Search Results for 'club player'

The widely anticipated County Board meeting passed off relatively peacefully last Thursday night with a few members of the board resigning over the process in which the new Mayo managers were appointed. The story had gained national headlines for all the wrong reasons and certainly it was a little embarrassing the way matters were conducted in appointing Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly. An apology was offered as there were and still are a lot of disgruntled people in the county. I am sure Kevin McStay and Liam McHale are bitterly disappointed at what happened, and some gesture or apology to both men should be offered as both are true Mayo Gaels who gave an awful lot to the green and red and they deserved at the very least an interview before been told they did not have the job. I am sure anyone reading this has heard the vile rumours about players not wanting McHale, which I am told could not be further from the truth. It is amazing how widespread the rumours went and pretty much to the point that people started to actually believe them. Liam McHale suffered a severe character assassination over the last few weeks and did not deserve it. Good luck to Pat and Noel; it is time to let them at it. The new management team along with selector Michael Collins and strength and conditioning coach Barry Solan from Ballaghaderreen were deep in discussion and taking lots of notes during the senior semi finals last Sunday. I am a little surprised a forward coach/selector was not incorporated in the set up, I guess they will be basing their team on a strong defence. I feel someone like Kevin O’Neill would have been a great addition to offer some insight into good forward play. I am delighted Barry Solan has finally been given a chance with his own county. Apart from working with Laois and Kildare he has also done a lot of work with Katie Taylor so there is obviously good pedigree there. If Hollymount/Carramore win the intermediate title on Sunday and get a good run in the Connacht championship, Noel Connelly’s wife Valerie and their children may not be seeing a lot of him for the next few months.

Connacht's talented young scrumhalf Kieran Marmion won the Players' Player of the Year Award at the province's annual awards evening at the weekend.

With the busy schedule of National League games and Kiltane’s and Castlebar’s run to All-Ireland club finals, I have had very few column inches to discuss the importance of ‘the club’ and how GAA clubs have been severely hit in the last number of years. Charlestown, like every other club in the county, have lost lots of players to emigration because of the downturn in the economy. The only exception to the rule may be Kiltane, who had 44 players togged out for a championship game last year. However Shane Lindsay was commuting from Scotland pretty much every week.

Connacht Rugby has been shocked by the sudden retirement of long-serving Connacht prop Brett Wilkinson who has been forced to retire from the sport immediately as a result of a recent neck injury.

Eoin Joyce has been steeped in Gaelic football all his life. There was no avoiding it, it is in his DNA.

A friend of mine, who shall remain nameless, arrived at the door last Sunday morning. Looking a little worse for wear after celebrating breaking his own personal best in the increasingly popular triAthlone he declared that while he had never in his life been in America he was in some state last night.

While the fallout from Mayo’s Connacht Championship opener against London has been the talk of newspaper pages, online discussions, and bar stools across the county for the past fortnight, the real beating heart of Gaelic football in the county is about to be unleashed this weekend. The long hard slog since the turn of the year, through wet, muddy, fields, gym and weight circuits, for the humble club player is about to come to fruition this weekend when Treanlaur Catering Mayo Senior and Intermediate football championship gets under way.

While the fallout from Mayo’s Connacht Championship opener against London has been the talk of newspaper pages, online discussions, and bar stools across the county for the past fortnight, the real beating heart of Gaelic football in the county is about to be unleashed this weekend. The long hard slog since the turn of the year, through wet, muddy, fields, gym and weight circuits, for the humble club player is about to come to fruition this weekend when Treanlaur Catering Mayo Senior and Intermediate football championship gets under way.

Athletics

A new All Ireland League season begins on Saturday for Ireland’s 48 senior clubs, and there is much to play for at the top.