90 thoughts on “The weekend’s matches”

1. Thanks willie joe
   Anyone out there know which games are ‘decided on the day’?

2. I’m afraid I’ve no idea on that one, Stephen.

   All – just for info, I’ve now updated the piece to add a link to the match programmes, detailing all of the line-ups for the weekend’s matches, which Mayo GAA have put online.

3. All matches are results on the day I believe.

4. Thanks Willie joe.what a man,what a service.

5. What ye think of this, the Dublin Senior club games are free on Dubs TV here in Dublin.
   Why must Mayo supporters pay per game to see the games on Mayo Gaa TV ?

6. Mayo88, AIG €€€, the answer to that one I’d say,

7. Very valid point Mayo88.Dublin is a money machine already, they probably don’t need people’s spare change. Where does the money from Mayo Gaa TV go I wonder?

   One other thing I noticed is the kiltane v balla game is 5euro entry. Yet the junior b game of eastern Gaels v kilfian is 8euro.

   What the hell is that about. Who comes up with the pricing? Do people think kiltane v balla is going to be a damp squib?

8. Today’s club Championship results so far:

   SFC relegation final: Balla 1-12 Kiltane 0-9
   IFC semi-final: Mayo Gaels 0-11 Kilmaine 0-6
   JFC semi-final: Kilmeena 1-19 Islandeady 0-6

   The big one is still to come at 7pm tonight, Knockmore against Garrymore under the lights at Bekan.

9. Thanks for the update Willie. Big win for Kilmeena. It was always going to be difficult for Kiltane to keep their senior status. Mayo Gaels are getting close to the promised land….

10. Kilmaine were shocking. They will be in big trouble if/when Oisin leaves.

11. ChewyLewy – how did mullin play? Was he good?

12. Eathan Henry, very good today

13. Garrymore are 0-7 to 0-3 up at the first water break, having scored the last five points without reply, three of them from play by Cathal Slattery. Knockmore looking a bit uncomfortable so far.

14. 0-8 to 0-4 to Garrymore HT. Champions in trouble at this stage.

15. I’m not at it Willie, watching it on the TV. Do Garrymore have the wind for the second half?

16. All changed, changed utterly. Knockmore 2-7 to 0-9 up at the second water break. Goals from the Ruttledge brothers, the two of them inside two minutes, with Knockmore outscoring Garrymore by 2-3 to 0-1 in the third quarter. Connell Dempsey is in the bin but Garrymore will need something special to rescue it now.

17. I’m not there either, Driveitlong&hard, I’m watching it on Mayo GAA TV.

18. Sound Willie Joe – Garrymore have collapsed here…

19. When the going gets tough the tough get going – Knockmore 2-11 Garrymore 0-11 FT. Some turnaround from half-time, easy win for the champions in the end.

20. Some mark of champions

    Thought the hunger was meant to drop on a two in a row run!

    Realistically I can’t see them losing the final

21. Big second half from Knockmore and I don’t think Orme or Naughton scored at all from play. Dempsey and Pearse Ruttledge have been their 2 best players throughout the championship and stood up this evening too.

    I think they’ll win the final now.

22. Great second half performance from Knockmore. Darren McHale is a huge loss and with Naughton, Ruttledge and Ruddy carrying knocks it was nice to see other lads stepping up. Hession was very good. Great speed and balance.

23. Easy for Belmullet now ,that have already hammered Knockmore

24. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch corick+bridge

25. Hope nobody in Westport ie reading your comment, Corick+bridge.
    Heard of a club from Mayo playing the Leitrim champions in Connacht club something over thirty years ago. Mayo champions had a “Victory Dance” advertised on local press for the night of the match. I never heard how the dance went but they got their ass badly kicked in the match. To save embarrassment I will not mention either club’s name or the year.

26. Knockmore were certainly moving like Team Chambourcy in the second half 😉

27. I think corick+bridge is being a bit tongue and cheek there. Belmullet are the 4/1 outsiders after all.
    Anything less than a 6 point win for Westport will be very surprising.
    If belmullet win it will be one of the great upsets in recent Mayo championship history.

28. Did anyone hear what was said at the beginning of the MidWest commentary? “Don’t be surprised to see an ex-Mayo player tog for Belmullet tomorrow.” Any truth to this or just mind games?

29. Belmullet V Knockmore CF.

30. Love to see Belmullet In final. Worked there in76

31. Did anyone lose the sound on mayo tv for most of the 2nd half of senior game? Very frustrating from my point anyway. Agree kilmaine were shocking and maybe atrocious would be a better description of them. Mullin played reasonably well and only he and the fullback David Hughes can feel they played near the standard required imo.

32. Will be tough enough for Belmullet alright and our element of surprise has gone.
    Eoin o Donoghue has been very good so far as has Ryan. They will need to be at their best.
    Will also be interested to see how Daithi Cosgrove gets on for Belmullet. Looks like he has scores in him.
    I assume Onion Sack is referring to Chris Barrett as the ex Mayo man possibly appearing for Belmullet. Unless its Willie Joe and if that’s the case Willie Joe I’m putting you on that Keegan fella !
    Come on Belmullet.

33. Interesting comments from Mayo News sports journalist Michael Gallagher on Twitter. Questioning how Oisin Mullin came to be noticed and signed by Geelong. He seems to be not-so-subtly suggesting that Oisin has an agent that is prominent in Mayo club football circles that helped him sign for Geelong.

34. Larry Duff – can you be more specific with what you mean when you say “Oisin has an agent that is prominent in Mayo club football circles that helped him sign for Geelong”.

35. Driveitlong&hard – having seen those comments on Twitter there’s no need for Larry to be any more specific. I’ve heard a name mentioned in this context, as others may have too, but I don’t want anyone naming names here.

36. Thats fair enough Willie Joe – I wasn’t asking him to name names . I was more getting at the point as to the role of this so called “agent” was he giving him advice on signing a professional contract or was it more along the lines of persuading him to move over staying with Mayo. I think the bit about him getting noticed is a bit farcical.

    Anyways at this point it makes no odds. Dublin lost Paul Mannion, Jack McCaffrey, etc and just got on with it. Probably best if we just do the same at this stage…

37. I have no intention of naming any names as (a) Willie Joe would rightly have the comment down immediately and (b) I haven’t a clue who it might be anyway!
    Just thought it was worth noting the comments on Twitter from a respected Mayo news journalist that’s all.

38. [Deleted].

39. Super game of football tonight in Bekan. So great to see the standard of football in the county is at such a high level.
    Take away’s from tonight’s game, Garrymore played an expansive game in the first half with great ball into the fowards who nailed the scores especially Cathal Slattery .Knockmore looked tentative and unsure of themselves.
    Enda Hession injured before half time and was surprised to see him re emerge for the second half and was a pale shadow of his true worth to the team. Knockmore players also took knocks ,but the depth of their bench won it for them in the end. The Power play in the Third quarter did it for them and are now favourites in my opinion to put back to back County titles together. Looking foward to another cracking semi final tomorrow in Ballina.

40. Thought Garrymore were a credit tonight to their club and area,A small parish with only 2 national schools up against the County champions and the best club team in the province as I think Knockmore will go onto to beat any team left in Connacht, Westport, Corofin nowhere near the form they used to be, Mountbellew, or Padhraig Pearces.The way they brought it to Knockmore in that 1st half was a credit to there club I have to say. By far the best club team in South Mayo.

41. Blondie11 – that comment of yours played the person not the ball, as you well know. Plus, in doing so, you put an inaccurate construction on what someone else posted and, to cap it all off, you did so after one in the morning. I’m really tiring of the kind of stuff some people get up to on here …

42. Correct Sam Og, I know the areas that Garrymore pick from, and am baffled as to how they have maintained Senior status for so many years, very rural area, no Parish as such. They were one of the first rural clubs to invest time in training youth teams in the early 1980’s. Always seemed to develop good footballers.
    In my opinion there are just too many clubs in South Mayo, this is why no club there has won the Senior championship since 1994.
    Claremorris hasn’t won it since the 1960’s, I don’t believe Ballinrobe ever won it, or Davitts.
    Shrule went from Junior to Intermediate to Senior, got to a final in the mid 2000’s, but are now back to Junior level. Again very close to the Neale, Ballinrobe and Kilmaine.
    Mayo Gaels were always at Intermediate level, and will be interesting to see how they fare at Senior level if they win the inter final, again a small club surrounded by Balla, Claremorris, Ballintubber and Holly / Carramore.

    Is the boundary/ Parish rule imposed in Mayo or is it like Dublin, where a player can sign up for any club no matter what Parish they reside in ?

43. Just for some context while Corofin may not be at quite the level they reached in dismantling Dr Crokes and Nemo Rangers in back to back All Ireland finals, they still absolutely cantered to the final in Galway this year and can field a 15 that doesn’t include the starting centre-back and corner forward on the Galway under-20 all Ireland winning team of last year (as well as that Ian Burke is still only slowly being re-integrated back into the side). There’s still no club in Ireland with their abundance of talent. Mountbellew are a fine side in their own right also, have shown serious consistency in Galway over the last decade and only for Corofin they would have hoovered up plenty of county titles. John Daly looks set to become a huge fixture for Galway in the coming seasons, his loss cost MM a county title last year

    As impressive as Knockmore have been they still lost to Belmullet in the group and only played for a half yesterday. Ballintubber are obviously seriously handicapped in Cillian’s absence also. I’m not dismissing them at all, but the Galway winner is a huge step up from what they’ve played so far- and they still have to win Mayo first!

    We still aren’t fully sure as to how Mayo matches up with other counties in terms of the standard of the county championship at the moment. Outside of the great Castlebar side of a few years ago, no other Mayo winner has pulled up any trees outside the county since Ballina’s All Ireland win all the way back in 2005. Its a pity we didn’t get to see Knockmore against Moycullen last year

44. I’d agree with that Ciaran. Nobody can say with certainty the Mayo champions are better than Corofin. There have been lots of clubs around the same level in the Mayo SFC over the last 2 years. That probably means it’s unlikely the standard is of the highest level.

45. Although I think Kilmeena will go far, presuming they win the junior championship.

46. Knockmore were forced to dig deep and boy they did in that 2nd half. Garrymore are a modal football club but small pick? They share the parish with Hollymount but the area is huge stretching from the Galway border into claremorris. You have roads in the parish where every second house plays for either club…not sure if that happens anywhere else?

47. Not fully correct Yew Tree, Crossboyne adjoins Claremorris, its a big parish in area but not too many houses, i know of very well.
    Garrymore is outside of this area thus making it a fairly small rural area.
    It’s some achievement that they have been able to stay in the Senior grade for so long.

48. Mayo88 – Players in Crossboyne play for Garrymore though.

49. No Parish boundaries so.

50. IFC semi-final result: Ballyhaunis 0-11 Louisburgh 1-6

51. Belmullet 0-4 Westport 0-3 HT. All Belmullet’s scores from placed balls, Westport struggled early on but growing stronger as the half went on. Lee Keegan and Belmullet’s Shay O’Donoghue were black carded early on.

    JFC B semi-final results: Eastern Gaels 1-15 Kilfian 0-6 and Tourmakeady 2-9 Ballycroy 2-7.

52. Belmullet 1-5 Westport 0-8 at the second water break. Drama just before this, as Lee Keegan took down Ryan O’Donoghue on the edge of the square and it was hard to see how this wasn’t a yellow card offence, which, with the black earlier, would have seen Keegan off. Belmullet goaled early in the second half but Westport responded superbly with four on the spin. It could go any way now.

53. Only way shrule got to a senior is by going up through the league ranks. They have never won an adult county title

54. Up Belmullet!

55. Belmullet 2-7 Westport 0-9 FT. Injury time goal by Ryan O’Donoghue sealed it for Belmullet. What a story their Championship run has been – it’s their first Senior final since 1981. All-north Mayo final so there’ll be no grousing from anyone about the venue, Ballina the perfect place for it.

56. Told ye Belmullet are no slouches. Hard luck Westport buy well done Belmullet it will be a cracker of a final. Don’t write Belmullet off in the final.

57. Great win for Belmullet
    Fair play to them

58. So it’ll be a Knockmore Belmullet final.

59. Maybe James Horan might want to look at the Belmullet players.

60. Great stuff from Belmullet. Will be a lively old night tonight.
    Ryan has been superb since the AI final. Eoin O’ D also.
    They make them tough out Belmullet way.
    Hopefully a few more lads can get on the Mayo panel.

61. Famous year for Belmullet…lost to spiddal from Galway 3 years ago in Connacht intermediate… How things can change

    They’d have been 10th or 11th favourites at start of year surely?

    Ryan O’Donoghue the unanimous mayo footballer of the year for 2021?

62. Belmullet were the better team. Well trained and keep to their plan. Just shows you how important game structure is. Mayo could learn something from their approach.

63. As for Westport they’ll be kicking themselves

    Ballina probably should have put them away in the quarters. Still a way off making the full breakthrough yet despite all their talent

64. Congratulations to Belmullet a wonderful place with great people,they won’t fear Knockmore having beating them already,yes Larry Duff it was tongue in cheek,but hopefully they will go on and win it now

65. That win Belmullet had over Knockmore in the group stages could yet prove to be a deciding factor in the final.
    They certainly won’t fear knockmore and having beaten them already will give them all the belief they need to do it again.
    Which ever way it goes I hope a few newbies will put their hand up and grab the attention of the boss.

66. Thoroughly enjoyed that – well done Belmullet. Delighted for them. Super game. Best of luck in final. How good was Ryan and Eoin O’D!

67. Lookit, Westport weren’t good enough against Ballina and should never have won that match. Ballina threw it away. Ballina were dominant all over the pitch. So today was no great surprise.

    I’d give man of the match to Eoin O’D for completely snuffing out Mark Moran, especially for the first 15min period after he came on. Eoin spoiled every ball that went into him. Classic, yet simple defending. For me, that was the game.

68. Congratulations to Belmullet. Their hunger was palpable and dogged determination got them over the line. As a Knockmore man I went to support Belmullet today. I wish them well but naturally not too well lol. Westport could have controlled the game but were not in the same league today. Hon the final

69. Swinford have been finally demoted to a level fitting for their standards. This collapse isn’t a surprise as they have been a creaking ship the last 10-15 years.
    A club that has a pick of players from 5 parishes cannot maintain intermediate status. Back in 2005- 2010 they were contesting county A u16 and minor finals, had mayo underage players….where are those players now?

70. Thats phenomenal stuff from Belmullet, nobody was calling them as potential finalists this year and fully deserved….and there is nothing too scientific about it, pure desire, hard work and grit. Their defending as a unit has been phenomenal and in ROD they currently have by far the best player in the county.

    They will go into final as underdogs but absolutely no reason they cant win it given their scalps so far
    Another winter of soul searching for this westport team, if they dont get across the line soon they could start being seen as a flaky outfit

    I missed the early black cards, what were they for?

71. Nothing in those early black cards supermac but letter of the law understandable ref gave them. Belmullet one was for playing the man off the ball, bodycheck I guess. Second, Lee pulled down his man but I thought it was harsh.

72. [Deleted].

73. Well congratulations to Belmullet, and Knockmore.. considering the way the county championship has gone so far, you’d imagine some serious reappraisal of who really are our best 15 or best 26 by our harmonious management team.

74. Some win for Belmullet. A team full of grit and determination, with the best forward in the county. I said previously that Knockmore would win the final, but presumed it would be against Westport. Belmullet know that Ballina pitch better than their front gardens at this stage.

    Colm Moran and Pat Lambert were the only outfield players on show that possibly deserve a Mayo call up. Shane Nallen was massive for Belmullet though. If there are 3 goalkeepers on the Mayo panel next year he deserves a shot IMO.

75. Ah lads outstanding stuff from Belmullet. What a lovely day for a game.

    Eoin O’D was the best defender by a country mile on the pitch today. He destroyed both McDonagh and Mark Moran. That kick pass into Ryan for the Keegan black card was outstanding. Rory Brickenden, E.McLaughlin were nowhere near his level today. Ben Doyle made no impact off the bench either.

    Some people said on this blog during the week that Keegan would have Ryan in his back pocket. How badly wrong they were. He is the best player in the county at the moment there is no denying that. Apart from a quite 3rd quarter Keegan couldn’t handle him at all and he should have seen the line.

    That score from Keegan near the end deserve a mention. 45metres out, standing still. Outside off the right, straight over the black spot… What a game!

76. I’m impressed with Belmullet’s manager Damien Mulligan he has brought them a long way. Wouldn’t look out of place as a future Mayo manager

77. Belmullet full value in Ballina today. Just seemed to stick with their plan and did so with great doggedness. I love how they have steadily move up the ranks to the top, and did so without too much controversy.
    I will be conflicted in a fortnight though because I absolutely love Belmullet, the people and the area. And they are the ultimate underdogs in more than just football. But as a Knockmore native it has to be Knockmore. But it’ll come down to who wants it more…..

78. Ciaran,
    When you mentioned a “great Castlebar team” were you referring to the one which collapsed in two All Ireland club finals against St Vincent’s and Ballybodan St Enda’s? Because if you were the word “great” is misapplied. I went to both finals to support Castlebar although having no connection whatever to the club. What disappointments.

79. Larry Duff – you should know better than to post “a man told me” type comments here. You know full well that this isn’t allowed. You’re correct that there’s no official announcement yet about what Oisin is doing – and, in that regard, it could well be that he’s made no decision either way – but that’s no justification for spreading rumours based on pure hearsay.

80. @AndyD in the context of Mayo county champions they were a great team. They may not have won the final but they beat some excellent teams over the years; Corofin x2, Brigids, Crossmaglen, Dr Crokes. All those relatively recent AI Champions themselves. In comparison to say Ballintubber, who once they got outside Mayo couldn’t even give Corofin or Brigids a game, never mind get to an AI final.

81. Incorrect GBXI, Ballintubber beat St Brigids in 2014 (they were 2013 AI champs btw) and lost to Corofin by a single point in 2011.

82. Tubber still couldn’t make the final though, so never reached Castlebar’s standards, despite having the O’Connors at their peak. Castlebar very unlucky with Feeney getting an early black card. That had a huge bearing on that particular final.

83. Tubberman – I deleted that gratuitous swipe you made. You’d made the point, highlighting the inaccuracy and there was absolutely no need for the afters. What is it with people nowadays?

84. As well as Feeney’s black, Connolly was absolutely outrageous in that 14 final. One of the great individual performances, no-one would have lived with him

    As GBXI said in the context of Mayo winners they certainly were a “great” side

    How on earth can a team who beat Corofin twice, Crossmaglen (in a belter) and Crokes be considered anything different. Madness

    Took Corofin to ET in 16 aswell and were handicapped by a condensed fixture list in 17 after Mayo’s run. Always gave Corofin plenty of it. 2 wins for each i make it in 4 matches in the 2010s

85. Fair enough WJ. Apologies, will leave any more Oisin commentary until it’s officially announced whatever he’s doing.

86. Thanks for that, Larry.

87. Apologies Tubberman, I had a feeling you may have beaten Brigids once but I didn’t take the time to look it up. My point still stands though, and surely it must rankle with Ballintubber that they didn’t win Connacht. They had 3 All Star standard players (O’Connor x 2 and Dillon) plus a very good Gibbons and it seemed like once they’d beaten Castlebar they were happy. Castlebar absolutely maxed their ability and were great county champs.

88. Castlebar certainly didn’t max out their ability in the 2 all Ireland finals @GBXI. Ballintubber were probably at their peak in 2018 and 19. They did give Corofin a game in those years, contrary to what you said, but came up short to the eventual All Ireland champions.

89. – As a covey I say well done to Belmullet and best of luck in the final
    – Belmullet took their two goal chances while Westport fluffed their two.
    – Wesport persisted in trying to get the ball to Mark Moran after he came on even though Eoin O D had him wrapped up and he lost ball after ball after ball
    – Meanwhile they never played up the right hand side of the pitch in the second half except for cross field ball from left side to the end line…
    – Westport are on the right road but will need to bulk up in the forward line plenty of nice footballers but lacking physicality up front. Colm Moran deserves a place on Mayo extended panel.
    – Ballina was busy today big crowd at the match and a vintage rally ?? with lots of old Escorts, Cortinas and a few old tractors but the puzzling thing was the fact that there were loads of really new tractors as well….

90. @WideBall, point proven – at their peak they came up short against Corofin, in Connacht. Tubber beat my club and I wanted them to do well for Mayo but they never preformed like they did within Mayo.

    Anyway, back on topic, I think Belmullet will cause Knockmore trouble in the final and could win it. Very impressed with Damian Mulligan and will be interested to see how he can pull it off.