This weekend sees the start of the club football Championships within the county, with battles for possession of silverware at Senior, Intermediate and Junior levels set to dominate football discussions over the coming weeks.
In this podcast episode, available to club members in specially extended format, Rob chats with Mike Finnerty of the Mayo News and Balla defender Ger Flanagan to set the scene ahead of the Round 1 Championship games this weekend.
The lads pick out their the main contenders for the Moclair, Sweeney and McDonnell Cups this year and they look at some of the main talking points. Can anyone stop Knockmore doing three in a row? Will Westport finally realise their potential? Could some other club ‘do a Belmullet’ and come from nowhere to reach a county final? They also run the rule over the teams likely to be in the mix for Intermediate honours and pull they together a shortlist for the Junior championship.
To finish, Rob throws some Quickfire questions at Mike and Ger to see what games and players they are most looking forward to seeing this weekend.
This episode of the Mayo 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.
The podcast is also available on Patreon, where club members get access to loads of exclusive content and more besides. In the clubhouse section at the end of this pod, we’ve got additional bonus audio for our club members, in which Rob and Mike shoot the breeze about Any Other Business.
Sign up to become a podcast club member on Patreon here.
The Mayo 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. podcast-related updates, including new episodes.
Really looking forward to the weekends game .
Parke Vs Ballinrobe has and interesting twist with 2 Ballinrobe natives on the Parke coaching team .
Have to say I was sickened by the ” alleged ” assault on a referee at a minor match in Roscommon.
Lots of talk recently of the amount of physical and verbal abuse amongst Gaa ref’s.
Hopefully the Gaa will try and put the structures in place to eliminate this type of behaviour.
It will take time as unfortunately it seems to be in our Gaa culture that its OK to abuse a referee.
My Ball, I’d agree the GAA need to act to eliminate this type of behaviour and proper sanctions need to be put in place to deter this behaviour. I’m hoping the guards are also investigating, this was assault and should be treated as such, this can’t be brushed aside as an incident on a football field, people need to know there are consequences to this type of behaviour
This is a turning point moment.
No refs no game.
We need a major change in how players and mentors treat refs. That will influence spectators.
Completely unacceptable thuggery. Clubs have a responsibility to know and vet coaches in charge of teams. We should be talking about weekend fixtures but tbat incident is a dampner. No room for cover up, shocking behaviour.
3 Ballinrobe natives on the Parke management team.
The incident is reportedly being investigated both by the GAA and the Gardaí so I think it’s best if everyone refrained from making further comment about it here, in particular engaging trial-by-comments.
Westport once again the big enigma heading into the championship.
Balla to beat Belmullet certainly looks a good shout for an upset. It’ll be next to impossible for Belmullet to lift themselves to the same extent as last year..
@Rober …Mossy Costello … Pat Guickian…
Apologies who is the 3rd one involved
Sorry, i was including mark concannon the manager in the coaching team for parke.
The easy way to stamp out abuse towards the referee and match officials is to give a free in to the opposing team.
No mucking about either. The free should be right in front of the posts.
An assault on a referee. The team forfeits the match there and then and pays the opposing teams expenses for the day.
Play the game hard but fair but Respect Respect and Respect again.
Mind the house, an assault on a referee or any other official should also include a report to the Guards. An assault on the street is the same as on the field and should be treated as such.
Mind the house you right – if the opposition are given a 14 yard free in front of the goal every time a player or a part of management team abuse a ref – it would stop the abuse very fast because the player or manager who causes the 14 yard free to be conceded will be called out fairly quickly by their team mates.
Agree 100% Mayomad. Can’t stress enough how strongly I feel about respect to officials.
A forfeit of the match would also make the player accountable to the rest of the team.
Imagine walking back into a dressing room after you have just cost your team the match.
I remember back when Billy Fitz won his Connacht medal but I have to admit I’d forgotten he was 41! Hard to imagine being one of the two best Corner forwards in Mayo at 41…Just listened to Billy and Mike chatting and Billy is an example of everything that’s good in the Gaa. Could listen to him for hours. Legend!
I think some coaches and supporters think that it’s their duty to harass the referee, to give their team some sort of an advantage! I was at a match during the week, where the losing coach absolutely lost his head at the referee over a throw ball, even though his team were losing by 25 points with a couple of minutes to go!!….
Token bans have miniscule effect (how can they even be enforced anyway in this instance), proper action needs to be taken. Refs withdrawing their services over the weekend in Roscommon is an excellent start, it maybe even should be done nationwide to really get the message across
This particular case is a police matter however, plain and simple. The most harrowing thing I’ve seen on a GAA pitch
All matches in Roscommon cancelled/ postponed this weekend as referees ” withdraw services ” .
As per journal.ie
Yes it is a national problem and hopefully this incident will bring it to a head. As hop it ref says It is totally unacceptable that a ref can be harrased verbally or physically in an attempt to influence decisions. We are forunate to have matche going ahead anywhere in the ciuntry this weekend
A challenge to see if guess it or beat it.
From Google Maps the longest driving time between Mayo clubs that have a land border is 31 mins.
Guess the clubs or post one that you found longer than 31 mins drive.
Make sure to put the gaa ground in the Google maps From To search.
Think 31mins must be the longest duration drive. Yes speed limits apply, but even at that the two club grounds are far apart.
Any club between Belmullet and Ballycastle?
Ciaran you got it for sure. Just seen its 48 minutes between Belmullet and Bally castle gaa grounds!! Wow.
Think Bonniconlon Swinford is second with 31 mins.
Achill Burrishoole 30 mins.
Belmullet and Ballycastle don’t have a land border. Kiltane and Cill Chomain are in between them
Have to be up early to catch you Wide Ball 😉
In Galway, Clifden GAA grounds to Clonbur GAA grounds – whose catchment areas share a land border – are about an hour away from each other!
In the Mayo GAA club map in Google images it shows them having a border.
Actually, sorry I misread that map Kilcommon as Ballycastle. So I think it’s Bonniconlon Swinfords Sligo based border where no one lives that gives 31min drive.
That map is super! Ballintubber border 8 clubs!!
Can anyone beat that?!
I think Crossmolina to Ballycroy might be longest duration drive of bordering clubs. 41mins Crossmolina gaa to Ballycroy.
The Ballycroy gaa pitch doesn’t show, but I’d imagine it’s more than 31mins pitch to pitch.
Yes 8 borders is the most Ciaran.
Is it not 7 borders? Doesn’t seem to border Ballinrobe?
Crossmolina to ballycroy is a 41 minute drive
Beat me to it JP!
Moygownagh to Cill Chomain is a 39 minute drive
Hmm, but the GAA club doesn’t show for Ballycroy. Who can figure this tight race now of two 🙂
JP – I’ve too much free time 🙂 went on Google street view and found the entrance to ballycroy GAA club, or at least a GAA pitch in ballycroy.
42 minutes from Crossmolina GAA club. I think that’s our winner.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayo_GAA#/media/File:MayoClubMap.gif
Btubber border Westport, Tourmakeady, Castlebar, Breaffy, Balla, Mayo Gaels, Hollymount, Islandeady acc to this JP (and not far from Ballinrobe either!!)
Maybe Breaffy, Castlebar borders are open to interpretation? 😀
Nice job Wide ball and Ciaran.
Interesting chat about distances lads. Whatever about pitch to pitch, Dooagh on the western end of Achill Island to Glenhest at north east end of Burrishoole parish, just before Lahardane border, is a 54 minute drive. Bordering clubs, some journey. Indeed Dooagh to Currane is a 32 minute drive, both in Achill parish. Still amazed by the vastness of Achill since I moved here.
Edwin our next challenge must be the nation’s longest bordering distance.
I had not visited Achill in 30 years but visited last summer. There was a funeral and for miles and miles people were at each crossroad or junction.
Not sure exactly where the mainland part of Achill parish ends? Towards Mulranney? Or technically it’s purely the Island?
BTW I think likely it would be Clifden and neighbor the countries longest duration drive.
JP, the parish of Achill includes most of the Corraun peninsula including Corraun itself, Tonragee and Polranny, where the pitch is.
The border with Burrishoole is a couple of miles west of Mulranny and wouldn’t be too long, maybe three miles.
I’d say one of the longest borders in Mayo would be between Ballycroy and Burrishoole as there is a lot of wilderness throughout Ballycroy National Park all the way to Letterkeen.
The borders of Westport with both Tourmakeady and Louisburgh would be very long too. I’m sure there’s some very long borders in North Mayo too.
Actually looking at the map above, Tourmakeady and Westport (Aghagower end) share a small enough border but Westport and Louisburgh and Ballycroy and Burrishoole look very long, as does the Belmullet Cill Chomain border.
Yeah JP, Clifden and Renvyle right out in West Connemara in Galway would cover large geographical areas although population base would be small.
Both would technically border the Clonbur club – with Leenane mainly falling into Renvyle’s catchment area and the next village Maum falling under Clonbur’s. Clifden include Recess as part of their catchment, while the nearby Maam Cross would be within Clonbur’s.
To drive from the depths of Ballyconneely and Claddaghduff to Clonbur village would be over an hour. To drive from Roundstone to Cleggan (both Clifden catchment) alone would be about 40 minutes
Would be interesting to see how many clubs can boast a border with 8 others like Ballintubber! Athenry and Claregalway would give that a run for its money I’d say!
Google maps has the journey between Cill Chomain GAA pitch and Moygownagh GAA as 40 minutes drive.
If you want to go further again on distances – Kilgalligan to Moygownagh GAA is 58 minutes. I don’t know if that’s the furthest point away within the confines of Moygownagh parish from there, and you would add a minute or 2 if you wanted to go from Rinroe point but you’d be splitting hairs there.
One error at least on that map; Moy Davitts borders Balla.
Actually there are more; does Kilmaine and Garrymore not meet?
Also Willie Joe, as there will be ultimately one Gaelic games organisation, there is a debate to be had ( in the winter when onfield action is over) as to how LGFA clubs and GAA clubs fit on the ground. Most are on the same footprint but what about those which are not? KilmoreMoy for example.