Another weekend of club Championship action lies ahead and our coverage of the club scene continues apace on the Mayo Football Podcast. Last week we released three podcast episodes and this week we’ll go one better, with four pods available, all of them available to our loyal club members on Patreon.
Our first show this week came out on Tuesday. On it Rob and Mike were joined by Colm Boyle to look ahead to the Connacht semi-final matches facing Ballina Stephenites, Kilmeena and Lahardane MacHales. The lads also looked back on this year’s county club Championships, reflecting on a campaign that was, at best, rather underwhelming but there’s light relief on the show too as the lads pick their choice of best game, best goal (an easy one, in fairness) and the like.
Mike was back yesterday with a preview show with a difference. He was joined on it by Kieran Fitzgerald, who, as a Corofin player, won four All-Ireland club Championship medals and who since has been coaching Garrymore for the past two years. As a result, he was well positioned to assess the relevant merits of both Corofin and Ballina Stephenites and to identify the key players on both teams. Kieran also reflected back on the 1998 Connacht Championship meeting between the clubs and, for good measure, he provided some information on new Mayo coach Joe Canney.
The two shows to come are both Final Whistle pods, which will be recorded at Pearse Stadium tomorrow and Tuam Stadium on Sunday respectively. As is standard practice with our Final Whistle shows, these will provide in-the-moment post-match analysis of and reaction to the outcome of the Ballina/Corofin game tomorrow and the Kilmeena/Monivea Abbey match on Sunday.
With 140 separate podcast shows released to date this year – we’ll easily make it over 150 by year-end – the Mayo Football Podcast is the place where you’ll hear the most voices talking in the most informed way about the most Mayo-related matches. Membership of our podcast club is growing all the time, details on how to join the club are here.
Actually think Ballina have a great chance today.
There’s no way they could be as bad as they were in the county final and a lot of big names there with room for massive improvement who might kick on now the pressure of a county final now lifted.
Also that’s not a stellar corofin team,not a patch on the 3 in a row team and looking to a 39 year old Gary sice for most of their scores. Moycullen would have been hot favourites for Galway and connaught but were caught in the final missing Sean Kelly, niall walsh and others.
50/50 game for me but I’d give ballina the nod.
Fancy st brigids to take connaught though.
A great price for an accumulator is kilmacud crokes/clonmel commercial/st brigids/ Glen to come out of their respective provinces. I fancy Glen to win it out
Agree Supermac, the Corofin name still carries a lot of weight which is one of the key reasons why they are favourites.
Ballina need to get the finger out though. They have scoring forwards that need to click today. Regan needs to hit at least 6/7 points with the others chipping in for 1/2 each.
Bit of talk this week around the town that Swanny might not be fully fit. Big loss if he is. I’d say it’s 60/40 Corofin for me. Johnson an impressive manager for Corofin too, will know a lot of the ballina lads.
OHora and Cafferkey both now out and 3 pts down. This needs to turn soon for Ballina or the game could soon be gone.
6 points not huge lead in those conditions. Most goals come from high balls into the square, far from over yet. Although Corofin do look the better team.
But for team with 4 Mayo panellists on pitch Ballina aren’t showing as well as you’d like from a county perspective.
Sam Callinnan the only county standard player on the Ballina team.
Regan just not hard enough.
terrible show from Ballina . Mayo football probably in decline in general unfortunately . We are becoming a little soft bellied again it seems .
im still in disbelief they won the toss and decided to play against the wind . There is something in that , Mayo teams tend to want to go against normal principals
Frank Irwin surely?
Best team are leading by a country mile!
Conditions woeful! Why not play a match like this in the Dome?
Gary Sise is the ideal footballer Mayo aren’t producing. His level of football intelligence is A1. Ball distribution top class, movement off the ball very good too. I saw him pull Sam all the way out to the middle of the field when Corofin had the ball, knowing Sam would track him and left acres of space for the quicker lads to attacks. That no.15 also an excellent player.
Ballina played for 10 minutes in the second half but were completely outclassed football wise. It’s not the first time we have seen it from Mayo club teams recently. Way to much reliance on Regan who didn’t have to bad a game to his credit.
Frank Irwin and Sam Callinan about the only players that showed up today for Ballina today.
5 points down with 3 minutes left and Conor mcstay taps the ball over the bar .maybe unlikely to get in for a goal but dear god a point was of no use whatsoever
Frank Irwin decent, major strategic mistake not to play with that breeze in first half. Kevin Johnson clever coach, his team ran hard and punched scores in the second half.
1985 thats the exact thing I thought to he should of drove for a goal a point was pointless,
It’s funny because in my opinion 4 point loss flattered ballina because it was very clear corofin where much the better team from a footballing sense and from how good there tackling was.
Couldn’t argue with that result really. Corofin 6 or 7 points the better side
Corofin played all the football there, good 3rd quarter from ballina where irwin kicked a few screamers and ballina looked to be physically on top but the skill deficit between the 2 teams was huge, corofin all so comfortable in possess, their ball handling and kick passing was exceptional at times given the circumstances.
Callinan and irwin decent for ballina. Have to say I was very disappointed again with Conor McStay, for a current county panellist he goes completely missing in the big games I’ve seen him in. Swanny a loss obviously but probably cancelled out by kieran molloy absence.
Corofin look to have another few gems in young Egan and mccabe, but sice was a class act throughout, aways playing with the head up, great kick passing, workrate and scores
…anyone heard any word Kevin Johnson joining mayo management team next year
16 points 14 from play for Corofin tells its own story… They always pick up a pace when they get out of Galway..
Considering no Ian Burke, Daithi just back, Ronan Steede etc they were streets ahead of Ballina..
I was disappointed with Ballina, esp the likes of Mc Stay, Murray etc..
It would be great if the people who managed the senior club teams in Mayo this year sat down and watched the way Corofin are coached to play football – movement on and off the ball, passing, shooting etc. That’s the type of football that wins big games abd players enjoy playing. Not the rubbish we saw in the Mayo senior club championship this year.
Cafferkey was having a fine game before his injury.
Clarke again disappointed with his kick outs but perhaps nobody was showing for him.
I thought todays game was a reflection on the problems mayo face at inter county. A lot of people saying Sam had a good game but he was marking Sice who had a better game. Sam a far better athlete but a 39 year old Sice is a far better footballer. Same problem up the field in attack to for Ballina. McStay is not a county level forward and you would have to really question that call. Frank hit a few nice scores. But everyone expecting Regan to carry them. Luke Feeney is young but today he came up against a decent defender and tied him up. I think Corofin could have played against the breeze in both half’s and still would have won.
If you asked both teams to run 800m Ballina would won.
If you asked both teams to run 20m Corofin would win.
I’m convinced the SnC in Mayo is too endurance based. The Corofin full panel looked way more built for strength, speed off the mark and power.
Sam is a unbelievable athlete power and pace and also I think he’s a brilliant out and out defender but he needs to improve his ball skills looks a bit awkward at times and and doesn’t really even look to kick the ball, u look at lee keegan and paddy durcan who sam is been compared to they both are fantastic skilled footballers.
I have no problem with ballina deciding to play against the wind, its sound enough logic as matches tend to loosen up in the 2nd half
…but the difference once again comes down to ballskills, 14 corofin points from play, handling, decision making and playing with the heads up. Whereas once again we see a mayo club side looking for physicality and frees to get them through. Skills pay the bills
Thought for a man of his experience david clarke was very poor, even allowing for the strong wind in 1st half he kept hanging up them floating kickouts to get pulled out in the wind time and again. Even the rookie goalie corofin put on in the 2nd half had a better appreciation for the conditions
People saying we need to copy Corofin and all mayo club managers should sit down and take a lead out of that book whilst I agree to an extent but that Corofin present manager also managed balintubber . There is a point in anything in life you just have to concede we don’t have the quality . In saying that we have to have a shake up in mayo where both our tactical coaching and s&c is looked at . As it’s not working in its present form .
People may think I’m wide of the mark, but, how could the entire Corofin panel have that chunky hips n legs look? Clearly it must be the type of SnC.
Seen a few comments saying we were a huge price and while I held a bit of hope, I thought those comments were a bit fanciful. The standard of the Galway championship has been far better for a long time and that held through here.
I actually think we put up a good showing, which probably makes it worse to be honest given that Corofin seemed like they were in third gear. As soon as it got to 3 points they clicked a switch and the game was done. Gulf in quality, and especially impressive given the number of youngsters they had.
Still, jobs been done this year and I don’t think we went out without a fight, just different quality sides
Sean – I don’t think we are coaching the ball skills. If anything we are coaching the football out of players. You are right the type of S and C in the county needs to be looked at. No pace and explosive power in our players
Jp.. Mike Comer the former Corofin player and All Ireland medal winner is part of management team. He has a gym here in Tuam and as worked with all Corofin players from underage up for over 10 years…
@southmayo respectfully disagree, ball skills and creative heads up football needs to be focus in mayo going forward. Not doubling down on s&c! Our county team has been one the market leaders for years in term’s of s&c/physicality but its high time we started concentrating on producing footballers not athletes.
Lee Keegan kept repeating that point also, he kept praising corofins kickpassing and continued heads up play
@southmayo meant to say I agree not disagree with your point on focusing on skills ?
Corofin are playing the style of football that Stephen Rochford coached,he laid the foundations for them
14 points from play in those conditions was brilliant. Sorry for Ballina
Ballina forwards just like Mayo forwards, nobody to score from play , nobody in full forward line to cause any trouble. Sam Callinan only player from that team worth county place. Terrible decision to play against elements, was always told to take any advantage going, sun goes down, rain stops wind changes and stops. Take whats going when its going.
Don’t think that’s true tbf Corick Bridge, been well documented that Corofin are like a soccer academy in Spain, every team from U-10 to senior is coached to play the same way, spearheaded by Frank Morris, with his son David supposedly the driver for the last decade.
Rochy definitely helped things along but he wasn’t there long and it wasn’t like Corofin weren’t successful prior to his arrival, they just hadn’t the latest all Ireland
Agree Stephenite. Rochfords time at Corofin did yield an AI but let’s not forget the minute he left, their new manager came in and won 3 in a row. I wouldn’t at all put Corofins success in recent years down to Rochford. More a club culture. And if that is Rochfords style of play I can’t work out where it went messing at Mayo.
Stephen Rochford sorted out the brand of football played,talk anyone in Corofin they acknowledge his leadership,they had not won an all Ireland for a number of years,don’t try and rewrite history,
perhaps craggy will agree now that that style of football is successful
Lol Corick. A club that had won Connacht twice prior to his arrival and Galway numerous times. Team absolutely littered with players that had won all Ireland’s with Galway at u21 in 2011 and 2013.
Thats not to say Rochy had no effect, he got the mayo job off brilliant work there. But as G&R said, the mayo and Donegal style of play since is hardly on keeping with Corofin. Corofin were being termed “Brazil” long before Rochford and the comparison wasn’t just made because of the yellow jersey
I’ve no way to prove it, but my view is Mayo are on a misguided endurance heavy path the last decade. It’s just when I look at the eye test of many of our players they simply don’t look to get an improved build in the way I see Galway, Kerry, Tyrone and Dublin players. I’ve never seen those teams do stamina runs at the end of a match.
Why dio Dublin and Kerry and Galway players have more leg muscle mass on average than our panel? On average, not comparing individuals.
By the eye test they surely do. Plenty of our players are certainly not explosive off the mark but can slog for 75 mins.
Corofin had not won for seventeen years until Stephan Rochford took charge ,they won it three years on the trot after he led them to their first in seventeen years,don’t try and rewrite history,we must also acknowledge that the Mayo management team had o only a couple of months in charge last year,I fully expect a bigger improvement next year,although I am more than happy we won two trophies last year,also Kevin Mc Stay is the manager of a very close knit management team,who will undoubtedly lead us to more success next year,now toddel off and look up the facts
A Corick, you have you be a troll 🙂 the close knit management has already see one man walk out because didn’t agree with the others.
They had as long a season with players as any other management team starting back before time, even playing games as John Maughan let out of bag live on Mayo TV.
The FBD trophy you keep on about the inter-county players have voted to scrap they think so highly of it 😀
Talk to some of the Corofin players that played for Corofin as I have such as I Fitzgerald,the Comers,the Burkes,and realise the respect they have for what Stephen Rochford instilled in them to achieve their success,you will agree that he is an outstanding coach,so you claim that that Mayo management team had as .such time in charge as the Galway or Dublin or Kerry Derry management teams,get down the yard
Your gas Corick, I never mentioned anything about Rochford.
In relation to length of time respective management teams had with their panels look up the facts, sure didn’t Derry have to change manager during the year 🙂
And in relation to your comment on the close knit nature of the management team, did or did not one of them walk out due to inability to agree with the others?
Rochford had a successful spell with Corofin but so have other managers and coaches. Their secret is their players are all so well coached in the basics from when they are young. A lot to be said for being able to kick and hand pass accurately off both left and right.
@corick close knit management team ? Haha That saw mchale walk out as he didn’t agree with certain managers style of play and think we all know who that manager is that he didn’t agree with and now mchale is senior ladies manager ..a joke ha
I’ve no doubt we will bounce back next year but weather or not mcstay and his team are the guys for the job we will just have to wait and see.