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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.

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. I predicted both games incorrectly as I expected Achill and Hollymount/Carramore to win their respective finals. The win for Castlebar in the junior final is an amazing feat considering it is their second string outfit, and with their seniors also in the final it could be an unprecedented double for the county town. In the current climate when it is hard to get 15 for a club they have exceeded expectation to remain competitive on all fronts. Before anyone uses the “look at the size of the pick they have or the size of the town” as an explanation of their recent successes, it should be noted that not too many moons ago their first team were playing intermediate football so it is quite remarkable that their second string will compete in that competition next year.

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.

I am travelling to Dangan twice weekly training the NUIG footballers. The training is going well but unfortunately the results are not matching so far. The senior squad played three league matches against GMIT, Sligo IT, and Athlone IT, and unfortunately lost all three. Both Tomas Tierney and I agreed we would use the league to try to have a look at as many players as possible. This meant a loss of continuity in selection and with it a series of disjointed performances. Those three lost games meant we were drawn into a relegation play off. We lost the first play off game last week against DIT and we have one final game against UL next week.