Live

Highlights on Off The Ball

02:00 PM-06:00 PM

Highlights on Off The Ball
Advertisement
Football

'Mistakes in possession cost us' | James Horan reacts to All-Ireland final loss

Mayo manager James Horan says mistakes while in possession and the battle in midfield cost them t...



'Mistakes in possession cost u...
Football

'Mistakes in possession cost us' | James Horan reacts to All-Ireland final loss

Mayo manager James Horan says mistakes while in possession and the battle in midfield cost them the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final.

His side lost to Dublin by five points at Croke Park on Saturday evening, meaning their wait for Sam Maguire will be at least 70 years.

Going into the game Dublin were hot favourites to win a sixth consecutive title and many felt the game would be a very one-sided affair.

The 70 minutes didn't play out like this however and the match was competitive for the first hour.

Speaking to OTB Sports at full-time the Mayoboss said there were positives to be seen in his side.

"We're disappointed, obviously.

"We did a lot of things right - we were still in it with 12 or 13 minutes to go but we ran out of juice a little bit and were a bit loose with possession at key times and Dublin got stronger and stronger as the game went on and some of their subs made a big difference and they ran out winners in the end.

"Maybe we didn't get the impact that we'd like from some of the guys coming on.

"Brian Howard and Paul Mannion, when they came on they won a lot of primary possession on us, they were dangerous and I felt that they had a big impact upon the game."

It took Dean Rock just 12 seconds to score Dublin's first goal - the fastest ever in an All-Ireland final.

Mayo impressively rallied back from this and also from Con O'Callagahan's - drawing back level with the Dubs on both ocassions.

Horan said he was impressed with his players in this regard,

"Dublin are a goal threat from multiple fronts at any time. The first goal was obviously very early but I thought our response and composure in the first half was very good.

"On our kick-outs and opposition kick-outs, we did very well and got some good scores. We missed a few - ones that fell short into the goalie's hands were a killer but overall our response to those goals was very good.

"There were lots of stuff very good, but I felt we had a lot of possession and some of it we lost very cheaply and that cost us in the end."

Ultimately it was the last quarter that decided this game.

Dublin only led by a single point going into the final water break but outscored the westerners 0-6 to 0-1 in the last 12 minutes.

Horan said this game management is why they are such impressive champions.

"Going into the last quarter there was only a point in it at that stage, we made a few good plays and we were looking in a strong position but Dublin were very good in the last quarter and controlled it very well.

"We had a few rushed shots, there was a couple of balls bouncing in the middle that we could have got but they got them and that was ultimately the difference."

This season marks the second in Horan's second stint as manager of Mayo.

He is managing a very different side to the one he left back in 2014 but he is confident going forward there's a good squad of players there to work with.

"You see the performances of Ryan O'Donoghue and Oisin Mullin today and we've had Eoghan McLaughlin, Tommy Conroy and Jack Coyne come through.

"There's an awful lot of guys who've learned a huge amount in a short space of time.

"Next year's season will come around very quickly so we'll have to move on quickly."

Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!

Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.


Read more about

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Croke Park James Horan Mayo GAA