Something, anything, to take everyone’s mind of Paradise Lost has to be worth a shot, I reckon, not least given the rather inchoate debate that has ensued of late in the wake of the latest in our seemingly endless series of All-Ireland defeats.
Club action is that something and this weekend sees the culmination of the group stages of the Senior, Intermediate and Junior football Championships. If you need a reminder on what games are on and when you’ll find all the details here. Full fixture details, including the referees rostered for each of the games, are also available from Mayo GAA here.
The excellent Mayo GAA TV service will, once again, be streaming matches live on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They’ve picked three good ones this time too.
Friday night under the lights is back at Aghamore and this time the East Mayo venue hosts the winner-takes-all SFC Group 3 tussle between Ballaghaderreen and Castlebar Mitchels. With Westport already assured of topping the group and Balla similarly confirmed to occupy the relegation play-off slot, the prize for the winners of Friday night’s clash is the second quarter-final berth from the group. That game throws in at 8pm.
The following day the cameras will be at Breaffy for the 4pm showdown in Group 2 of the SFC between defending champions Knockmore and Charlestown Sarsfields. Arising from their unexpected loss last time out to Belmullet – who will win the group if they beat Aghamore on the same day – the Moclair Cup holders are now fighting for their lives in Group 2. Charlestown only need a draw to advance, most likely at Knockmore’s expense, but Ray Dempsey’s charges need the win to be sure of progression.
The following afternoon Mayo GAA TV will be at Knockmore for the IFC Group 2 match between Louisburgh and Kiltimagh at 1pm. The West Mayo outfit have a 100% record going into this game and, with a far better points difference than their rivals, they’re all but guaranteed to go through regardless of how their game against Kiltimagh goes. For their part, Kiltimagh know they need to win and also have to hope that, if Kilmaine also beat Ardnaree, it’ll be by a margin at least three points less than whatever they beat Louisburgh by. If they beat Louisburgh.
So, three fascinating matches being streamed online over the three days and, with decent weather promised for the weekend, plenty more attractive battles to catch if you fancy heading to a game. If you do, don’t forget you need to buy your ticket online in advance – details here.
We’ll be doing a full preview of all the Round 3 action on the Mayo News football podcast this week and that episode should be online at some point on Wednesday.
Finally, this is also county final weekend for the LGFA, with the Senior decider to be contested by perennial champions Carnacon and Knockmore. James Stephens Park in Ballina is the venue for the final which takes place on Sunday and throw-in is at 4pm.
I hate to be the one to correct you on your wonderful work, but it’s Castlebar not Charlestown Ballaghaderreen face on Friday night!
Looking forward to seeing my home town on the TV
Not at all, Justin, I’m glad you did. Charlestown will have enough to do playing Knockmore on Saturday without also going into battle against Ballagh’ on Friday night as well! Post corrected now.
I see some genius in the LGFA decided to fix the senior ladies county final for 4pm
So it is on the same time as ballintubber senior men play claremorris..
So much for maximising the crowd attendance….
Lots of people would like to attend both games but can’t now unfortunately
Carnacon and ballintubber same parish and obviously big cross over of support
Me too Louisburgh exile. I can’t get west this weekend so the TV coverage is timely. Yeah, definitely agree that it’s a nice distraction from intercounty
Well that opening paragraph sure did make me laugh.
Something, anything. A cry of sheer desperation if I ever heard one 🙂
And as we all sit around, pulling on our clay pipes, recounting the life, at the wake of the corpse, of another mayo defeat, laid out in front of us, isn’t it fantastic to see every footballer in the county out in action for their clubs this coming weekend.
I’ll be hoping it will be followed this coming week with a podcast on the games and the performers. The lads did a mighty job on that last podcast.
I read in The Mayo News that last night CCC meeting rejected request from Kilmovee for neutral venue this weekend and the game is still fixed for Achill. Kilmovee are saying they will not travel. Going to be an interesting few days.
I still support the Kilmovee point. I am sure there is grounds to appeal the decision and they should go down that route and I would be really surprised if they did not win. I read the championship rules document and I believe it supports Kilmovee on this.
On the one Road, I read the same article in the Mayo News and would have to agree with the county board, Achill cannot be left as the only team in the whole of the county not to have a home match. It is not their fault or Kilmovee’s that Lacken have folded. Their supporters deserve to watch their team at home, it is only fair. I don’t think the whole approach by Kilmovee is the right way to go. Anyways we will see later in the week if the CCC will change their mind, it will be an awful shame if Kilmovee are knocked out of the championship over their stance. I have also read the Offical GAA rule book with regards to Club Championships and it doesn’t refer to a club’s entitlement to play at Home/Away or Neutral, therefore it appears fair the route the County Board are going down allowing Kilmovee, Achill and Cill Chomain have an Home and Away game.
Cant fathom the logic in it , Achill get the points from w/o home game ,its a no brainer. Shur at that rate let’s say for arguments sake Achill got w/o s all the way to county final as the whole county got a severe dose of covid or some surreal turn of events , would the county final then be played in Achill cause they didnt have their home game ?
Tickets at the above links for the games are “locked”. They’ve been like this for days. Anyone have any idea what is going on?
But surely Dave you can see the importance of having group deciders in a neutral venue , is that not the idea of having the last round of games neutral ?I dont believe the context of entitlement to a home game is relevant it’s the importance of having deciders at a neutral venue , no?
Not sure of the full details- but if Achill got the points for the Lacken game and that was due to be played in Achill – then I would say the Kilmovee game should be played at neutral ground. While it’s not Achills fault their game v Lacken wasnt played – they did get the points which is the same as if they played that game and won.
They cant expect to get the full points for that game and turn around now and be granted another home game. If Lacken’s games were declared null and void for all teams in the group – then it would be a different story.
MightyMayoMountainMen, you have to contact your club secretary or chairperson to get the club’s unique code. That’s what I had to do to get my tickets anyways.
Justin Morgan, much appreciated!
@Daftdave, I think it’s common sense that the game should be played at a neutral venue.
Kilmovee should not budge one inch on this.
Achill should declare that they are willing to play the game at a neutral venue then the matter is sorted because if they don’t they won’t be seeing their team play at home anyway if Kilmovee don’t travel, so what’s the point.
I suppose Achill would have lost the gate takings even if they did get the points from the w/o.
It seems to me that both teams have case.
I would be on the Kilmovee side for this controversy. They had to go away from home and beat Lacken. However one sided the game turned out they still had to win it. Achill got a walkover vs Lacken so didn’t have to risk picking up injuries/suspensions like Kilmovee.
A neutral ground is the fairest choice. By all means give Achill a couple hundred euro to compensate for lack of gate receipts.
@WideBall Achill also had to travel down to Kilcommon for 1st round of championship. As far as I’m aware the games against Lacken have been deemed null and void as Kilmovee would have had a ridiculous scoring difference otherwise. Achill have every right to stand their ground on the game being played at home.
On a separate note, I see Achill travelled to Kilmovee for a league game 3 weeks ago, 1hr 45mins journey from some parts of the Island.
@ DaftDave you said you read the GAA rule book – you are right nothing in that about Home & Away. But I said the rule is covered in the MAyo Championship rules and byelaws and the GAA rule book does allow county bye laws. The county championship regulations clearly cover home & away. It also goes onto say that the final game in a group can be home/away venue but that is decided by coin toss. There is no doubt that this is a third round fixture for Kilmovee (see second rule below and I would also say it is third round for Achill as they have points for two games but the relevant section isnt very clear on this). But the rule re third round applies for Kilmovee. Unless Kilmovee lost a coin toss I cans see how it can go ahead in Achill. For clarity the relevant pieces are:
Each team will have a home and away fixture in round 1 and round 2. The 3rd round venue will be fixed by the CCC. The CCC also reserves the right to toss between both teams for a venue if the committee deems it in the best interest of a particular fixture.
The following regulations shall apply to the league section of the championships: Ref 6.21 T.O of the Official Gaa guide
(a) League results shall be credited as follows: 2 points for a win, and one for a draw.
(b) If a club is disqualified or retires during the course of the league stage, its played games shall stand and its unplayed games shall be awarded to the Opposing Teams.
“(b) If a club is disqualified or retires during the course of the league stage, its played games shall stand and its unplayed games shall be awarded to the Opposing Teams.”
This is the most important bit , lacken are still effectively in the group .
Which in turn means the home and away fixtures have been fulfilled .
Kilmovee are well within their rights and are totally correct in demanding a neutral venue .
Have a woeful headache following the blog for the last week. It went from debate, to apportioning blame, to finger pointing in absolutely every direction, to possible solutions, to downright silly solutions and finally to infighting by blog users. Not your fault of course WJ but that last thread was a horrible and difficult read.
So delighted to see at last, a new thred, big championship weekend in both men’s and ladies. But no, more controversy. Achill digging their heels in and ladies final at the wrong time. It seems it never ends.
@Ahnow. Just before your headache goes away.
This is not the case, however, what would happen in the following scenario,
If
After all other scenarios Achill and Kilmovee could not be separated at the top of the table and if it all came down to their score difference of each team v Lacken.
Kilmovee would have the 9-23 they put up.
What weight would Achills w/o have in that situation. ?
Eyesontheball – the games were not deemed null and void. The group standings are on the Mayo GAA website. Kilcommon are on 5 points, Achill on 3 points, Kilmovee on 2 points and Lacken 0 points. There is one 3rd round game remaining in the group and that should be at a neutral venue like every other 3rd round fixture in the county.
League fixtures are completely irrelevant to this issue.
That’s irrelevant revellino , the rules are the rules .
Revellino, exactly how can Achill or Cill Chomain compete with Kilmovees +50 scoring difference when they werent afforded the oppportunity to play against them. In essence since Lacken pulled out it is a 3 team group and the fairest way to treat all remaining teams is to afford them all with a home and an away match irrespective if Kilmovee consider it a knock out match. Looking forward to hearing what has to be said on the Ah Ref Podcast tonight about it. And Eyesontheball Achill did travel half way to Dublin to play a league match in Kilmovee and it was even a dead rubber and could have easily conceded the game as they had already won the league.
@Ahnow Ahmen to that!
“In essence it’s a three team group ”
But it’s not per the rules . See above. The CCC have made a hash of this , it’s like they’ve ignored the rule book , you just cant do that .
“Each team will have a home and away fixture in round 1 and round 2. The 3rd round venue will be fixed by the CCC. The CCC also reserves the right to toss between both teams for a venue if the committee deems it in the best interest of a particular fixture.
The following regulations shall apply to the league section of the championships: Ref 6.21 T.O of the Official Gaa guide
(a) League results shall be credited as follows: 2 points for a win, and one for a draw.
(b) If a club is disqualified or retires during the course of the league stage, its played games shall stand and its unplayed games shall be awarded to the Opposing Teams.”
See part B , games still stand , that’s your lot , sin e . Neutral venue or at best for Achill a toss .
Daftdave – Kilmovee’s scoring difference won’t be an issue as they can’t finish on the same number of points as Achill/Kilcommon. The point is that Lacken did compete in the opening fixture and gave walkovers in the next 2. So it’s still a 4 team group.
Tickets now “unlocked” for Ballagh vs Mitchels
@daftdave
Do you think Kilmovee should be the only team out of 47 in the Mayo Club Championship to play 2 away games?
Can you not appreciate the unfairness of that?
Poor judgement on the County Board’s part as arbiter of this situation.
Disappointed in Achill also having taken the 2 points on offer from Lacken’s no show that they would not show a little magnanimity to Kilmovee.
Ah ref have a podcast this week ?
Yes podcast is up and we talk about this and the matter about the “questions” to mayo management. Willie Joe can i post the link here in the comments for the podcast?
Listened to it this morning Ah Ref. Super as usual.
Enda was alot calmer than expected. I suppose he had a week to calm down since you broke the news to him last week
You were 100% right on your rant – unusual to hear you go off on one
Sure, fire ahead!
Thanks Willie Joe
Yes On the one road I did go off on one haha ,
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3BJflmzAvsCC81ms4WewdF?si=-aPF-i9QSkCiapDubuGHLg&dl_branch=1
Anchor
https://anchor.fm/ah-ref/episodes/Mayo-Club-Championship-Round-3-Preview-plus-rants-e18mn5h
I wouldn’t blame Achill for asking the question but it’s the type of thing you ask tongue in cheek, like Ireland asking to be the 33rd team, even Blatter wasn’t daft enough to bow to such a ridicules request.
So the blame for the fiasco rests totally and absolutely with the County Board and nobody else.
It’s no wonder people are banging their heads off the wall and feel hopeless, they expect adults to be able to make logical decisions and there’s nothing logical about this decision.
If this decision isn’t overturned in the next 24 hours then anyone involved in the making the decision should resign.
I have no interest in Kilmovee whatsoever but I know the difference between right and wrong, and this is wrong, no more than the All-Ireland final, it has exposed clear and obvious flaws in decision making.
Another Mayo GAA shambles, if this was a company the whole lot of them would be fired on the spot.
@Viper
No successful business is run by a committee of people. You need a strong person at the top calling the shots and making the difficult decisions.
In defense of the MCB, the way GAA is set up structurally makes it very difficult to make decisions in a fluid/efficient manner. Case in point is the senior management review which is a shambles. Listen to Ah Ref podcast for his point of view.
Anyway, enjoy the games this weekend everyone. I will be following on Mayo GAA TV, the service is great so far.
is it true Cillian will be back?
My understanding of gaa governance is limited tbh but can I ask just to kill my own curiousity a couple of questions.
Are rules in the competition rule book final ,as in they cant be changed no matter what during the course of a particular competition?
If the answer is yes, they are final and cannot under any circumstances be changed, how in the name of fook can the CCC come to the decision they made ?
@Mayo Fan in Chicago, it’s the effects of brain drain laid bare, the brains of Mayo are scattered nationally and worldwide.
@viper Have you seen the article in this weeks Conn Telegraph by Aiden Henry
“Mayo GAA top brass doing a lot of ducking and diving”
its almost like you wrote it!
@ Sean. I don’t see how the rules could be final, as in the Connacht final already had its venue penciled in, but it seemed to be easy enough to come to a decision to switch that game to Croke Park when they decided that’s what they wanted to do.
The rules seem to be rigid when it suits and flexible at other times.
The difference with the connacht final is both teams agreed to play in Croke Park. If Galway or Mayo wanted it to remain in MacHale park it wouldn’t have been moved.
@rev , so the connacht council have venues pencilled in as rules , I cant see that been the case , for a start we dont know who will be contesting the final. There are rules for the round Robin championship stages as has been outlined here the last few days . Like I’ve mentioned earlier I’m clearly no expert on this but I’ll stick my neck out and call it, they’ve fouled the ball here . There are crystal clear guidelines set out in the competition rule book that must be adhered to otherwise kilmovee should indeed show up and play with 100 players , what’s good for the goose .
@Revellino, I don’t see this as a rules issue at all, it’s a power trip fiasco with total disregard for fairness.
Put it this way, if the points Achill received for the Lacken w/o had been an away game, would Achill have requested that their game v Kilmovee be played away on the basis that they didn’t have an “away game”, or would they have insisted that they already had an “away game” and insisted on a neutral venue.
Or would they have strenuously and rightfully objected to playing Kilmovee away as opposed to a neutral venue, of course they would.
I think Achill should come out right away and declare that they want this game played at a neutral venue and nip this fiasco in the bud, at least someone try and show a bit of common sense for once and for all.
I would advise them to act right away, concentrate on playing and winning the game by enough to top their group.
@Mayo Fan in Chicago, no I didn’t and I can assure you I didn’t write it, or know anything about it, I can’t find the article online.
Ah Ref and Enda, mighty stuff as always, keep up the good work!
I would agree that Kilmovee have been treated unfairly in this instance. Achill effectively won their home game when Lacken gave them the walkover. It’s unfortunate how things played out with Lacken but I don’t see how Achill’s ‘right’ to play a full home game supersedes Kilmovee’s right to play one away game only. The fairest call is to play at a neutral venue.
I see Balla v Westport has been switched to Tourmakeady.
If Achill accepts the points for a home game which the opposition forfeited then all terms that come with those points should apply, including the fact it was a home game. If it is unfair for Achill to have no home game, what is fair with Kilmovee having two away games. This has all the appearances of a decision which was not thought through, not taking account of the unintended consequences and precedents being set.
I could hardly tell you where Kilmovee is, so I have no skin in this game, but I know what fairness looks like.
Great listen to Ah Refs podcast and to be fair to him he tried to be unbiased. Enda had some valid points but some of his suggestions make no sense, Kilcommon and Achill will toss for top spot on Saturday evening when Kilmovee concede the fixture. The Lacken/Achill game was a non event and to suggest giving up points is nonsensical, all points should be taken from Lacken’s games. Big deal Achill is 110km from Kilmovee, Achill travelled to Kilmovee 3 weeks ago for a dead rubber league game and they didn’t make a fuss about travel. Are Kilmovee players going to be happy on Saturday when they’re out of championship due to their stance?
Head Down Stay going – Kilmovee is off the N5 between Charlestown and Ballaghadereen. Borders with Aghamore I believe.
I’ve never been in it as far as I can recall and had planned to go see Cill Chomáin there when they were playing last Sunday week but events conspired against me even though I was passing near the time.
I’d agree it does seem like Kilmovee are getting the raw end of the deal and a neutral venue as would have been originally scheduled would have been fairer. Can’t blame Achill for any of it either.
I think wide ball put his finger on it when he said that both teams had agreed for the Connacht final and that it could move to Croke Park.
Obviously in the Achill v Kilmovee third round tie Kilmovee were not consulted or certainly did not agree on changing the venue.
Whether Achill were involved in seeking the venue for the third round or not it shouldn’t be lumbered on them at this stage to insist the venue is reset.
It is up the the County board to reset the venue to where the match should be rightly played, and if Kilmovee decide that there is no way they are going to fulfill the fixture then they shouldn’t suffer any penalty for this.
Not only should they not suffer any penalty, they shouldn’t lose the points on offer from the game either.
@Revellino, Well if it is the case that Achill requested a home game then they initiated it so I think they can now withdraw any such request and declare in the interest of fairness that the game should be played at a neutral venue.
But requests are one thing, it’s whoever decided it was a good idea, they are the ones who are to blame ultimately.
Well done Ah Ref and Enda – spot on as usual. Its always good to hear straight talking! Fully support Kilmovee. Just read the Aiden Henry piece. He mentions the Chairperson of Review is Solicitor Susan Cosgrove – I havent heard of her in the GAA world. But sure what will come out of it anyways?? A month on I am still cross/fed up of how we lost that final.
@Viper.
I don’t think Achill had authority to move the venue and don’t have the authority to move it back. I think it is whatever authority who initially decided to change this third round venue, they need to man up now and put it back to where it should be.
It isn’t really Achill’s problem. If it was them that requested a home venue for their third round, they should have been told at the time, flat out, that moving venue was a no goer.
Totally agree ,not Achills problem , whether they requested for it to be a home game or not is irrelevant, shur you can request anything ,its up to the governing body to impose the rules .
Anyway looking forward to the games this weekend , expect it to start off with a cracker Friday night in aghamore. Mitchell’s to have too much for ballagh, youd think so . Charlestown v knockmore is another cracker with everything on the line. I find these games very hard to predict and I like a flutter but cant pick tbh
Daftdave – I’ve just excised from your comments those barbs directed at a named individual. I don’t need to tell you who this is. This is at least the third comment from you that I’ve had to sanitise in this way. The next one from you in this vein goes straight into the bin.
Dave , you keep ignoring the rulebook though, it’s not about opinion. It clearly equates to the games v lacken do indeed stand. I really hope kilmovee take this all the way , they are quite clearly right in insisting on a neutral venue .
@Revellino, You are right of course they didn’t but it would be hard to argue that they are not embroiled in a controversy and there is only one victim here, Kilmovee.
So if Achill declare publicly or by communication with Kilmovee that they wish the game to be played at a neutral venue, then they completely distance themselves and show solidarity with Kilmovee, if that happens right away then I would be 99.9% certain that the game will be played at a neutral venue.
It doesn’t let the decision maker off the hook by any means but it means the game goes ahead.
You should always opt to do the right thing rather than do what someone may have told you that you can do, knowing deep down that it is unfair.
Willie Joe you have the patience of Jobe
This defeat has deflated me, you must read all the comments
I think its fantastic that a junior championship game is dominating the thread!
I do, Jr, for my many sins! It’s been a tough few weeks.
Agreed, Lahanman, re the debate focusing on the JFC, which is bordering on esoteric at this stage.
@Viper
Why would Achill give up their home advantage? The County Board fixed the game, they discussed it at length at their fixture meeting and in their eyes it would be unfair to single out Achill as the only team in the County to not play at home. Its not up to Achill to concede their home game.
It will be an interesting couple of days, any idea when the decision of the Connacht Council be made?
Its great that the Junior competition is getting some air time because it gets about 5 minutes out of an hour or more in the Mayo GAA related podcasts.
@Daftdave, Because they already have had their home “game” and been awarded for it by getting the “win” points.
They are not conceding anything, the “home” game is history and points have been awarded.
Fairness is not based on having your cake and eating it.
So it is more unfair on Kilmovee to be expected to play two away games than it is on Achill to be granted a home game when they already have been given the points for the “home” game.
How can people prioritize fairness while at the same time having no issue in being totally unfair to Kilmovee.
It’s totally mind boggling if we have people in charge who do not know right from wrong or are unable to make decisions based on logic.
It’s nasty what’s being done to Kilmovee and they are totally correct not to travel.
I’d expect the GAA to fold at the last minute, either way the damage has been done now, so it’s yet another black mark.
@Viper
Well said.
The mind boggles that the CCC can stand over such flagrant unfairness.
As you state, another black mark against the County Board.
The lack of leadership from the CB is stark.
New podcast episode up, this one previewing the weekend’s Round 3 club action as well as some chat about the end of year review.
@John Mac, Just reading Michael Gallagher’s piece in the Mayo News and the quotes from Con Moynihan, the chairman of Mayo GAA’s Competitions Control Committee (CCC).
“The fixtures committee had a very lengthy discussion about it and we totally understand Kilmovee’s situation but fairness has to come into it”
So you need a lengthy discussion to come to the conclusion “that fairness needs to come into it”, and then make a decision which completely lacks fairness !
Con Moynihan goes on to say, “We were between a rock and a hard place”, but yet they favoured one over the other which totally contradicts what he said about fairness needing to come into it.
A fair decision does not favour one side over the other, so let’s be fair to Achill but unfair to Kilmovee, you couldn’t make this stuff up.
On a separate note the same Con Moynihan has stated that he is actively considering running to be the next chairman of the Mayo County Board and will make a decision over the next few days.
Let’s hope it’s a better decision than what was made regarding Kilmovee, or we are truly cursed.
I hope that JP Kane can give the time and run for Chairman he would be outstanding
100% corick
You’d think Achill would just have been happy with their walkover and play the match at the neutral venue as per original fixture arrangement. Bad form. If the match goes ahead I know who’ll I’ll be shouting for.
@Liberal role in the tie, Ah the first thing you do is contact them both and say look we have a situation and ask them both if they are willing to accept a coin toss on venue.
Something as simple as that could have sorted the whole bloody mess out in 5 minutes when handled properly.
I think its mean-spirited that Achill requested a prearranged fixture to be changed to a home game, even considering all the factors. They can’t have their cake and eat it.
Bit harsh on Achill there , it was worth a shot from their perspective of not having a home game . The blame lies entirely with those in charge .
Appeal rejected
Mayo CB fought it on a technicality of it been a late appeal . In my eyes they admitted they were wrong and unfair in their decision , no moral compass ,ethically wrong ,truly horrible . Never ruthless when it mattered down the years but bullies can seem ruthless when scrapping a smaller man for sure .
Shameful carry on by Mayo CB
The injustice leaves a sour taste.
Kilmovee the only entity coming out of this fiasco with its integrity intact.
@Wideball if the games against Lacken weren’t deemed null and void then how is it fair that the scoring difference that Kilmovee accumulated against them is included when Achill or Kilcommon didn’t get the opportunity to play them, especially Achill as they didn’t get their home game ……..
For the record, completely understand why Lacken pulled out and my best wishes to them, but if we’re talking about fairness, and not that it would have made a difference in the grand scheme of things with the way results worked out, then the scoring difference from that game should not have been included in the group table