Ballina back on top

Fri, Sep 04, 2009

When the crunch came and Ballina had to see off the champions to retake the top spot in the Super League last weekend, Brendan Kenny’s men didn’t come up short. They had the game wrapped up and the points in the bag with half an hour to go when Eugene Gorman put the ball into the back of the net after a Michael Duffy effort had come back off the post. That goal put the home side into a 3 - 0 lead and Westport were consigned to defeat. The visitors did pull one goal back right at the death through Vinny O’Malley. Westport’s goal ensured that, while Ballina went back to the top of the table, both sides are still level on points, but it is a very slender one goal in the plus column for Ballina Town that keeps them at the summit.

Kenny’s side do have a game in hand and can extend that lead to three points, but taking those points from the game against Snugboro United is no forgone conclusion. So there promises to be a few more twists and turns in the league before it comes to an end. Ballina bagged their first two goals last weekend through Brendan Lavelle, who’s been having a fine season so far for the Belleek Park side.

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Second half super show puts minors into final

Sun, Aug 30, 2009

Mayo 2-9       Down 0-9

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Mayo look to dash rebels five in a row quest

Fri, Aug 28, 2009

t is six years since Mayo last lifted the Brendan Martin Cup, while Mayo were the team of the late 1990s and the turn of the century, since 2005 Cork have been the team of the latter half of the decade. Since claiming their first All Ireland title in 2005, the rebels have gone on to put an amazing four titles back to back, and now are going looking for the magical five in a row.

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Reidy ready to rock rebels

Fri, Aug 28, 2009

While Kevin Reidy has full faith in his side before Saturday evening’s All-Ireland semi-final, the Galway native is still a realist and knows his side face a huge task if they are going to make it to the All-Ireland final. “Look, you could ask 100 people about the game and 99 wouldn’t give us a chance, but can you really blame them going on the past few years? But that’s of no concern for us, all we’re thinking about is going out there and putting in a big performance and trying to win the game.”

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Mayo look to avoid falling Down

Fri, Aug 28, 2009

Mayo may well be the bookies’ favourites to win Sunday’s All Ireland semi-final clash against Down, but the favourites’ tag is something that Ray Dempsey has never paid much heed to as an inter county player and as an inter county manager since he took the reins of the Mayo minor side in 2008. The Knockmore man who brought last year’s batch of minors to within seconds of claiming Mayo’s first All Ireland minor title since 1985 last year, is once again only 60 minutes away from the last Sunday in September and an All Ireland final day out in front of a packed Croke Park.

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Hard work done it is now about the performance

Fri, Aug 28, 2009

Since Ray Dempsey took charge of the Mayo minor side three years ago he has had a simple mantra, getting his side to put in the best possible performance every time from one to 15, and right on through to the last man who makes up the 30 on the panel. “It may be a cliché, but the truth is any side is only as good as its weakest link. You only have to look at any big game that has ever been played, they are won by everyone doing the right things everywhere. You can have a guy who plays the game of his life in one position but a few simple mistakes elsewhere on the pitch can cost you the game at the end.”

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Top of the table clash on Sunday

Fri, Aug 28, 2009

There is only one place to be on Sunday and that’s in Belleek Park at 2.30pm, Westport United, who wrestled the lead back in the Super League last weekend, will make the trip north to take on the side who were leading the league for the past couple of weeks. Ballina Town, whose game was postponed against Snugboro United last weekend, will be eager to reclaim the top spot in the league from the three in a row-chasing Westport men. Currently Westport are three points ahead with a slender on-goal advantage in the goal difference stakes, while Ballina have a game in hand on the champions. A win here and if they pick up a win in their postponed game could see a six-point swing at the top with Ballina moving three points clear.

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Rain stops play around the county

Fri, Aug 28, 2009

Balla Golf Club
Rain causes havoc with Captain’s Day

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Mayo Soccer fixtures

Fri, Aug 28, 2009

Sunday August 30
Eleverys Sports Super League (At 2.30pm)

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Where it will be won and lost

Fri, Aug 28, 2009

With Cork already safely into the 2009 All-Ireland football final after their battering of Tyrone last weekend, our attention swings this Sunday to who will join them? Kerry or Meath. Kerry have been in the last five All-Ireland finals, I’ll look at two of the key duels that will decide if they can do just that and send the Royals packing next Sunday in Croke Park.

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Cork high on confidence

Fri, Aug 28, 2009

On the weekend of a championship match Jury’s Hotel, Croke Park is normally buzzing with animated followers of all the participating teams and last weekend was no exception. I was there early as I had overnighted in the capital and I made my way to the hotel to soak up the atmosphere hours before the game. I mingled with a number of Cork supporters chatting about the match and, to a man, they were hugely confident of their chances against Tyrone. They talked about the maturity of the team this year, the options off the bench and the aerial dominance they had at midfield. A number of them suggested that, not alone would they beat Tyrone, but that they had availed of the 7/2 on offer from most bookmakers on Cork to win the All-Ireland. After engaging them in conversation and having the crack with several of them I must admit that they had me convinced, too, that they were the team to beat this year. Jack O’Connor and Ger O’Keeffe arrived at the hotel. There was a rush of eager youngsters to Jack looking for autographs and he was as courteous as one would expect from a GAA manager, spending time chatting and encouraging all of them. Jack’s son was playing on the Kerry minor team later and he was anxious to have some food before heading across to Croker. We chatted for a while with the ever attentive hotel manager, who incidentally is a Kerryman, and had food organised for the boys. They had played golf somewhere between Kerry and Dublin on the Saturday afternoon and O’Connor was as excited as a young lad with a new toy as he described how he hammered O’Keeffe in a game of ‘skins’ (golfers will understand what I am talking about here). I suggested that a Cork victory over Tyrone wouldn’t necessarily be the result that Jack would prefer. It was widely acknowledged that the Kerry lads would have loved a crack at Tyrone in an All-Ireland this year, bearing in mind their record against the current champions. He didn’t disagree and acknowledged that if Kerry got to a final against Tyrone, his job from a motivational perspective would’ve been a lot easier.

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Half a dozen to make the break this weekend

Fri, Aug 14, 2009

With the senior inter-county season put to bed for another year, things will return to normal on the club scene. And this weekend sees no time being wasted in Mayo with the final rounds of club games in the senior and intermediate football championships down for decision. In the premier competition only two teams have already booked their place in the last eight, both Shrule-Glencorrib and Ballaghaderreen have emerged from section three of the competition, with both sides picking up wins over luckless Breaffy and Burrishoole in their opening two games. The sides will meet again this weekend to sort out who takes top spot in the group and with that the perceived easier draw in the chase for a last eight spot. Shrule-Glencorrib have made up for the disappointment of missing out on the last eight in the last two years to book their place early, but this evening’s game could see them ship a defeat to the current county champions. With Andy Moran and Barry Regan in spectacular form for their side, the east Mayo men’s perceived greater fire power should be enough to see them over the south Mayo men. That said, any side that counts Conor and Trevor Mortimer, Mark Ronaldson, and Kieran Conroy in their starting 15 are not going to be a pushover. In the other game in this group Breaffy will host Burrishoole on Sunday afternoon for the chance to end their championship season on Martin Murphy’s full time whistle. Both sides have lost their first two games in the championship, with the losers on Sunday facing a relegation play-off to ensure their senior status. Things have gone to pieces for Breaffy this year, but they should have enough fight in them to hold off the challenge from the McGovern Park side and ensure their status and regroup for next year.

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