Cillian O'Connor could have replicated Michael Murphy's impact under Jim McGuinness in Donegal in 2012 if not for Mayo's deeper struggles under John O'Mahony, highlighting the team's dire situation following their loss to Sligo in 2010 and their harrowing defeat in the qualifiers against Longford.
Declan Bogue BUT FOR THE width of a post here and there, Cillian O’Connor could have been to James Horan, what Michael Murphy was to Jim McGuinness in 2012.As much as Donegal were written up as being among the doldrums at the time, their ‘rock bottom’ came with a backdoor defeat to Armagh in the summer of 2010; a side who had been Ulster champions two years hence, and had just edged out Donegal for the automatic promotion place to Division One a couple of months previous.
Horan knew enough of his clubmate Cillian O’Connor to put him straight into the Mayo senior side, fresh out of minors. For a decade, he was the man to hit in the forward line. While other mainstays like Kevin McLoughlin and Aidan O’Shea were tried here and there, O’Connor was the finisher. Ryan O’Donoghue had been coming on the scene by then. O’Connor missed the 2021 All-Ireland final loss to Tyrone. During that time, O’Donoghue took over free-taking duties and became the main man in attack. The two swapped free-taking duties, mainly because of their injury history, but O’Donoghue has been given more prominence in the last two years as O’Connor’s appearances tapered off.
By this stage, O’Connor has 14 years’ service under him and he has five county titles with Ballintubber as well. The logic goes that the elder statesmen of county teams can now lounge around the final attacking third, playing Bridge with their markers until their side achieve a turnover.
Mayo Cillian O'connor Donegal Michael Murphy Jim Mcguinness John O'mahony Sligo Longford Gaelic Football
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