Mayo GAA announced this morning that Seán Deane has stepped away from the position of Mayo U17 manager, having completed a three-year term in the position.
In his three seasons in charge, the Mayo U17s won back-to-back Connacht MFC titles, with last year’s crop making it all the way to the All-Ireland final where unfortunately they lost out to Galway in an historic all-Connacht national decider. This year, after Seán Deane’s charges had won the Connacht title they were beaten at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage, losing out to an extremely strong Monaghan side who have since beaten Kerry to qualify for the All-Ireland final.
Winning two Connacht U17 titles in a row is no mean feat and Seán certainly leaves the underage set-up in a much healthier position than he found it. With nominations now being sought to fill the vacant U19/U20 manager’s post (what this age group will be at inter-county level next year is set to be decided at Congress later in the year), Seán Deane could well put his name forward for the job and, if he does, you’d have to think he’d be a very strong candidate for it.
Whatever he does next, Seán deserves our thanks for all the hard work he and his backroom team put in with the county’s U17s over the last three years. The best of luck to him for the future.
Obvious choice for the U20/U19 post but it’s vital that the right setup is allocated to the minors. We mustn’t let Sean’s outstanding work stall in the future. Great work being done at academy level and if Sean Deane takes the U20 job that will be in good hands and it’s imperative that the in-between age group gets the best possible mentors.
Thanks Sean Deane for some great excitement.
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Good guy – did great work with our minors – methinks bigger roles await in the years ahead.
Best wishes to Sean, to me he comes across as a serious operator and should not be lost from management, and hopefully should play some part in the u20s set up as he would be fam!let with most of the players.
I do not know the man but from what I see and hear about him, he has impressed me as a co!parent football and people manager.
Best of luck Sean, hope you go for the U20 job.
Best of luck in your future quest Sean. A decent man from a decent family background.
Briseann an Duchas comes to mind.
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While I am fairly certain Sean Deane will be appointed as our under 20 manager for the coming seasons and he might very well be the best candidate for the job, it might be worth nothing that we exited the last 3 minor championships at the end of comprehensive beatings.
2021 Roscommon 4-13 Mayo 2-12
2022 Galway 0-16 Mayo 0-09
2023 Monaghan 1-18 Mayo 1-08
It’s just a little worrying that there seems to be no real analysis of how Mayo exited the championships with these very poor results, yet everyone seems happy with out lot. Not sure a Kerry County Board would be as happy.
Fair play to Sean and thanks for your efforts.
He may have no intentions of looking for U20 gig, but personally would think it’s good for lads to get exposed to different managers underage where possible.
At club level this may not be possible, due to numbers, but at county level the more ideas and tactics and voices lying lads get you’d imagine be a benefit.
Sean Deane has done a fantastic job over the last 5 years.two years at under 16 & three years at minor level. 3 connacht titles an all lreland final runners up.
If I was a young player I want Sean Deane as my manager.
Every time you hear him speak you can see the respect he has for his players.he is a class act and a brilliant man manager that will get the best out of young players that are lucky to work with him.
There is only one man for the under 19 /20 mayo manager job that’s Sean Deane.
I agree with “the west is best” on this. I would also highlight beating Galway twice in 2022 in the minor championships’s early stages and then losing to them in the only game that truly mattered, in the final. That would never have been tolerated in Kerry.