Brolly: Mayo must not blink

September 09, 2017

Mayo players stand for the national anthem.
©INPHO/Lorraine O'Sullivan.

If Mayo are to finally reach the promised land next Sunday, they must, according to Joe Brolly, not allow their focus be distracted by anything other than the 70 minutes plus of football that has to be played.

The Derry All-Ireland winner advises Stephen Rochford and his players to take a leaf out of Dublin's book in that regard.

"The Dubs are brilliant at it. They don't concern themselves with anything other than the game," he said on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport.

"They plunge themselves in at the throw-in and they play to the finish, no matter what the score is.

"Like any team that goes on to win an All-Ireland, the important thing is you don't blink.

"Let's go back to the Donegal team and their one year of winning an All-Ireland (2012). If you look at their track record compared to this Mayo team, you couldn't compare that Donegal team to this Mayo team.

"This Mayo team is far superior. And yet Donegal cracked them that day. You could see that Mayo played nervously. Donegal just focused on the game, they plunged into it, and when the final whistle went, they were All-Ireland champions.

"Colm Cooper described it to me most eloquently. He said, 'the problem when you play against Dublin is that they completely ignore you; it's as though you're not there'."


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