The Connacht senior football semi-final win over Sligo was the first step on the road to redemption for the Mayo ladies senior football team after a very poor run in the National Football which saw them go winless over the whole campaign. Jason Tanniane took over a team which had its difficulties, but with a championship win under their belt now he looks to have the team moving in the right direction. The win over Sligo was backboned by a number of old familiar names who have battled valiantly in the green and red for what seems like years now, Yvonne Byrne, Cora Staunton, Claire Egan, Fiona McHale and Martha Carter have all seen the highs with Mayo in the past and their experience will once again be invaluable on Sunday afternoon when they face the old enemy Galway in the Connacht Senior Football Championship final.
They have been supplemented by a number of players who have earned their spurs over the past four or five years, and more recently the likes of Kathryn Sullivan, Aoife Herbert, and Ciara Hanaohe have all come to the fore.
Sunday’s opponents Galway will be more than familiar to the Mayo ladies with both sides having a number of epic battles down through the years. Current Mayo manager Jason Tanniane even had a spell in charge of his native county in 2008, so will know very well what to expect on Sunday. The game throws in in Tuam Stadium at 4pm on Sunday.
All roads lead to Roscommon Sunday week
With the action in the club championship now over for a few weeks, all eyes are focused on Hyde Park on Sunday week when Mayo will be looking to dethrone Connacht champions Roscommon in the Connacht Senior Football final. James Horan will have had his eyes and that of his selection team all over the county last weekend as he hoped his panel came through the competition unscathed.
Five members of the squad including captain Alan Dillon did not start the respective club games last weekend, the others were Trevor Mortimer, Andy Moran, Neil Douglas and Trevor Howley. Ronan McGarrity limped off near the end of Ballina’s win over Tourmakeady and Horan will be hoping that it is not a serious problem. Conor Mortimer returned to action for Shrule Glencorrib in their draw with Claremorris and scored two points from frees, but for the Shrule Glencorrib sharpshooter it is probably only the first step on a long road back to the Mayo fold.
Four book their spots in last eight
Four sides booked their places in the quarter finals of the Treanlaur Catering Mayo Senior Football Championship with a round of games to go. Crossmolina Deel Rovers, Castlebar Mitchels, Ballintubber and Ballaghaderreen have all secured their last eight spots. The other four spots are being contested by six sides across two groups. Breaffy picked up their second win in the competition, but will still have to get a result in their final game against Knockmore to make sure they make the last eight.
The side they beat, Kiltane, look to be a good bet to make it out of that group if they can beat Ballinrobe. The other two spots are battled out by Ballina Stephenites, Claremorris and Shrule Glencorrib. Shrule Glencorrib and Claremorris both have three points from two games with Ballina Stephenites have two points from two games. Shrule Glencorrib will take on Tourmakeady in their final game which should yield a win for the border club and put them through, while Ballina Stephenites and Claremorris go head to head, with Ballina needing a win to book their spot. A draw will do the south Mayo men, but they cannot go out looking for a result like that or they could come up short against a Ballina side who look to be moving in the right direction.
