By Séamus Leonard
Mayo have a massive task on their hands if they are to avoid becoming another stepping stone for Cork as the Rebels seek to retain their All-Ireland title.
The major concern for manager Conor Counihan is that if they keep losing forwards to injury they may have no attackers left should they make it to the third Sunday in September.
Colm O'Neill and Ciaran Sheehan are out for the season, with cruciate knee ligament injuries, and Daniel Goulding (ankle) and Barry O'Driscoll (broken jaw) joined them on the treatment table after last week’s game.
Goulding seems likely to be out for five to six weeks, which would mean he would only come into contention again if his team-mates make it to the final.
Cork still have excellent options in Paddy Kelly, Paul Kerrigan and Donncha O’Connor, and it will be interesting to see how Nicholas Murphy gets on at full-forward (assuming his selection there is not a ruse by Counihan and his selectors).
Murphy has operated at the edge of the square before and his giant frame would make him well-suited to the job of being a target man.
But the Carrigaline clubman is not the only big man in Cork’s ranks, and it is there physicality that will pose the biggest questions of Mayo.
The Westerners, for their part, have probably already fulfilled their mission statement for the year after capturing the Connacht title.
Their win over Roscommon in miserable conditions at Dr Hyde Park may not have been pretty, but it showed that they are on the right track under the stewardship of James Horan.
The most positive aspect of the provincial final success was the performance of corner-forward Cillian O’Connor.
The 19-year-old, who captained the Mayo minors last year, showed nerves of steel from dead-ball situations as he kicked 0-08 on a difficult day for scoring.
Cork will have noted his ability and will be keen not to give the Ballintubber clubman too many opportunities to further enhance his reputation.
Mayo have had many dark days at Croke Park, though in recent years they have come mostly in All-Ireland finals and at the hands of Kerry.
A victory would be a huge bonus, but a solid performance and narrow defeat would offer them enough hope that brighter days are not too far away.
This game is not a foregone conclusion. But if Cork can keep their mind on the task at hand and ignore the chatter of an expected semi-final showdown with Kerry, they should have more than enough to reach the last four yet again.
Verdict: Cork
