This was a proud performance from Mayo but too many of Conor Counihan’s players just didn’t turn up

FIRST OF all, you have to give Mayo huge credit for putting Cork out of the championship. They came to Croke Park in a different mindset to other days in the past – totally free of hype and expectation. They came as underdogs and played as underdogs, pressing Cork all over the pitch, upsetting their rhythm and stopping their running game at source. James Horan deserves every bit of praise that comes his way because I haven’t seen a Mayo team play that well in Croke Park in years. London seems a very long time ago now.

But for Cork, it was a disaster. Yesterday was a day when they couldn’t get anything going and in the end they paid for it.

Apart from the first 15 minutes, it was a lifeless performance. Their defenders all played their men from behind, especially Michael Shields, who was given the run-around by Andy Moran all day. They gave up easy possession and they couldn’t shake what looked like a general air of complacency.

It was like the first half of the Munster final all over again. Cork were second to the ball and when they did get it, they wasted a huge amount of possession. Partly this was because Mayo pressurised them so well and made them hurry their passes. But partly too it was too many Cork players just didn’t turn up.

You would have to question this Cork team big time now. Do they need too many things to go their way for them to play well? They’ve won the last two leagues but what use is that to them if they’re put out of the championship on the last day of July? This is the time of year a serious team should be hitting its peak but Cork have mistimed their run here.

It would be wrong to concentrate solely on Cork though. This was a proud performance from Mayo and they had outstanding displays all over the pitch.

Moran was excellent inside but in the likes of Keith Higgins and Trevor Mortimer, you had men who’ve been through the mill with Mayo and are still going. I thought the two O’Sheas in the middle of the field both played their hearts out too. Aidan O’Shea, in particular, looked very fit and sharp and far more suited to that position than full-forward.

They have nothing to lose in the semi-final now, although you’d have to say that Kerry will be happy enough at the thought of playing them. Jack O’Connor’s team enjoyed an obvious gulf in class over Limerick yesterday and that game went completely according to the script. It wasn’t a real test and the game completely lacked intensity.

The Kerry forward unit is so hard to contain anywhere in the country but in the wide open spaces of Croke Park, they can be especially dominant. The key is the accuracy of their kick-passing and their movement off the ball.

They’re so controlled, always waiting on the right man to make the right run and find him with the right pass. When you combine Kieran Donaghy’s unselfish positioning as a target man and Darran O’Sullivan’s pace, you have enough to test most teams. But when you add in outstanding players of the calibre of Declan O’Sullivan and Colm Cooper, the best defences are going to have serious problems.

Limerick don’t have one of the best defences and they couldn’t get anywhere close to Kerry yesterday. The only time they made any sort of burst was for a 10-minute spell soon after half-time. But any intercounty team is going to have the pride to put in an effort like that. The problem is sustaining it.

Once Kerry took the sting out of them, the game was up.

If Kerry have a worry after yesterday, it’s that the centre of their defence still looks a little vulnerable to people running through it. They haven’t worked out a way yet to shut it down and a stronger team than Limerick might find a way through. Otherwise though, they did everything they needed to.

Bryan Sheehan and Anthony Maher will come on a lot after both played well in midfield. And Darran O’Sullivan’s goal tells you all you need to know about the confidence running through him at the minute. Kerry will hope his injury isn’t too serious because the way he’s playing makes him vital to their All-Ireland hopes.

For all Mayo’s heroics yesterday, I thought the performance of the weekend came from Donegal on Saturday night. The win over Kildare was certainly the most enjoyable game we saw and even though they only sealed it with the last kick of the game, I thought they fully deserved it. I was delighted to see that when it came to the crunch it was the old soldiers who pulled them through. Men like Karl Lacey, Kevin Cassidy and Christy Toye have suffered long and hard and they left every last ounce of guts and bravery out there for their county.

As a neutral, the first half was obviously hard to watch but in fairness to Jimmy McGuinness, I can completely see the merit to his philosophy.

McGuinness realises there’s a time to shut up shop and there’s a time to attack and the time to shut up shop is at the beginning when a game is trying to settle down. His players are so willing to work, his half-forwards especially. You can only admire the effort they put in.

In the end, you’d have to say Kildare’s old failing let them down again.

They didn’t make enough of their scoring opportunities – although they did have a perfectly legitimate goal struck off.

But when you look at it, Donegal came through and were in the game right until the end even though their two marquee forwards Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden didn’t carry them on their shoulders. For that alone, Donegal are well-deserving of a semi-final place.