Photo: Connacht GAA
After what has seemed like an age of inactivity, the 2015 championship finally rolls into action this coming weekend, with opening round SFC ties taking place in three provinces, the pick of which is obviously the one in Ballybofey on Sunday between Donegal and Tyrone. Closer to home, the race for the Nestor Cup gets underway in earnest a bit earlier the same afternoon with Leitrim entertaining Galway at Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, where throw-in is set for 3.30pm.
JPM will be guesting here tomorrow with a preview of this year’s provincial championships but ahead of that I think it’s time to test the waters on how you think this year’s Connacht championship will go. We were odds-on with the bookies at the start of the year to claim an historic Connacht five-in-a-row this year (which wouldn’t be the first time this was done: Galway in 1956-1960 and ourselves in 1906-1910 also managed this feat) but we’ve drifted out to evens now, with those uppity Rossies and the Tribesmen snapping at our heels.
So, then, what do you reckon? Who’ll claim the Nestor Cup on July 19th this year?
Who'll win Connacht this year? Total Voters: 384
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Think we’ll do just enough. Surprised the poll is as close as it is, but fully agree with it- it’s a very close call this year
Think Galway are a lot worse than people make out, but Ros could be very bloody tricky indeed. I do think we’ll shade it with home advantage
Are we doing a prediction league for the championship at all?
I’d find it hard to predict till someone confirms where a possible Mayo vRoscommon final would take place.
Home surely, we played them away last year
And we played them in C/F in 2011 at the Hyde. Has to be a home venue if Mayo v Ros in C/F.
Afraid to say I think Galway willbenefit from ganes and will turn us over. We are flat this year and while others are chasing Sam in August I feel we’ll be looking for a new manager
Thanks for the reminder, Sean – I have to admit I completely forgot about it. I’ll sort it later on this evening.
I think we’ll do it, though I am nervous about Salthill. Galway are motoring along nicely, not shouting anything from the rooftops, but Kevin Walsh knows that if he can get his defence properly organised then they’re in with a great chance. Especially with two games under the belt that Mayo won’t have.
Even so, if Mayo turn up at full intensity – with C O’C ready to go – then we should have enough to squeak by.
Whoever wins that one will pop Roscommon’s bubble, of that I have no doubt. That’s assuming they make the final at all. Releasing a song before the championship even begins betrays a staggering level of giddiness in the county. These are the same ‘world-beaters’ that couldn’t give Armagh a game at home last year.
The long grass again lads, I keep telling ye, the long grass.
We really are in the long grass this year and it’s the place to be. Much talk on radio at the weekend of the big three in “Kerry, Dublin and Donegal” and also the rise of Roscommon and Galway…..we may have a thing or two to say about that yet.
I find it very hard to believe anyone outside of the loop can truly know Mayos worth this year. It’s impossible to gauge where we are at. And I know we can’t and rightly so post about rumours but what we can say is who knows what the relationship is like between new management and players , good or bad.
During and after training Friday evening you would have no reason to believe there was any problems in the camp.The only concern I would have is the amount of players that didn’t train
Want to see màyo take kerry out of championship that would make my summer. Màyo have habit beating all ireland champion s so here’s hoping.
It would seem the connacht final would take place in castlebar should we beat galway and the sheepstealers qualify for the final due to the existing home/away arrangement. However due to the slattery report the Hyde does not have the necessary capacity to now hold a connacht final so I would assume the existing arrangement becomes null and void until they make the necessary upgrades.in the meantime I would assume we would be in a situation similiar to playing sligo or leitrim in a connacht final,as in a neutral venue. The rossies will surely play this card if it pans out they’re playing us in the final and you wouldn’t blame them if they did.in that case the only stadium fit for purpose would be salthill. Or maybe they’ll decide to keep status quo.
Hard to know.
My only concern is Galway. Not sure how good or bad they are and our own form is uncertain at the moment. We’re also carrying a couple of niggles to key players and they need to be resolved over the next week or so.
If we can get Cillian and Aidan fully fit I think we’ll be in decent shape. Aidan had a really strong league and is in good form. Cillian always shows up for us in the big games. No word at all on Andy Moran and Alan Dillon. And that’s exactly how it should be.
Thanks for that Juno, I was starting to think I was going round the twist re venue if Mayo qualify to play Ross in the cf.
And to add to that I believe Roscommon have put out a false flag in this regard and know fine well they will have the option of salthill if it panned out that way (Evans sayin in national media they will have three away games to win Connacht)
At least we should have some good games to look forward to this year. The Connacht final against London a few years ago must go down as the worst final ever. May the best team win!
An interesting article here giving the Tyrone insight into the win at all costs mentality. We should remember that since 1991 they have won 3 senior, 5 U21 and 5 minor All-Ireland titles.
http://gaeliclife.com/2015/05/brian-mcguigan-dignity-in-defeat/
Really no idea where we are at right now so I’ve reluctantly gone with Roscommon on the basis of their meteoric rise through Div 2 this spring and the positive synergy and belief this has created within their squad. In addition to our patchy league performances, we have not played a single game all year that would have involved our first 15 championship starters and, given our existing injury woes, will not have the opportunity to bed in a settled and fine tuned starting 15 come June 14th which has to be a concern.
Last year we had a better management and a younger but still experienced team. And we had to depend on a veteran, Andy, to come on and with minutes remaining to almost singlehandedly bail us out in Hyde Park.
And now I’m reading of posters writing off the Rossies in this year’s Connacht Championship. This, despite the fact that almost every aspect of Roscommon football has been on an upward trajectory since Hyde Park 2014. As a proud Mayoman and Mayo resident (but as someone with close association to the game in Roscommon over the past 25 years) I say, “disregard and/or take lightly the current wearers of the primrose and blue at our peril”. Before the summer is out we will realise that they are a serious outfit who mean business.
I’d tend to agree with you sourceoftherobe , it took me a while to accept it but they are flying , everything is clicking into place for them and the buzz about Ross GAA is just incredible and the song is just beautiful . Although they’ll always be the enemy , I think we should all get behind them when they’re above in croker representing the west and as the great Mr John Evans has said , in the next couple of years Sam will be won. The crossing of the bridge in tarmonbarry will be a magnificent sight of primrose an blue flying high.
Getting back to the more important issue of our own lot. Four weeks Sunday and we will know so much more. After seeing Galway in a challenge game against Dublin (I know it was only a challenge) I don’t believe Galway have improved 1-7 enough to stop an even 60% Mayo of the last few years. High press/tempo game ala 13 and we’ll manage them with a bit to spare.
Now the Harlem globetrotters of the west will be a different story as that lot could win the champions league if they entered it with this vibe they have goin at the moment. But you never know on the day.
One of the easiest poll votes I had to make on here. I can’t predict where Mayo will be within 2 or 3 years and Roscommon Galway are without doubt on the rise but at this moment in time Mayo will have too much know how and experience for the other Connacht challengers this summer.
This could be our year,
For how many years have we thought “This is our year”, but we came to naught,.
Now reailists are saying “No,no,no!”
When we expected something ,we got nothing.
Now, we are expecting nothing, we could be surprised.
Mayo will beat Galway by 3-5 points and Sligo in the final by 7. Ros to crumble against the Yeats County. I think there will a huge Mayo crowd in Salthill on 14th June from talking to Mayo people who wouldn’t be considered season ticket supporters. If there was a competition for best and most loyal supporters, Mayo would be top of the tree in this regard
Not even a hint of sarcasm seeping from that post Sean!
Amazed at the amount of votes for Galway
They are an average division 2 team, Ros AND Mayo had a much better league campaign. I know it’s probably mostly based on intangibles and cliches and so on “they’re a sleeping giant” “everything falling into place”, but being realistic it’d be some achievement for them to beat two teams better than them- one of which is far better than them- on the trot
Judging on cold, hard facts and analysis and it’s nearly impossible make any case for them
I just can’t see Sligo turning over Ros this year, I don’t know why some people reckon so. Ros are coming off the back of two Division titles, promotion to Division 1, strong runs in the U21s etc etc. Like it or not they are on the up. We might sneer at them but our Connacht run has to come to an end sometime and given that we have a new management team and are coming in cold to the championship after a mediocre league campaign I can’t say I’m very confident about retaining Connacht this year. That’s before you even throw Galway into the mix.
One thing I will say is that if we do manage to come through Connacht it will certainly be the toughest provincial campaign we have had in a while so I would very much fancy our chances in the August bank holiday. Plenty of football to played before then however.
“One thing I will say is that if we do manage to come through Connacht it will certainly be the toughest provincial campaign we have had in a while so I would very much fancy our chances in the August bank holiday”
Dunno about that Ultair it would appear so but coming into 2013 plenty had galway down to beat us and said Connacht would be very tough won. We demolished everyone in our wake
You don’t know how these things turn out
The championship is so ridiculously scheduled anyway that momentum only applies to teams winning several rounds in the back door anyway. You win your province and you still have to wait about 3 weeks for your next match minimum
When we should have won the AI in 2013 we played 5/6 matches in different months
The Championship structure is laughable but not much can be done
Mayo are justifiably favourites. 1-7 we’re stronger than the other 2. Players like Boyler are teak tough and battle hardened. Midfield depending on who’s picked we have the potential to win against either and both rivals have more natural forwards than us but our lads have more big game experience. Plus if we get a run of luck on the injury stakes we’ll end up with a good set of forwards and if not we should put 1 if not 2 big men in the central positions. Also I think we have a greater set of options off the bench for game changers especially if midfield not going so well. Our forwards don’t have to be quite as good for us to come through, just close. Both games though have potential to be classics if we win the first one. Galway Ros also has great entertainment potential as a final. Don’t expect Sligo to beat Ros. There’s a gap in ability.
Mayo to win Connacht, Roscommon to fall flat in the qualifiers again. Galway to wriggle through to Quarters before being turned over. Thats how i see it panning out.
Juan, Galway (or even ourselves if they beat us) would do incredibly well to make quarters given that side of the qualifiers contains a load of tricky Northern teams
June 14th is pretty much make or break stuff
Ciaran, When the chip swere down in the league in the Hyde Galway beat Ros so saying Ros are a better team is unproven. You can certainly state ye are better than us based on the last few years but there is a tint of anti Galway in your posts. And if you are judging the league remember Galway were missing 1/3 of their starting 15 for 5 of the 7 games between the Corofin lads and Tom Flynn at one end of the league and Comer and O’Griofa for the start of it. Realistically Connacht is more open than in previous years but even that is not saying much given the huge gap since 2011 and in particular since 2013. Obviously it is Mayo’s to lose and while there is some hype in Ros there is zero hype in Galway whereby the majority of the Galway sporting public (aside from the core football fraternity) will only take notice when we are dining at the top table again.
Willie Joe, did you ever think of putting a “don’t know” option in a poll? The majority of Mayo supporters will vote for Mayo anyway.
I don’t like the ‘Don’t Know’ option, in general, Joe Mc – that just gives people the luxury of sitting on the fence. The polls are just a snapshot of opinion at a point in time so I think it’s best to get those voting to nail their colours to the mast.
Willie Joe, you know you can get piles sitting on the fence. 😉