Louth can exploit Mayo's high risk defence

Louth have the attacking game to potentially exploit Mayo's high-risk defensive approach, according to Ciaran Whelan.

Two months after shipping a borderline humiliating defeat to Roscommon in the Connacht championship, Mayo have recovered sufficiently to reach a first All-Ireland semi-final in five years.

Now, they're 70 minutes away from yet another All-Ireland final appearance, in Andy Moran's first season in charge.

Their defence had been pegged as a glaring weakness after the loss to Roscommon and they continued to look vulnerable even in the wins over Monaghan - when they allowed numerous goal opportunities in the second half - and against Meath - who plundered two goals in the first half.

However, things were much improved against Cork, as they successfully quietened the inside forward pairing of Chris Óg Jones and Steven Sherlock.

But Whelan believes that was much due to Cork's failings as anything else.

"While Mayo deserved to win at the weekend, I thought at times in the first half, they were very, very shaky," the former Dublin midfielder said on the RTÉ GAA podcast.

"Mayo still play a high-risk game. A lot of teams do. Your scramble defence has to be really good.

"Some teams still go with that deep zonal approach. They've four or five on the arc, handing forwards off, and they're trying to protect that area.

"Mayo are still very much man-to-man. And they hope they can get a double-up when it matters.

"I thought in the first half, there were times that they looked very open.

"I was amazed Cork didn't really go at them or try to expose them in any great way. Cork did get in and missed a lot of chances in the first half. But I thought they could have been a lot more direct.

"I thought the second half was much better [from Mayo]. They nailed Chris Óg Jones, they stopped [Steven] Sherlock.

"They got their match-ups right and they had a very good scramble defence.

"But it's very high risk. And when you look at the Louth team, they probably have a little bit more offensive threat."

During their push for an All-Ireland title in the 2010s, Mayo's ultimate weakness was perceived to be in the forwards, while their half-back line and defenders were deemed a source of strength.

This has flipped in 2026, with their full-forward suddenly the most vaunted element of their team, with the attacking trident of Ryan O'Donoghue, Kobe McDonald and Darragh Beirne contributing 0-19, the bulk of which came from play, last Saturday.

However, according to former Offaly attacker Nigel Dunne, the current Mayo side have inherited their immediate predecessor's penchant for high-octane football.

Listen to the RTÉ GAA Podcast on the RTÉ Radio Player, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and email us at sportpodcasts@rte.ie

"Mayo will want a game of ping-pong, not a game of chess. And Louth know that and they can set the terms of engagement," Dunne said.

"If it turns into a game of phased attacks, I think they could be in trouble. They lack patience, they want it to be gung-ho.

"They historically have and this team is no different.

"They got good bang for their buck out of their full-forward line at the weekend. They got 0-13 from play, whereas Cork only got three or four.

"It's high risk but when it goes well, the rewards can be brilliant. I'm not saying they can't beat Louth - of course they can. I just have a sneaky feeling for Louth and I'm not quite sure why."

While still concerned about their defensive approach, Whelan does stress that Mayo's midfield have the form to match up better against Louth than Monaghan did last weekend.

"The two lads, Darragh Beirne and Kobe [McDonald] have added that X-factor. Jack Carney is in good form, Jordan Flynn is in good form. They need to get Matty Ruane back on the field.

"You look at that area of midfield and Dara McDonnell's dominance [against Monaghan] and Louth got a lot of scores off first phase from winning ball in midfield.

"And Mayo's midfielders are going well enough so they can definitely compete in that area. So if they can stifle Louth a small bit and win their fair share of possession to get it into the two lads [McDonald and Beirne] that'll definitely help them."

Click here to read article