A week after one of the lowest ever ebbs of Mayo football, it’s back to home turf for all the players involved when the second round of the Royal Theatre football championships throws in this weekend across all three grades. The senior championship is where most eyes will be, last weekend the last round one game was played when Aghamore were able to pick up a win against Moy Davitts. In section one John Maughan’s Crossmolina will be hot favourites to see off Claremorris. The south Mayo men were given a hammering by Garrymore in the last round, and while Crossmolina were made sweat against Ballintubber in the last round they should have more than enough to win this one.
In the second round in that group Ballintubber will welcome Garrymore to Clogher on Sunday afternoon. While Garrymore ran up the scores against Claremorris the last day out this will be a totally different challenge for them James Horan’s men have been the model of consistency for the past year and have the look of a side driven on success. Throw in home advantage and it should be a Ballintubber win. In section two Moy Davitts will welcome Peter Ford’s Castlebar Mitchels to Foxford. On paper this game will only go one way, but it would be just like Castlebar to lose a game they should win. However Ford seems to have got them to overcome their inconsistency and they should come home with the points. The other game in section two sees Kenneth Mortimer’s Shrule Glencorrib host Aghamore in Shrule on Sunday evening. Shrule have to win or they are out of the running, while Aghamore’s win last weekend after their recent tragedy will have them well keyed up for the contest. Although Shrule Glencorrib have a lot of star names, this could be one of the games of the weekend and come down to the wire.
In section three this weekend, Kiltaine are the side who get the weekend off after losing their two opening games. Breaffy will host defending county champions Charlestown on Sunday afternoon. Breaffy should go into the contest as favourites, with Charlestown having only won one league game and one championship game so far this season. The championship win came after being given a scare by West Mayo back in spring. However the fact that they were only getting their training going after a long year last year has also to be taken into account. Breaffy for their part dug in and ground out a win away to Westport in the last round, and that kind of fighting spirit will be needed again on Sunday if they want to take the points from the county champions.
The other game in section three sees West Mayo who have defied the critics’ expectations of being cannon fodder for the other sides in the section, by beating Kiltaine and staying with Charlestown for first half host Westport in Islandeady. Westport beat Kiltaine in Bangor in the opening round and will feel that they let a win against Breaffy slip through their fingers, and a win is a must if they want to keep in contention for a last eight spot.
The final group in the senior championship is the group of death which was turned on its head last time out. When Ballinrobe were drawn in a group with Ballina, Ballaghaderreen, and Knockmore it looked like another hard luck story for the south Mayo men. But they blitzed Ballaghaderreen in the last round and will not fear the challenge from Knockmore who will make the trip south to Flanagan Park. While they will be full of confidence following the first round win over the 2008 county champions, Knockmore will probably prove too strong for Norman O’Brien’s side. The other game in the section sees the aforementioned Ballagh making the trip north to take on John Healy’s Ballina on Sunday afternoon, both sides have lost a game each and it will be winner takes all on Sunday. Ballina should just about take the points, setting up a do or die final day battle with Ballinrobe for a place in the last eight.
