Ballina Stephenites this afternoon crashed out of the Connacht club SFC, losing out to Galway champions Corofin. The match was played in windswept conditions, standard fare at Pearse Stadium, where Corofin handled the conditions far better, bagging fourteen scores from play to win by 0-16 to 0-12.
The Stephenites were forced to field without the injured Padraig O’Hora and joint-captain Dylan Thornton and their cause wasn’t helped either when the experienced Ger Cafferkey hobbled off with a muscle injury early in the opening half. It was a half in which the Mayo team had somewhat strangely opted to play against the wind, with Corofin taking full advantage as they raced into an early four-point lead.
Ballina were always chasing the game thereafter and, although they managed to cut the gap from six at the break back to three midway through the second half, that was as close as they got. Three further points without reply for the Galway champions doubled their lead and from there they won it with ease.
The result continues what is a miserable run by Mayo teams in this provincial Championship, in which Castlebar Mitchels – in 2013 and 2015 – are the only club from the county to taste success within the last fifteen years.
Match report from RTÉ is here. We’ll have a Final Whistle podcast show up on Patreon in a bit as well, in which Mike will be chatting with Colm Boyle about the game.
Corofin always had Ballina at arm’s length. Decent effort to get back into it but Corofin were always the better team and I even felt they had a few gears left in them if needed.
It’s a seriously worrying issue these last fifteen years or so. The Mayo senior county championship is operating at a very poor standard and games against teams from Galway show that up.
I think Ballina were happy enough with the county title win anything else was just a bonus. They can relax now and enjoy Christmas and Rego’s wedding. No reason why Ballina cant learn from today and come back stronger next year
Hard luck to Ballina .They missed the couple of lads out injured and fought to the end .
Corofin were the better team with more quality throughout.
Ballina can hold their heads high and best of luck to Corofin in the rest of the campaign
Corofin the better team no doubt, but I was impressed by Ballina today. Down three top players they battled and battled. Wind definitely died down in second half – I felt Corofin were able to move the ball with much more ease in that period.
Thought the two Irwins were great and young Feeney impressed. Disappointed though with Evan Regan – needed to do much more in play. Sice a joy.
Hard luck to ballina today our downfall was going against the wind I think for the 1st half .
But I’m still proud of the guys they fought back and we weren’t hammered out the gate corofin deserving winners and I hope they go far for connaught.
Mayo football really isn’t in a bad place at all yes loads to work on .
I was there at the match today and the weather was soo awful ha ! So for the guys to come back like they did and never give up fair play to them !
Looking forward to when intercounty kicks off again and we really have a lot to be optimistic about I definetly am feeling positive for next year as always ha!
Clare, while I agree it is unusual to play against the wind after winning the toss I think the loss of Thornton, Cafferkey and most of all O’Hora made an already difficult task almost impossible. Ballina deserve all the credit in the world for their battling qualities and will learn an awful lot from this setback.
@JoeG yeah for sure.. your right once I heard o’Hora & Thornton were out I was like oh jeez ha but then loosing cafferkey was the last straw and just made it impossible really as we were always the underdogs going into the game yes they do deserve the credit for battling back!
Sam calinan is some exciting player has a lot to learn but he will be a star for mayo for years to come I’m sure !
Personally I thought Sam Callinan and Frank Irwin were the stand outs for Ballina today, and over course of club championship for Ballina. The two players that look county standard there. With that said Sice also done a great job on Callinan, drawing him out to leave space in behind. Will stand to Sam going forward.
Dylan Thornton was a big loss for Ballina, I felt they were bullied in the middle third in first half, done a bit better there at start of second half but then Corofin upped a gear to kill it off in a very controlled performance.
I genuinely thought Ballina would have the legs for them, but the bench wasn’t as strong as many, including myself thought.
O’Hora also a loss, but when factor in Corofin were missing:
Who are Corofin missing?
Kieran Molloy
Ian Burke
Leonard lad (was he their top Scorer at last tilt at AI?)
And another farragher?
There is a gulf in class between the two. From a Mayo standpoint it’s not giving me the warm fuzzy feels.
Remember Gizmo, Westport trounced by Moycullen, Mayo had Galway’s measure all through 23.
Yeah Sam and Frank looked good, but I was disappointed in Mickey Murray and Conor McStay. I can only remember Conor being on the ball twice. Took a point at the end, when I think he had half a goal chance. He should have tried anyway as a point was no use to them.
@Clare you are a tonic your enthuasism is infectious if Mayo ever get to another final I want you in there giving the half time talk. I remember coming out of the 89 final disapointed but sure that we’d be back the following year only for me to nearly catch Pneumonia the following June down in Tuam watching Galway bate out us the gate so my enthusiams has dried up. Ballina have loads of talent if they want it bad enough they can come back and give it another shot but no planning holidays or weekends away until the season is over. I dont mean to pick on any player with that statement but to be sucsessful at the top level you really do have to put your personal life on hold.
Oh I know Catcol, but it’s not Galway where we want to set the benchmark, they aren’t the all Ireland champions.
Over the course of the club championship how many new players would you say have been identified that can step up to the intercounty plate and make a meaningful impact on next 2 seasons?
Then think of the players currently on the panel and how they have performed in the club championship, would more (if based on club form) have played themselves out of the panel, as opposed to nailing down a spot.
Coeofin the better team moved the ball much better and put themselves in much easier scoring positions especially against the wind in the second half Knockmore and Breaffy
combined only scored about five points from play against Ballina. Coro fin had fourteen. It says a lot about the inability of Mayo football to score.the Galway county players delivered some of the Mayo panelists did not.Injuries definitely hurt Ballina esp O Hora and Cafferkey going off brought Callinan back to full back and took away much of his driving forward game
Thats true cat but is anyone else starting to get a horrible feeling we are on the decline , was that our ceiling level 13 -17 . If im from Kerry, Dublin , Derry , or even Galway im not putting Mayo in the picture as contenders . I hope im very wrong . The energy and buzz about Mayo is not the same though . Theres little chance of bolters coming through for the forseeable anyway . Evan regan is a very real barometer as to where Mayo are at and hes a very fine footballer but we seen it today what we seen so many times at senior county , just not physically able , throw in the likes of fergal boland too , a lot of these forwards we are producing are very corner forward build from 1990s . look at shane walsh , con o callaghan etc now look at the body and leg shape in comparison . JP poster seems to know about this stuff im simply making an observation on physical appearance and we are lacking the last couple of years therefore lacking that explosiveness .Mcbrien showed the type of thing im on about in the goal against Galway
The last two years are a worry. The last time you could say, realistically, a Mayo team could have or should have won a Connacht was 21 when Knockmore kicked it away versus Pearses (Knockmore were without a few men on the day as well if remember rightly). 2020 a non runner although I think the Knockmore lads would have really fancied the whole thing not just Connacht with the football they played that year. And obviously Ballintubber / Castlebar before them pushed the best club team in my lifetime to the pin of their collar. We tend to discredit the quality of Castlebar and Tubber in this period. You could argue Corofin had a harder time in Connacht than out of it.
Last year was a bit of an shambles really and this year it was very much a canter from Corofin who were missing some big names (probably of better quality than what Ballina were without if we say Molloy and Burke are All Star calibre players when fit and available) and had a lot of young men out themselves.
And since then it seems the gap has grown in Mayo. It’s almost like what we saw for a few years with Dublin clubs, so much competition between the big 4 they put all the mental energy into the county and then Connacht is an after thought. You heard Sice post game, they were right onto the Connacht tilt post county final and young players wanting in on the action.
Mayo football is not in great shape at club level. Not to mention the tilt towards the town teams to dominate over the next few years it could be a snooze fest.
@Gizmobobs ah thanks haha : ) I know it can be hard to keep up the enthusiasm especially being a mayo fan you need a strong heart for it !
We’ve always been so close but yet so far an it’s heart breaking at times for sure but we are one of the lucky counties who are nearly always at the business end of the championship every year . I’ve mates from lower gaa counties and they always say to me your so lucky with mayo they come back fighting every year and we’ve never been to even the quarters..yes no Ireland but our day will come .
I don’t think we are in decline at all . Was always going to be hard after loosing the likes of keagan , and those players from that era but we’ve exciting younger players like Ryan o D , Tommy conroy , and others coming up who just need time to grow into their full potential !
And we still have the likes of clian o Connor & Aido to inspire the younger players I haven’t lost the faith haha just yet we will be right back up there again next year and hopefully don’t get hammered out the gate again in quarters ha!
Callinan made some great runs but was often left isolated. Overall the young Corofin players outshone our young lads. Not to say that there weren’t quite a few encouraging displays by the Ballina youngsters. Hopefully they will continue to progress under Mayo management and we will have a quality county team within a couple if years.
Galways progress equally interesting. No shortage of talent.
Sam Callinan runs into trouble &gets bottled up far too often – he needs to use the ball much more constructively. Also he very rarely scores considering the number of runs he makes – watching him during the club championship I get the impression that he’s a weak kicker of the ball.
Frank Irwin looks an exciting prospect& hopefully will get plenty of game time in the league – one of the very few worthwhile prospects putting his hand up at present.
McStay does not look inter county standard- that point he popped at the end with a decent chance of a goal on says it all!
Corofin plays a really nice style of football using the ball effectively &will be hard beaten
@Claremorris Native I think you might be forgetting how young Sam calinan is??
He rarely scores thats harsh give the guy a break …he’s hardly a weak kicker .
He’s an exciting young player and he will be key for us next year to people are to quick to judge and probably who have never kicked a ball in their life themselves….
Your entitled to your opinion of course but ..
How young is sam calinan like come on give him a break …
Heade his first debut this year at inter County he did really well it takes a lot to put on that Jersey especially that young he’s a player in the making and a star for the future !!
Wasn’t McCabe mighty for a young kid of 18/19, for Corofin.
5 from play in those conditions.
I would be inclined to agree with Sean Burke on what Is a decline which is backed up by our last two championship exits.Sam callinan made his debut under James Horan in 2022 not this year and while I agree he is a good prospect he has a bit to go yet .in my opinion we have been in decline since the 2017 final.The two finals we reached in 2020 and 21 were partly in lockdown and of course were straight knock out and we performed extremely poorly in both those finals.unfortunately if you compare the players we had from 2011 to 2017 to the current team there really is no comparison.That was an extraordinary exceptional group .The idea we will bounce back is great but bounce back from what.we haven’t really been contenders for the last few years.Kerry and Dublin have now beaten us very comprehensively in the last two quarter finals and yea it can be said we had a lot of injuries against Kerry in 2022 quarter and we missed a lot of chances but missing easy chances has been our Achilles heel for many a year now.The mentality to tap over a point today when 5 points down and time running out is completely baffling
@1985 sam calinan does still have a good big to go I agree with you there for sure but as I said he’s still very young .
And the reason for going for a point with 5 minutes to go they probably knew they weren’t going to get an goal in at that stage and wanted to make the scoreline look better and who can blame them they probably knew they had no hope of winning it at that stage .
Fair play to ballina they never gave up fighting an kept going to the lady minute!
So losing by 4 points is better than losing by 5 .There was a slight chance of a goal there and who knows what would happen on the kickout.By that thought process Meath wouldn’t have bothered going for a goal in the fourth game with Dublin in 1991
@1985 ah come on can’t you just say fair play to ballina for giving it their all till the end in awful conditions and with loosing padraig o hora , Thornton & cafferty there really wasn’t a hope we were going to win it today ww were always underdogs against corofin who I hope go far by the way!
I’m still proud of our ballina guys they can hold their heads up high.
Clare tapping over a point with few minutes to go and game not totally out the gap to try and make the scoreline look better seems to contradict the never gave up fighting bit 🙂
Hopefully Lahardane and Kilmeena can put on a show tomorrow and maybe progress another round. Keep the interest up for another week or two.
@Gizmobobs you go for what you can get out on the field you don’t know what the players are thinking in the heat of the moment in the last moments of the game….but you still can’t say that the ballina guys never gave up they fought till the end .
I wouldn’t at all be critical of Callinan, made some great bursts but needed support, players not reading those runs was the problem. Shaped up like he could do the CHB job but McBrein still my number one
We are a long way from finding a Gareth McKinless (Derry) “The tireless centre-back epitomises everything good about this Derry team. Hard-working, tactically astute, phenomenally fit, brave as a lion and never happier than when he is charging up the field. Scored a goal in the semi-final defeat to Kerry before being carried off injured. A first-time winner.”
I am not having a go at ballina yea they battled hard in the second half but alot of games have been pulled out of the fire in the dieing minutes very often against us but taping the ball over the bar in that situation was just a nothing thing to do .making the score respectable would be an extraordinary decision to make
@1985 ah I totally get what your saying.
I guess maybe I was trying to make myself feel better beimg I Galway tonight is hard haha but ballina did us proud.
We do need guys who will shoot for goal for sure if we had the forwards we would have won a few all Irelands by now for sure ….
Cillian o Connor has been great forward but he can’t do it on his own.
I think Jordan flynn is a great hope for us pity he didn’t win an all star but as others says our awful 2nd half v dubs really put us out of any hope of getting an all star this year.
I think if Tommy conroy gets back to his full 100% best and works on a few stuff we have a good chance at being back at the top all is not lost just yet ha!
Agree with Claremorris native Sam Callinan is inclined to carry every ball he gets. Teams are reading that now. In the county final Breaffy read his runs and at least twice turned him over. I can only remember him kicking the ball Twice in games – once in the county final when he kicked a shot for a point very wide from 25 yards out and once today when he gave the ball away.
I also agree with Clare and others he has the potential to be a great player- but he does need to develop his game. Hopefully he will within the county setup.
No doubt today Corofin were the better football team. Personally I’m very worried and the state of mayo football in general.
I understand there has to be shape and systems but the basic skills of the game are not getting the attention they deserve both at club and county level. The amount of unforced errors from Ballina was far higher than Corofin today. Decision making is the most important attribute a good footballer has and we saw that in spades from Corofin today, in particular Sice.
The Sice/Sam match up today was a great reflection on what we see so often in Mayo. A great athlete against a very clever footballer. For a corner back to be marking a full forward who kicked 0-5 at the age of 39 shows to me that Sam was not focused on his primary job of defending. Yes he had a great game running up the field but what value is that when things aren’t working back in defence?
We have praised so many mayo footballers in the past as great athletes but it’s not the Olympics they’re competing in. The focus has to switch to developing lads who are smart on the ball. Make them athletic. Don’t try and convert athletes into footballers
Corofin’s better winning mentality was the key today. They weren’t satisfied with a county title. Ballina, it seems, were or at least I think it’s fair to say their performance wasn’t as good and they didn’t seem as driven.
The senior club championship in Mayo this year was pretty grim. No point in sugar coating. Goes it cycles.
From a Mayo supporter’s perspective the focus by Co Board needs to be at underage. It’s key. Two new managements in. We really need to start to see some winning teams. And the next time we get a star come through we need to do a better job at keeping them home, not Australia. It has cost us All Irelands.
@Green and Red
You are spot on.
Defenders MUST defend first.
Cafferkey was doing that until he got injured.
It is not sexy but it is basic football.
@Mayonaze its really hard to keep the young stars of mayo going to Australia who can blame them actual proper pay for playing a game they love , better weather , better accommodation and rental markets I mean there’s not a lot we can offer them to be fair….
Irwin has come into a bit of form. Tbh, he’s been spoken about a bit now for a few years, it’s time for him to step up in a Mayo jersey. Hopefully he can do this. Might need a bit more s&c yet.
Callinan ran into traffic several times in the Co final, that’s true. You’ll make mistakes when you’re a kid. He has had a big learning year in ‘23. Still a bit to go but I think he’ll get there with hard work.
a bit of *form
I can’t say I saw much spirit today in the Ballina team – who made mad decision to play against the wind in the 1st half in Salthill of all places , why put Thornton on when he could hardly walk, numerous handling errors & wrong decision making during the game -it would give any Mayo person real cause to worry if this is the best team in Mayo
Club football this year is probably the poorest we’ve seen for quite a while with County players making very little impression apart from maybe Aidan who looks to be playing some of his best football if left inside.
We just don’t seem to have players like Keegan,Boyle,Chris Barrett who were really effective defenders but could also be really effective going forward with runs properly timed & usually resulting in a score. Nowadays I see a lot of aimless runs with ball lost or recycled ending back where we started.
I have real concerns for Mayo football in the next few years unless Management learn real lessons from this year &take a very different approach next year.
@clarenorris you didn’t see much spirt from ballina today ? Balojna gave it their all their till the end even after loosing key players in awful conditions . We were always the under dogs going in.
Ballina are still proud of oyr team even if some have to run them down.
We will learn from this and come again next year.
Mentality was weak and that also needs to be addressed there were several messages before the game that the bonus territory pre game excuse was touted . Winners don’t go on like that . It might not of made the difference but you don’t do that pre game. It’s over now though so well done to ballina for winning the moclair cup . As a mayo supporter away from home whose home club are non senior I couldn’t care less who wins the moclair cup my interest and support starts when they represent Mayo and it was very disappointing.
We now move on to 2024 , we are wondering who has put their hand up ,are there any additions at all to come in to make a difference , a centre half back , a ball winning midfielder, a Kevin mcghlouhlin replacement to win the dirty ball , scoring forwards ? What personnel can now take up colm boyles , lee Keegans , Keith Higgins , Tom parsons , SOS , Andy places etc . I hear you say them lads are gone a while , yes but we still haven’t filled their boots .
Mcbrien will work . Sam callinan will work . After that I’m struggling here to see the quality needed to replace the former stars .
I too would be of the opinion that bar a few exceptions (Aiden,McBrien,Callinan,Rod,Flynn,Sam) a lot of our senior Mayo players have flatlined this year. This can happen,and for a myriad of different reasons. I wouldn’t be so sure that McStay is the man who can flick the switch and get them back in the room but like @Clare I’m forever hopeful. For me the under 20 squad of next year will hold the key. It’s imperitive that management get this one right. It’s a group that left a minor All Ireland behind them (in my view) through no fault of the players. If we can get the most out of the Hurleys,Mc Monagle,Feeney,Armstrong, Mortimer, Duffy,Clarke, Beirne to name just a few and integrate them gently into the senior set-up I think we will be a force again. This ,of course will only work if we leave our forwards up front and deliver quick ball and let those good defenders defend.
As I said, I thought Ballina did reasonably well. Wind looked (on TV) to have eased a lot in the second half. It makes some sense to play against it in the first half, if you are sure those conditions will prevail in the second. I haven’t the stats but Corofin did an awful lot of fouling.
For ‘24, we don’t need a huge number of newbies. If we can get everyone back and keep them healthy that will be half the battle. Look at Ballina for instance: No O’Hora, Thornton, Cafferky; and were Murray, and Treacy anywhere near full fitness?
I was really impressed by the two Irwins.
In my view the Mayo club league and championship needs to be revitalized.
Get rid of meaningless competitions.
Play a proper league like how Monaghan do.
Start the championship post the All Ireland.
Monaghan have 1/3 our pick and are on a pat or ahead of us.
The huge difference Monaghan have is a really well thought out club program.
Clubs should not be playing afterthought games ever.
Not going to get into it too much but you should always play with the elements in Ireland , could be a summers day in the second half . That was always the way . Factor in you can lose players through injury, red cards but you start with 15 fresh men . It’s a no brainier imo before you even go into the fact ballina were outsiders and away from home . Nope sorry just doesn’t make sense at all and I’ll stick with that opinion .
I’m just more worried about the quality of player we are producing.
I feel we’re running a 2011 program top to bottom in a 2023 world.
Hard to see how Conor McStay is good enough for Mayo panel based on that performance yesterday.
Sam Callinan ,Frank Irwin and maybe Dylan Thornton are the only players good enough in my opinion.Outside of Evan Regans free taking he did nothing to show hes more dangerous than ROD , Cillian and Tommy Conroy from general play.
So many Ballina players cannot handpass with there left hand or solo or kickpass with there left foot in comparison to Corofin.
In fairness to Evan Regan he did not have a lot of quality players or quality service around him.
For his left footed frees I think he is worth bringing in.
He’d be fine from play in my view in a team not playing hanging on struggling football.
@sam og agree with you regards cobor mcstay he’s just not ready for inter County.
Said before there must be a reason why evan regards isn’t on the county panel goid player for sure but no where near the likes of Ryan o D / Tommy conroy .
@2hops yeah forever hopeful ha guess that’s what makes following mayo so exciting you never know what your going to get haha
Regan too easy to dispossess.
Callinnan is not suited to the full back line, the game against Dublin and yesterday showed that.
Young McStay just not good enough and taking a point while 4 down at the end put the tin hat on it.
How good was the 19 year old Corofin Midfielder Patrick Egan yesterday.Thought he was top class.Such a smart footballer like a young Michael Donnellan , that point he got in the 1st half was class.Be very surprised if hes not in PJs Galway panel next season, probably needs to put on a stone or 2 but looks a player in the making.
Did anyone here ever consider this.
Mayo have played in a few club All Ireland finals since Ballinas win over 15 years ago and won none.
Mayo Schools have not won the Hogan Cup in years.
Where is the talent meant to come from, has to be u16, minor and u21. This is the place to put the work in, I’m sure there is good work being done in development squads currently but it needs to be much better.
The Dubs are still not satisfied after winning nearly all the finals since 2011.
Huge development planned on 22 acres site in Hollystown.
Big development planned for the Spawell site in Templeogue.
Another development planned for Rathcoole/ Newcastle area.
Mossy Quinn, the former Dubs player is their Commercial manager.
They also have a new Sponsorship deal with Statcity.
I’m afraid to say but things are looking bleak for the rest of the Counties for years to come, just cannot compete with the Dubs Professional setup.
The Dubs will have their own battles with urban living. Not automatic that they’ll produce enough quality.
@Bate the blanket ha ah now that’s a bit over the top bleak for other counties for years to come haha
We’ve great talent in mayo and we will get back to the top again.
The Dubs guys will retire for good eventually maybe not next year but they will soon enough. They made a huge rookie mistake by not investing in their younger players and kicked them aside to bring back the top dubs guys what a slap in the face for the younger players .
Dublin won’t be in the final again next year I think it will be 2 different teams :p haha
Clare, I think what blanket means is they are putting the money in to infrastructure and youth training to bolster the squad down the line.
Mayo management set ups this year spent around €1,300,000 this year on teams, well up on previous year even factoring in the high rate of inflation. Some posters say senior management only had a few months with the team then, this wasn’t the case of course, but just as well as if that was cost for short year imagine a long year!!
The skill levels are an issue, I think investment is needed more at the youth ages for a longer-term return on investment. The academy and current structures do not seem to be working in developing skill bases.
@Gizmobobs ah I get what you mean . Yeah that I the Dubs do have a huge advantage in terns of money & investment for sure ..
My dun mad gaa mates say they are actually a bit worried for next year when the top guys do retire.
But I get what your saying for sure .
Yeah it doesn’t matter if its a first year in charge for mcstay sure some managers have won the all ireland in their first year sure….yeah agree they aren’t working something needs to change !
I’m around for a good few years now, but what I’m saying is that the Dubs have more facilities at their disposal that the Professional Rugby Provinces in Ireland, also the Professional Rep of Ireland football team, their is something not right about the whole amateur status of the Gaa set-up particularly where the Dubs are concerned.
How are they allowed so much new grounds when we are sick hearing about the lack of housing and available sites for housing development in Dublin through all the media circles. Throw in that huge facility in Abbottstown, their base in DCU, and more.
Where has the Funding come from to purchase all those huge sites, or was it given to the Dubs in some cases ?
How is Funding apportioned by the Dublin based Gaa, ie Croke Park.
This reminds me of a quote I heard years ago about a man that wrote a book about the huge Emigration from the West in the 50s up to the 80s, it was “Nobody shouted stop”.
Half time in Monivea/Kilmeena game and a lot of the problems that Ballina had yesterday are in evidence today for Kilmeena. Absolute shocking handling at times, dreadful passing and really poor decision making. Darragh Keaveney deciding to take a 13mtr free in front of the posts off the ground in wet slippery conditions and somehow managed to kick it wide. Hardly a high ball fielded throughout the half. Kilmeena need to turn in another big second half or they’re done.
JoeG, just as well Cillian McDaid isn’t out there.
Looks like could be 3-0 Galway 🙁
Looks like a clean sweep for the Galway teams. Mayo club football at an all time low.
jesus christ on a bike talk about drama in Tuam , a penalty in the dying seconds missed
If Kilmeena hadn’t missed a 13m free in front of the goal they could have pointed the penalty for a win. Bloody hell!
Darragh Kevaney decided to go for glory, Kilmeena pay the price.
He wad dead right to go for the goal from the penalty hindsight is everything just very very unlucky for kilmeena today.
Again these things have to come from the line , penalties are missed regularly so do you just put it over the bar and bring it to extra time . I’d be in favour of the latter especially with the underfoot conditions too
No he wasnt they would be playing extra time now if he took his point.Kilmeena had the legs on them for extra time.
Tereible penalty aswell
We really don’t help ourselves do we. Yer man the manager is an absolute hero now.
Right well that’s two strategic examples that haven’t worked , playing against the wind in Ballina s case and going for goal from the spot when a point down with the last kick .
I’d argue it’s knockout football and in todays money you have to go with the percentage . I was personally screaming at the radio , take your fookin point , Jesus please take your point . Am I wrong though ?
Corofin the better and more skilful team based on yesterday’s evidence. More broadly, looks like the Mayo 2024 senior panel is going to look pretty similar to the 2023 vintage, based on the club championship. Best player throughout was a man born in 1990, who might well be looking at an impact sub role next year. Hard to say anyone hugely put their hands up, especially at our recent problem positions of CHB, midfield and CHF. A lot rests on young players like Irwin, Tuohy and Callinan stepping up to inter-county pace. Another couple of strong squad players gone as well. Hard to be too optimistic.
Sam og he had to go for the goal it was a penalty go for a point and do they win? No, if he had scored would u be saying the same.
I’m actually shocked so many people here are saying he should of went for the point if it was level 100% go for the point.
Fair play Mickey Murphy.
Saved us from the wooden spoon.
If he had took his point kilmeena had the momentum for extr time or even the next kickout, how is that so hard to understand??
Miss and they were out , thats what happened.Could you imagine any player doing this in an All Ireland final.
Why was the first penalty changed to a free? Watched it back and it looks like it’s inside large parallelogram.
Hard luck to kilmeana very close .
Well done to Lahardane who are through to the junior final .
Fair play to Lahardane, they showed some guts to win that game from 5 points down. Buzzing here. Hard luck to Kilmeena, will have huge regrets.
U can explain all u want sam og when u get a penalty to win a game u go for it end of story, getting momentum is only a prediction there is no guartee how the game would of unfolded in extra time.
He was dead right to go for the goal as others said theres no guarantee of a win in extra time if he took his point to level it. Score the goal and most likely theyd have won. Them are the breaks. As for Mayo next year I actually think it will be the next management team that will benefit from the few young lads we do have coming through. Cant see Rochford and McStay make much progress next year
Menlough will be kicking themselves for losing that junior game.
Absolutely believe that Kilmeena were correct to back themselves to score the penalty and win the game.
Tapping it over would have brought extra time yeah but sure who knows what happens then.
Whereas you can be pretty certain if you score a goal then you win the game.
Thought Kilmeena would sneak that game as McDaid is such a huge player for Monivea.
Saw them playing in the Galway championship and they didn’t look anything special.
Also saw Menlough beat our neighbours Headford in Galway North junior final and thought they were a very physically imposing side. No individual stars. Headford more skilful with more individually talented footballers but couldn’t compete physically with them.
Thought Lahardane would sneak it
Hard luck to Kilmeena.
Sometimes your…..ed if you do and ….ed if you don’t, remember how people were giving out when Cillian didn’t go for a goal with his free kick in 2013, I know the Dubs were 2 points ahead at the time.
Fair play for the Kilmeena player to go for goal, it just didn’t work out if he scored then it would be a different story.
Ya you go for goal all day long. I’d never fault a lad for showing a bit of bravery. If he had tapped it over and Kilmeena still got beaten this place would be down on him like a tonne of bricks for being spineless. I’d have an issue with not whizzing it along the ground with as much power as you can muster and make the keeper work but…
That will be a turning point for this Ballina side, can definitely see them bagging a few more county titles. Corofin are not the team of old, but they still have plenty of experience and always kept Ballina at arms length. Was a pity with the few injuries as I think it would have been a much closer encounter with O’Hora and Caff. Kilmeena pissed away some amount of chances today, and while I didn’t expect them to beat Monivea the opportunity was there for them. Credit has to be given to them though when you look at the progress they have made over the last couple of years. It could be a rocky first year, but they have the talent to stay in senior and build even further. Well done Lahardane, hopefully they push on in the final and at least some silverware will be in Mayo club football for the Christmas.
@Quayman I was disappointed with Ballina.
They won’t have it all their own way next year in the Mayo championship.
Very little between the top 5 teams.
Castlebar should improve when some of the Intermediate team step up.
Mcstay is miles off county standard and Murray too. Honestly are they better than boland diskin Darren coen. O hora a big loss and cafferkey s injury.
O’Hora was probably the only player in the county final who actually looked like a county player (and he is touch and go a starter for Mayo). Irwin showed potential and I suppose Call too, but he kept running into trouble. He didn’t play a smart game. So, you take O’Hora out and Ballina will not be the same.
I’m not sure why Ballina should have been underdogs with so many intercounty level players, be they past or present. This Corofin team are decent but that’s about it. Definitely beatable. Like I said, I think they came into this in far better mental frame of mind than Ballina. Anyway…I’m glad the club decent is essentially done. It was fairly grim stuff from start to finish. The standard in both our senior and intermediate club finals wasn’t good and both winners are gone as soon as they met half decent opposition.
Looking forward to the underage Co teams next spring. Hopefully they’ll give us something to cheer about.
2012 League semi final v Kerry highlights on TG4 now.What a team we had then!!
Callinnan has great potential but not a specialist corner back.
OHora again is not a corner back.
Very difficult position to play.
Na Piarsaigh of Limerick outclassed today by Ballygunner of Waterford. Really worried about Limerick hurling.
Catcol I agree I don’t see limerick winning a all ireland anytime soon haha.
Glorydays made a good point and I agree, I cannot see Mayo Senior management making any impact next year, I’m thinking we are goosed for a while to come.
People on about specialist corner backs, this has come about because of packed defences, where there are only a few 1 on 1 battles, we saw v the Dubs last year that we lost those particularly in the 1st half.
Sam Of, I watched the highlights of that 2012 league semi v Kerry, was it 1-19 that Mayo got, football was in a better state back then.
I do think we will back up there next year waa always going to be a bit of a flop of a year after loosing keagan & mullin . And conroy only being back after a really serious injury also with not having cillian o Connor for most of the championship it’s no wonder we flopped this year.
Really don’t think it’s all doom& gloom and we will be right back at the business end of the championship next year but I don’t want the guys going 100 miles an hour for league save that for championship that’s where its at !!
Biggest problem Mayo has is Management trying to make players what they are not, like playing Keegan and O Hora as corner backs and Loftus at CHB, play them in their best positions and find a new player for problem positions.
Out of interest where do people think Mayo rank as AI contenders?
I’d argue Dublin, Kerry and Derry are definitely ahead of us in the pecking order. I’d also slightly favour Tyrone over us.
As for Donegal, they are my dark horses for next year. There is a wealth of talent there that needs to be fine tuned with no better man the Jim to do it.
Is there an argument to say we are tied 6th favourites with Galway to win Sam? If that’s the case we may well be as far away as we have ever been. Would be interested in getting others views.
Clare another guy who was missing after kerry league game in mchale park was rory brickendon. He was big loss as himself and mcbrien had understanding. Get him back fully fit and that tightens up our fullback line. Here is a spine i would like yee to build around
Reape
Mcbrien
Callinan
Flynn
Carney
Rod
Carr.
Thats 1 upto 14 .
Clare, it’s been doom and gloom for years as far as Mayo winning Senior All Ireland’s, it what it always was.
Look at Shane Walsh since he has moved to Dublin club football, everything is better in “the big smoke”, facilities, training, underage Coaching, Sponsorship, etc.
I know at least 4 clubs that play in about 5 or 6 different playing pitches, basically they get to play and train in their own ground, plus Secondary School pitches, plus 3rd level College pitches, this is men and Women.
Mind you Juvenile membership is expensive, 150 euros per player, still much cheaper than soccer that can be 500 or 600 euros in the elite clubs.
And for a very small fee, you can actually bring your Underage team, both boys and girls to train in the fantastic Abbottstown complex.
I wouldn’t say Tyrone or derry are ah of us or kerry for that matter .
How are Derry ahead of us or Tyrone even ?? They are a great side Derry but only just come into division 1 we will see how they get on in division 1 with harte but I think they are going backwards with bringing harte in..
we beat kerry twice this year yes kerry got to the final but we are a better side then kerry when we are at our best I still stand by the opinion that Clifford makes kerry what they are today and we saw that when Clifford wasn’t at his best in the final neither were kerry .
We are not that far off yes of course lots to work on but don’t think we are far off as many think on here…
..
@Bate the blanket course I know it been doom & gloom with mayo and the all Ireland but I’d rather keep being optimistic about our chances then being doom and gloom all the time :p haha
Well Clare considering Derry have won the last 2 Ulster titles, in a far more competitive province then Connaught, that’s a reason. They have made huge strides over the last 3 years and came within 5 minutes of being in an AI final this year. They hammered Cork, who managed to beat Mayo. If you ask neutrals I’d bet most would put money on Derry to win and AI before Mayo.
Tyrone won an AI two years ago, have had very strong underage teams that are slowly starting to filter into the senior team. Not to mention they have had a huge turn over in personal in the team and are still competitive. If they clear up injuries and build on the depth they will be very competitive.
Kerry are comfortably a better team then us regardless of weather or not we bet them twice this year. They bet us 3 times the year before. Even if Clifford was out or poor form, I’d argue Osea, Paudi, the Splainnes and others are ahead of the majority of our attackers.
OK green & red entotledto your opinion of course but i disagree . Derry still couldn’t ose it out again kerry when they needed to .
Tyrone won am easy all Ireland we didn’t show up as usual in 21. Where have Tyrone been since??
Kerry wouldn’t be where tgey are today if not for the clufford brothers . They aren’t comfortably a better team then us either .
Ok Clare – but if Mayo can’t win a soft AI what gives you confidence that they can win a harder one.
You said where have Tyrone been since they won one, but where have Mayo been?
Hammered out the gate in the last 2 QFs is evidence that we aren’t as competitive as we need to be. Also you can’t just say a team is made up of the Clifford brothers and use it as to why they have been in the last 2 AI finals. Kerry have them and they can play against Mayo as long as they aren’t injured.
@Green & red I never said a team is made up of the Clifford players but no one can deny that they have helped kerry get where they are today and I doubt they would be as competitive without the Clifford’s brothers .
I would hold previous kerry teams that had the likes of the Goochand other kerry players that have retired in it much higher then the kerry team today is all I’m saying ha .
We are back to the debate on the Clifford’s but every top team has star players that make the difference.previous Kerry teams had donaghy and the gooch who were hugely influential in winning all Irelands.Dublin had the brogan brothers.Tyrone Had Peter canavan and Owen mulligan.would any of those teams have won all Irelands without those players well probably not.it’s basically the same in all sports and if we were to take Tommy conroy and Ryan o Donaghue out of our side we would be even further down the pecking order than we currently are .Results don’t lie and we have been beaten comprehensively in our last two quarter finals and I think the unfortunate reality of where we are now is beginning to dawn on most people especially considering the dire county championship
1985 – took the words right out of my mouth, or should I say keyboard
We’ve been to a national final in each of the last four years. This is a higher base level than any previous Mayo team. So I don’t really understand the negativity tbh
@Frosthehammer I agree with you I guess the mentality in mayo is to always be negative considering our history which is fair enough and our hammering against the Dubs this year .
But I refuse to give into the negativity ha yes loads to work on but we’ve plenty to be optimistic about is well.
But I just don’t get the negativity we are not in that bad a place yes it was a really poor club championship no doubt about it but I definetly do not think the likes of Derry & Tyrone are ahead of mayo.
The negativity is there for a few reasons:
The very poor performances in exiting the championship the last three years.
The very poor standard and style of football in senior club championship this year and last.
The very poor standard and style of football played by our u20 team for the last two years.
The lack of leaders on the field in the last few years when games were going against us.
The lack of basic football skills in some of our top players.
The first step in solving a problem is to accept you have a problem. It looks like a lot of people in Mayo GAA don’t accept we have a problem. I am not sure how much more it will take before we wake up to the problems.
@soyth mayo exile is never said we don’t have problems ? I’m not delusional I’m just saying it’s not all that as AWFUL as it seems.
I think we need to clarify what’s negative and what’s realistic. In a previous comment I said that I see mayo as tied 5th favourites for winning the AI based on the trends of other teams and ourselves in recent years. I don’t understand how that can be viewed as negative. Negative comments are those that say mayo is finished, not a hope of doing anything significant ever again. I don’t think any poster (that isn’t a troll) has actually said words to that effect. Every year mayo enter the championship, we all want to see them win every game and win an AI. But just because people point out the weaknesses in our play, areas for improvement and the challenges of opposing teams does not mean we are negative about mayo. It’s about critically analysing the situation in front of us, instead of going in with rose tinted glasses to every game.
Well I will let you know that in my almost sixty years following Mayo,I never crossed Corick bridge without expecting us to win,I will if am able to travel next year expect to win,we have more than enough room and gloom in the world,without it interfering with my pleasure,I travel in hope ad expectation that we will win ,we had many dark days in the seventies and eighties when we failed to perform,but I still travelled to games and enjoyed the banter between us fans,we are certainly on our day capable of beating any team out there,my advice as always is please enjoy the entertainment,because it will only make you feel that you have lived longer if you try to to games to criticise ,a happy Christmas to you a d hopefully Santa Claus will bring you a bucketful of joy
Just as a query, can I ask Clare are you supporting or following Mayo since 2011 or way back since as long I can personally clearly remember which is 1980 / 82 and even maybe the late 1970’s.
Well I was only born in the 80s soo.. not as long as you so..
Why? Haha
My mistake it’s five years and not four
That is unprecedented for any Mayo team since the 50s.
There’s a very good argument to be made that this is the most successful team since then.
I tell you why Clare, you are the most Optimistic person on this blog.
Many of us are just Psychologically beaten from all the All Ireland defeats since 1989.
And as much as we look forward to the next new year, 2024, I think we know we just haven’t enough quality players to make a real push for an All Ireland next year.
Maybe in 2, 3 or 4 years time this will have changed.
I’d probably say that the 2011-17 is better, based off the 5 Connacht titles on the bounce, and their final showings, but this current team has a few years left in it yet
Mayo have the raw material now at underage level from the recent successful 2 u17 teams to be in a position to win 2-3 Connacht u20 titles and at least one all Ireland.
They have to give this priority and not pull the better u20’s too soon into senior development squads that serve to distract these young lads and also lead to too much football and injuries resulting from what are still developing underage players playing in FBD and other senior intercounty competitions. These yound lads need to be allowed to play at their age group at county level and also at third level. Recently one of our up and coming underage players was told by Mayo senior managment NOT to train with their third level team and focus on an S&C instead in preparation for a possible FBD game in the new year? Also another first year on the same third level freshers team who is not 18 until January was told likewise by another county manager ,…..there is little or no focus on these young players welfare
That is shocking Mayo for Sam. But player welfare as has been seen in a few instances recently is not the numero uno priority.
It’s win at all costs, but without the win bit.
Great point Mayo For Sam. And might I add, the more football young lads play the better it is for them. Not in on mad S&C programs before their body is even fully developed. Let them continue to develop the key skills of the game. Any lad can put on plenty of muscle over a 3/6 month winter period but developing the core skills of the game takes years of work at underage level. Not to mention if management are telling lads not to play with their college where is the enjoyment in that. College football is vital for players to develop further both as footballers and teammates.
Interesting seeing the names on the mayo club charity team can’t lie definitely looking forward to watching that charity game at the end of the year.
Corrick it’s great that you have been attending Mayo games for sixty years but as far as I know this is a discussion forum on mayo football and as this is the closed season then conversations will develop on the current situation of the county team as that is what a discussion forum is there for to the best of my knowledge.As I have said before I have been attending mayo games since 1979 but that doesn’t make my opinion any more relevant than anyone else.we all go to games essentially for the enjoyment but the current crap defensive football being adopted by most counties is not enjoyable to watch and if people came on here and said it was great then they wouldn’t be telling the truth.I desperately hope to get a chance to see Mayo win an all Ireland but the results and facts of the last few seasons clearly indicates we are going in the wrong direction.Are we suddenly going to magic up a commanding centre back and a couple of ball winning midfielders out of thin air .I have also been a lifelong Manchester utd supporter but unfortunately I not very optimistic that they will win the league this year the reason being that I have watched them play this year
1985, Manchester United supporter,I rest my case
You have heard of them I take it but if you ever presented any sort of a case you might be able to rest it
Memo to Mayo for 2024, avoid slugfest with Galway, memo for Galway exactly the same.
Corick – I’m struggling to see your point. On one hand your all for praising mayo and how we will be back at the top soon. And let’s all be optimistic. These are the great days.
And then on the other hand you are questioning why someone would support Man Utd from 1985 onwards. When they won everything out there multiple times. I’m a lifelong Arsenal far so I can relate to pain on both sides but I’d have a lot of admiration for the likes of Man Utd. As I would for Dublin Kerry and Tyrone.
@Bate the blanket ah I totally get that I wasn’t around for all the heart ache of the 70s/80s …..
But I have been following mayo way before 2011 so have seen the heart ache in those years .
I guess I’m just an optimistic person in general haha .. ?
My dublin mad gaa mates said they still want to keep beating the likes of mayo & kerry etc as we are the teams to beat . They also said they love to beat mayo as they know we are good team . They also said we would have won sam a few times if not for poor management over the last few years and I agree so pressure is on mcstay & co I think for next year still think he’s the man for the job but we shall see …
I don’t know what will happen next year we have lot to work on no doubt about it but we sre still one of the best teams in the country!
I support Mayo first and foremost,I support Ireland in other sports,I don’t want to support teams who when they are winning,but when they lose their supporters criticise the players,the manager,and the owners,stick with the fair weather support
Corrick your post makes very little sense as usual.My point was I don’t expect Man Utd to win the league this season because they don’t have the players with the necessary ability of course that doesn’t mean I don’t continue to support them as indeed thousands of mayo and Irish people do and in the same vein I don’t believe Mayo currently have the players in critical positions to win an all Ireland and do you really expect people to come on here and lavish praise on the management after the collapse against cork this year and the total implosion against Dublin where clear mistakes were made on the sideline.it’s absolutely fantastic to be optimistic and expect to win every game but there has to be some sort of reality in any debate where actual facts are taken into account
@1985. Unfortunately we continue making mistakes from the sideline. No matter what system you are playing, a team is built about it’s spine, and we were very vulnerable to attacks up the centre all year. We have players with potential and under the right guidance we will be back in a couple of years. But its a learning curve for next year at least.
Derry are the interesting team. Can they build on last year’s near miss. They have the players in the critical positions and they have a solid system that works for them.
There’s a fair bit of pressure on Galway to get off the pot. They have the blend of youth and experience but time is running out.
Good point FrosT on our national final stat, which span two managers. Posters seem unable to accentuate the positive at the moment. I posted a ‘third’ team a couple of months ago, and I’m now posting an updated version post county finals and Connacht club runs. To the best of my knowledge these players are not on the panel, obviously some regulars had been injured and released.
Feel free to add and delete!
Hennelly – If he really wants it, he could come right back.
Harrison – Got a good club run – didn’t he?
Brickenden – fully fit
Plunkett – ditto
MacLaughlin
King
Fenton Kelly
Jack Irwin
Mikey Murray
Bryan Walsh
Cian Hanley
Darren Quinn
Colm Moran – he didn’t stand out for me, but I think he has quality
James? Quinn – called into the panel recently
Kuba Callaghan
Incidentally, Mayo GAA website has pdfs of all club teams playing – great for checking names, and other info. Claremorris btw field a panel of 42!
We’re a team that can beat a top of the ground Dublin or Kerry, if we really get our selection, tactics and luck on the day right maybe 1 in 7 times.
One thing we need to address is that all 14 outfield need to be as comfortable on the ball as possible. Thus would reduce turnovers, improving passing and scoring. I feel we’ve been accommodating the odd ‘Athlete’.
An athlete who gives the ball away simply gives the ball back to the opposition quicker. An athlete who misses sitters of passes or scores cannot be even a sub at this level.
Now, this reduces how athletic we are but then we need to do left field stuff like being braver with the bench. Two first half subs!!
Ya, crazy left field, all that crazy?
Two teans play the game for 77 mins and whichever one has the higher performance graph at the times when scores are easier found will probably win. The first ten mins of the game is usually quite low scoring for example.
@ Ontheditch I hope Galway get diarrhoea on the pot.
Brickendon and Harisson back in the fold would be a massive addition
@JP
We’re 2 out of the last 7 in Championship by my count, and I believe that the 8th would be our 2017 replay win over Kerry
I guess we’re actually twice as good as you thought
Despite the negativity about there are still positives. We are too far down the line to give up. We have a decent crop of youngsters coming through and it wasn’t all bad last year. It felt like whenever we won the reason was only because the opposition were so bad.
Galway had 4 cuts at us this year including the FBD game and didn’t beat us once. PJ had run out of excuses by the end of the game at Salthill. Nothing against Galway whatsoever but they were tipped by many and couldn’t beat a Mayo team apparently in terminal decline.
And when did you ever see a Mayo team win pulling up in Kerry or in Ballybofey either for that matter?
The last 15 minutes against Cork still baffles me. It is vital we learn from our mistakes.
It was clear for all to see that we were too open down the middle. We need a good old fashioned stopper at number 6. The management team will be defined by what happens next not what has gone before. I wouldn’t be averse to seeing Diarmuid at 6 nor Ryan at centre forward. I think Jordans best position is in midfield and that would benefit Mattie but it would weaken the half forward line.
We simply have to stop conceding soft goals. Nothing new here but if you think of our most recent wins in “big games” the Dublin 2021 semi, Kerry this year, Galway league final and the Galway championship game. We didn’t concede a goal in any of those.
Mind the House at all costs. An over my dead body mentality.
Roll on January.
We kept clean sheets in 50% of our games last year. I believe it’s the same for league and championship
Dublin I think was 7 out of 9 and Kerry 6 of 9 in last year’s championship.
Definitely scope to improve there, and with 4 novices in goals and fullback line last year, you would expect it to
@catcol
I think we’re at point where we can start debating FBD lineups
Give all the players a rest until after Xmas, to hell with the FBD league and plan and train for a good championship run.
@Catcol, I think our backs could be under pressure there with lads running through middle of that team.
Is it less than 6 weeks now until their first “official” game of the 2024 season? The days don’t be long tipping around.
Catcol
Players I would like to see in that really impressed at club games I was at.
Caolan Crowe Garrymore
Keelan McDonnell Ballintubber
Stephen O’Malley Ballintubber
Ciaran Gavin Ballintubber
Oisin McLaughlin Westport
Darren Quinn Garrymore
Cian McHale Moy Davitts
Kevin Quinn Ballinrobe
Caolan Crowe is all round a better defender than O’Hora, Brickenden and Coen and the best defender outside the current 23 panel.
He marked ROD , Tommy Conroy and Cillian in championship this year with none of them really getting the better of him.
Well at least James Horan agrees about the pure daft decision of playing against the wind after winning the toss . Terrible decision by Ballina .
We’ve another new pod up on Patreon. Rob and I are joined on it by Billy Joe for a wide-ranging, off-season football chat.
Thanks Sam Og. Interesting that you name three from Ballintubber. And we agree on three more.
What age is Crowe now?
Crowe is same age as Cillian O’Connor I think so 31 or 32. I remember them both playing in an All Ireland Minor Semi Final against Armagh.
The 3 from Tubber were very good in the games against Garrymore and Castlebar.
You might believe that I am stupid ,Mind The House but we can agree on the fact that Mayo are a very competitive team,we are very near the top,it was known around the time of the Cork game that a lot of squad had virus ,which would explain our lack of energy in the closing stages,we will with luck be back better than ever next year
Was virus running through squad in Roscommon, Louth and Dublin games Corick?
We are indeed competitive as in top 6 team on our day and can give anyone a good rattle. But our game plan is too slow and pedantic, easy for opposition to read and counteract.
Our lack of kick out strategy will hopefully be worked on from now until championship. That alone would be a good improvement.
Unfortunately championship highlighted more current panel members who are likely not up to standard needed, than ones ready to slip seamlessly into the squad and be ready for this championship. Some of better options will need be given year or so grace period to get up to S&C level needed.
Midfielders sadly have not proven to be a strong area, which is unfortunately one we need to improve on.
@corick I wouldn’t blame a virus around the cork game.
Every time I think of the cork game I actually cringe ha there was no game plan when things went sooo wrong .
It was like our guys suddenly just switched off once they got the goal in and maybe thought the game was won but mcstay had no answers and that’s concerning.
I’m still very optimistic for next year though as always ha!
Just briefly reading a piece with John evans predicting stardom for a lad from Kerry a Cillian Burke , whether there is weight to it I don’t know but isn’t it truly remarkable how Kerry produce these gems time and time again .
Connacht Colleges Senior A championship todays fixtures
Claregalway College v St Gearlds Castlebar 12.30
Rice College v Ballinrobe Community school 12.30
B football
Roscommon CBS v St Louis Kiltimagh 11.00
@Corick
In no way do I think you’re stupid whatsoever. I love your positivity. I think we’re still competitive 100% I do. The 2021 retirements and the loss of Oisin was a lot to take in. The fact that we were still relatively competitive in 2022 shows we are still alive and kicking. There is still hope. The Dubs will have another year in ageing legs and Kerry are by no means unbeatable.
I hope that you are rewarded one day and that you venture back across Corick Bridge with the big one landed. The same goes for myself only I have a bit further to go to Glencastle!
We’re evenly split between wins and losses in our most recent championship meetings with Dublin and Kerry.
I know it’s a selective stat, but it’s way above our historical average against those teams, which is around 20-25%.
I’m guessing Donegal would be the next most recent county to beat both of them in championship.
We should start collecting the firewood now for the celebrations,I am afraid that Corick is out for a drink, but certainly Bangor Nd Glencastle and of course Belmullet will have plenty drink for us
Good thought provoking article in the Western People this week: https://westernpeople.ie/sport/gaa/burning-ambitions-burning-bridges-and-another-year-to-wonder_arid-3397.html
Looks like they’ve upgraded their website as well. Much cleaner and not riddled with adds so fair play to them. Hopefully stays that way.
Gizmobobs,I believe that the Roscommon game was one week after we had won a major trophy,so I believe that we done very well to be competitive in it,I thought that we beat Louth,perhaps I am wrong,as for the recovery period from a virus ,perhaps you know something to help recovery quickly,I am sure that if you have you will become very wealthy,because you will be in demand from racehorse trainers,and greyhound trainers the best of luck to you
@seanbourke. We produce potentially great players. I often think that mentality is the difference. In fairness, it’s easier for the young Kerry lad to be mentally strong, he comes from a county used to winning. It’s heartbreaking that the Cillain o Connor and co team didnt get over the line because they had the mental strength. Luck, discipline, little things tripped us up.
Against Tyrone, we tripped ourselves up and that’s sorest of all. A great team that will not be remembered as winners
@Corick, you could be right about the one week turnaround.
It may just have been down to bad management to mess up in the competition they openly stated was the priority in the Connacht championship.
Strange the virus was not given among the Myriad of other excuses post championship. It would be a far more palatable than what was relayed in post championship interviews.
@ontheditch your spot on 100% that’s it!
Our history in finals has to have an affect on the players we to do produce great talented players .. as you said its no wonder kerry always have talented players & confident ones with the amount of all irelands won .
We just need to get over the line and whenever we do who knows we might be like the limerick hurling team once they got over the line their was no stopping them ha!
But we have a lot of work to do for that to happen ..really hope we see cillian o Connor, Ryan O D and Tommy c all fully fit for most of next year they are the key for us!
https://www.balls.ie/gaa/lee-keegan-david-clifford-paudie-clifford-pre-season-579397
See Lee Keegan also backing the GPA and inter-county players in their bid to scrap Mickey Mouse competitions like the FBD league.
Perhaps the management don’t believe in excuses,so I feel that we need to cut them some slack,so you believe that we should not have won the league,it is not at all easy to win, we have only won four in my lifetime
Corick, where did I say that??
They may not believe in excuses but between baby goalies, and young defenders looking back on their mistakes they were fairly pedaling them.
Of course they should try and win the league.
But if management seen Connacht championship as their priority as they stated then sacrifice league if needs be. But I don’t buy that personally, how many teams have played knock out games one week after the other and won both weekends? Quite a few.
FBD should be scrapped its a useless competition that no one cares about winning…
@Corick what good did winning the league do for us in championship? We were dead flat off our feet for going 100 miles an hour during the league yes it was good to win it but then back it up by winning sam to….
I agree Clare, FBD is a waste of time, I would not be putting all my cards into the league either.
But it’s all about gate Receipts for the Gaa, the more games the better for the Gaa.
@Bate the blanket totally agree with you all the extra games this year with the new fixtures its a total money racket for gaa superpowers in charge .. and do gaa players get paid properly no disgrace no wonder the young talent are off to aussie land …!
I honestly think if we had played the way we played through the league in championship we would have at least been a final again. We just went to hard to fast. Peaked to soon !
We should have done better v dubs to I was honestly shocked how we got so hammered the Dubs team aren’t what they used to be . It was the fixtures that played a part to in that defeat but also we just weren’t good enough on day obviously.
We’ve a really young team who just need that bit re assurance that they are talented and they need the right management team to bring that out in them weather its mcstay & (Rochford……) we shall see but I’ve no doubt we will bounce back again like we always do !