Search Results for 'Monaghan GAA'

It's something familiar and yet something new that Mayo face into tomorrow afternoon in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park.

It's probably not the worst draw in the world, but it could have been a little more straightforward as Mayo were pulled out of the bowl first in the live draw on Radio One last Monday morning, followed closely by our first round qualifier opponents, Monaghan.

Galway have three weeks to prepare for this year’s TG4 All Ireland Senior Ladies Football Championship semi-final after delivering another winning display last weekend over Monghan.

What many had feared could end up as a poor weekend for Galway footballers, turned out to be an overwhelmingly positive one with a deserved national league win away to Monaghan in Inniskeen.

Mayo bookended their FBD League campaign by registering their first win of the new season against Sligo in James Stephens Park. But as Mayo manager Stephen Rochford said after the game; “That sort of performance won’t get you any points in Clones.”

Galway and Monaghan clash on Saturday for a place in the All-Ireland Senior Ladies Football Championship final.

Monaghan 1-18

In Kerry last weekend, a wise man said that it only matters what happens on the third Sunday in September and seeing that his county has more All Ireland titles than most could dream of, it’s very sage advice. Mayo had just picked up their fourth win in this year’s national football league which left them top of the pile with two rounds of the competition to go, but in the grand scheme of things what does making it to the latter stages of the competition really effect in the long run? In 2007, Mayo reached the final against Donegal only to bow out of the Connacht championship a month later in the preliminary round to Galway. The last time that Mayo won the national league back in 2001 under Pat Holmes they bowed out of the Connacht championship to Roscommon in a nail biting encounter. Mayo have been one of the best league sides over the past decade or so reaching semi finals in 2002, 2005, and 2006 along with the finals in 2001 and 2007, but it has failed to see them push on to the biggest prize. Only in 2006 did they go on reach the All Ireland final where Kerry ended the dream once again.

The wearing of county jerseys has become extremely fashionable in recent times. It affords the wearer an opportunity to advertise his or her identity in a subtle way that often leads to a conversation about the chances of their team in an upcoming championship encounter. I was descending Croagh Patrick last Thursday morning when I noticed a family bedecked in their county colours. This Fermanagh family was heading for the summit to plant their county colours ahead of the Ulster final replay between Fermanagh and Armagh. Having stopped briefly to engage with them and to offer my best wishes I recognised a striking resemblance of the father of this particular family to that of Marty McGrath, the towering Fermanagh midfielder. He excitedly told me that he was indeed Marty’s brother and, as he would normally travel to climb on Reek Sunday, the clash of fixtures left him with no option but to travel west a few days in advance.