Photo: Joe.ie
The county’s minor footballers have a do-or-die meeting at the weekend with Galway. Their preliminary round Connacht MFC championship fixture throws in at MacHale Park this coming Sunday (April 30th) at 2.30pm.
It’s the final year that minor will be played as an U18 competition and our lads have been handed the toughest possible route through the province this time around. If they get over Sunday’s clash against the young Tribesmen the next hurdle facing them is a semi-final against Roscommon. As the back door arrangement in minor only applies at provincial final level (which I’ve always felt is a particularly daft way of doing it) both of these games are, then, all-or-nothing ones.
The minors are managed this year by Damien Gavin and here’s the side he and his fellow selectors have named for Sunday’s fixture:
Mayo (Connacht MFC v Galway, 30/4/2017): Jamie McNicholas (Kiltimagh); Jack Coyne (Ballyhaunis), Mark Dervan (Breaffy), Oran O’Malley (Ballinrobe); Paul Towey (Charlestown), Gavin Durcan (Castlebar Mitchels, captain), Conor Beirne (Breaffy); Joe Dawson (Louisburgh), Cillian Golding (Balla); Stephen McGreal (Claremorris), Nathan Moran (Hollymount/Carramore), Michael McGarry (Eastern Gaels); Cathal Slattery (Garrymore), Sean Keane (Louisburgh), Tommy Conroy (The Neale).
Best of luck to the lads on Sunday.
Best of luck to lads and selectors. Hope they do the business. Interesting spread of clubs represented, especially when one from Westport, knockmore, Parke, Claremorris and Bellmullet who would have dominated this age group over the years at under 12, 14 and 16.
Very interesting re clubs alright.I make it 13 clubs and not one of the starting 15 from North Mayo.
Very lob-sided draw. We have to beat Galway and Rosgommon to even reach the Connacht Final. Is there anybody at all in the other half of the draw?
Did any of ye poster’s or reader’s see the last ever episode of the TnaG4 ‘Seo Spoirt’ on Friday night ?. After 11 years, this excellent programme, experty presented by’ Darragh O’Cinnede. Well it has finally come to an end. Many experts and some so called expert’s has privileged us with their wisdom over the 11 years… Their most regular (expert?) Séan Bán Brannagh has once again wrote off Mayo’s chance’s of landing Sam, in fact he think’s it will be a Rosscomm /Galway, Connacht Final!.. He also stated that the Mayo fans, that he was talking to have lost all faith in the current Mayo team… Player of the year, nominee for 2016, Ciarin Killkenny was much more impressed with Mayo than Séan Bán was! …. Séan Bán is an (expert?) on Gaelic-football, Hurling, Rugby and Horse Racing… Well a stopped clock is right twice a day, and Séan Bán has been playing the same record as regards Mayo as long as I can remember… When the Galway footballers are out of the Championship,.. Séan Bán sometimes changes the narrative.. Anyhow if any of you are interested in seeing the ‘Last ever episode of Seo Spóirt, you can see it again, 12.10pm today Saturday on TnaG4, some great guest’s,… To be fair, it was a great show and it will be missed!
10 of that Mayo minor team i think started in the minor league defeat against Galway a few weeks ago. Sligo are good on the other side of the draw Jim Flag and after bringing Galway U21s to extra time in the Connacht final i don’t think their minors should be underestimated
The constant complaining about comentators who express their doubts about us winning the AI is getting tiring. ‘Stopped clock’…’lazy analysis’…blah blah blah… Maybe if brain is executed for a moment it might dawn that the commentators have been correct year in year out !! Thankfully the players and management seem to realise that there are many gaps to be closed if we are to get over the line and are getting on with trying to just do that rather than whinging about perception (aka reality?)
Honestly, the only opinion I value is my own (or people’s on this site). Usually when halftime comes during any football match, I go and make a cuppa tea. Some go out of their way to be offended.
Man up 45 and stop whinging about whinging!
Best of luck to the Minors!
Sean Ban wouldnt see the light of day on a GAA programme only for he can speak Irish. Will come out from under the clocha now because Galway GAA is allegedly on the up or should that be suas. Anyway they were very much sios for quite a bit of tamall in recent years and even when we did let them out of Connacht last year they were not to clever v Tiobraid Arainn. Seriously though sorry to see the last of Seo Sport Was excellent programme.
My thing would be people whinging about people whinging about people whinging. Come on now guilty there KeepMovingForward.
I make it six of the front eight are from St. Colmans or Ballinrobe CS.
Probably there are a few Westport Knockmore Belmullets in the subs.
But what was once the football road in the 90s driving from Ballaghadereen to Charlestown to Swinford to Foxford to Knockmore to Ballina to Crossmolina has a serious issue with underage.
Those clubs combined at underage or senior in the 90s would have hammered the rest of Mayo.
The county board were supporting Castlebars five year plan. Fair enough. But its an interventuon of some sort is needed along the N5. Swinford are in serious danger of dropping to 1D. Its frustrating the hell out me the County board thinking Castlebar is where the risk is. The N5 not producing and crucially not holding onto or coaching talent is ten times the risk.
Ps Willie Joe were you on the Aghamore U21 panel in 81? Photo on Mayo gaa twitter. I think you were a bit younger than that.
Quick exception Knockmore are doing a good job just to note that at underage and in bringing players through to Senior. Charlestown have a really small pick these days and Crossmoliba. Swinford, Moy Davitts, Ballaghadereen and Ballina have no excuse of pick.
Sadly not, JP! I was never good enough to play underage at all. You’re right on the age, though – I’d have been the ’83 vintage at U21 level had I been any good.
Oh well touché then JP! I’ll take it on the chin then!
And a happy Mayo day to everyone also!
have to agree with comments from poster to win just once all Sean ban knows about football is there is air inside the football
Happy Mayo day everyone.
Hopefully next year there is an actual Mayo GAA fundraiser to put resources into our schools and underage. The top down investment is a bottomless put but I can see how 100k between 100 schools would make a suprisingly big difference with footballs alone.
Sean Ban. SBB in a shui. Good grief. Yeah. Not important what he has to say.
For some odd reason he was let into the media tower in Mchale Park in the hours and minutes before the Connacht Final of 1987 and was let loose on the tannoy system to deafen us all. He was bladdering on during the parade and national anthem. It even seemed to affect the players, as we witnessed one of the worst Connacht Finals of all time.
Mayo 0-7. Galway 0-8. (makes a change from blaming the referee).
That is not whinging. Just a fact from a July day in 1987.
For anyone on here with kids of their own or nieces and nephews who are currently involved in playing football then if I was to give them one piece of advice, it would be to encourage them to use their weaker foot and hand when practising. You notice that the top players especially the best forwards in the game are equally proficient with both feet. Players like Paul Geaney, The Gooch from Kerry and Alan, Bernard Brogan from Dublin. Its very hard to name a Mayo forward that is comfortable using both feet. Someone like Conor Loftus does have the potential in this regard.
I know its great to have plenty of colour and flags etc. at games but to me getting our kids to use their weaker foot and hand when playing football would probably pay better dividends for us in the future than having the kids making flags etc. (if they can do both then that would be great too).
P.S. The point I am trying to make above is that the reason we have not won senior All-Ireland titles is probably more so to do with us not having forwards that can score with both feet rather than us not having enough colour and flags at games. Its something for us to think about anyway.
45,..You should reread my post before posting. My (so called lazy analysis) is not analysis at all, lazy or otherwise. I think merely explained to what I heard Séan Ban say, on the Seo Spoirt show. And yes he is like a stopped clock in my opinion, I remember way back in the 80s, after a Galway victory over Mayo in a Connacht Final. Séan Ban said he would have a beard down to his toes before Mayo won Sam. I don’t believe that Séan Ban has any intention of growing a beard. Now that beards are back in fashion, and he’s staying clean shaving as ever.. As for commentators ‘being correct, year in year out’.. Some are, some of the time, and more are none of the time. As for’ ‘Whinging’ about Séan Ban?. On the contrary, nothing could be further from the truth. I would be very disappointed if Séan Ban came out with anything else, it’s sort of reassuring in these day of rapid change, like seeing a ‘Swallow or two’ with the Summer coming,.. The purpose of my post, was not ‘analysis, lazy or otherwise’ nor was it, ‘Whinging’. It was to tell any interested reader of the post’s on this site, that today was the last chance to see the ‘Seo Spoirt’ show… Did you?
Best of luck to the minors. We need a win to put a halt to Galway’s gallop…
I would urge Mayo supporters to turn up to this game on Sunday.
Up Mayo!
Dublin are giving Galway a fair trimming here in Tullamore in u21 all Ireland final 15 mins left and Dublin are going to win this pulling up….Goes to show its one thing getting to finals its another massive effort to win them….Michael Daly has been dissapointing well marked Mcdaid looks very good for Galway just got a very good goal to bring them back into it but Dublin will win this i think they also used a lot of these players in the Obyrne cup for the senior team and they won that cup too.Dubs and Kerry and Galway have a lot if talent coming through….
Dublin won 2.11 to 1 7 in the end well deserved…
Dublin won 2 13 to 2 7 in the end typing as im leaving the ground well done the Dubs….
Hard luck Galway kept playing to the end. Looks like Galway have found a full back. Sean Andy brilliant all day. Dubs impressive though. Some conveyor belt coming through
Definitely, Galway full back very impressive, Cooke at midfield very good as well, but McDaid no 4 best of all for Galway, almost got a second goal, off the bottom of the post.. If what I’m told is correct, McDaid will heading down under for an Aussie Rules contract, , A big loss to Galway Gaa if it comes to be. Such is life!
Not sure Micheal Daly will have the that big of an impact at senior . He looks a bit slow and cumbersome. The type of guy who be very good if given lots of time and space. A bit like our No. 14 from last year’s under 12 team.
You can’t teach pace. Look at Senan Kilbride and Donal Shine.
I don’t think McDaid is going to Oz.
I think he previously went over for trials but that was the extent of it. At least I hope so anyway.
This should be a close minor game.
Tough one to call.
Galwayman, I’m not 100% certain that the deal is done either. But information is from a very reliable score. He certainly is a special player, reminds me of Lee Keegan when he’s attacking. That said, the Aussies are interested in more than one of the Galway U21’s… I think if McDaid went over for a trial he’s interested plenty, and if he’s made an offer, he will be hard if not impossible to hold. And he’s not the only one!
Hard luck to our neighbours this evening. Best of luck to our minors tomorrow who badly need the win. It could be the last ever Mayo minor game in Castlebar so I hope a big crowd cheers them on.
As for Sean Ban…the same man who went on Radio Kerry licking their arses after Kerry walloped Mayo in 2004. He ran down our county that day and I wouldn’t have any time for the man. He means nothing to Mayo GAA in any case so no point wasting energy on him. He is usually wrong with his predications anyway 😉
Sean Andy looks some prospect at full-back at Galway. Best full-back performance I’ve seen in a very long time. He was very good in the semi against Kerry too. Think Dublin just had a better system in place. They played like a modern senior team. Galway were still playing 15 v 15 like they did against Kerry.
Best of luck to all involved with our minor team today.
Watched the All Ireland Hurling final replay between Clare and Cork in 2013 back yesterday. What a game that was and FIVE goals from Clare and yet they still didn’t run away with it. Got me thing about Mayo and how goals win games especially when you are up against a traditional power in the game and all the pressure of a final.
Clare played without fear and went for goal when there was a sniff of it. I think we need to go for broke more. I’ve watched us too many times happy to slit it over the bar. Whatever about conceding goals our lack of scoring goals has killed us down the year.
I’m hoping for an impressive performance from the minors today – am I right in thinking that Oran O’Malley, starting at corner back today, is the great grandson of Séamus O’Malley??
Correct Mayonaze. Joe Dawson in midfield is grandson of Joe Staunton of 1951 team also.
One thing to take note of after the last U21 All-Ireland football final was played yesterday, we ended up joint 3rd on the roll of honour list on 5 titles along with Tyrone, Dublin and Galway. Cork were top on 11, with Kerry second on 10.
On the minor listing we have 7 All-Ireland titles in fifth place and in the NFL standings we are in third place behind Kerry and Dublin on 11 outright wins just one behind Dublin.
So in all of these grades and competitions we are more than holding our own. Unfortunately at the senior All-Ireland football championship grade we are falling down. Its very hard to put your finger on exactly why that is the case, is it more of a mental thing than a physical thing.
Best of luck to the minors today
I read yesterday something I wasn’t so aware of. We won the minor title in 1966.
We beat the All Ireland champions Galway in the Connaught semi in 1967.
We won quite easily helped by the goal scoring genius of Willie McGee the 1967 U21 final beating Kerry (now I understand four goal McGees moniker). There must have been massive hope that the senior was on it’s way.
Interesting that Willie McGee commented that he flung the ball to boot to create more power. He posts here an odd time. He’s the only footballer I heard be very deliberate like that about putting power in the shot.
I think the late Dermot Earley did it as well with a resulting shot something like a drop kick.
A very well balanced minor team today I am hoping.
Two big lads in the full backline in Mark Dervan and Oran OMalley. A good solid centre back in Gavin Durcan. Two tall midfielders with Joe Dawson club level athletic like all the Dawsons.
A bit of power then at 10/11 with Stephen McGreal and Nathan Moran.
A Jimmy Burke type figure in Sean Keane at 14, no harm, we’ve been bossed two years in a row at 14 against Galway.
Then yer two speedy finishers in Tommy Conroy and Cathal Slattery.
From the bench Kuba Callaghan has being having a great impact in getting or setting up goals.
Damian Gavin has been over some of these lads from U14 so I think they’ll have been developed well in terms of ability to run and core strength etc.
After all that I just bloody hope we get a win today.
terrible start 1-1 to 0-0 after 5 mins and we have the wind
1-3 to 0-1… :/
C’mon Mayo – get the finger out
Showing better now 1-4 t 0-4.
2-7 to 0-7…
3-7 to 0-7…this is turning into a hammering
Is there something fooking seriously amiss with our lack of goalscoring forwards?
Defensively we are 2nd best today – Galway scoring with nearly every attack. I know it’s only half time, but I’m seriously concerned – this will be three beatings in a row by Galway at minor and we were comprehensively beaten at u21. I’ll wait to see how this second half goes.
Galway 3-11 Mayo 0-7 after 6 mins of 2nd half. Game over.
Really disappointing. Underage results over the past 4/5 years has been nothing short of dismal…
I dont know what to say. Future is far from bright.
Something very very wrong with our underage structures. Time for a root and branch review.
Sitting here in MacHale Park is worrying if this is a glimpse of the future. Minor success or lack of does not always translate to senior but this is third year in a row we are completely out of it
I keep saying it, when this senior team of ours comes to end of its cycle we are in for a period in the doldrums. With the exception of that minor team of 2013 which in fairness delivered at u21 last year, we have been seriously under performing at under age. Thats why we are so dependent on the older lads like Andy, Boyler, Higgins Vaughan etc. We couldnt even give them half decent breaks in the league because if we did we would have been relegated. Need to take serious look at under age coaching structure in the county
It’s the manner of the defeats – the games havent been contests. AND…I dont want to seem like a broken record but our u21 results since 2011 has been absolutely dire.
3-12 now to 0-8.
To win just once, It’s hard to disagree with your analysis – in my opinion, the buck stops with the county board. It’s their responsibility to put the structures in place, the personnel in place and to oversee this. It’s a results business and they have failed.
3-13 to 0-8….
Minors getting an awful flaking. 13 points down.
A fish rots from the head down..
Tough on lads after all their work and effort. But does anyone feel players from lower divisions of Mayo leagues are at disadvantage when asked step up this level? Like earlier post, westport, Parke, Bellmullet, knockmore, Claremorris top teams this age group and only one from these 5 started I think
Not sure about that gizmobobs, correct me if I’m wrong but a lot of 2013 minors came from lower division clubs.
Galway were far more comfortable in possession today – their skillset and decision making was well ahead of our boys. That comes from training and development.
Think near 20 the 2013, class were still traditional top tier clubs, e. G. Ballaghadreen, Claremorris, crossmolina, Breaffy, Castlebar, Ballintubber and then had likes of dorrans achill, Roughneen Balla, Doherty Kilmaine, Jordan mayo Gaels, carolan Parke, Byrne Moy Davitts
Not that don’t think these players aren’t good enoigb. But like wanting county seniors stay division one to keep playing top level opposition feel it helps Sean.
Claremorris a traditional top tier? Their neighbours Garrymore and Hollymount have won multiple county titles since they last one won. Interesting to note when south Mayo clubs were doing well back in those days, very few players from them clubs made county teams. I don’t think there is any agenda against north Mayo.