Last weekend was a big one as far as the club championship was concerned. There were a number of games played that decided the make-up of the quarter finals in the senior championship. All went according to pre-game predictions, but a number of teams with ambitions of landing the county title really did give indications that they are going to take some beating. Ballina, Knockmore and Charlestown in particular had really impressive victories that caught the eye. We in Crossmolina found ourselves in a fairly precarious position with two draws from our two championship encounters going into last Sunday’s game, so we knew exactly what we had to do. We were therefore understandably happy with the way we played against Garrymore.
After the opening 20 minutes, when the two teams appeared fairly evenly matched, we managed to kick a few good scores that saw us leading fairly comfortably going in at half time. With the aid of a slight breeze in the second half we managed a few early scores that ensured a safe passage to this weekend’s draw. Home advantage does make a difference in these games and our lads looked sharp and focused from the throw in.
We will find out a lot more about ourselves in a weeks time when we are due to play against Charlestown, Knockmore or Castlebar. These three teams have won their respective groups and any one of them will be a huge test for our fellas. Both Charlestown and Knockmore are tried and tested at this level and with plenty of wise old heads amongst their ranks; they know how to dig themselves out of tricky situations. Castlebar on the other hand are the new kids in town and, with a scattering of talented youngsters, could prove formidable opposition. In fact they are many people’s favourites to win this year’s title. Still, if you want to land a Moclair Cup, you’ve got to beat the best around and, irrespective of the draw, I know we can make it uncomfortable for any of the aforementioned teams.
The one thing I would hope for from now on in the competition is that referees would decide to try as much as possible to allow for a certain amount of physicality in the remainder of the games to be played in the championship. Most players that I know spend an inordinate amount of time in gyms throughout the winter months, either individually or in team sessions, undergoing strength conditioning programmes. But they rarely get to use the power they develop as our games have become too sanitised. There is nothing as frustrating as a referee continuously blowing his whistle for frees for ‘handbag tackles’ when clearly no foul is committed. I really do feel we are gone a bit soft here in Mayo in recent years, and while I would never condone a nasty tackle or ugly foul, I would love to see a bit of manliness returning to our game. I have heard it mentioned so many times that we are producing a plethora of tidy small footballers who are invariably found wanting when push comes to shove in bigger tests. And why wouldn’t they be when they are a protected species in our local competitions? Come on guys, everyone wants exciting intense action so let the games flow and allow the physicality back into Gaelic football.
Cats set the benchmark for everyone
I did get to witness the awesome machine that is Kilkenny in action for 30 minutes last Sunday before heading to the dressing rooms in Crossmolina. Unfortunately I saw Henry Sheflin, undoubtedly the greatest hurler of his generation, suffer another cruciate ligament injury. Even without ‘Henry the Great’ they are a machine, with pace, accuracy and nigh on 20 players without a single visible weakness. Henry came off and Brian Cody had the luxury of throwing in the formidable figure of Martin Comerford, a former captain and three-times All-Star. It is almost a foregone conclusion at this stage that they will win this year’s Liam McCarthy. Their mentality, which sees them stronger than everyone in mid to late summer, will guarantee them success for as long as they desire it. I assume some of you saw their minors in action, as they annihilated Galway. All they need is one or two of those minors coming through every year to ensure almost total dominance of the hurling scene for years to come. Not a good thing I know, but there is no point in whinging about it. Others will just have to persevere and hope that things will change! Incidentally, I arranged to have Brian Cody speak to a Mayo football team a number of years ago prior to a big match in Croke Park. There was nothing extraordinary about what he had to say to the Mayo lads, so you see it’s not rocket science afterall.
