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The four sides left in the Treanlaur Catering Senior Football Championship have lifted the Moclair Cup a grand total of 72 times. Ballina Stephenites (36) and Castlebar Mitchels (27) have more than the lion’s share between. But that does not mean that those two sides will make it through their semi-finals over the weekend to set up a traditional classic pairing in the final. In fact the favourites to the make the final in a lot of people’s eyes will probably be the younger pretenders Knockmore and Ballintubber with their eight and one title respectively. While Castlebar won their first title in 1888 and Ballina in 1889, Knockmore did not climb the mountain for the first time until 1973 and Ballintubber did for their only time so far last season.

Last Monday night’s draw for the final stages of the Mayo club championships across all three grades has set up some exciting games over the coming weeks. The main interest on the night was on the senior championship pairings, with two west Mayo and two north Mayo teams going into the hat. The luck of the draw kept the divisional rivals apart, with last year’s beaten finalists Castlebar Mitchels being pitted against a fancied Knockmore side, and the defending champions Ballintubber squaring off against Ballina Stephenites.

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The quarter final pairings for the Treanlaur Catering Senior Football Championship and the Mayo intermediate and junior championship have thrown up a number of interesting battles that are sure to get hearts racing next weekend. Despite seven of the eight sides which made it to this stage of the competition last year being back again, the draw managed to avoid any repeat parings from this stage last year. Defending champions Ballintubber, now under the tutelage of Anthony McGarry following the ascension of James Horan to the Mayo hot seat, will take on Shrule-Glenncorrib. The defending champions will go into the game as favourites. Knockmore, whose win over Breaffy saw them leapfrog the west Mayo men to top their group, were rewarded with a tie against Ballaghaderreen for a place in the final four. The aforementioned Breaffy managed to avoid the two other west Mayo sides which were potential opponents and book a spot against an impressive looking Ballina Stephenites side who have been moving very well so far in the championship. The final clash in the Treanlaur Senior Championships sees our columnist John Maughan and his Crossmolina Deel Rovers facing off against Castlebar Mitchels in the last eight. The county town side are of course managed this year by Pat Holmes who played for many years under Maughan with Mayo and replaced him as manager at the turn of the century.

The make up of the the last eight in the Mayo senior football championships in Mayo started to take shape over the weekend. Castlebar, Crossmolina Deel Rovers, Ballintubber, Ballaghaderreen and Breaffy all registered their second win in the championships. While two wins normally would guarantee you a place in the last eight going on recent years, it may not be enough for Breaffy should they loose out to Knockmore in their final group game.

It was all hugs and smiles last Sunday evening when Mayo saw off the limp challenge from Galway in McHale Park. This weekend those friendships and bonds will be put on the sideboard as the second round of action in the Treanlaur Catering Senior Championship gets down to business across the county.

The future of Mayo football was given a new direction on Wednesday night when James Horan was appointed as the new manager of the Mayo senior football team for a term of three years. The Ballintubber manager who this year guided his club to their first senior county final was put forward by the five man interview committee and ratified by the county board delegates at a county board meeting. Horan won two All Stars during his playing career for the county, lining out 57 times for Mayo between his debut in 1995 in the national football league and his last game in 2002 against Cork in the All Ireland quarter final. He scored 4-83 for Mayo over his seven year inter county career. Horan’s back room team will be made up of James Nallen, Martin Connolly and Paul Jordan, Tom Prendergast, Dr Sean Moffatt, Paul O’Grady, Joe Dawson, Liam Moffatt, and Ed Coughlan.

Former Mayo manager John Maughan ruled himself out of the running for the vacant Mayo senior managers job late on Thursday evening. The Crossmolina native who three times guided Mayo the All Ireland senior final confirmed to the Mayo Advertiser that he would not be going forward to the interview stage of the process, he told the Advertiser that he was very interest in the job, but following a discussion with chairman of the county board on Thursday he decided not to pursue his interest in the position any further.

A week, they say, is a long time in politics. A week in football can be an eternity. Wee James McCartan was being championed as the Messiah last week before the final, the man who resurrected the fortunes of a Down side whose season was full of mediocrity up until the back door stage. He was being hailed as the man who re-energised his troops after they were beaten in the Ulster championship by Tyrone. In fairness, his Down side were liberated once they went in through the back door to begin their tour of the country and there was an incremental improvement in each and every performance as they progressed towards last Sunday’s final. This week McCartan’s performance as manager is being scrutinised in great detail with many in his native county questioning some of his decision-making on the line. I can understand why, as a narrow defeat normally means a huge post-mortem of the losing team’s performance. Before last Sunday’s match everyone suggested that the midfield sector was going to be crucial. It was generally perceived that if Down could manage a supply of decent ball into their pacey forwards, they would be in with a mighty chance of success. Last Sunday they were annihilated in this crucial sector. Cork won 70 per cent of the kick outs and the scale of their dominance was key to their triumph. The Down goalkeeper, Brendan McVeigh, on the other hand, never varied his kickouts throughout the afternoon and it does beg the question why he persisted in making heroes out of both Nicholas Murphy and Aidan Walsh. A more puzzling decision was the substitution of Paul McComiskey with 15 minutes remaining on the clock. He was playing brilliantly all afternoon, kicking three points and giving his opponent the run around. That decision left many perplexed.

First there were five, now there are seven, in the hat to become the next Mayo senior football manager. Last weekend Mayo county secretary Seán Feeney confirmed to the Mayo Advertiser that the county board had received expressions of interest in the role from two outsiders in the position. Last Monday at a county board meeting those two outsiders were revealed to be former Dublin managers Tommy Carr and Tommy Lyons. Carr recently finished up a stint as Cavan manager, having previously managed Roscommon as well as Dublin. Lyons has also previously managed Offaly, winning a Leinster title in 1997, before taking over Dublin. Both men’s entry into the ring has heated up the competition for the role. But as John Maughan reveals in his exclusive Mayo Advertiser column this week, one other former inter-county manager would have liked to express his interest in the role, but didn’t because of distance he lives from Mayo.