What Mayo need is more lads like him.
Kevin McLoughlin took most of the plaudits for his 13 steps, his nerveless ping off his weaker right to save Mayo’s bacon and to send Donegal down at the death.
We’ve seen this before from him. He’s a leader, he’s done it on countless occasions in the past and when the stakes are at their highest, the narrow Knockmore whippet can be relied upon to stand up and be counted.
So cruel on Donegal https://t.co/54A9UVDx9f
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) March 26, 2018
Mayo have many men like him and that’s why there is only one team better than them in the whole country. That’s why they’ve been contesting year after year. That’s why they’re still in Division One.
Take Paddy Durcan, Aidan O’Shea, Andy Moran, Cillian O’Connor and co. These are the men that have soldiered in the green and red for the last ages, who have dragged their county to four of the last six All-Ireland finals, who have made their’s the journey of all GAA journeys over the last decade.
But a lot of these Mayo men have been on the scene for a while now. Every knock they take, they find something else to get back up on their feet but eventually something has to give. This isn’t to say that their time is up because it’s far from that but these lads need to be kept on their toes.
These lads can’t keep rallying themselves, they can’t can’t keep coming back for more because there’s plenty of miles on the clock now. What these men need is some younger versions of themselves bursting onto the scene to drive them on, to motivate them.
Rochford needs to freshen things up and he should have the ammunition to do that. This is the 2016 All-Ireland under-21 champions we’re talking about.
He has introduced some new blood to the side. Conor Loftus has been knocking on the door, and Sunday in Ballybofey was perhaps the Crossmolina man’s most polished display to date in a county jersey.
Stephen Coen is coming on. But nobody’s hammering their way into contention more than Belmullet club man and corner back Eoin O’Donoghue.
Because without O’Donoghue’s 68th minute heroics, McLoughlin wouldn’t have even got the chance to kick a leveller. This man, brimming with confidence after seeing his marker subbed first for Donegal, took the initiative when it would have been so much easier to leave it for men like O’Shea, Durcan or Doherty to step up.
Some stones on @eoinodonoghue to chance that haha the cheek #EOD4
— Fionán Duffy (@fionanduffy) March 25, 2018
That late, great intervention was a culmination of a fine League campaign for him. He made his senior debut in that win over Monaghan and he was man-of-the-match in Clones.
Since then, he hasn’t missed a minute. He’s been a mainstay and he’s given Stephen Rochford no option but to keep it that way. Cool, calm and collected in possession, he’s confident going forward but his vigilant defending is the most impressive thing about him.
Didn’t give Niall O’Donnell a sniff of leather in Ballybofey and the only question was why he wasn’t moved over to mark Paddy McBrearty on the other corner who was doing the damage.
Corner back isn’t a problem position for Mayo, but his emergence gives them more options. That’s what they need.
