Mayo are through tot he last 12 of the All Ireland series after a big win over Kildare on Saturday night, but there is still plenty areas for them to improve on over the next few weeks said Stephen Rochford after the game. “The challenge for us over the next two weeks coming up against a provincial looser it’s to turn our performance into a 70 minute consistant performance, we’re probably at 40 or 45 minutes and the level of opposition that we’re playing against isn’t going to be good enough” he said,
As for going through the qualifier route being of benefit to the side in regards to working out the kinks in their game plan, only time will tell he added. “Time will tell, we’re going into a round four qualifier, who were against is another step up in quality and if we can play at a more consistent level over a period of time they maybe yah the route and what we’re going through will help us, but only time will tell.”
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Man at the back: Aidan O'Shea lined out in defence for Mayo in the second half. Photo: Sportsfile
The win was the essential outcome and Mayo’s burst before the break laid the platform for that victory, a point Rochford agreed with for the most part “That will be the manner in which people will probably reflect on it, but its where we built that platform from. But I thought in the second half as well that whereby Kildare won the game 9-8, at the same time I thought we controlled it well, maybe a little bit reckless in front of goal and could have tapped on another one or two in the second half. But I think we dealt reasonably will most of what Kildare threw at us in the second half pretty well.”
Part of that second half performance involved Aidan O’Shea playing at full back, which was not part of the script at all. “Kevin (Keane ) picked up a bit of a shoulder knock, during the first half, I think it was quite clear that Kildare were looking to put the ball in the square and we’re running out of full back options at the moment and I think Aidan going in there allowed us to maybe to create a barrier and to not let them get in as easy as maybe as with someone that isn’t of his height or stature, but look it worked fine today, but when you come up other teams and teams that will offer you different challenges in a fortnights time.”
