Kirby is ready to double up

Fri, Oct 17, 2014

Wherever he lines out on the field, Danny Kirby is a man who gets special attention. The big Castlebar man could feature anywhere from midfield through to full forward for his team on Sunday. While some players like a certain role in a team, Kirby feels that his adaptability has made him become a much better player, as he told the Mayo Advertiser in the build up to Sunday’s final. “I think it’s a help, you become a more rounded player. If you’re in the full forward line you see the kind of ball a full forward wants; when you’re out midfield and you get the full forward line giving you a bit of guff about the ball you’ve played in, you know, yeah you’re right, this is ball you want.”

Sunday’s showdown should be fun

Fri, Oct 17, 2014

I am really looking forward to Sunday’s county final, Castlebar and Ballintubber met in the group stages with the Mitchels winning by a single goal but it seems the tides have turned slightly after Ballintubber’s devastating display in the semi-final win over Knockmore. Castlebar seem to have the measure of Ballintubber as of late, but will certainly be fearful of going up against one of the most lethal club forward lines in the country. They will also be reminded that Ballintubber have beaten them in two finals in the last five years. Castlebar have a better defence than Ballintubber but Ballintubber have a better forward line than Castlebar so something has to give.

Putting recent disappointments to right spur on Ballintubber

Fri, Oct 17, 2014

Setting things right from their own point of view is something that has been driving on Ballintubber this year. To the outsider, a team that reaches three county finals on the bounce, winning two and getting knocked out at the last eight stage in another year, is probably doing all right. But not by the exacting high standards the club members have set from themselves. Joint manager Tony Duffy spoke to the Mayo Advertiser in the build up to Sunday’s senior county final, and he explained: “It wasn’t hard coming back, we’d set very high standards for ourselves in previous years in getting to three finals in a row and winning two of them. It was disappointing in 2012, we were tame enough the way we went out against Ballaghaderreen and last year it was just terrible and very frustrating end to the year. I suppose the writing was on the wall a few weeks out from that game against Knockmore. I suppose injuries to key players didn’t help, but that wouldn’t be an excuse we’re using. We didn’t do ourselves justice in any way or form and it was massively disappointing. At the start of this year, we were determined to put that right.” That is the drive and determination that has propelled them back to the final of the competition for the fourth time in five years. They are very happy with the way the season has panned out for them so far according to Duffy. “It’s gone well, we’ve won pretty much all our games so far, the only loss we had was to Castlebar in the group stages of the competition. We lost that narrowly and drew with them in the league which has been very satisfying and a testament to the work that all the lads have put in and the commitment they’ve shown, after a disappointing year last year and the year before.”

Managing the expectations

Fri, Oct 17, 2014

In sports management, it is often said that when a successful manager leaves a job, you want to be the guy, who follows the guy, who followed the successful guy. Because following in the immediate footsteps of someone who brought great success is a very tricky task to master. But when Pat Holmes decided that he was going to step away from the Castlebar Mitchels’ hot seat following their defeat in last March’s All Ireland final after guiding them to county and provincial glory for the first time in two decades, his two trusty lieutenants Shane Conway and Alan Nolan stepped up to fill gap and they have bought them back to the county final at the first time of asking.

Hurlers make it a week to remember for Ballyhaunis

Sun, Oct 12, 2014

The old firm of Mayo hurling came face-to-face once again on Sunday in the Mayo Senior Hurling Championship final and it was the men in red and black who made the short trip home in the road with the Tyrrell Cup in their arms after an exciting encounter in the Tooreen Hurling Grounds.

Brothers in victory

Sun, Oct 12, 2014

There was no denying the joy of the Ballyhaunis players and supporters at the final whistle in Tooreen on Sunday. Keith Higgins and his brother Pierce were two of the vital cogs in Ballyhaunis' victory and both were bursting with emotion after the game. Keith who played a huge role in the clubs success in the intermediate football final the previous weekend looking back on the last seven days said, “It's been some two weekends not just for the players but for the supporters, they were behind us every step of the way, not just the hurlers but the footballers too.”

Old rivals face each other again

Fri, Oct 10, 2014

Twelve months ago, the blue devils from Tooreen ended a 10 year famine, with an unexpected and devastating victory over Ballyhaunis in the Mayo Senior Hurling Championship final. Their 4-10 to 1-6 win over their near rivals ended a decade of hurt, where for eight of the previous nine years the TJ Tyrrell Cup spent the winter with their near neighbours. It was an emotional victory for the men from Tooreen, with Kenny Feeney leading the way scoring 3-6 over the 60 minutes, with man-of-the-match, Cathal Freeman, chipping in with three points from midfield.

The underdogs have their day

Fri, Oct 10, 2014

Last Sunday’s county Junior and Intermediate finals were certainly a day for the underdog with Castlebar Mitchels B team and Ballyhaunis prevailing as county champions.

Prenty points Ballyhaunis home

Sun, Oct 05, 2014

From winning just two games of football last year and losing their opening championship game this season, Ballyhaunis have torn up the script this summer and gone on to become deserving Mayo intermediate champions. This was a victory not just for the team and the club of today, but for all the teams and players that tried to get there over the years and fell just short, according to Liam Lyons in his acceptance speech after the full time whistle. The red and black me from east Mayo are back in the big time next year and they did so playing an exciting brand of football doing so.

Mitchels dig it out at the death

Sun, Oct 05, 2014

If they had lost it, they would really have no-one else to blame but themselves, but come crunch time Castlebar Mitchels centre-half-forward Adam Murphy had the wherewithal to do what so many of his team-mates had failed to do before that and put the ball between the posts deep into injury time on Sunday. Mitchels were by far the better team on the day, but they left the backdoor open with their wayward shooting and Achill found themselves in with a chance of lifting the McDonnell cup against the odds at the end.

Lam issues call to supporters as Connacht host Cardiff

Fri, Oct 03, 2014

Connacht Rugby coach Pat Lam wants all fans to flock to the Sportsground this evening to help his side overcome visitors Cardiff in their fifth Guinness Pro 12 fixture. Having lost their unbeaten record to Glasgow last weekend, Connacht now face a Cardiff outfit which they have beaten just once in their last nine fixtures, and Lam says the supporters can help Connacht protect their 100 per cent record at home this season.

Brilliant personal best for Barrett in Berlin Marathon

Fri, Oct 03, 2014

The Berlin Marathon is one of the five major city marathons in the world and has a reputation for fast times. The world record has been broken there in each of the last two years. Roger Barrett of Mayo AC trained hard for this year's race and had a brilliant run finishing with a personal best in 2:30:14 - well inside his 2:32:53 finish at the 2012 Dublin Marathon. Roger narrowly missed out on his target sub 2:30, but on this form he will soon achieve that goal. Well done too to Michael Canty (Ballina AC) who also achieved a personal best finishing in 2:36. Last Saturday in the tough Clew Bay Half Marathon, Mayo AC had more success when Noel Gibbons who came home first in 1:22: 27.

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