Photo: @MayoGAA
Sport can be funny at times, can’t it? Lahardane MacHales had to wait a full 51 years for their first county title but barely a month after that landmark achievement the club that was founded in 1966 have now gone on to win the Connacht Junior football title. A tilt at All-Ireland honours now awaits them in the New Year. Fair play to them.
Fair play too to John Maughan, who today showed that he’s still able to work his magic on the sideline. 21 long years have now passed since he won his first provincial title as a manager – when Clare shocked the football world by coming out on top in Munster – and he’s claimed a fair few Connacht crowns, both senior and U21, at inter-county level since then, as well as winning Connacht senior club honours with Crossmolina, but I’d say today’s provincial title win with Lahardane must surely rank as a very sweet one.
By the sounds of it, it was a game of two halves at MacHale Park today. Sligo’s Ballymote were to the fore in the first half, two goals helping them to a four-point lead at the break. It was all Lahardane in the second half, though, as a flurry of points saw them take control and a late goal from captain Gary Naughton put the result beyond that.
They won in the finish by 1-15 to 3-5, unleashing wild scenes of celebration at MacHale Park:
FT @ConnachtGAA JFC Final: @lahardanegaa 1-15 @BallymoteGAA 3-05, Lahardane the champs!!!!!. #mayogaa#gaapic.twitter.com/Ct0kcm8sLw
— Mayo GAA (@MayoGAA) November 19, 2017
Colm Gannon of the Mayo Advertiser was right in the thick of the action at Castlebar today. His match report is here and his post-match piece with John Maughan is here.
Carnacon will also be in celebratory mood tonight as they proved far stronger than Tyrone’s St Macartan’s in today’s All-Ireland ladies senior club football semi-final. With Cora Staunton weighing in with 1-7 and strong performances from the likes of Amy Dowling, Martha Carter and Fiona McHale, Carnacon eased to a 3-14 to 0-8 win over the Ulster champions at Augher to book a place in the final for the first time since 2013.
Carnacon now head for Parnell Park on 3rd December where they’ll face Cork’s Mourneabbey in the decider. Best of luck to them in that one and congrats on today’s win.
Match report from RTÉ on today’s All-Ireland semi-final win by Carnacon is here.
Well done to Lahardane I’m delighted for them and especially for the Mayo rooster man. Well done John Maughan he stlll has it we need the likes of him managing Mayo clubs to success
I know we didn’t win a lot under John maughan but he gave us that belief that i think we not afraid of any team he started the revival i have a great respect for his likes as i have for James Horan we were never going to be hammered with these boys listening to your man the Kerry free taker this evening on RTÉ brosnon he announced his retirement never even mentioned mayo there still very sore over that hammering good luck to them if they got all the beatings we got
Yessssss!,Roosterman is very happy…a little glimpse of what winning Sam would do for the county…winning & playing a lovely brand of football (and squandering a load of chances as well) 60mins from Croke Park for a club with roughly 70 adult members!!!
Yes Mayo R…more like 4-17 to 2-8. And true …what style…ball control..manners ..support and the multitude of little ones Must be the mountain air and that spectacular view that’s they constantly bath in. Would do the Dubs good. Major feature was the amount of smart chipping. Watching Mayo in cp is a pain ..yesterday a joy.
Congrats to Lahardane on taking over that mantle from Louisburgh . And what a coincidence that the two clubs play in the same colours. Good luck in the All Ireland series.
So delighted for Lahardane and their success to-date, no stopping them now. May, not be one of the glamour Clubs of the County but they sure as hell know how to celebrate and one can only wish them well in their quest for glory.
Nephin will be enjoying this one.
Dead right MayoMchale. Really enjoyed yesterday. Proud day for the village and hopefully more to come. While I’d give anything to see the county win Sam , I now understand why so many players always say winning with the club is special. People in McHale pk yesterday from all over Ireland and further afield, some I hadn’t met since finishing school nearly 45 years ago. It was a joy to see the pride and excitement on every face, young and old. Personally I was delighted to see my own nephew lift the cup and get motm. Great times for a little club of only 150 members.
I’m not from Lahardane but I might jump
On the bandwagon and support them for the next match
Well done Lahardane … Super achievement … @backdoorsam .I’m sticking with my new adopted club – Ballyraggert !
Welcome aboard Backdoor, we’ll take all the support we can get against Multifarnham. On that note, it was great to see all the messages of support from other Mayo clubs.
Got a message of congrats this morning from a Kilmaine man , who we beat in county final,. Really appreciated that. True spirit of the Gael.
Well done to the Lahardane boys and Roosterman in particular. Certainly a small rural club but they always had the big hearts. They just needed the spark to set them on their way. All of Mayo will support the Nephin men in their AI series.Well done JM also.
Well done Lahardane and best of luck in the All Ireland series.
On another note I see we need to find a new site for our Centre of Excellence…which will delay the whole project.
Front page of mayo news says Keegan to miss start of season
Keegan contacted the Mayo News to deny those rumours of him having MS!! Completely ridiculous that he felt he had to do that. He has had a surgical procedure on both hips though so will be out for start of the season.
Yew tree. Spot on. Good morn.
Excellent idea . Mick Rock 100%% behind u. He tell me the most suitable location is there in leathardan beside us. After the game….said it.
@drog. I personally did not know name or enquire about it. Even at this point connecting name to rumour should not be done in my view.
@JP, I didn’t either and figured it to be ridiculous rumours but Keegan himself is quoted in the Mayo News today so it’s very much out there at this point. I think he wanted to stop his friends and family from being asked questions about what was wrong with him. Crazy that he felt he had to do that. Very common time of year for players to have minor surgical procedures done as it’s when they will miss the least games.
Okay fair enough if he is actually quoted on the issue today in the paper.
Hopefully he comes back stronger after having his surgery. You’d imagine a slight drag on him fitness wise last year, can come back even stronger next year after it is sorted.
Last year the rumour going around Cork was that Joe Deane the ex Cork hurler had terminal cancer and hadn’t long to go.
Completely untrue, he was apparently seen coming out of a hospice in Cork after visiting a relative, someone saw him and the rumour became fact as far as some people were concerned. Unbelievable what people will come up with and then what others will then believe and spread.
I meant to add, which is why WJ is completely correct in not allowing people to publish rumours on here, irrespective of how good their “source” is.
If its true it will come out through official channels eventually.
Irish people love a false story and everyone adds their own bit to it.
Did the County Board actually buy the site for the centre of excellence?
@east cork exile
Absolutely – the truth will always come out eventually. No point speculating.
I for one am delighted that story was rubbished as I was unlucky enough to hear it yesterday and nearly calved..Every person seemed to have heard same so sometimes its better just to come out and put it to bed.
Evan Regan had some sort of surgery on his hand today too – he posted pictures on his instagram account from his hospital bed. Anyone know what the injury is?
I would imagine buying the site for centre of excellence would have a clause like planning approval before purchase!
Now location wise is not great .
Can anyone tell me who the Munster and Ulster junior football champions are.
The British champions play the Ulster champions in quarters!
Well done Lahardane Fantastic achievement. And well done too to John Maughan, Some man. The man who put respect back into Mayo football. Remember 1993 lost to Cork by 20, 1994 lost to Leitrim in Connacht final, 1995 beaten out the gate in Tuam. We were never so low. Then JM came along and we were a hop of the ball from winning AI in 1996, Back in AIF again in 1997 and amazingly took a relatively mediocre team to another AIF in 2004. True he never landed the big one, but then who did since 1951. Took some stick in Mayo and here for his comments in support of H and C in 2015, but surely he was entitled to his opinion even if I didnt agree with him. Gave a huge amount to County and Club football in Mayo and amazingly is still doing so. Credit where its due.
Well done to all involved in Lahardane GAA. A lot of real decent GAA folk in the club ovee the years. Maughan has done some job. The lads look like they actually could go for 120 mins. Their fitness is incredible. Who knows where their journey will take them now. Maughan always said to shoot for the stars. Spoke to the real Willie Joe after the game and he said not many junior teams will live with Lahardane. High praise indeed. I thought young Coleman at FB was outstanding at times and love the energy and drive Shane Loftus brings. Barry Leonard class too. On a personal level, it was a great day for the family, with Gary Naughton (1-1 and MOTM) yet again doing us proud. Agnes Aoife Edel and the kids were thrilled as were all his uncles, aunties & cousins and Tommy surely would have been so proud of his buck too. Don’t stop now lads. One more win before Croker and more glory awaits.
I wonder if everybody who heard or helped spread the Lee Keegan rumour gave €5 to ms how much could they get?
I think that is a great idea Tommyk, perfect for a Christmas appeal as well.
When I first heard the Lee Keegan rumour I felt sick in the pit of my stomach. I figured nobody would start a story like that without some foundation to it. Now I’m just relieved that it’s not true and I’m also annoyed that some eejit thought fit to spread such a story.
I recall an incident myself where I had an injury to a finger requiring minor surgery. By 9 pm that night the story was I had amputated my entire hand. I was visited in hospital by someone who believed that particular story and seemed almost disappointed at how little damage was done! There seems to be something about us humans that gets a weird thrill out of bad news.
Can’t wait to see Lee on the pitch again!
@diehard It’s the multiplier effect of that phrase “They reckon”
– Jonny has hurt his hand in having surgery, bad do
– They reckon Jonny is in hospital, a bad do now, surgery needed
– They reckon Jonny has fierce issues with the hand, they had no choice but to operate, bad it is now
– They reckon they’ll be lucky to save the hand, ah he was a good sort Jonny, brutal now that is
– They reckon the hand is gone. Just not right now, I better go in and visit him.
Wishing Lee a good recovery. Looking forward to seeing him tearing up and down the fields in 2018. What a player – love watching him play. He always delivers in croke park. The training at that level must be so severe to have to get 2 hip operations. (I am still so bloody bitter over that ‘campaign’ against him in 2016 and that McQuillan sending him off- the injustice. What might have been if the Player of the Year was on the pitch for the second half….
Thanks be to God its a rumour, without this man in our Team will not succeed, fact
Aiden,
Ulster final is on Saturday, Glencolmkille [Donegal] v Bellanaleck [Fermanagh]. My Leitrim connections are looking forward to their neighbours Bellanaleck reaching the all Ireland final – their manager is one Gerry Flanagan who had a kerfuffle with Maughan in the 1997 Leitrim v Mayo championship match. John O’Mahony, who earlier managed Flanagan, tells a good yarn about Leitrim’s attempt to get a reprieve for Flanagan in his book. I’m sure Maughan and Flanagan would welcome a chance to renew acqaintance.
The Munster final I do not know about but I’m told Lahradane meet Multyfarnham [Westmeath] in the Semifinal.
God bless the internet. But with social media these local rumours are widespread in minutes. Also raises the question what do these lads go through when both your hips are wore that bad you need surgery at 28. What will his hips be like when he’s 50?