As has already been flagged in the comments, the County Board have this evening issued an update on the senior county panel, both in relation to players currently unavailable due to injury and those who have been released back to their clubs. The County Board’s update is here.
Looking first at the list of players released, the highest profile names are Gavin Duffy (about whom word first leaked out last Friday), Enda Varley and Darren Coen. The whole saga involving Gavin has already been well discussed here on the site – like the rest of you, I can’t in retrospect make any sense of what was going on there – so I guess there isn’t much more to say about it.
Brought into the panel first by John O’Mahony at the start of 2010, Enda went on to play in both the 2012 and 2013 All-Ireland finals, the latter from the bench. Darren has been on the panel since 2012 and looked closest to nailing down a starting place the following year – he started in the Connacht final that year, scoring a goal – but drifted from the reckoning since then.
Keith Rogers, once again, found himself in favour for the FBD but unable to remain on the panel for much longer than this. It’s a bit of a mystery as to why a player who consistently excels at club level hasn’t been able to make the step up to inter-county but there you go.
For Alex Corduff, Caolan Crowe, Stephen Duffy and Peter Dravins, the experience of being part of the senior set-up should stand to them and the hope has to be that they’ll be back knocking on the door in the near future. Releasing Adam Gallagher and Morgan Lyons to the U21s makes perfect sense at this point in time.
Turning to the players still out with injury, it’s a bit of a long list and we’d have been glad of a few of them on Sunday. Evan Regan will be out for some time yet, of course, as will Chris Barrett and Andy Moran wasn’t expected back for a bit longer either while Mickey Conroy’s injury was also no secret. I’m not sure how close Brendan Harrison and Tom Parsons are to being fighting fit but I had thought that Alan Dillon and Jason Gibbons were good to go, which they obviously aren’t just yet.
Commiserations and thanks for all of the efforts that these lads have put in. At the end of the day it’s these lads who have to plough often a lone furrow in the depths of winter, all in the cause of playing for Mayo. Hard luck and best wishes for the future, maybe we’ll see some of these lads in the future pulling on the green and red again. Thanks lads.
All the best to the lads who were let go, particularly Enda Varley who has put a lot in and had some very good days for Mayo at both underage and senior level. Hopefully Darren Coen will be back again at some point as he seems like one who may yet have the talent to succeed.
Well said HSE! Sorry bout de oul abbreviation…
I think there is more pressure sometimes on fellas involved with Mayo than with any other Co., cause of the long famine and the series of gut-wrenching and soul-destroying losses.
I admire the way they won’t lie down Aisy and keep coming back with renewed energy.
Makes me proud to be a Mayoman.
God bless de lot of them. Warriors all!
Gwan MAYO!
Sorry, one more thing…
Major thanks to End Varley for all his hard work and efforts for the cause!
He took a lot of schtick at times and shipped a fair bit of criticism.
I wish to personally say thanks to you and may u bring ur childer some day to Croker for the big ONE!
Any word of Cathal Carolan?
Presumably this means that Coen, McHugh, Douglas, Ronaldson,, ,Durcan, Hall, our 3 keepers are all retained?
It’s hard on players to be dropped but many have come back , best of luck
Would av liked to see D Coen stick around for the summer months. .. looks like a natural scoring forward
It is a little odd that both Coen and Varley have been dropped considering the fact that Evan Regan is injured. I would have thought there is definitely room in the FF line and it’s the one spot we are short.
Releasing Adam Gallagher and Morgan Lyons to the U21s is a strange one when you consider other U21s Durcan O Connor S Coen M Hall remain with the senior panel.
Is for example D O Connor a better option than Adam Gallagher?
Well as I predicted when Mayo were told to go down to Limerick if ye know what’s good for ya, a deal has been done with mac hale park financing. A sell out by the county board, who should have backed the team, but finances ruled. It’s in the Mayo news this week.
I doubt the limerick venue had anything to do with it but it’s certainly some much needed help from HQ on the huge burden of debt.
Hard luck on those who were dropped from the panel. I have particular sympathy for Enda Varley who has given a lot over the past number of years and shipped some [at times a lot] of criticism. No man can give more than his best and I have no doubt that Enda gave all of that. For younger players the example of Mark Ronaldson apparently retained, having been dropped some four? years ago should give some hope.
Yeah hard luck to the lads who didn’t make the cut….a gut wrenching time for them no doubt but I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of them back again in the future.
Best wishes to the lads that were released back to their clubs. Particularly for Enda V who was always very honest, and saw off many challenges. D Coen has time and talent on his side if he wants it. Crowe certainly looks good at club and county, and we could see him again as well as Rodgers
Mayomagic, I disagree with you. The only reason we went to Limerick was for the bailout. I didnt hear any of the county board oppose to going to Limerick and have the game in Croker.
So much for all the money spent on Mchale park, the hurling could not be played there last Sunday cause the ground was to wet. If same happens next Sunday game is to be moved to Ballina.
The surface in Ballina is top notch in fairness. They spent their money wisely ….
I don’t believe the Limerick fixture had anything to do with the “bailout” either. That fixture, if it went to a replay had been scheduled for Limerick from a very early point in the year, regardless of who was playing on the day.
Oh for crying out loud will people please stop on about Limerick!!! We had the winning of that game, as well as the first one, and we didn’t do it. End of story. The venue had nothing to do with it. The bounce of the ball, the clash of heads, our inability to close out games from potential winning positions, inaccurate refereeing decisions that went against us, all of these things contributed but going to Limerick had nothing to do with it. In fact, at the time with all the whinging and complaining that we did it looked like we were getting our excuses in early!
There is a real danger that we, as Mayo supporters, are coming across as spoilt brats that throw the “toys out of the cot” as soon as things go against us. If it’s not the ref that “did us”, it’s Croke Park, if it’s not them, it’s the venue, or the county board. Blah, blah, blah. I know from talking to people from other counties that we are becoming a bit of a joke and are not being taking seriously. These people have told me that they laugh at us, not with us, when they see the Mayo for Sam 2012, Mayo for Sam 2013, Mayo for Sam 2014, Mayo for Sam 2015…..roads/sheep/gables/sheds painted, celebrities holding Mayo geansais, people diving out of planes/climbing mountains with Mayo colours etc etc etc. These people have said “maybe ye should just go and win it first instead of talking about it!”.
We have no God given right to get to finals – Connaught or others – and Roscommon and Galway will test our mettle this year for sure. We have been lucky and blessed to be around when this fantastic set of players have been together to bring us such entertainment. But, as supporters, we are (or used to be?) better than this! I’m getting sick of the “diversionary tactic” of blaming our failure on everything bar the performance. We can keep going down that path and end up only codding ourselves.
We lost in 2012 and 2013 and last year below in Limerick because we did not/could not find a way to win. As I have said here before, the winners write the history books and the losers find excuses.
Here’s to a new year under new management and a few new players. As above, I thank the lads that have been dropped from the panel, especially Varley, for all their work and dedication to the cause. It might be tough on ye now but at least ye were good enough to wear the geansia, unlike me, who has had to revert to the sideline.
Hon Mayo.
Done Deal,
If the rain in Castlebar last Sunday morning was anything like the rain in my neck of the woods it is no surprise McHale Park was unplayable. The ability of a grounds to handle heavy rainfall depends on the soil in the area and while soil can be modified and improved there are limits to what can be done. The McHale Park surface has been greatly improved over the past number of years as it is not so long ago having games moved because of the weather was not uncommon, Some of the solutions for poor surfaces have their own disadvantages as well. For example putting a sand surface combined with intensive drainage on a soil which is normally unplayable in wet weather will make it playable in almost all rainfall conditions but it will be like playing on concrete in dry summer weather with a heavy toll on players limbs, knees in particular. You would not like to run for a hour on concrete while wearing football boots.
So no point in blaming the County Board on that one unless you suggest that they should have gone elsewhere to build a county grounds.
The County Board can be blamed for a lot but not for this one. Likewise Croke Park, as has been already said, was unavailable for a replay on Sat 30 Aug regardless who was in the replay. There were two, and only two, logical alternative venues for Mayo V Kerry, Limerick and Thurles. Limerick was the most convenient venue for both Mayo and Kerry supporters.
Well said Pebblesmeller. Don’t get mad, get even should be the motto.
And, it’s something the players might need to heed as well. An Offaly friend, very supportive of Mayo, noted some negative traits in the first couple of games, and Kinsella rightly punished players for protesting in the Tyrone match; this led to 3 points.
We have very experienced players and to concede this kind of territory, that leads to easy scores, shows a lack of discipline.
Bad decisions are part and parcel of the whole business. Get on with it.
Pebblesmeller, agree 100%. We are becoming a county of whingers and moaners, and neutrals, who were always on our side, are now saying the same. Wr are losing support. I get so sick and tired reading all the excuses.
wouldnt Ya think the IRFU would put the rugby back to 5pm do they not know Mayo v Monaghan is on at Dublin v Kerry!!!
catcol, you mention Mayo players complaining to the ref, tyrone players do it for a living, for even frees that are clear. And I think Mayo don’t need to worry about neutrals not liking them, who cares? just go out and do what you need to do to win the games, even if it means playing “football” like the northern lads play it.
Thanks and the very best to the lads let go…………who knows what the future will hold, Boyler is an example of this.
To those lucky enough to be retained, good luck and now let’s get the job done.
MaighEo Abu
Well said Pebblesmeller, well said.
I wonder what is the story with Cathal Carolan? according to the Mayo news he played for Crossmolina last week, yet he is not on the” coming back from injury list” nor is he on the “still working on injuries list”. So where is he.? Limbo?
Yes Albany, good point. Must be a category for lost souls out there: Carolan, Brian Gallagher, any others?
Cathal Carolan wasn’t in the original panel of 45. Brian “the real deal” Gallagher seems to have disappeared altogether.