Well, that was an action-packed two days of club football. At its conclusion the Senior, Intermediate and Junior Championships are all down to the final four, with the participants in the last-chance-saloon relegation play-offs at Senior and Intermediate also decided. In the LGFA Championships, it’s down to the finalists for the Senior decider.
Here’s a quick wrap-up of all the weekend’s results, starting with the Senior matches:
The big news from this weekend has to be the dethroning of back-to-back champions Knockmore this afternoon at the hands of a young, hungry Castlebar Mitchels side. Barry Moran’s team led for much of the hour and did really well to hold off Knockmore down a tense and tight final stretch. Match report from Edwin McGreal of the Mayo News is here.
Ballina Stephenites’ eye-catching thumping of Claremorris yesterday was also noteworthy. Their reward for the win is a semi-final date with Ballintubber who saw off Breaffy this afternoon. Westport, who emerged from a gritty encounter with Garrymore yesterday, take on Mitchels in the other semi-final.
Match reports: Ballina Stephenites/Claremorris, Ballintubber/Breaffy, Westport/Garrymore.
In the relegation play-offs, meanwhile, Balla and Ballaghaderreen confirmed their Senior status for next year. Balla beat The Neale while Ballaghaderreen – for whom Andy Moran was making his final appearance, blasting home 3-3 to sign off his hugely illustrious playing career – were way too strong for Davitts. These results mean it’s a south Mayo derby between The Neale and Davitts to decide which of them survives in the top tier in 2023.
Onto Intermediate where the weekend’s results were as follows:
Match reports are here on the wins for Hollymount/Carramore and Bohola Moy Davitts, while a report on Kilmeena’s victory is here.
Onto Junior, where the results of the A quarter-finals were as follows:
Here are the Junior B results:
Next it’s the LGFA, where the Senior Championship semi-finals were on today. Defending champions Knockmore were pushed all the way by Carnacon but they squeezed through by the minimum margin at the finish.
Knockmore will now face Burrishoole in the final. They also won by a a single point today, just managing to get past Westport.
Here’s a full round-up of the weekend’s LGFA results:
- SFC semi-finals: Westport 0-12 Burrishoole 1-10; Carnacon 1-7 Knockmore 1-8
- Senior Shield semi-finals: Hollymount 4-10 Kilmovee Shamrocks 3-8; Castlebar Mitchels 0-9 Moy Davitts 1-3
- JFC semi-finals: Ballyhaunis 7-12 Breaffy 0-8; Aghamore 1-13 St Brigid’s 3-6.
Great way for Andy to finish his club duties with a superb 3:03 .
Also credit to Barry Moran and Co at Mitchell’s who out thought Knockmore on the line, tactically ,
and showed incredible discipline in the closing stages to see off the Knockmore lads …
Breaffy were very disappointing….
West Mayo is still the football stronghold in Mayo.
Great achievement by Burrishoole and Knockmore ladies to make ladies senior final. Whatever about numerical advantage the large towns have over rural clubs in the men’s grade in the ladies some of the amalgamations they compete against are even larger again e.g. Kilmoremoy (Ballina, Ardnaree and Bonniconlon) and MacHale Rovers (Crossmolina, Lahardane and Ardagh)
Knockmore missing their Midfielder, Centre Back and I think one other from last years winning team apparently.
Colm Mac has the Burrishoole ladies in serious athletic shape according to the lads on Ah Ref pod.
Hopefully Mayo LGFA will stream game this year. Last year’s final had no video record.
Ballina have impressed me the most out of the Contenders for The Moclair cup, they look strong all over the field with a good balance of pace and physicality and a nice spread of scores throughout the team. I think Kevin McStay will bring his nephew in for the league as he has looked good for a few yrs now but looks ready physically now and could be the playmaker we need with scores thrown in. Dylan Thorton looks a player but may be too soon, Swanny looks wasted at corner bk for Mayo would love if he was tried at 6. Good standard so far in Mayo Championship and seems to be a few good young bucks stepping up for their teams which will please the new Mayo management.
I think Stephen Coen will be under severe pressure to hold his starting place at number 6. Swanny deserves a run there for sure. Far more aggressive and dynamic.
Ballina are looking good,,, trying hard to find a fault in there backs
Initt…Hard to disagree with any of that. Although Ballina have had relatively easy games against Aghamore and Claremorris, their ability to attack from anywhere is impressive. They seem to target goals first and points if not on. Conor McStay looks like the scoring half forward Mayo have been crying out for and if you add in his play making he could be big for club and county. O’Hora is showing what a fine footballer he is and not just a scrapper. I thought he showed terrific restraint in a few incidents not least when pulled back by his hair. Should have been at least a black card for the player involved. Ballintubber are pretty admirable to grind out the win after losing Gibbons to a harsh enough red card. The playing of Aidan O’Shea at ff will never ever work as long as backs are allowed to pull, drag and hold him down without retribution from the officials but let’s be honest it no longer comes as a surprise. Mitchells have a fantastic team in the making but just like the league final they seemed to get nervous when the end was in sight but this result could do wonders for them. Westport must be really frustrating for their fans because they have so much talent but always seem to let opponents stay in the game and with fighters like Garrymore that’s dangerous. Although they are out you have to admire the way Garrymore never know when they’re beaten and in fairness they could easily have pinched the result. Finally, it’s hard to understand why Caolan Crowe was overlooked by Mayo for years even when we were supposed to be lacking topclass backs at times.
Swanny is some man, would love to see him nail down the 6 jersey next year he reminds me of a peak boyler around the middle 1/3 of the pitch throwing his head into everything and coming out with the ball driving forward.
I think mitchels will beat westport they have a great balance to their team and each player seems to know their role. Kudos to Neil Lydon and Barry Moran for putting faith in the youth.
I think the Breaffy management got a call badly wrong when they decided to go with Hennelly over Livingstone. In my opinion Hennely cost Breaffy 1-2 yesterday and screwed two scorable frees badly wide. Hennelly getting the nod over Livingstone, who had kept goal all season and done so very impressively, looks very bad on the management team. He kicked two very poor kickouts straight done the throats of Ballintubber that resulted in points for them, and his old and consistent failing of his complete inability to deal with high balls into his area surfaced again for the Ballintubber goal. I’m sure the new Mayo management team, who were in attendance, will have duly noted the performance.
Hindsight is everything though, imagine the furore if it was the other way around and they left out one of the best keepers in Ireland? County players are always going to get the nod in key games
I actually don’t think Hennelly was nearly as much at fault for the goal as made out in many quarters, it was a bitch of a bounce to be honest and one heavily favouring the oncoming attacker with momentum (versus the keeper who is in a stop start position)
That said he has had better days I agree
Breaffy were just pretty toothless all over the pitch unfortunately for them, and it looks like their chances of winning a county title are dwindling by the year
Ballina are the best team left in the championship, playing a nice brand of football.
They were the best team last year but got caught by Westport as they let them back in to a game when they were practically home and dry.
They haven’t been really tested yet so far and this could be their downfall and their full back line conceded two soft goals against Aghamore.
The Claremorris player should not have received a red card after barely touching C. McStay who made a meal out it, while the player who brought Swannie O Hora down by pulling his hair in a very dangerous fashion got off Scott free.
E.Ribbons from the Mitchell’s was the best player on view, scoring some fantastic points,and he was listed as a sub before the game.
Caught a lot of games this weekend…
Ballina probably the big winners, very impressive again, definitely something different about them this year, tick an awful lot of boxes, good age profile, have several scorers and size around the middle. There has been false dawns with them before but I think they rightfully be favourites now. Both irwins and callanan worth a good look in fbd
Westport had a good win, that was always going to be sticky against garrymore. The worry about Westport for me is that for all their depth all their players are 2 samey, hard running ball carrying players which is fine for dispatching most opposition. Seems like they could do with a few direct options though or a plan b. Still not fully convinced by them
Huge win for Castlebar, have been in transition last few years so this win will be huge breakthrough for them grinding it out. Ethan gibbons impressed in a dogfight
I made the mistake of tipping breaffy last week and should have known better. The big men for the small occasion, should have known they’d fold against 1st decent test. Tubber showing all their experience and doggedness, gibbons red card v harsh imo and cillian on one leg was easily best forward on the pitch. Hennelly was very sloppy in goals, any talk of playing AOS at ff for county team is lunacy imo, another blank yesterday, I know apologists always blame the ball coming into him or rough treatment but he is a 6’5 tank of a man. His movement is non existant and he won’t score against decent opposition. Cillian a much better ball winner and scorer
Ballina big winners of the weekend but any of the 4vwill fancy their chances
@Supermac – not sure ballina are the big winners of the weekend they haven’t really had a test coming into the semi final. I do like the look of their squad though and i think if they can win mayo they could go on a good run in Connacht / All Ireland series.
Ciarán is he one of the best keepers in Ireland? I don’t believe he’s the top three keepers in the county, let alone the country. Goal was 100% his fault. It’s too consistent a failing. We need a new keeper for next year. It’s utterly essential.
I only saw the matches on Sunday on TG4 but I will be amazed if either Castlebar or Ballintubber win it. The standard and style of play was deepressingly poor. The County players bar Cillian did very little.
The only shining light for me was Stephen O’Malley for Ballintubber and I think he is only 20 or 21 but I may be wrong on that. Maybe other posters know more about Stephen than me and could give us their views.
Hopefully Leeroy and the covies do it this year.
Really enjoyable weekend of football. Didn’t think the standard was that high but still very watchable.
As if to highlight the difference between this level and county and maybe to give those criticising some pause for thought, I got a good laugh from the Castlebar corner forward wearing a completely difference jersey to the rest of his teammates – it wasn’t remotely similar to the actual Castlebar jersey but I suppose that’s part of club football.
Bear in mind club football is 60 mins and the ball doesn’t have much flight on it now in the cooler weather.
In warmer weather with 10 mins more playing time these club matches would be 4-6 pts higher scoring.
I’m with you Tommy+Joe, this season he isn’t even the best keeper in his club.
I thought Tunney and Dervan did well at the back for Breaffy but there wasn’t a whole pile else. They seemed to push Minogue up the flank in the 2nd half to try and offer a bit of width but in truth the only forward Breaffy had who was capable of taking on his man and running at them was young Neary. I was looking forward to seeing how O’Shea would do at 14 but I was very disappointed. I counted 7 balls into him in the 1st half and he got on the end of only 1. The argument could be made that better players supplying him better ball may work in the county set-up but I would have serious reservations after yesterday.
Cillian still a master at getting free and running into space. A great solid head on him also. He lacks the pace at senior inter county level to get free like he did yesterday for Ballintubber, but, any team looking to get past Ballintubber will have to negate him. O’Malley at 14 was very lively and took his scores well, and McDonnell at 10 was a constant link between defense and attack yesterday.
Knockmore looked a tired team yesterday and maybe 3 years on the go flat out has taken an edge off them. It happens. It’s no reflection on them or Dempsey but they were second best yesterday. Mitchels were very impressive to my eye and had a solid defensive structure allied to great ball retention up top. Gibbons hit some great longe range points, Paddy Durcan drove on theoruhg the middle and Ger McDonagh marshalled things at 6. However, Morahan at 2, Tuohy at 3 and his brother that came on in the second half were hugely impressive. 19, 20 and 18 years of age respectively and to come in against the 2 time senior champions and influence the game says an awful lot of what’s coming through the ranks at An Sportlann. Whether they have the guile and maturity to deal with a wily auld opponent like Ballintubber remains to be seen but I think the winner comes from that pairing.
Westport are Westport. Very Spurs like. They’re under huge pressure to get over the line and, like their women, that pressure can buckle even the best of panels. Ballina are likewise for me, they played a very poor team yesterday and they haven’t been seriously tested at all yet. Not a good way to come into a semi-final.
@ Tommy+Joe. Agree fully. You beat me to it. Not only is he poor under a high ball, his free kick taking is not that great either. Very hot and cold and despite being nailed on 1st choice keeper for a few seasons now, this aspect of his game hasn’t improved. Also, I wasn’t a fan of the Mayo supporters should be ‘privileged’ stuff after the 2021 Final defeat. Imo it was way off and not the kind of stuff you’d want to hear from a senior member of a team. You’d have to question the mentality of Breaffy now, unfortunately. On paper one of the strongest teams in the county over the past decade and they continually disappoint. The leadership simply isn’t there and this falls at the feet of senior players on that panel. It’s simply not where it needs to be. If Breaffy had the mentality and leadership ability of Ballintubber they’d have several Moclair Cups at this stage, but they are floppers. I’m not a member of any Mayo club, so completely neutral perspective. In fact, I’d have liked to have seen breaffy win a title but their chance has passed. They are well behind others now.
Tommy + Joe, I get that some people just don’t like Hennelly and seem to jump at any opportunity to criticise him, but how can anyone say that goal yesterday was 100% his fault? Breaffy outnumbered tubber 2-1 as that ball came in, it should have been easily dealt with but Hall let it bounce right in front of him, after that Cillian had the advantage as he had all the momentum running into the square. Could Hennelly have done more, possibly, he could have come out to collect but Breaffy had the numbers there to deal with it. Both Breaffy defenders equally to blame for that goal, they made a total mess of the situation.
Afraid we may have seen the last of a few of our senior players mentioned above,great servants to the county but injuries and time has caught up with a few.
Will mcStay drop some of them?
Same old story from Breaffy. If somr of their big names can’t do it for the club they won’t do it for Mayo either I’m afraid. Tubber were the hungrier and hardier team. On the whole yday the best 2 teams won. Looking forward to the semis.
Very disappointed with the scheduling of the semi finals the weekend after next, like to get to as many games as possible and with the senior semis, 1 intermediate semi and senior relegation all on around the same times on Sunday its not possible, does Mayo Gaa not need a few euro from gate receipts..!! I know Mchale is out for night time games due to lighting problems in the stand (what next) ,but for example why not put Davitts vs. The Neale in Ballinrobe under lights on the Saturday night….and i know next weekend is probably left free for hurling but the likes of the senior and intermediate relegation games are no ways impacted by the hurling, why not fix one or both for next weekend…
Looks like the ballina winning is extending to meath with ratoath managed by David Brady into the county final.
Guess what?
What?
Players make mistakes.
@Mayonaze, I’m not sure the “one of the strongest teams on paper” statement holds up. Breaffy have had some very strong individuals that might “jump out from the paper”, but there has always 3, 4 or 5 on the team who I don’t think would get a look in at starting for other teams. 1-15 and beyond, there has always been stronger, more balanced, better teams around.
Would absolutely agree re the mentality and leadership on show. Ballintubber always extremely strong in that department and Breaffy, not so much. The performances and leadership on display between Cillian and Aidan were night and day.
A not so perfect storm of a few dominant players who try to do too much and a supporting cast that aren’t quite strong enough to have it any other way. You look at Castlebar and Ballintubber yesterday and while the county players played a big role, the games were also won by the guys who mightn’t jump out on paper.
I’d agree that Robbie must shoulder some of the blame for that goal. I’d need to see it again.
However, this is where Cillian is so deadly. He’s a powerful man, cute, and highly skillful. I’d always favour him in that situation against any goalie in the country.
Incredible and in my opinion unacceptable criticism on this site of referees and county players . Classic examples of cowards lurking in a social media platform striking out at easy targets.
Watched the Ballina highlights and really like the look of McStay. Frank Irwin also looks to have really bulked up too.
But came away from the short clip wondering if Evan Regan would give it another go, some of his scores were really classy.
I know all of this comes with the major asterisk that Claremorris were awful at the back but still, guys who can score are what we should be concentrating on finding in this club championship.
@mayoforever where are you seeing this unacceptable criticism? I haven’t read anything on here about the weekend action which isnt reasonably balanced and with supporting arguments, don’t agree with all the opinions but they are all perfectly valid.
Not much interesting to be had if we just say everyone is great and beyond any scrutiny?
Who are the 3 goalkeepers in the county that are better than Rob? I understand county players will be scrutinised more than others but that’s complete rubbish. He was one of Mayo’s best players in 2022!
Aidan O’Shea at full forward will never work at intercounty level. His best position has always been a defensive midfielder and that’s where McStay should use him. Won’t have the legs for 70 minutes but can still play an important role there at times next year.
@Mayoforever. One man on here definitely obsessed with a certain team and a certain player. I guess you’d call him ‘the big man when the occasion is sitting at a keyboard typing’
@Wide Ball – There isn’t 3 better keepers in Mayo or even Connaught than Hennelly and he is easily top 10 in Ireland. People are great to hide behind an online profile and throw out criticism after a loss but will never give these lads the credit when they have big performances. Robbie has been one of Mayo`s most consistent players since David Clarke retired.
He might not be good enough for some in Mayo but i can guarantee there is 25+ other counties who would take him tomorrow no problem as their number 1.
JKEL88 – I would say he’s easily top 5 in the country. Morgan and Ryan are the only ones I’d definitely have above him. The likes of Beggan and Patton get a lot of praise at times but are far more error prone than Rob.
People above saying his free taking hasn’t improved either. How many Mayo games have you watched in the last 18 months? All the frees he takes are 40m+ from the goal. So obviously he won’t have a 90% conversion rate.
First Ballintubber goal, Breaffy defence at fault much more than Robbie Hennelly… Robbie has been one of Mayo’s best players over the last two years, and in my opinion unlucky to miss out on an All Star nomination (Not that any team well defeated in the All Ireland quarter finals has any chance of actually winning an All Star)..But it must be acknowledged that he has had much better games than yesterday, just returned from injury (whether or not that had anything to do with it I don’t know)…I think Kevin McStay will stick with Mayo’s current No1 , but Rory Byrne will surely also have impressed him…Breaffys young Livingstone is certainly impressing many and possibly is one for the future between the sticks. AOS at full forward again hardly surprising didn’t yield much for Breaffy, a team that surely must have had 60% of the possession, Cillian one of the greatest goal predators the game has ever seen (despite his lack of full fitness and lack of pace) delivered big time in the big moments….. I don’t believe that two players that lack pace can be accommodated in the Full Forward line, pace is everything in today’s game but Cillian is an exception, with assists and execution of Goals as one of the Ace Predators of all time, so I have for a long time dismissed the idea of AOS at Full Forward…Castlebar v Knockmore was of a much much higher standard and great to watch with some wonderful kick passing, Castlebar deserved to shade it, a young team with plenty of hope for the future, but I have a feeling that the winning team might well come from Westport or Ballina…4 good teams left…I hope Jason Gibbons straight Red Card is over turned, very very harsh and undeserved in my opinion!
Agree leantiimes, defence as much at fault. Great to see towns like Castlebar Westport and Ballina buzzing with enthusiasm for Gaelic football. Can only be good for the county. Also i was pleased to see Ciaran Gavin score the goal that sealed it for Ballintubber. By the end of the championship, McStay will have the very tough task of knuckling down to form a panel for 2023.
I think we will be looking at the team of the future for the League.
Agre with a lot of pepplesmellers comments except for the Spurs bit maybe.
The Tuohy brothers were just 2 of the many star studded players for the Mitchels.
The Mayo GAA board are shooting themselves in the foot, not varying starting times dates for semifinals. Many supporters would take in multiple games.
More difficult for McStay to get around and see as many games as possible.
Looking forward to the Brickenden v Gibbons match up in SF. Westport have the pace to trouble Castlebar. A tweaking of the ff line or at least better ball into Mora & co. Could pay dividends
Some people getting very defensive of Hennelly. Maybe that’s fair enough. Maybe some are Breaffy club members. I always fully support any man with a Mayo jersey and I couldnt give a rats what club a Mayo player is from. But I will also give what I believe is fair criticism. I think Hennelly is a very good shot stopper (not as good as Clarke was). Hennelly’s best attribute by far are his restarts (clearly better than Clarke was). He is weak under a high ball, nowhere near county standard and his size doesnt help but for Christ’s sake, don’t come off your line unless you are going to win the ball or stop the opponent etc (this weakness and rush of blood, cost of dearly in two All Ireland Finals 2013 and 2021). Then his unfortunate meltdown in 2016 was a terrible shame for him and us all but in the cold light of day the facts are clear, he failed to deal with a routine ball which lead to a goal. Has he played well for Mayo? Absolutely – he has been MOTM on a number of occasions. Is he the best keeper in Mayo at the moment? I don’t know. Should there be a better option? I hope so, but that’s for McStay & Co to decide upon. If he does retain the no.1 jersey then he needs to learn how to manage the square. The fact that he hasn’t learnt by now would be very concerning in my opinion.
@Wideball, you completely misunderstood my point. Did I mention 90%?? What I said is that his freekick taking has not improved and it should have – he is still surprisingly unreliable. The fact that the majority of the frees are effectively from the same distance should ironically enough, increase the chances of an improvement in rate of conversion given that the practice is very routine. Also his ball flight is direct. He rarely looks to put a shape on it like a forward would do when kicking off the ground so kicking from left of centre and right of centre shouldn’t matter as much. Ps: I’ve seen as much Mayo games as most supporters over the past 30 years and in particular over the past 15.
The above are all facts.
Its a bit daft having one of the intermediate and Senior semi finals on at the same time. Im sure there’s many who would like to go to both
@Mayonaze.
Your post doesn’t carry any more weight because you write “the above are all facts” at the end,especially as a lot of it is your opinion and is subjective and not facts.I happen to disagree with your opinions but as I said that’s subjective
What isn’t subjective is your assessment of Hennellys kicks at goal.At county level in the last two years he has been a lot more accurate than the years before and that is a simple fact (as you might say yourself) that can be verified.
If you’re going to run down a player a least try to get the basics right.
Im suprised they’re hasnt’t been any comments on the “tackle” on Padraig O’Hora yesterday where he was pulled by the hair of the head and dragged to the ground. I think it was an absolute disgrace
Kieran donaghy and galvin taking over the rossies
Who seen that coming 😮
Aos at full forward… That was 8 years ago. Forget about it. Good servant to mayo football but its time to become a panel player. Henelly a good keeper but always suspect under a high ball unfortunately. The o Connor s were a plus.
FW – Let’s get one thing straight. I am not trying to run down a player. If I was trying to run down a player, which is not something I would do, I wouldn’t have referred to his strengths. I also wouldn’t have referred to his MOTM performances. I gave credit where credit is due.
Is my assessment that he is a very good shot stopper and strong on restarts not fairly factual? I mean anyone can see this. Equally, anyone can see that he is very weak under a high ball – and unfortunately, the ”facts” are there for us to painfully recall. Tell me what is subjective about the costly errors in 2013, 2016, 2021. I even remember the first high ball (or certainly very early in the 1st half) that dropped into him in the 2019 league final win and he punched it away when it should have been a routine catch. This weakness in his game has cost us dearly. That may be a subjective statement but you’d have to think that when looked upon objectively that it would pretty much universally agreed upon!
You think his free kick scoring has improved. Please do verify that so. I’d genuinely be interested to see his stats on frees and in particular championship stats. League is really far less important. Games that I recall, off the top of my head, are the miss against Kerry in Limerick in ’14. Ok it was a long way out, but it still didn’t go over the bar. The 4 out of 4 misses against Roscommon in 2019 when their keeper scored 0-3 from frees. Kinda proved important in the end. Yeah he nailed a few against the Dubs in 2021 but do remember that one was at the second attempt after Diarmuid ran 30 yards to keep it in play. I just think his scoring should be better than it is.
@Supermac – that’s very good for ros if true….!
Hope Mayo and others have a plan for a high ball into the square…whoops..!!!
Donaghy has just tweeted that the story is rubbish and he spoke to no one from Roscommon GAA. Woudlnt be like the Connacht Telegraph to have a big exclusive with no truths in it to be fair
The Connaught Telegraph have printed some rubbish over last few years in relation to GAA stories.
Stories that are completely off the mark.
You would expect they would at least try to verify their stories before they go running with them.
Anyone any news on how Sharoize Akram did for Ballagh at the weekend. I had high hopes for him as he was outstanding at U21 but he hasn’t made the break through yet.
@mayonaze
I actually agree with you about the mistakes in 2013,16 and to a lesser extent 21.I also agree he’s no David Clarke under a high ball but the defenders were just as much to blame for letting the ball bounce the last day.
Of course over that period of time a player is going to make mistakes,it’s particularly unfortunate that these mistakes for Robbie have been in All Ireland finals but that doesn’t take away from the fact he’s been (in my opinion ) the best keeper in the country on the intercounty scene for the last few years.
If he was on the pitch v Galway in April we would have won as we missed 4 long range kicks that he would have taken.His kicks at goal were not good when he was first asked to take them and I felt the confidence drain out of him with each miss,that’s definitely not good as he’s such a confidence player.However that’s much improved the last few years and that why I pulled you on that point.
I thought when he was up against Clarkie for the no 1 Jersey that Hennellys better kickout was an over hyped thing,his kick outs (whilst better than Clarkie) were no great shakes but again that something that has improved a lot in the last couple of years,his restarts are a major bonus these days,obviously something he’s worked on.
Also,all those kicks you talk about are not recent and not since he’s started knocking them over more regularly.
You criticise his kicking style saying he doesn’t put enough shape on the ball,we’re you up in the rain in Sligo this year?
The reality is long range shots by keepers are low percentage kicks and if you can get 50% or above you are doing well.
I didn’t realise you were disregarding league stats either in your analysis.
It’s actually sad how much of rag the Telegraph has become. Gutter journalism.
@Mayonaze – You definitely are trying to run Hennelly down. At least have the bottle to admit it.
@ FW, I wasn’t criticising his kicking style at all – where did you get that impression from?? Also, I never said he ”doesn’t put enough shape on it” – please do read what I wrote. You’re putting words in my mouth and misinterpreting what I actually did say :)…. My point again was that his natural kick is direct and to punt it without a curl and that this should help, not hinder, his accuracy and conversion rate. Anyway, I think we’ve exhausted this one.
P – would you ever stop. Seriously.
@Mayonaze – Just admit it man.
Mayonaze – this is a discussion forum. If someone disagrees with you, we’re not getting defensive.
Someone above said hennelly isn’t among the top 3 keepers in Mayo. I said that was rubbish, don’t think that comes across as defensive? You said his free taking hasn’t improved. Well he’s got some crucial frees for us in the last few years. I don’t remember any in the 2011 – 16 period. The fact he only takes long range frees is a crucial point. Not that it needs saying, but the further out you are, the lower % chance of scoring.
Funny you mention that league final. If Shane Ryan hadn’t made a balls of a high ball we would have lost that final too. Moral of the story is all goalkeepers make mistakes.
It shouldn’t matter, but FYI I’m from a junior club. No connection to rob or Breaffy whatsoever.
@p Mayoaze is voiceing his opinion,
Yes it’s tough on Hennelly, but there was nothing personal in it. Unfortunately a lot of truth in it. Wouldn’t agree with all mayoaxe said but some is hard disagree with. Hennelly isn’t a saint , knighted or a god who
We cannot even comment on. He’s a Good goalie, but liable to mistakes and is 50/50 from frees.
I see someone mention best keeper in the country, I wish it was the case but it isn’t.
Wide ball – there is a big difference between someone disagreeing with me and someone saying that I said something when I never said it…I wanted to clear that up.
Regarding the goalkeeping issue, I think McStay and co. need to build for the future in that department, Hennelly may well be number 1 next year, but we should be looking to blood a new goalkeeper in the League. ( Who this is, I don’t know, Byrne , Reape etc, take your pick). It’s an area we’ve had huge issues in in the past, lets be honest some mistakes have cost us big games. The goalkeeper is the most important line on the field, the modern keeper saves, catches, runs, sweeps, attacks, organises the defence etc, it’s a full on role, not many out there have mastered it, Cluxton possibly the only one. As I said, McStay needs to build for the future in that position.
“He rarely looks to put a shape on it ” your direct quote copied and pasted from your post I was replying to,there has been no major misrepresentation here.
Funnily enough I’ve agreed with most of your points bar one which I’ve explained that you have wrong so we more or less see things the same way.The difference is you can put a negative or positive spin on most things,I choose the former,you choose the latter and not just on this thread,that’s your perogative.
Anyway as you’ve decreed that the matter is exhausted I suppose there’s no further discussion to be had.
While some of ye are on the topic of Goalkeepers, the former Dubs great Cluxton was in goal for the Dubs since maybe 2001, but we didn’t see his best until 2011 onwards, that’s 10 years of being very ordinary but always a good shot stopper.
Anyone have a bash at team of the weekend? We need a break from the negativity. Our focus should be on promising performances and young players with potential not all the rubbish that has been trashed and trashed again.
Sticks for the Reek – Ethan Gibbons scored seven points. Why wouldn’t that be worthy of note?
Think the Aidan O’Shea at full forward idea is finished, the false 6 or third midfielder Martin Carney spoke about on one of the pods last year is the position left to try him maybe.
Would like to see Eoin O’Donoghue and Caolan Crowe coming back into panel to strengthen or full back options and to release the 2 best players we have in Leeroy and Oisin up the field, both players seen alot of time with Rochy back in his last season in 2018, so maybe they will be brought back in.
Absolutely disgraceful from the Connaught if that turns out to be false. Seems so by Donaghy’s tweet. Unbelievable stuff.
Liberal – I couldn’t agree more. This isn’t the first time that news outlet didn’t do it’s proper DD. I remember them saying a few weeks ago before the third group matches that, Breffey, Westport and Castlebar were all through where there was still a possibility (a very slim one) that both Westport and Breffey could have not got through. But it’s just poor reporting in my opinion. I do remember Andy Moran did distance himself from the Leitrim job before he actually got it but this seems much further then that. Poor stuff
Jeez……we had 4 senior quarters at the weekend and all were interesting for different reasons. I watched them and commend all the players involved for great entertainment. Football is and always has been made up of highs and lows, joy and heartbreak, winners and losers and we should remember that the players involved experience it all first hand and will feel all the emotions that go with it. Four games shouldn’t boil down for some to a single second when the greatest ever scorer in Mayo football got the better of one of the best ever Mayo keepers.
Not sure what to make of the Donaghy/Galvin rumours. If true they may be a great pairing but I don’t see anything that supports it but it would definitely bring a buzz to the Rossies.
Catcol, I thought Ethan Gibbons display was brilliant and considering he missed a couple he should have got, probably down to carelessness, he could have had 9 or 10.
Willie Joe. Any word on weekend review podcast?
I want to apologise to everyone else at this stage for boring you with over and back, but FW you just don’t get it, do you? I really didn’t want want to have to comment again today and I’ll leave it at this regardless of what slant you try to put on my comments but I really do feel the need to make it clear one last time that me saying “he rarely looks to put a shape on it” is not a negative comment. If you read my comments properly you will or should see this. It’s very clear! I was talking about his kicking and the normal flight of the ball being direct. Again, you have just taken it up the wrong way and it’s you interpreting it as negative – which is incorrect. I have made the point now a few times and I’ll say it one last time,. Hennelly’s direct ball flight/kicking should or certainly could be an advantage to him which in turn should see an increase in scoring. I would have thought his accuracy and point scoring conversion rate would be better as a result of this. That is where your opinion and mine differs (I think he should be more accurate). Now can we just leave it it that.
I agree,we’ll start boring everyone now so yes let’s leave it there.
Another shambles from The connacht telegraph, proves once again they will publish any old gossip or barstool rumour.
I am surprised at OTB retweeting it on the show without doing their factchecking though.
Let this be another lesson to us to take any rumoured mayo team news/fallouts/injuries with a massive pinch of salt when told by the telegraph
Does anyone know if Douglas was dropped for the match or was there an injury? He didn’t look injured when coming in late on.
I ask as it leads to my point that I think the Castlebar management team deserve an awful lot of credit for what they’ve done so far. I’ll admit that I didn’t really give them enough credit for the league win and I was sure Knockmore were going to have too much for this young Mitchels team. It takes balls to back youth like they are doing and it would have been very easy to have looked to guys with a bit more experience for the championship. If Douglas wasn’t injured on Sunday, then that was another huge call / sign of confidence from the management in the younger lads.
Another tiny talking point from the weekend that I got a laugh from was the pre-match mind games from Ballintubber. Pure good old fashioned messing around. Stadium announcer names team as per program, no Cillian. Announcer names changes to team listed, number 21 replaces X… Still no Cillian. Announcer then goes through the “changes to sub’s numbers”… Number 21 is now Cillian O’Connor. Now I’m sure Breaffy knew he was going to be starting the game, it was completely obvious from the warm-ups, but I did have a laugh at the attempted mind games at play. It’s probably a reflection of the match itself that that stood out.
O Hora at 6 might well be looked at ………he probably couldn’t have played there under horan as the 6 had to mid the house while the rest of the defence ran forward ! In a different system though it could work.
@km79
Yeah I must say I’m warming to the idea of trying o’hora at 6 as well, I don’t particularly fancy him as a man marking cornerback as he has gotten a few bad chasings there but I think he can definitely be an all action wrecking ball type cb in a similar vein to Boyler.
However in certain games I would also like to see us be more Conservative in defence this year, it has become almost farcical last year at times watching the entire back line up in the attacking part of the pitch clogging things up while the forward line get clogged up. Be good to strike a balance and let Conroy/ROD etc have some room to operate in there
Agree re O Hora at 6 might be an option. Suppose it highlights the need we have to find our best 2, 3 and 4 ..
Paddy , Lee and Oisin Mullen all obvious candidates for the half back line too .
I’ve a feeling that Kevin may look for natural scoring forwards and opposed to a big target man at 14 …
It’s great to be looking ahead this year …
Could be record crowds at the FBD matches!!
Would hold Keegan and cillian back as starters for FBD and most of league and bring them back into start closer to championship….
In the meantime would like to see something like this team, good mix of old and new, for league…
Livingstone
Tuohy
Callanan
Plunkett
Durcan
O’Hora
Mullin
Flynn
Mccormack
Irwin
ROD
Ruane
Conroy
Towey
Orme
O Hora at 6 for me too.
We know Horan was desperately unlucky with injuries last year and we went most of the year without any fullback in the the full back line. If we could get Harry back and get a run with McBrien that would be great,maybe someone else could put their hand up too.
I’d be inclined to leave Leeroy in the corner as he’s grown into the role,we need him for continuity and we have so many options at HB.
I’m a massive fan of Aido but I agree the FF role is not for him,coming off the bench into a defensive midfield position would be what I’d be thinking.I think Horan had the same idea last year and was implementing it during the league but injuries meant we didn’t have the luxury of Aido off the bench.
Some people being harsh here on certain players.
I thought cillian o connor was looking great at the weekend and coming back into his old self after that awful long lay off injury ! He just needs more game time and I honestly think he will be back in flying form come lthe league no way is he finished!
Loads of other exciting players there to !
McBrien if he stays fit will be the full back, no doubt about it.
Saw him up close against Davitts at the weekend and he kept Ronan Mc very quiet.
A huge man who is as fast as anyone, built for Croke Park.
If he gets a good run of games, he will completely transform our defence.
Ethan gibbons scored well but I’d like to see him in a couple of more games before getting too excited. He looked like he just had one of those days at the weekend where everything he kicked went sailing over. I’m not sure he’s overly pacy, though he’s a decent sized lad and a good ball winner.
Very interested to see if he can back it up again the next day.
Will see how David McBrien gets on with Clifford and Con in the League before we make any big assessmenst on him at the long term full back option ,Caolan Crowes display against Westport really calls for him to be looked at aswell.But Oisin and Leeroy need to be releived of duties in our full back line if we are going anywhere next year.
Mitchels in a good position where they know that if Gibbons has been “found out”, they still have loads of options.
Mitchels forwards who can make big impacts against Westport:
Paul Walsh
Paddy Heneghan
Gavin Durcan
Mark Cunningham
Douglas
Both Stensons
I agree that lee keagan & oisin mullin should be pushed up not backs ! Some impressive backs from Ballina
Not sure if even Lee would prefer a return to the HB line at this stage of his intercounty career! He’s well settled into that corner position, can still make odd bursts up the field when he wants but importantly, he can manage his running in that position. He’ll be 33 playing next year’s championship, I think we’ll get more longevity from him there.
Plus it’s a weak line for us in general, I wouldn’t be looking to make it weaker. We have enough HB’s as it is.
Third man in, in regards to the half back line, do we have enough really?
Plunkett and Coen are questionable as it is.
O’Hora has never played at half back at the intercounty level. McHugh in my opinion seems a really good player but he might be better suited to the full back line as he seems fairly limited going forward. Sam Callinan is only 18 so may be too big of a jump for him. Enda Hession seems more effective further up the pitch.
Paddy Durcan is racking up injuries and has been out of form for a couple of seasons unfortunately.
Oisin Mullin is certainly an elite player but we don’t know where he’s going to play next year.
Eoghan McLaughlin hasn’t had a clean run with injuries and seems to have gone off the boil a bit.
Oisin McLaughlin (Eoghans brother) is having a brilliant campaign with Westport but remains to be seen if he will be used at wing back or wing forward, if picked at all.
Tom O’Flaherty (Aghamore) had a brilliant group stage but is only 18 so may come to soon for him.
Sean Morahan (Mitchels) wears number 2 but flies around the place, could be an option but is only 17.
Hope I am not forgetting any other prospects!
Lee won an all star last year from corner back and was nominated there again this year.This coming season will be his fourth year in the role,a third of his Mayo playing career.Hes been established there for years in a problem line for us,also as people have pointed out he’s better suited there at his age when he has to limit the amount of lung bursting runs up the pitch.
I’m all for moving O Hora,Hession and especially Oisin up the pitch but we need to have a bit of continuity and stability in the fb line.Leeroy hasn’t let us down too many times there.
@Clare
I agree regarding Cillian. Thought he looked well and I take heart that Andy Moran found his way back to the top after an awful injury at pretty much the same stage of his career. Andy didn’t have blinding pace but was cute and found another way to get the job done. Cillian is wily enough to do the same. Please God we can get Cillian Tommy and Ryan on the pitch at the same time and somewhere near full fitness in the big games.
Regarding Lee I would leave him where he is. A tough gig at 33 to be bombing up and down the pitch.
Oisin in the half back line is an absolute must for me. I would play him at 6.
Edit,mistake on my part,this coming season will actually be Lees 5th consecutive season at corner back,almost half his intercounty career.
I’d be a fan also of trying Padraig OHora at six.
I don’t know is age any decision factor on where to play Leeroy. You need more raw speed for the full backline and that declines worse than stamina with age in the early 30s.
I’d love for us to be brave in not having to start everyone. Look at the scoreline in all the club games after 1/4. Much less than 25% of the scoring. What you want to increasingly dominate are the third and fourth quarters. Of those two most especially the third quarter. If one is ahead going into the fourth quarter that’s almost like an extra player with the ability to use the field and the clock.
I go back to my integral thinking. Graph two teams performance output. When would you like to target a bigger differential and for as long as possible? End of quarter two into start of quarter four. If you’re leading by that point you usually see out the game the game is so stacked in favour of ability to protect and enhance a lead.
I’m open to brave stuff like Leeroy, Cillian, Aiden and Eoghan McLoughlin as subs from Q2 to Q4.
A really solid sports science study on recent inter County gaa showed several % 3/4 pace decline quarter to quarter. Maximum effort marginally declines. But what we perceive as the typical running pace in players declines a total of 19% by the fourth quarter. Even Q1 to Q2 has a few % decline. One could factor in the minute and quarter where a player will be much more effective. Remember, max efforts are very rare, high speed repeated runs is the “match pace” we see.
@retrocut you asked if we really have enough HB’s but you go on to answer your own question fairly well. Despite the negatives or question marks you’ve attached to them, we have plenty of options at HB.
Keegan has made corner back his spot now for years, he’s needed in that line far more than his is in our HB line.
re JP:maybe the pace declines by 19% by the fourth quarter ,however if you had decent forward lines who could kick the bloody ball over the bar it would not be that important.
Still would look at Oisin at midfield for 2023 especially given the dip in form of Mattie both for club and county. I’ll probably get crucified now for saying that, ie “picking on the county lads”. All I’m saying is that players shouldn’t be picked on reputation. That said, Mattie has quality and every chance he’ll regain his form again soon.
Also, with the option of O’Hora at 6, this would free up Oisin.
Could anyone tell me if the u17 championship continues on to Connacht levels? I know a few years ago there were u18 representatives. I think Knockmore won a B title a couple of years ago.
Especially seeing as there are a lot of u17 finals this weekend.
Is Gavin durcan anything to paddy
Gavin Durcan is a cousin of Paddy. I believe the U17 or u18 club do not go on to Connaught stages like they used to.
Third man in, I did contradict myself quite a lot on reflection. While they may not be perfect options, they are at least options. Drafting 6-7 options we have in the full back line is a lot more tricky. Doesn’t help that in the last couple of years our U20 manager has played forwards in the full back line and given us no further development of some defenders.
It may actually be our weakest line, as we have decent options everywhere else on the pitch, apart from maybe midfield.
Oisin to midfield for sure. But keegan would not have the legs for wing back anymore and besides he has more than equipped himself well at corner back after one shaky day against con o callaghan. Henelly will always be suspect under the high ball. That’s a decision for mcstay to make. Also I really hope Kevin doesn’t waste time on trying to make aos a number 14. It just won’t work. He has very limited mobility now. Scoring forward s badly needed but in short supply.
Just a point on Cillian’s goal. Once the ball was allowed to hop the trajectory gave Robbie no chance to take any steps and so had to jump from standing still. Cillian on the other hand had momentum and of course was able to get higher and overpower Hennelly. It’s what good forwards do. You take advantage of the situation and if you look at the goal closely it’s almost impossible for the keeper or any other keeper. I’m not saying everyone is wrong with their views but Robbie shouldn’t be condemned over this goal because of anything that happened before.
I haven’t seen that Ballintubber goal that Cillian scored but surely no ball hopped in the square, or outside the square, did it ? that’s juvenile stuff, where did we see this before, ya 1996 final.
@Mayo1988 .The ball surely did hop inside the square . It was like time stood still . Brutal defending .
@retrocut, the FB line is a much harder line to fill for sure. If you look at the team that started Vs Kerry in the quarter final, the 6 defenders were all more natural HBs really.
Was chatting to a guy involved in schools and county underage a while back. He made an interesting point that all the young lads coming up want to be (attacking) half backs these days, very few will say they are a full back. He had an example of a trial where there was a 10:1 ratio of HBs to FBs in terms of preferred positions.
I think it’s a trend across the country in general and we’re not the only county with a lack of fullbacks coming through.
I think full back line is huge priority for next year. A defence full of half backs will eventually get exposed, and it has on the biggest days. Leeroy can play back there, but he is the exception to the rule.
I think Joe. G has it fairly spot on re the Cillian goal. The ball bounced just outside the square, it was a defenders ball to win at that stage. Once it bounced there was only one winner. Michael Hall had blocked one of the Ballintubber runs but Cillian was left with a free run and jump Vs Hennelly’s jump.
Mayo GAA posted the video of the goal on their Facebook page yesterday evening if anyone wants to see it.
If you wanted to pick fault with Hennelly it would be that he probably should have “clattered” Cillian… Not often a ref would give a penalty for such, he could have lead with his leg when going for it.
U17 competition is due to go to a Connacht competition this year, as did minor pre covid.
There’s a video clip from TG4 of that goal in the Ballintubber/Breaffy match here: https://twitter.com/SportTG4/status/1577314131291545600.
In fairness to Robbie, he couldn’t really come out for it as his number 6 (I think Michael Hall) is right in front of him and perfectly positioned. Hall needs to do better here. Looks like he was caught between two minds, ie should I stay or should I go. Such a soft goal to give away.
Bad goal to let in regarding Breaffy. Would say plenty of blame could be spread around on this one. Goalie / full back / and Mattie Ruane all done silly things, or could have done thing better in this instance. All probably thought other team mate would deal with it, and then none of them dealt with it. Rookie mistakes, but that easy say behind the keyboard couple of days after the match. Played in the full back line for my club, so know it an unforgiven place. A mistake on this line of team usually ends up as a goal conceeded. But if you full forward line make a mistake, chances are not going to cost you a goal.
Looking at the clip definitely Hennely should have taken ball and man.
It was always a flaw in his game.
Agreed with JR, would even have issues with his reaction time after the ball bounced. Far too pedestrian
His reaction time after the ball bounced? What else could he do apart from wait for the ball to come down again and try punch it clear?
The bottom line is Cillian had a clear run and jump, while Rob was going from a standing jump. Considering both lads are roughly the same height there was no contest.
That’s about it @wideball. Analyse it till you die but it’s much easier get a spring into your jump when you are on the move… Cillian chased it in ,Rob had to wait for it to drop.
Of the goalies on show on TV last Sunday I thought Byrne was the best of them.
Very disappointed with some of Reapes knockouts when game was in the melting pot
I think 2 went out for sidelines
Watching the Twitter clip again, the ball was kicked very high, shouldn’t have been let to bounce at all in hindsight … Great anticipation and reaction by Cillian…Breaffy had defender’s well positioned to defend the situation, but we’re too passive… Robbie could have come, before it bounced (once the ball had bounced it was advantage Cillian) but not sure he should have come in those circumstances… Someone should have called clearly ‘My Ball’ before it bounced!
I think a part of the problem with the goal was Robbies sharpness. He had played in the third group game but didnt play any league or first two championship games so was he lacking match sharpness / controling his square. No one took ownership for it – even if goalie decides to stay on line you would expect that he would have communicated with defender that they had to win it but it looks like all the Breaffy lads were leaving for someone else.
I think this is an example of why managers are reluctant to change goalie. A lot of talk last few years why not giving sub goalie a game but in general a goalkeeper needs a run of games to get confidence/sharpness up to speed.
Ignoring hennelly’s contribution for a minute, just watch Cillian carefully during the clip
Eye on the ball the whole time, anticipates the opportunity straight away, absolutely top class forward play.
There’s still no-one like him in the county imo
Nothing wrong with Rory Byrne e performance on Sunday. Why in the name of God was aos kicking frees into position s where he should have been himself fighting for possession. He has been allowed to do exactly the same at county level. I hope Kevin address s this school boy errors. Absolutely ridiculous
To me, Cillian looks like a player who’s been recently honing his skills on the training pitch. Working his ass off in other words. He got his just rewards on Sunday. This is what’s needed, and Cillian knows this.
Agreed Ciaran, there’s still no one to compare to him in the county.
New podcast now online for club members reviewing the Senior quarter-finals and relegation play-offs. This pod, minus the clubhouse chat, will be available on all platforms tomorrow. There’ll also be a separate bonus pod reviewing the Intermediate and Junior quarter-finals.
I have just seen that goal,
3 young Breaffy defenders very close to the dropping ball, the fear of God must be in you fellas nowadays, maybe expecting their goalie to come and take it.
Notice that the ball was dropping sharply, this tells me those guys are bad fielders or just don’t know how to get an old fashioned palm to the ball or fist and knock it away from the danger zone.
One basic thing in football or soccer, never be stationary while the ball is coming to you.
Attack the high ball, knock it away, Mark O Reilly from Meath was an expert at this.
Mayo88, it was the three county lads for Breaffy who each missed that high ball. Mattie, Robbie, and Hall.
The Independent reporting Ray Dempsey to Limerick. Good appointment for him. Interesting to see how he gets on.
That report only states that Ray “has emerged as a potential candidate” for the Limerick job, not that he’s been appointed. The piece in question is here: https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/mayos-ray-dempsey-linked-to-limerick-football-vacancy-42043912.html
Great move. A well run county down there. Big loss for the folks in Knockmore but huge gain for Limerick.
Dont know is that realistic. It’s the most of a 3 hour journey each way from knockmore to Limerick city. Doing that 3-4 times a week and hold down a regular job??
That Limerick team have probably peaked at this stage and will struggle big time to stay in div 2
If it happens, Two Yellows! Just to repeat, that Indo piece says he might be a candidate for the job, no more than that so best not draw any conclusions yet about what might occur.
Ya fair enough WJ – I worded it incorrectly!
it would be a great appointment for him if it comes to pass. I guess the likelyhood is more than Donaghy to Roscommon – i put a bit more faith in the Independent factchecking
Spot on Craggy. I’ve bored myself silly, saying the same thing about Aido for years.
Off topic, but could any poster suggest how I might dispose of a few hundred programmes, going back quite a bit. Mostly Mayo, but other teams too, esp All Ireland finals. I’ve been ordered to declutter!
Would be a great move for Ray, who deserves a crack at inter county management. Definitely a loss for Knockmore, won’t be easy to replace. The Limerick job is interesting. A very well ran county that has achieved huge success in recent years both in the football and hurling. No doubt there is more room to grow for the footballers and with the right structure around Ray it could be a great result for him and Limerick. Hope he does well
If true fair play to him, shows how passionate he is for Mayo gig. Acting immediately on CB stating Intercounty experience is needed.
Catcol who would put pressure on ya to do such a thing?? 🙂
If those rumours are true then fair play Ray and seems like great news for Mayo to have a very strong candidate in the senior intercounty game. Also, best of luck to limerick football, have always had time for them after seeing the hard-core of supporters that showed up for the qualifier games when the hurling was next day
Who would Knockmore get if Ray Dempsey went to Limerick?
Anyone looking for a bit of football action this weekend could do a lot worse than an U17 double header at McHale Park on Sunday. In the B. final at 12.00 it’s Knockmore v PKC and at 2pm Castlebar v Claremorris in the final. Should be a fair number of Sean Deane’s county minors on view.
Castlebar game may not go ahead if Westport challenge expulsion
Who would Knockmore get if Ray Dempsey went to Limerick?
Donaghy and Galvin? ?
Above is an attempted joke!!!
Anyone know is Corofin v Mountbellew on TV Saturday .Might head down to Tuam Stadium if it isnt, it should be a great game.you have probably the best club team in Connacht at present facing the best club team in Ireland for the last decade.Corofin not as good as they were without a lot of there big names retired or injured but still wouldnt write them off from causing an upset.
Don’t think so Sam, Galway probably will have a stream you’d imagine.
Saturday RTE2 have Dublin hurling, Sunday TG4 have Kerry and Donegal football.
I expect tuam and salthill to actually be the better game on Saturday but the double header will be well worth attending
Based on form I can’t see anything but a facile mbellew win…corofin’s first pre semi final elimination since 2007!!!
Best wishes to Ray Dempsey in his new venture. It says a lot about Ray’s standing in the game that a well run outfit like Limerick jumped in to get him after Knockmore finished for the year. It also says much about Limerick football that even though they are currently hurling top-dogs they aren’t prepared to just coast along. I’d be pretty sure that after being close to getting the Mayo job some of the other manager less counties would have been thinking about him. I reckon Roscommon missed a trick but if he were offered the Roscommon and Limerick jobs which would he have taken?
Will Knockmore look internally for a replacement? One thing’s for sure they won’t be short of candidates and at least they have plenty of time to get it right.