Defending champions Knockmore and challengers Belmullet face off against each other on Sunday in this year’s Mayo Senior football Championship final, with Knockmore aiming for their tenth county title while Belmullet are looking to get their hands on the Moclair Cup for the very first time.
In this episode of the Mayo News football podcast host Rob Murphy is joined by two distinguished former players from Knockmore and Belmullet respectively, Kevin O’Neill and Billy Joe Padden. Kevin and Billy Joe were, of course, also Mayo teammates and lined out together for the county in the 2006 All-Ireland final.
The lads look back on the journey their respective clubs have been on in recent decades, touching as they do on county finals two and three decades ago involving North Mayo teams. We get their recollections of matches involving Knockmore and Belmullet that they were involved in and hear why both clubs are so strong and passionate about football.
The talk then turns towards Sunday’s Moclair Cup decider, with a particular focus on the managers – including those involved in this final – who have come to the fore in the county in recent years. They then look at the match itself and how they think it might go.
This episode of the Mayo News football podcast is now online and is available to listen to on iTunes, SoundCloud, Podomatic and Spotify. You can also listen to it directly on the Mayo News website as well as here on the blog using the SoundCloud player below or the one on the panel on the right.
The Mayo News football podcast has its own Twitter presence, @MayoPodcast, so if you’re a Twitter user you should follow us there to make sure you get the latest podcast-related updates, including new episodes.
The Mayo News football podcast is produced and edited by Ger Duffy Media and is proudly sponsored by Crean Ceramic City.
What’s the story with buying tickets for the senior final, keeps coming up as tickets are locked on universe website.
Do I need an access key to get a ticket?
Thanks
Not sure of this but I think clubs get first shout on the tickets and then goes to general release.
I asked this question on Sunday and that’s the gist of the reply I got.
If the poll on the final was the phone a friend on who wants to be a millionaire, I think you’d be inclined to take the money. Nearly 50/50 as far as the poll goes.
The two lads weren’t letting any tactics out of the bag on the podcast. Both quietly fancying their own clubs and a case to be made for each club.
I’d love to see Belmullet lifting the cup, with no disrespect to Knockmore. Either of them will be worthy champions at this stage, but I’d love to see Belmullet win it for a first time.
I think they could win it but Knockmore will be incredibly hard to beat at the weekend. They always seem to perform well on the big stage.
Wouldnt be a galloping shock if Belmullet won it given their journey so far and some of the scalps they have taken, if they were to do it it would be one of the most impressive championship runs in many years, having vanquished hotly tipped westport, breaffy and reigning champions Knockmore (Twice)….
Having said all that i am still fairly confident of a Knockmore victory, i think ultimately they have more scoring threats and feel there may be too much of a reliance on ROD for Mullet, goals will be key in what ought to be a low scoring wintery encounter
Knockmore by 4
Knockmore: 2-08
Belmullet: – 1-07
So anyone following my predictions all year would be wise to go to bookies now and lump on belmullet :-p
Hard to look past Belmullet. As said on th podcast they are stronger in defence and have the form forward in Mayo. Knockmores injuries are huge as well. Alan Stadtler, McHale and young Hopkins all played key roles last year on reflection.
Belmullet by 3 given the ease with which they appear to have handled Knockmore in the group stages. All the talk seems to point towards a repeat of that result and a lot of confidence coming from the Belmullet men!
Love to a Belmullet victory but very hard to beat Knockmore in a final
Bellmullet by 3. I think
League fixtures
Saturday 29th Jan Mayo v Monaghan
Sunday 6th Feb Kerry v Mayo Killarney
Sunday 13th Feb Mayo v Kildare
Saturday 26th Feb Dublin v Mayo Croke Park
Sunday 8th Mar Mayo v Armagh
Sunday 22nd Mar Tyrone v Mayo Omagh
Sunday 29th Mar Mayo v Donegal
Looking like we will play Monaghan in Croke Park if its a Saturday night game under lights
And the Armagh and Donegal games in Sligo with the Kildare game in Tuam Stadium or the Hyde.
Sam. How accurate are those fixtures. Donegal gaa are posting that this list is not accurate and no county has been informed of the upcoming league fixtures.
County final sold out at 4,000.
Senior and Intermediate/Junior preview episodes of the podcast (two separate shows) are now online as well.
Is it sold out for sure?
So no tickets went on general sale?
@Sam Og
Will we play our home games at multiple Connacht venues or just one?
Do you have a source of link for any of this?
Supermac, nice one, made me laugh out loud. Belmullet it is so.
Should the kildare game not be, Ballina or Nowhere.
The field behind the Crossmolina end goal will be packed if the game is sold out.
Can anyone confirm with any certainty whether all tickets are 100% sold out for senior final? Any chance there’ll be more put on sale?
Anyone having problems accessing their tickets for senior final. Credit card payment has gone through but no email confirmation or any sign of tickets.
That was excellent! Kevin O’N will have to be on more often – great insights. The Mayo News reporters are not happy campers – cannot blame them. No local journalists allowed into Combine weekend due to covid yet Convention is now being moved to there!
I think the county board have done enough in giving the list of names that attended the combine last weekend. I cant see why the local media should be allowed in and spreading the new all over the country what Mayo are doing in terms of trying players out, training programs etc.
We dont hear anything from any other county about what they are doing in terms of trying out new players combine etc.
@Southmayo Exile.. The spirit of Omerta before the All Ireland final, served us very well in the All Ireland final NOT.. It’s not just Mayo but several counties could do better in selling the game as regards the Media.. I remember Mickey Moran and John Morrison used to have Open training sessions in Ballyvary, great craic, no tatical stuff got leaked, and with an ageing panel not nearly at the strength or size of the Mayo panels of the last decade,. did as well as anyone… A despite Media bans for the last decade, plenty of stuff, like team selection seemed to get leaked from time to time.
Got no issue with the Mayo management blocking media from accessing trial games. Ed McGreal, Michael Gallagher, Mike Finnerty, and any other media personality for that matter need to just get over it. Do they think they are part of the backroom team or something?
Give me one good reason why Mayo trials should be accessed and reported on by the local media? Would it happen in Dublin under Jim Gavin?
You must be fcuking joking – no chance in hell!
Larry Duff, I think it’s more a case of them annoyed , because they’d being told previously they would be allowed in,and then at the last minute being told, sorry, due to covid it wouldn’t be safe. But yet,its deemed safe to hold the county convention in the dome.?
And I don’t think theres anything to hide from the public. If players are good enough , they’ll be seen in league action next year, where every county manager in the country will see them play. Its not like a player will appear from no where to make a debut in a connacht or all Ireland final.
Local journalists make a lot of noise given the nature of their job, but whether they have access to intercounty trials is not a big issue for the future wellbeing of Mayo GAA or more specifically the senior football team.
It’s an annoyance for the journalists and their newspapers, but it shouldn’t become some wider issue.
Good to see sensible posts on here re access to the combine.
I have been plenty critical of JH since the all ireland for valid football reasons but the thoughts of people whinging because they dont have ‘access all areas’ to every aspect of the squad is laughable. It seems to be coming mostly from local media types too.
There isnt a hope any serious team like dublin/tyrone/kerry would allow every tom, dick and harry access to their inner sanctum. Why on earth should mayo fans be treated any different? What goes on at training and training games is of no concern to the average punter and should be rightly guarded if it can get any type of ane dge where margins are so fine
Bullshit to allow all into those trials, but a divisional competition would be a great money spinner for our training fund.
Supermac – the issue, as has already been pointed out, isn’t to do with any God-given right of media access, it’s that it was publicly stated that local media would be invited and then the invite was withdrawn, due to Covid concerns. It’s obviously management’s right to decide on the issue but they could certainly have handled it better, which is where the ire is coming from.