Conor Mortimer hails impact of Mayo's young players ahead of Louth semi-final

Michael Bolton

After a disappointing defeat to rivals Roscommon in the Connacht semi-finals, the thought of Mayo in the All-Ireland semi-finals seemed unlikely.

However, Andy Moran's side turned to youth at both ends of the pitch for a response, which has set up a semi-final tie against Louth in Croke Park on Saturday.

The wonders of Kobe McDonald have the whole country on notice, while Darragh Beirne has come up with crucial scores alongside him in the full-forward line.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Jack Livingstone has produced incredible saves since he was brought into the team.

One man who had plenty of big days with Mayo in Croke Park is Conor Mortimer, and he was full of praise for their performances.

"They are brilliant talents who have come in. The most pleasing aspect is that they are performing regularly.

"They didn't play a whole lot early on in the league. We had a couple of poor results, they were brought in, and they flourished. They are a vital part of this Mayo squad.

"Everyone is going to have to play well at the weekend to win, not just the younger lads. That balance and mix is very important come Saturday.

"You are eight out of 10 all across the field to get a result on Saturday. The fact that they are young, they don't carry any baggage, they play with a lot of freedom, they won't come here with any fear."

In Mayo's last two wins over Cork and Meath, the second half is where Mayo has shown their quality.

A big comeback win in Castlebar got Andy Moran's side over the line against Meath, while Mayo were the stronger of the sides in Croke Park against Cork.

However, former Mayo forward Mortimer warned that a 70-minute performance will be needed for victory.

"You have to perform for 70 minutes; you won't win an All-Ireland semi-final without it. 30 minutes in an All-Ireland semi-final won't win it for you, not a chance.

"Mayo players will know that. Mayo supporters will know that. It is about staying in the game, keeping it tight in the first half, and having your guys open up in the second half.

"We have quality; it is about getting the right men on the ball in the right positions. I think 25,26 points will be needed to win on Saturday, Louth score heavily."

Saturday will be a huge day for both teams in a fixture that not many could have predicted at the beginning of the season.

Louth's rise has been the story of the season, and they are in their first semi-final since 1957.

For Mayo, their first since 2021, the wait is not as long, but still a sign of progress on Andy Moran's year in charge.

On the biggest stage in Croke Park, Mortimer expects to see the best of this side.

“We’re playing a good brand of football. The support base is well behind us, not in an overexuberant way but they’re there and they’re confident, and they’re all looking forward to Saturday.

“It’s a good draw to be fair, but it’s a good draw for Louth as well. It’s a good place to be, in an All-Ireland semi-final. You wouldn’t have thought it going back maybe 10 weeks ago, and here we are.

“Croke Park has always been good to us, particularly in terms of playing more of an expansive type of football and particularly now that we have more firepower up front.

“Andy alluded to it after the last game, we’re a little bit tight in Castlebar. Obviously, we didn’t play very well in the first half against Meath but we came good in the second half.

“I think ultimately, particularly against Cork where we started to open up a bit, the more the journey goes on for our younger players, the more confidence and belief they’re going to get, which I expect to see on Saturday as well.”