Fresh off the back of their trouncing of Roscommon last Sunday, the best that Mayo have will be back in the colours of their clubs as round two of the Mayo senior and intermediate championships take centre stage this weekend.
In group one the big game of the group and arguably the weekend is the meeting of near neighbours Breaffy and Castlebar in Breaffy on Sunday at 2pm. The home team have got off to a flying start this year in both league and championship, with three wins from three in the league including a wins over Castlebar and Ballintubber, and a big win over Crossmolina in the first round of the championship. Mitchels opened up their championship with a hard fought win away to Davitts and had to do so without Barry Moran and Tom Cunniffe. If Pat Holmes’ side can hit form, they have more than enough quality to go all the way in this competition. It promises to be a hell for leather championship battle, with the action around the middle particularly interesting with the O’Shea brothers manning that area for Breaffy and Barry Moran in that mix for Castlebar.
Crossmolina Deel Rovers have had a terrible start to the year, losing all their league and championship games so far, and they will have to up their form on Sunday when Davitts come to town. The south Mayo men put it up to Castlebar for a long time in the last round, but lacked that killer punch up front and that could be their undoing again on Deelside. Michael Moyles’ side are a team in transition, the astute Moyles will have spent the last number of weeks working out what to do, to ensure that his side are at their best. There should be nothing between these sides on Sunday and both know the loser, will do well to avoid the relegation play-offs later this year.
In group two, Claremorris will host a Ballina side full of big names and they are looking to make a mark in the championship this year after last years flirtation with relegation. John Healy’s men picked up a opening round win over Shrule-Glenncorrib the last time out and with the likes of Ger Cafferkey, David Clarke, Evan Regan, Pat Harte, and Ronan McGarrity to call on they have quality all over the park. Claremorris were beaten by Ballintubber in the opening round and home win is a must if they are going to avoid going into the final round of games looking to avoid the a final day battle to keep out of the relegation picture. The other game in the group sees Ballintubber host Shrule-Glenncorrib, and you can only see one winner from this game. Ballintubber are back looking to reclaim the title the lost last year, while Shrule-Glenncorrib are undergoing a rejuvenation following the loss of a number of former greats. Peter Ford’s men will be the banker in a lot of accumulators this weekend.
Tough tests in store for big teams
In group three, Knockmore and Charlestown will meet in a replay of the county final from four years ago, but a lot has happened in those four years for one team. Charlestown have been relegated and bounced back, while Knockmore have been, well, Knockmore, a serious championship side. Both sides won in the first round, but home advantage could swing this one for the north Mayo men. The other game in the group sees Westport visit Tourmakeady, while the other two teams in the group met in the senior final four years ago, this pair met in the intermediate final the same year. Westport on paper, with the likes of Kevin Keane, Lee Keegan, and Stephen Broderick, look a good side, but in Tourmakeady it’s going to be a tough battle and Paul Jordan will have his team well prepared for that battle.
Group four in the senior championship has thrown up a few surprises already. Garrymore sit on top of the table thanks to their one-point win over Ballinrobe on opening day, while Aghamore made defending champions Ballaghaderreen battle all the way to get a draw in Aghamore on the same evening. This weekend, Ballagh will host Garrymore and have a long list of injuries, but do have Andy Moran back in tow. Garrymore will be full of confidence and looking to the likes of Shane Nally, Enda Varley, and Jimmy Killeen to drive them on. They should give Ballaghaderreen a tough test on Saturday evening. The final game in the senior championship is the meeting of Aghamore and Ballinrobe in east Mayo. It’s a tough one to call, Aghamore will be hoping Alan Freeman can continue his good displays of late to lead them to victory, while Ballinrobe will be hoping that their Mayo trio of Kenneth O’Malley, Donal Vaughan, and Alan Murphy bring their A-game on Sunday afternoon. Ballinrobe had the beating of Garrymore last time, but were not able to put over the scores, which is something Ray Connelly will be hoping they have sorted out over the last month.
