Sligo underdogs ambush Roscommon
Fri, Jun 26, 2015
A fellow attendee was telling me last Saturday afternoon, at a wedding in the Ardilaun Hotel in Galway, that Niall Carew's Sligo team were available at 7/1 in some bookies. He looked me in the eye and asked, "What do you think, Silke? Are they worth a punt?" I told him that they were astonishing odds, however, that on all known recent form, including two successive promotions, Roscommon would be expected to win. However he should check out the handicap, as I didn't think there would be that much between them.
Read more ...New cup competitions kick-off this weekend
Fri, Jun 26, 2015
The Mayo League has mixed things up this year with new structure for the main cup competition, rather than a straight knock-out competition with every team in the league in the one competition, it has divided it into three separate cup competitions with the top 16 sides in last year's league standings in the Connacht Gold Super Cup, the next 16 in the Premier Cup, and the last eight sides in last year's standings competing for the Challenge Cup.
Read more ...Manulla keep things interesting at the top
Fri, Jun 26, 2015
Manulla were back giant killing again at the weekend when they defeated Ballina Town in a pulsating contest. With it delicately poised at the break at 1-1 Manulla kicked for home in the second period. Aidan O’Hora was on target for Ballina Town while Gary Durkan and Enda McGahon bagged the crucial goals for Tom Healy’s men. Westport Utd put their harrowing defeat to Ballyglass behind them from last weekend with a comprehensive 3-0 win against Charlestown Athletic. Goals from Pat Fitzgerald, Joe Lawless, and veteran Vinny O’Malley were enough for John Brennan’s men.
Read more ...Mayo move past Galway challenge
Fri, Jun 19, 2015
Mayo made it five wins in a row in Salthill last Sunday against Galway in the first real test of the Holmes and Connelly era with a bit to spare. While the gap was only four points at full time whistle in reality, Mayo always had the Tribesmen fended off apart from a brief period at the tail end of the first-half that culminated with Gary Sice's thunderbolt of a goal.
Read more ...O'Shea stars as Mayo lay down a marker
Fri, Jun 19, 2015
Mayo continued their dominance over fiercest Connacht rivals Galway with a hard fought four point win in Salthill last Sunday. Galway, obviously reeling after four successive defeats against the green and red set the tone early on with some big hits as they let the visitors know they were not going to roll over this time around.
Read more ...Talking points from Mayo and Galway clash
Fri, Jun 19, 2015
Mayo's physical size
Myself and former Mayo player Billy Fitzpatrick were working in the Mid-West Radio Outsider broadcast unit last Sunday at Pearse Stadium and twenty minutes before the game in the space of two minutes the two squads walked by, just outside the window of the bus. The contrast between the teams could not have been more stark. Galway's big men looked tall and slight - whereas nearly all the Mayo panelists were really well built men, with the likes of Aidan O' Shea, Barry Moran, Kevin Keane, Seamus O'Shea Tom Cunniffe and Lee Keegan looking particularly powerful. Interestingly the individual possession stats help confirm that view, with Seamus O' Shea having 20 individual possessions and Aidan with 19 - both more than any Galway player. The hard yards that Mayo have made as regards strength and conditioning over the past four years was there in front of my eyes. The disparity between the panels was plain to be seen in every bicep, shoulder and chest.
All to play for as club championship reaches round two
Fri, Jun 19, 2015
Group One
Davitts v Knockmore
Can United bounce back?
Fri, Jun 19, 2015
Iorras Aontaithe v Ballyheane
Saturday, June 20 at 7pm
Saturday, June 20 at 7pm
Read more ...O'Shea drives Mayo into Connacht final
Sun, Jun 14, 2015
It started and ended with a handbags being thrown, but in the seventy odd minutes in between Mayo did what they needed to do and saw off Galway in a sun splashed Pearse Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The main man on the day for Mayo was Aidan O’Shea who put in a show stopping performance where he tormented the Galway defence for the full seventy minutes. The big Breaffy man was hauled to the ground so often in desperation by Galway defenders that his knees will be sore for a few days from the impact of landing.
Read more ...O'Connor and Moran back as defence shaken up
Fri, Jun 12, 2015
Cillian O'Connor has won his race to be fit for the start of the championship and has been named at full forward for Sunday's showdown with Galway. Former team captain, Andy Moran has also returned to the starting 15 and will line out at corner forward with Jason Doherty in the opposite corner to Moran.
Read more ...The Summer starts here
Fri, Jun 12, 2015
It’s been a long wait and it's nearly over. Since Mayo last tasted competitive action almost every other county has been involved in championship action, with Sligo the only side to have not got their summer underway by the time Mayo throw in against Galway on Sunday. This will be the first proper test of the Holmes and Connelly management ticket in the white heat of championship action and they couldn’t have asked for a more traditional joust than a meeting with Galway in their own back yard.
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