Mayo senior football manager Kevin McStay. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
By Cian O'Connell
Mayo manager Kevin McStay believes valuable lessons were learned at Croke Park on Sunday.
Dublin's dynamic third quarter ensured Dessie Farrell's charges eventually prevailed 2-17 to 0-11 against Mayo in Sunday's All-Ireland SFC Quarter-Final at Croke Park.
McStay is adamant that Mayo can make significant progress in the future following his first campaign in charge of the green and red senior team.
"We absolutely wanted to win our kickout up high, we were going hard on that, but the breaks just didn’t - when you don’t win it clean and it breaks off, the Dubs were just really clean on that break and it seemed to go their way," McStay reflected.
"They got more men in around it, and that’s definitely a place we have to go back to improve on.
"We are not good enough at it yet, we are not up with the top teams in terms of our kickout yet, but we will be, I have no doubt we will.
"We have great lads around it that will think it through and figure it out, and we’ll get more experience; that’s my own view and we’ll be better for this.
"It’s our first year together as a group and we are just finding each other out and figuring each other out.
A second half Eoghan McLaughlin goal chance hit the post at Croke Park. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
"I’ve learned a lot about the boys and I’m sure they’ve tried to figure us out a bit as well, but overall I’m not broken or anything over this defeat.
"I’m disappointed for the big Mayo crowd that came up as they always do, but we’ll take a break now to try to figure out where we have to go to next to get to another level."
McStay acknowledged the contribution made by Dublin's substitutes after the restart.
"I think they selected very well, when we got the changes it was obvious to us they were very afraid of our pace up top and they were hoping to get the game to the third quarter and bring on then their pacey guys, Jack (McCaffrey) obviously in particular, Paddy Small and so on.
"But we had managed it well until half-time, we had given them a lot of problems up in the full line, Tommy (Conroy) and Ryan (O'Donoghue) and Aidan (O'Shea) were busy, I felt, throughout that period.
"Big games swing on a moment or two, we’re still in it, we’re definitely breathing, we want to get a third quarter and then the goal we give away but you have to credit Dublin, look at the way they finished that goal, they just popped it across and a guy pushed it to an empty net.
"In that moment they were clinical, there was no chance that was going to be missed.
"That hurt us, then I think a ball broke fairly kindly for us up the Canal End, but we kind of scuffed it a bit and then you are saying, ‘It’s going to be a tough day'.”
