It was not pretty, but neither Castlebar or Breaffy will mind

Fri, Oct 18, 2013

The two hot favourites rightfully claimed their place in the county senior football final to be played on October 28. In the opening game Breaffy easily disposed of Charlestown in a poor encounter. The Charlestown team started lively but after the 15th minute the two O’Shea brothers took over at midfield with Alan Durcan and Liam Irwin benefiting the most with both of them scoring some fine points from play. Charlestown will be very disappointed the way they surrendered this game without any real fight. They looked to have lacked any idea and invention, very often having to rely on a hopeful ball into first Paul and then Anthony Mulligan in the second half.

Michéal Jennings, the Breaffy centre-back, mopped up an ocean of ball sitting just in front of his full back from the punts into the full-forward line. Tom Parsons tried his best for the Sarsfields but played second fiddle to the impressive All-Star nominees, Aiden and Seamus O’Shea. Declan O’Reilly had his team playing with great confidence and his half-forward line worked extremely hard when the O’Sheas did not win clean ball in the middle third. It was amazing as it was Breaffy’s first senior final, and instead of joyous celebrations after the game which I expected, the Breaffy players and management just nodded at each other for a job well done. It was like they expected it and know there is a bigger test ahead. I have to also commend Mark and David Caffrey for playing for Charlestown only two days after burying their mother Kathleen, she would have been very proud of her sons as they are proud Charlestown players.

Kiltane look to keep up winning ways

Fri, Oct 18, 2013

When Kiltane were relegated from the senior championship at the tail end of last year by Ballina Stephenites, the Bangor club’s proud record of retaining their senior status against the odds lay in tatters. But the proud men of Erris were not going to take the disappointment lying down and they set about ensuring that they were back with the big guns of club football in Mayo as soon as possible, and they achieved that a couple of weeks ago, by claiming the Sweeney Cup in some style.

Horan holds ‘positive’ meeting with county board

Fri, Oct 18, 2013

Mayo manager James Horan held what was described as a “positive” meeting with members of the executive of the Mayo county board on Tuesday night, according to Mike Connelly, vice-chairman of the Mayo county board. Speaking to the Mayo Advertiser, Connelly said: “There’s not a lot really to report from it, it was a very positive meeting with James and we’ll be meeting with him again next week.”

Breaffy book a date with Castlebar in senior final

Sun, Oct 13, 2013

It'll be hard to find a county final that will have as close of neighbors going toe-toe in it, and have two brothers lining up in opposite colours (Tommy O'Reilly for Breaffy and Eoghan O'Reilly for Castlebar), but that's what this years Mayo senior football championship final has in store in a fortnight's time. Breaffy booked their very first appearance int he final with a historic win over Charlestown, while Castlebar Mitchels overcame Knockmore, despite being without the services of their man-of-the-match from last weeks quarter-final win over Ballina Stephenites ,Barry Moran and losing Aidan Walsh early in the game through injury. Mitchels beat Breaffy comprehensively in the group stages of the championship back in early summer, but Declan O'Reilly's have inflicted a defeat on Pat Holmes' side this year with a win in the opening league game of the season.

Cill Chomain seal junior title with first half double

Sun, Oct 13, 2013

Cill Chomain 2-12
Ardnaree 1-7

Old rivals get ready to do battle again

Fri, Oct 11, 2013

One was once the name to beat in hurling for years and the other has taken up that mantle and is going in search of its sixth Mayo senior championship in a row. The TJ Tyrell cup has wintered in Tooreen 26 times in the past, but it has been ten years since it last headed in that direction and since 2008 he has made his home in Ballyhaunis. On Sunday in Ballyhaunis at 2pm both sides will meet once again in the Mayo senior hurling championship final.

The final four showdown this weekend

Fri, Oct 11, 2013

It was a weekend for shocks and surprises last weekend as the two teams who have won the last three Moclair cups between them bowed out at the quarter-final stage. The biggest surprise of the weekend arguably was Breaffy’s victory over Ballaghaderreen in the first of Sunday’s games.

A weekend of ups and downs and big performances

Fri, Oct 11, 2013

I thought it impossible to see anything more bizarre than having to overtake an NYPD car on my way to MacHale Park last Sunday but just before the start of the Ballintubber/Knockmore county quarter final something else surpassed that. While I was watching the Ballintubber warm up to see if I could spot Cillian O’Connor ( to see if he was togged) I noticed a commotion in the middle of the field with all medical personnel running towards the place where Knockmore just had their team picture taken.

Northern battle on Sunday for McDonnell Cup

Fri, Oct 11, 2013

On Sunday evening, Ardnaree and Cill Chomain will do battle for the right to bring the Pete McDonnell Cup home with them for the winter. For the men in green and gold, it will be their fourth junior final in five years and a chance to exercise the demons from those defeats. In 2009 Kiltimagh defeated them on their way to a day out in Croke Park in the All Ireland junior club final, while in 2011 it was Islandeady who came out on top in the county grounds and most dramatically last year, The Neale emerged victorious after a replay against Ardnaree after a Seán Ramsgrove goal deep in injury time in the replay forced the game into extra time where the south-Mayo men ended up winning by five points.

Horan to meet county board next Tuesday

Fri, Oct 11, 2013

At last Monday night’s meeting of the Mayo County Board it was revealed that Mayo manager James Horan will be sitting down with the county board early next week to discuss his future in the role. At the meeting, county board chairman, Paddy McNicholas told the club delegates that “As regards James Horan’s position, we have arranged to meet him next Tuesday. To review the year to see what’s going to happen for the coming year. James has two more years to go as per the contract or agreement he has with the county board. That meeting will take place next Tuesday night.”

One delegate asked that Horan be brought before the delegates, because he believed that there were questions to be answered by Horan, but the proposal failed to get traction or support from the other delegates. While another suggestion that if he wished to come in before the delegates, he be offered the opportunity to do so, also failed to get off the floor.

Champions tumble out over quarter-finals weekend

Sun, Oct 06, 2013

It was a weekend for surprises in Elverys MacHale Park in the Treanlaur Catering Senior Football Championship, with the defending champions Ballaghaderreen and the winners of the previous two titles Ballintubber both bowing out of championship at the quarter-final stage. The final of the last eight ties got off to a dramatic start, with most eyes during the warm up trying to see was Cillian O’Connor going to play any part in the game, then suddenly Knockmore’s Aiden Kilcoyne had to be stretchered off the field before a ball had even been kicked in anger. The All Ireland u21 winner, when running away from the team photograph did something to his knee in his run towards the warm up and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher, in some discomfort. It wasn’t the start that Nigel Reape would have been hoping for, but his charges, knuckled down without their marquee forward and tore into Peter Ford’s Ballintubber side. The main man in the clash was Declan Sweeney who rolled back the years with a performance for the ages in the full-forward position. He ran Cathal Hallinan ragged all day, and Hallinan didn’t have a particularly bad game and was the key difference between the sides. Knockmore were leading by 0-3 to 0-2 after ten minutes, when Ballintubber hit the first goal of the game to push themselves into the lead. Padraic O’Connor dropped the ball into the danger area and Knockmore goalkeeper Andrew Higgins didn’t cover himself in glory as the ball spilled loose and a combination of Alan Plunkett and Damien McGing combined to force the ball over the line from close range. But Knockmore weren’t going to bend the knee easily and 14 minutes later they pushed themselves back into a 0-8 to 1-3 lead thanks to points from Kieran Langan, Andrew Keane, Tom Clarke and a brace from Declan Sweeney. The north Mayo men tagged on two more points before the break through Kevin McLoughlin and they had the bit between their teeth at the turn around and headed for the dressing room leading 0-10 to 1-3. Diarmuid O’Connor opened the scoring in the second half with a fine point a minute in, but two minutes later the definitive moment of the game arrived when Knockmore bagged their only goal of the contest. Shane McHale who put in a top-class shift in around the middle third hit an effort for a point that came back off the post and Darren McHale was the quickest to react to the rebound a drove the ball high to the roof of Brendan Walsh’s net to put Reape’s side into a six point lead. But Ballintubber were not throwing in the towel just yet and they reeled off four points without reply in the next ten minutes to close the gap to just two points. Padraic O’Connor kicked three frees and Jason Gibbons added the other from distance. The game looked to be ebbing back towards the west Mayo men, but this was going to be Knockmore’s day and two pointed frees from Kieran Langan sandwiched other efforts from Stephen Sweeney and Kevin McLoughlin stretched their lead out to six points with ten minutes to go. Ballintubber went looking for goals at the end and they couldn’t dig themselves out of this one and Knockmore toughed it out at the end to win by 1-15 to 1-10.

Final four pairings decided in senior championship

Sun, Oct 06, 2013

Knockmore manager Nigel Reape may have a future in fortune telling after the way the names came out of the hat in the semi-final draw for the Mayo GAA Treanlaur Catering Senior Football Championship on Sunday evening. Asked only a few minutes after the full time whistle of his sides win over Ballintubber who would he like to get, he signaled out Castlebar Mitchels as the side he wanted in the semi-finals and a couple of minutes later when the draw was completed he got his wish. Knockmore and the Mitchels will go toe to toe next Sunday in Elverys MacHale Park at a time to be confirmed at the time of writing in one of the senior semi-finals. The other last four pairing is the meeting of Breaffy and Charlestown who will square off on Sunday in the same venue, with the time and referee appointment to be determined shortly. The meeting of Cill Chomain and Ardnaree in the final of the Mayo GAA junior football championship had been penciled in for next Sunday at 2pm in MacHale Park according to the Mayo GAA website on Sunday evening, with the official county board twitter account also confirming that the senior semi-finals will be in the same venue on the same day, so a triple header of football looks in store next Sunday in Castlebar.

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