More energy, better composure and a ferocious work-rate were the three vital ingredients that helped Mayo to get back to winning ways in the National League against Kerry last weekend.
That’s the assessment of their All-Star defender, Chris Barrett, whose brave block in the second half to thwart a Kingdom goal chance epitomised Mayo’s attitude and application in Tralee. The Belmullet native admitted afterwards that he and his team-mates had failed to reach the standards they had set themselves during recent defeats to Dublin and Galway.
“Coming down here, we were really up for it,” said the 31-year-old. “We were very disappointed with how the Galway and Dublin matches went.
“We’ve trained really well in the last few weeks, we’ve worked on some of the stuff that we’ve identified from those few games, and there was an energy about the team that probably hasn’t been there in the last couple of games. There was a composure as well. I think the game was in the melting pot there in the second half but we kept composed, kept taking the right options and ended up getting the right result.”
Saturday night’s victory was Mayo’s fourth of this campaign and means that James Horan’s men are back in the frame for a place in their first League final since 2012. However, this weekend’s opponents, Monaghan, are also in need of points to guarantee their safety in the top flight and won on their last visit to Castlebar 13 months ago.
“The work-rate we showed against Kerry is something we can build on against Monaghan and into the summer,” said Barrett. “It’s a bar we’ve set for ourselves. It’s still not anywhere near our best, but we’re getting there.”
Meanwhile, Cora Staunton has ruled out any chance of a return to inter-county football, saying that her “Mayo days are done”.
The 37-year-old, who has just completed her second season with the Greater Western Sydney (GWS) Giants in the AFLW, is set to return to Ireland in the near future.
However, the 11-time All-Star says that she is unlikely to feature with the Mayo senior team for a 25th season.
Staunton was one of 12 players to leave Peter Leahy’s Mayo set-up last year, citing “player welfare issues”. She hasn’t played for the westerners since last June’s Connacht final defeat to Galway, and says her focus will be on her club, Carnacon, when she returns home.
“I’d be the type of person who says never-say-never alright, but my Mayo days are done certainly,” Staunton told Jerome Quinn Media. “I’ve had 24 seasons playing with them, it’s quite a long time. Lucky enough, I’ve played for that length of time practically injury-free. I played every championship season and that’s been huge. My focus will be on Carnacon when I go back. Last year was a rough year for us. In saying that, I think we won our 20th county title out of 21 which is massive.
“It’s been a long two or three years so I haven’t had a break. All my focus will be on Carnacon and hopefully win a 21st county title, try and get back to win another Connacht and who knows after that?”
Meanwhile, the competitions control committee (CCC) of Cork County Board will await a referee’s report before deciding on whether or not to take action against Douglas and Nemo following the abandonment of a recent league game. Last Thursday, the city sides’ second football teams met at Trabeg in a County League Division 3 clash. With Douglas leading by 1-8 to 0-6 with less than five minutes left, a melee broke out involving players and mentors, leading to referee Cathal Ó Murchú abandoning the game.
“We are awaiting the referee’s report, which will be considered by the CCC,” said Cork PRO Joseph Blake. Neither club wished to comment.