Search Results for 'Damien Keane'

The second weekend in July is where the hopes and dreams will end for eight teams in both the Mayo senior and intermediate football championships. For those who finish bottom of their groups, the task of dragging themselves back up for a relegation fight lies in store, while those who find themselves in the no-man’s land of third place in their groups will at least know they will be back to have another crack at it next year. In the senior championship this weekend, everything is up for grabs. In group one Castlebar Mitchels are leading the pack with two wins from two, while Breaffy and Crossmolina are both on two points, with the west Mayo men in front on head to head results and Davitts taking up the rear. The county town team will host Crossmolina on Saturday evening, and it is very hard to see anything but a home win for Pat Holmes' side, who put Breaffy to the sword last time out and a serious dent in the blues’ title ambitions. The other game in the group sees Declan Reilly's Breaffy make the tough trip to the borderline to take on Pete Warran's Davitts. This time last year both sides also met in the group stages, with Davitts winning out and sending Breaffy into the relegation play-offs. Apart from the Castlebar game, Breaffy have looked very impressive this year seeing off Ballintubber, Ballina, and Castlebar in the league, and Crossmolina in the opening championship game. They go into the game knowing that a win should see them through, unless Crossmolina better Breaffy’s win by at least six points in beating Castlebar. But getting that win is a big if, and Breaffy know they will have to be on top form on Saturday evening to make that happen. Davitts named Michael Conroy in their squad for their last championship game and if the Mayo sharpshooter is fit to play, he will be a massive boost to Davitts’ chances on Saturday evening. It promises to be a tough and uncompromising battle and if Breaffy do make it through, it will serve them well for later on this summer.

The group stages of the Mayo senior and intermediate championships came to an end on Sunday evening with some drama in group two and Ballinrobe will feel the hardest done by in the senior grade. Norman O'Brien's charges hit the ground running on the last weekend in May in round one, by going to Crossmolina and beating the Deel Rovers by 2-13 to 0-11. That result seemed to mark a transition with Ballinrobe on an upward curve and Crossmolina on the way down. But roll on to the second last weekend in July and it's the men from Crossmolina who are in the last eight, while Ballinrobe will have to go away and lick their wounds for another year.

While the post-mortem on Mayo’s inglorious exit from the Connacht championship went on over the week and will go into the future, it’s back to basics this weekend for the inter county football panel when they rejoin their club mates for the first round proper of action in the Royal Theatre senior and intermediate championships.

A little bit earlier than some would have liked the Royal Theatre Senior Football Championship roars back into life for 2010 on Saturday evening. First up in the championship are the champions and the new kids on the block in the solitary five team group in Charlestown at 7pm on Saturday. West Mayo will bring the combined forces of Islandeady, Parke, Louisburgh, and Balla together under the guidance of Padraig Walsh to try to topple Ciaran McBrien’s men in the championship opener. Charlestown will go into the game as hot favourites, but they have been known to be slow starters in the championship, and this early outing could prove to be a tricky encounter if the amalgamated side manage to click on the field. Players like Ollie Feeney, Jarlath O’Malley, Peter Collins, Simon Cloherty, and Conor Walsh will be watched to show they have the class to make the step up from the junior ranks to senior football.

Last Sunday in Dr Hyde Park in Roscommon, Killala captain Karl Dooher clutched the Frank Reynolds Memorial cup after the north Mayo men blew away the Roscommon champions by ten points. For the second time in three years Killala were crowned junior champions of Connacht to round off a successful year for the men from north Mayo. Marcus Hannick was the top scorer on the day finishing off with five points, all from placed balls, while James Ruddy grabbed their goal 21 minutes into the contest after some neat build up play which put them into a six-point lead, one which they never looked like loosing. Rory Hannick picked up the man of the match award for his tireless display in the engine room alongside Noel Ryan on an afternoon which was not designed for football in deep winter but that will be of little concern to the men from Killala who now have an All Ireland semi-final to look forward to in the new year.

It was third time lucky for Ciaran McBrien’s men last Sunday as they claimed the Moclair Cup thanks to a three point win over Knockmore in the county senior final. The east Mayo men were deserving winners over an injury hit side from north Mayo who lacked the killer punch up front denied to them by the absence of Aidan Kilcoyne and Damien Munnelly, but that is of little worry to Charlestown who went out and did what they had to do. David ‘Ginger’ Tiernan rolled back the years with a tireless display in the middle of the field which saw him rightfully rewarded with a man of the match trophy after the game but good performances from the likes of Richard Haran which saw him score four points, John Casey in goal who pulled off a few good saves one late on when Knockmore were battling for a goal to save the tie and substitute Brian O’Connell who offered them something different in attack when they needed it, during the final scuffles saw them over the line. And after the celebrations died down this week, attention will turn to the Connacht Club championship, a competition the east Mayo men won the last time they were county champions back in 2001.

The loyal football supporters of Connemara will descend on Tuam Stadium this Sunday at 2pm to see Naomh Anna Leitir Móir battle it out with a capable Westport side to see who will collect the Connacht Intermediate title.