get through. Okay. So Mayo, uh, so we kind of were chatting beforehand, like what are the positives? Obviously, the forwards, there's a few fringe players scoring from the outside. Is defence improvement or getting worse? And then they've also scored, as far as I know, uh most two-pointers. So the three forwards, like Kobe, uh Reiner Dunihu, and Byrne, is that enough to beat Loud?

SPEAKER_00 0:36

Time is going to tell. Um, I suppose what they've done the last day, 18 points out of 23, yeah, is ridiculous kicking. Um, they're going to probably need to do something similar and more guys chipping in at the weekend if they are to get across the line against Loud. Whether it's going to be enough, I know time is going to tell, obviously, and we can't see into the future. But um I think that they're going to need a few more guys to be clipping over, and as you mentioned, two pointers. Um they have some big guys out the field, the likes of Jordan Flynn and the likes of Jack Harry.

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Like Jordan Flynn's got 10 points. Again, I'm open to slight correction, and Jack Carney's 14. So two lads kind of more out around the middle of the field. So chipping in, like, so so as I said, everyone's going to have to be in tune on Sunday. I think so. I think so. Yeah. And I I had a chat today, someone said, but oh, Kobe definitely be on for an all-star. It's like I suppose young player of the year contender at the very least. Obviously, the next the semis and the final are going to decide. But like he scored 121, and I didn't even realise that even in the bad day against Roscommon, he got six points like he did, yeah. For is he 18 or 19? He's whichever. But like you have to stop and go, hold on a second. 121, even in the bad games, he was clipping in points like so.

SPEAKER_00 1:39

Yeah, well, I suppose that day in the corner final or the kind of semi-final against the Rossies, like he was the one leading light. Yeah. And he brought the game to them. And I suppose for a kid, like he's just like he's playing carefree. And I would say for the likes of Andy and the boys coaching him at the moment, I'd say it's just let him loose. Let him do what he wants to a certain degree. But I don't think that there takes an awful lot of coaching for him because, like, I think we mentioned the last day about his little flick over Sherlock's head. Yeah, like another guy in that situation probably would have gone for the score themselves and looking for the full limelight. Whereas he was able to have the maturity to hand the ball off for Darrell Byrne to come on the loop and get the score.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

Yeah, and again we talked about Darr Byrne, like he's only really played three and a half games because he went off against Meade, and I don't think he really scored in that. So in the remaining games, he's got 113.

SPEAKER_00 2:26

He didn't play against the Rossies either.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. So it's only the last two games he's really played. Like so if he keeps that form up, Tommy Conroy is heating up as well.

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Do you think Tommy's going to start? I can't see much change in that forward line. Definitely not the full forward line, to be honest, just the way it is. I know uh Paul Towie came in and started the last year. He did quite well, but he didn't often have time. You know, he got on a couple of balls. He probably was in there as a bit of a playmaker. Uh be interested to see what Andy does with his tactics on the weekend. Like it's if I was looking from the outside looking in, I'd sooner have Ryan O'Dunhu out the field a little bit and Kobe closer to goal. Okay. Because I think for Mayo to get across the line, I think they're going to have to hit the onion bag at the weekend. And that's something that they haven't really been doing on a few occasions in some of the games. So I'd say they're going to need to score at least one, if not two goals. Ryan O'Dunhu got through for a kind of a dubious enough penalty call. Could it have been, could it have been given, wasn't given. But I just think that if Kobe was closer to the goal and he gets the run on a defender, I think he'd stick the ball in the back of the net.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Okay, and I think Ryan Dunhu is one of those players that he'll he'll get himself into the game if it's not working. Yeah, it's not everyone maybe has that ability.

SPEAKER_00 3:34

And look, I'm sure Like we mentioned before, like he's a seven or eight out of ten, most games that he plays. Like, and like he I'm not sure if you've seen his interview after the last day. Um, like he's one of the elder statesmen on the team, but he mentioned guys right, but he mentioned to the to the actual team as his team. So it shows that he's a a a big leader in the group as well, which you need, like you know, and I suppose Stephen Cohn is operating their wing forward.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

Yeah, because that's what I was wondering. Like, would like if they were would would Stephen Cohn maybe be dropping back? Would he would they dare put Conroe in the full forward line and drop Stephen Cohn and put in Kobe out there or Ryan? You know, they've a lot of good options, but then I suppose if you've no Tommy, maybe the bench from a scoring point of view. What impact are you going to get? Yeah, like do you think do you think we're going to see Killian O'Connor or Aiden O'Shea maybe coming in? Killing just back in the back.

SPEAKER_00 4:21

I think Killian was past fit at the weekend or he trained last week or something like that. Now, look at I would say Andy would probably put him into the 26, more so as put him in there, get him around the group, get him talking to the younger guys because look at he's been there and he's done that. Um Aiden O'Shea has a feature in the last two games. Um will he feature on Sunday? Look at its horses for courses. Yeah, you know, if you needed a big body round the middle third, if you know conditions are supposed to be good at the weekend, I would say that the game might be a little bit fast-paced and stuff like that. So bringing the likes of Aiden on in them games, I don't know if you're it depends if they're chasing the game. If they're chasing the game, I don't think you're going to see him. If they want to be controlled around the middle third and hold on to a bit of ball and stuff like that, I could see that he would feature. But I couldn't see Killian getting on the pitch for game time, but I could see his presence being the 26.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

Yeah, yeah, because he's kinda coming in from the coal, hasn't really played much at all. He came in in one game, I think. But James Carr, Andy said he's banging down the door and he's flying fit again. So yeah, and like he can he's had his days in the center of the city.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

Yes, of course, like Andy brought him back into the panel, like you know. Yeah, um, but like just touching on the Stephen Cohn aspect, like he's playing, he's named at number 10, but he's playing as an extra defender, extra midfielder, and I think he's been told to run himself into the ground, which he done the last day against Cork, and he really emptied the tank. And Connor Loftus came in for him then for the last 20 minutes. So I'd say you're looking at something very similar again at the weekend, um, because I don't think he has the full 70 in him, Stephen Cohen, because he's getting to that stage.

SPEAKER_01 5:52

Yeah, you're dreaming with O'Connor came in another game was against me, then kind of ran himself into the goal. So I feel like dogs of or maybe there to come in. Exactly. So they have a few options in that regard, but I suppose they have enough shooters if they all stay healthy on the pitch. They definitely might need a few more lads that are doing the dirty work out around the pitch. Would you say their defence is improving or getting worse?

SPEAKER_00 6:09

Um I suppose they're giving up a couple of goal chances in most games at the play, right? And young Jack Livingston, who was we've mentioned here before, has come in and has really, really grabbed that jersey and made his own. He's pulling saves out that look at we mentioned against Monaghan, he was said that he made the saves. Other people had mentioned that the forwards hit the ball at him. But as I said before, like the keeper put himself into that position. He got out quickly. He's brave, he's strong, he made a great save on Chris O'Jones the last day. If that goal again went in, I'd say you might have been looking at a different outcome of the game because it was a crucial time. Again, he done the same against Tyrone as well on Ethan Jordan. So defensively, I think they're giving away too many goal chances. Um, yes, they have definitely improved because as a unit um they were leaking, there was teams running through them.

SPEAKER_01 6:58

Well, me's kind of ran through them and they kind of seemed to shore that up the last year. And even End Hessian kind of took on the tagging role rather than attacking and maybe just having his presence around there helped everyone else around him.

SPEAKER_00 7:08

They definitely did, and I suppose like like Eddie Boyle, their Boyler is their defensive coach as such. Like, and I would say him looking at what's happening and them opening up and being cut open would like would not be impressive in one-way shape.

SPEAKER_01 7:22

And McGreel went off injured, like and he you know, he's been having a solid mission.

SPEAKER_00 7:25

Yeah, he went he went off injured early the last day. Yeah, and missing as well. So just look at I mean if they're fitted it changes everything. Yeah, like young Jerry McDuffie came on from McGreel, he was taken back off again later on in the game. Don't know, did he pick up a knock, but I could see the likes of Brickenden maybe starting if McGreel isn't starting at the weekend. But again, look at it's all about the matchups, what they do, what you you mentioned there about Heshen. Like Heshen's having a great season. He's like against Meade, two points he got just before halftime really clawed their way back into it. He's driving them forward, but he's doing a tagging role on other opposition forwards as well. So I think at the weekend I could see him picking up Sam Mulroy.

SPEAKER_01 8:03

And would he be the most prolific forward threat, really? Probably.

SPEAKER_00 8:07

Yeah, yeah, to a certain degree. Well, he has been over the years, right? But I would say he's he's playing a more of a quarterback role now at the moment and setting it up for the other guys because the spread of scores that Loud have at the moment, like they had 11 different scores the last day, right? So in previous years they'd needed Sam Mulroy kicking eight, nine, ten points a game, which he's not doing now, but he is still clipping over points. So I would say from Miot's perspective, they'd have to tag him because if you give him the ball and let him dictate the play, it can be lights out for he can run the show. And I would say that Heshen could be the type of guy that might just pick him up, tag him, don't let him get the ball, spoil him, you know, really, really in his face from the get-go.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

Even if he isn't as tall as him, as I say, if you're near his foot and his hands at all, you know, you're making the job harder, like you know. Uh again, I mean, what maybe towards the positives, as we said, obviously those worrying injuries, maybe like Cork did clean them out of midfield. Like, it was funny, one of my Mayor Lads was slagging Galway with a bad midfield percentage, but Mayode only six percent better stats on their own kick out. Yeah, Cork wiped it, you know. And didn't know is that a worry? Like, you know, because and so I suppose Cork won the ball and didn't score. Yes. Okay, so what if a team wins that midfield battle again and like Loud have plenty of big men?

SPEAKER_00 9:20

Yeah, Loud have Giants around the middle third. They really do. Like, I know Callan's gonna be missing after getting the red card the last day, but you probably have I think it's young Matthews that's gonna come in there and line up a midfield or very close to it, you have big Tommy Dernan that'll come in with 20 minutes to go and throw his weight around as well. So they have big men around the field, but I would say that Loud the difference between Loud and Cork will be that if you get Loud winning breaking ball, winning dirty ball, which they have no problem doing, right? I could see that they won't have anywhere next or near as many wides or misses or bad decisions as Cork did the last day.

SPEAKER_01 9:57

Yeah, I I I would see, and like I'm we're just doing the negatives here. We've done the positives, I'm just trying to get the caring to an argument, I guess. So could you say, well, the worrying thing was Cork wiped midfield? You know, Mead's red card, uh, they were cruising up to that. Was that, you know, so this match would probably tell us what we finally want to know about Mayo. It's not now. I don't think anyone's questioned can they win Sam or not? It's like can they win this game first? Yeah, and then we get a better idea. But like uh like have they could you say they've beaten a big dog in the championship yet, Mayo?

SPEAKER_00 10:22

Oh, probably not on merit, like you, you know, like obviously like beating Cork the last day and beating Monahan the day before that. Like, and it's but now is the crunch time, like, and uh in both camps, like Horst Evelyn and Andy are going to both going to be saying to their teams, we can win this game. Why can't we win this game? There's no reason why we can't win the game and go and put your best foot forward and get to an all-iron final and don't even be looking about the other semi-final, it's all about oh yeah. Well, you don't want to be thinking about the other final. No, you but you don't in any way, but you know, like it this this basically is their all-iron final because they have to be looking at we're there on merit. We mentioned that they're in bonus territory. Loud are obviously in bonus territory as well, they've kind of turned their season around to a certain degree as well. But again, look at it's it's why not?

SPEAKER_01 11:08

Yeah, I I mean it's a very tricky game to call. Again, the only two the only team both have played as far as I'm aware is Mayo won away to Monaghan and Begin was playing, but Loud won with 14 men against Monaghan and they'd know Begin. So you can't even go, oh well if you begin was there now you can make sense of it.

SPEAKER_00 11:22

Like, but this is like I I suppose like when I was looking at it just on the age profile of both teams. So on the Loud team, I think they have only three guys that was on the starting 15 the last day that are under 25, which is obviously young McDonnell at six, who is just a star, and you have James McGuire at wing forward who is kicking points in every game he plays, and you young McGardle in the corner, whether McArdle was starting or not at the weekend, because he was taken off in the last two or three games, he's not really setting the show alight, like you know, whereas on the Mayo team, you have only three guys under 25. Wow, okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you know what I mean? Like or over you have only three guys over 25 on the Mayo team, yeah, right, which is Jordan Finn, Reiner Donahue, and Stephen Cohen.

SPEAKER_01 12:09

And I is it that Galway Herner's kind of conundrum of gun? Well, the youth and the chaos.

SPEAKER_00 12:14

Like we said, we we said before, the innocence of youth. Yeah, you know, it's crazy. Let let the lads go in Croker, like Andy mentioned weeks and weeks and weeks ago, that this team was made for Crow Park. They're in Crow Park now. So let them off the leash and see where they're going.

SPEAKER_01 12:29

This will this will, I think, give us a lot of answers about both teams. Um, but again, as I said, kind of now going on to loud. I know we've cross-referenced a little bit, but like they've had big wins against Armagh against Dublin in Crow Park, and again, 14 men like so. Yeah, if you're uh bookie, you're going well, you should be going. Well, look at lads, they've they've they're on form. They like since they lost to Dublin, they've had nothing, you know, big game, big wins, yeah, all the way through. So does that put them as favourites? In my book, it does. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:55

In Patty Power, Boyle Sports, it's not at the moment. No, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:58

Is it just that Juneo effect? Are we still thinking of 10 years ago and like that craziness and the chaos?

SPEAKER_00 13:03

It probably is, it probably is, but look at it's like and I said it, I mentioned it before, and I will say it again. Like, it's that management team that Low would have, like, them boys would run through a brick steel wall if they had to. It makes no odds to them. And he is going to have them fired up, ready to go at the weekend. Like, and they're there on merit, they really are like like they lost by 10 points to double in the championship, right? I think the game was in Port Leash.

SPEAKER_01 13:28

Uh, pretty sure it was, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

Yeah, right. And they've turned it round since they had a month off, I think. They had, yeah, they had a few weeks off, they went back to the drawboard and they were like, look, this isn't good enough. Do you know, coming from where they were last year, really, like you know, and then they turned the dubs over in Croker. They were four or five points down in halftime, I think it was, and ended up grinding out that win. They got a lucky goal at the end, but they still won the game, you know, and they have really, really big players throughout the field, and again, which would be very interesting to see, like you mentioned the kick out with Mayo that got cleaned out in the middle third against Cork, but they still didn't go short. So we were mentioning about the stats, you know, is it better to lose it out the field or lose it on the edge of the arc and the ball end up in the back of the net before you kick the ball out again? Whereas Loud got caught on a couple of occasions throughout the championship with Nile McDonald doing that little kick to the arc, got caught against Armand on two occasions, Armand only took one off them. So I think both keepers are just going to kick it long and go into, as McGeady says, the piggery in the middle of the field.

SPEAKER_01 14:27

Yeah, yeah, or don't low call it now, the piggery area. Yeah, yeah. But again, like I know like we all talk Sam Mulroy as the the marksman, but even their outfield, like Darren McConnell uh won 10, the championship, Craig Lennon 1-6. I'm as I would say, I'm open to small corrections, but I was doing a bit of math on it. And then the bench, Tyg McConnell has got seven points in two games, and Kieran Byrne has got nine points in three games. Yeah. So like there's four players that aren't full forward, you know what I mean? Yeah, yes, definitely. Huge impact. So I think I'd be interested in like will they still leave like again? I'm not sure about injuries or not injuries or whatever with the with the red card, Ty McConnell on or off at the beginning, or Kieran Byrne. Uh, but that has to be that has to play hugely into the game. Like, again, it's not just the forwards you're marking, it's who's on the bench and then who's who's out the field.

SPEAKER_00 15:10

Because it's it's uh and in the modern game now it's the finishers that you need coming in making an impact. So you mentioned Tommy Connery, would he start? I don't think he will start because you need that impact coming off the bench. Yeah, just that lift and the crowd lift as well. Yeah, it gives it gives the crowd a lift, but like it has that little buzz to go and take on a player. Whereas Kieron Byrne come out and catch a kick out, it gives a huge lift. He's done it on occasions in the last couple of games, and then he's clipping over the points because he's on song, and he's one of these guys, and we mentioned about the dazzler up and Tyrone McCurry. You have to make peace with the fact that you're not starting and have a real impact when you're coming on, because obviously everybody wants to be starting, but everybody can't start. But when you do come on, you have to influence the game as best you can, which McCurry, you know, has done over the last few games. Kieran Byrne has done over the last few games, and then Big Tig McDonnell coming on for louds, like three points from play the last day, right? And and I think he had some McDonald, I would say McConnell. I think he had two he he got two marks as well around the middle third. So, like, but he has huge energy and huge legs and ready to go at it, you know. So, like the likes of them guys, yeah, of course they're gonna be pushing the rest of the guys, but Horst Devon probably knows with barren injuries what team he's gonna start and what team he's gonna finish, and obviously throw in the red cards here or there, whether they should be or they shouldn't be. Yeah, yeah. You know, that's not for us to decide.

SPEAKER_01 16:30

No, no, no, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, if you're trying to look at any negatives, like it is their first semi in whatever is it 1950? 56 or something. The O'Callaghan red, he's missing. And like, you know, if you look at the stats and Gaelic statsman, by the way, on social media, he's amazing with the stats. He shows you the top scores, and they have no forward in the top ten scores in the championship. Now Mulroy is just on the cusp of it. Of course, he is, yeah. Like some of the other teams have two or three, then you know what I mean.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

So and then if you go back over the years, Mulroy would have been always in that top ten. Yeah. But Loud weren't getting anywhere near an All-In semi-final.

SPEAKER_01 16:59

Yeah, so maybe they're just spreading it out around like so. Of course, yeah. So, like, okay, so give me three reasons why Mayo will win. If you call it Colby or Donahue and Byrne. That's their three. But for me, okay, so let's say if if if Mayo win, uh yeah, I do think it's like that is their main thing, and I think will the defence improve or get worse? You know, I I I'm not sure about the midfield or they would you be betting on them to win that out, but it's the rest then and getting the ball in quick. But yeah, I just I it will tell us a lot, as I said, was the mead game a false dawn? Was or they got wiped the midfield against Cork and now they're they didn't do it again and they got wiped again, or does all that change? And if why would three reasons why Loud will win?

SPEAKER_00 17:40

I will give Loud the Mulroy dictating the play, uh Kieran Downey filling the space where Mulroy leaves. I think that's you know, like he he's just around that 45, like he's getting on the ball, he's kicking a couple of twos in most games, and then one of my favourite players in the championship, Darren McDonald at six.

SPEAKER_01 17:59

Okay, so yeah, and again that that that is it, isn't it? Like, I think if you're asking me why I think would Loud win, and again we're picking both teams on both sides here. Uh for me it's those big games they've now won, you know, and against big opposition, and they've won two games in Croker in big games, and again, it's just a spread of scores, and they've just been consistent like all the time.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

But like when you're talking about a spread of scores, so if if Loud had 11 12 scores the last day, okay, kicking 27 points, Mayo kicked 23 points, but three of them guys had 18 points. Yeah, so if the loud full backline, the likes of you know McNally there, if he does a job on Odonahue, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:36

If you can snuff one of them out, you're going, ooh, that's gonna be a third of the scores.

SPEAKER_00 18:42

He might pick up Odono. You nullify their presence on the pitch and cut them down to you know very, very close to four or five points. Yeah, like where's the rest of the scores going to come from, Mayo? In that situation, then you're gonna be relying on the likes of Jordan Flynn, the likes of Jack Carney, and if the yes, they can kick twos, absolutely no problem, but they can also have Hail Mary shots that are going wide, and that will suck the life out of Mayo on Saturday evening. If they if the likes of that starts happening, if they're chasing the game and they're going for a big two from distance, and it ends up missing the ball stop behind the goals, like that'll just give Loud such a lift. I think that Loud are a little bit further along on their trajectory at the moment.

SPEAKER_01 19:23

Well, I think a lot of people in Mayo say if it's a close game and they lose, I don't think they'll be too devastated. I think they go, well, do you know what? Loud are just on the right trajectory, maybe a step ahead of us, you know, and see what happens next year. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, so so call it so. Who's who's actually gonna win?

SPEAKER_00 19:34

I'm gonna say it's gonna be very, very tight. Yeah, I really am. I'm gonna say it's coming come down to the last 10-12 minutes, but I just think that Loud's experience is going to get them across the line because I just think that they just have the know-how and they have the smarts. And don't get me wrong, Andy and Boiler and Papa and these boys are you know.

SPEAKER_01 19:53

They're the guys on the sideline, they they have everything you need, but it's we'll see. Can it be transferred on?

SPEAKER_00 19:57

Yeah, and I I just think that Horsh Devlin will transfer his energy into the Loud team and they've ground out results, and I think that they will just nick it in the end.

SPEAKER_01 20:05

Yeah, I think it'll be I think it's a good one again for a draw. But I if I had to pick, I do think Loud, just as you said, some of the farm lines with games, big games, and then I just think they're dogging us. Maybe Mayo haven't met that yet this year. Now we could all have egg interface, but who cares? We're having a bit of fun, we're picking games, that's all it's about, you know. Yeah, yeah. Okay, so that's our first semi final. So if you're watching this, we will have our second semifinal carrying doublin' another episode. We're gonna put them all out this week, so vice versa, whichever one you see first, go and check out the other one.