Nowhere to Hyde as Dubs loom; FRC proposals welcome

Before I get onto the very interesting FRC (Football Review Committee) proposals, there's the small matter of a full round of football fixtures, with another meeting of Mayo and Dublin getting top billing.

The usual buzz that precedes a game against Dublin is fairly absent this week, partly because it isn't a knockout fixture but also because the expectation around this Mayo team isn't what it was a few years ago.

It's an exciting novelty to get them out of Croke Park for a change even if it does entail going to the pitch beside the graveyard again. I know we always win there but that's because we're usually playing Roscommon.

There wasn't a massive away contingent the last day out there and you could forgive Mayo fans for being a little sick of the place.

The bookies have Dublin at 1/5 and they're usually not that far wrong.

While the top seeding spot is coveted, the game is lower stakes than previous Mayo-Dublin clashes. I think supporters down here would like to see a more gung-ho approach compared to previous games.

So far it's been fairly structured and methodical stuff from Mayo in possession. That hard running from the half-back line that was characteristic of the Horanball era isn't really who they are anymore.

The Connacht final could have gone either way in the finish but there's a sense that Mayo's lack of directness and cautiousness on the ball did cost them another Nester Cup last month.

Mayo are continually judged by the yardstick of the 2010s team though there's been plenty of turnover in the squad since then. The O'Connors, Aidan O'Shea and Paddy Durcan are still trucking away - even if Paddy is unavailable to us this summer - but otherwise it's a largely new team.

And there are bright spots, for sure. They still