It's the Monday after a hectic weekend of champoionship action for Mayo senior teams in both football and hurling, we look at some bits and bobs from over the weekend.
13 braved the elements to sand outside the fence
At the second half water break, your correspondent decided to count the heads dotted around behind the fences spread around the perimeter of Pairc Sean Mac Diramad. We counted 13 souls who took their chances with the elements to get to see the game for themselves from outside the perimeter of the ground.
No wides in the first half in Carrick
It unusual to see a half go by with out a wide being hit by one side, but for neither to put one off target in the opening half was quite something in Carrick-on-Shannon. Conditions did reduce the amount of shots taken of course and Mayo did hit the upright three times in the first 35 minutes.
Not going to be beaten
That was the feeling of Mayo senior hurling manager Derek Walsh in Healy Park on Saturday after his side booked their place in the Nicky Rackard Cup semi-final following a big win over Tyrone. Defeat to the same opponents last year scuppered their charge in the championship before it got going.
James has his say
Listen to James Horan give his reaction to Mayo's win
Thursday's too soon
For the second week in a row Mayo football manager James Horan has hit out at the fact that he has to hand in a 26 man match day squad on a Thursday morning, before his squad have trained for the final time before a game at the weekend. Even pushing back the submission date for teams by 24 hours would be a massive help according to Horan so players with niggles and knocks could be given more time or not named if the won’t be fit to take part.
O’Connor on fire
Cillian O’Connor hit 1-9 for Mayo on Sunday in Carrick-on-Shannon. The Ballintubber man has lined out just twice for Mayo this season - the first time was against Galway a fortnight ago where he hit ten points. So that’s 1-19 for O’Connor in just two outings this season for Mayo.
No promotion for hurlers
Derek Walsh said that he was disappointed that there was no promotion available to his side even if they win the Nicky Rackard Cup this year. He added that he didn’t agree with it - but it was an All Ireland title and winning that is something you always have to put your all into.
Eight get their championship bow
There were now fewer than eight players getting their first taste of senior inter-county action in the football championship on Sunday in Carrick on Shannon. Oisín Mullin, Eoghan McLaughlin, Bryan Walsh, Ryan O’Donoghue, Jordan Flynn and Tommy Conroy all started the game while Rory Brickenden and Darren McHale all came on before the end.
Rossies coming down the track
Next up for the Mayo senior footballers is Roscommon in Hyde Park next Sunday, Anthony Cunningham’s men are going into this one on the back of winning division two in the league and are defending Connacht champions. Horan said that his side will have to improve their fundamentals of the game going into it, but they are really looking forward to it. The Rossie's knocked Mayo out of the Connacht championship last year.
