Search Results for 'Barry Regan'

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.

I only got to see one game last weekend and that was the much anticipated replay between Ballaghadereen and Ballintubber on Sunday. The previous encounter was a right rip-roaring clash with Ballintubber denied a famous victory when Andy Moran scored a goal for Ballaghadereen almost at the death, to put his team in front with time almost up. Ballintubber did manage an equaliser deep into injury time and set up the opportunity to witness these two do battle again. The weather was perfect for football and I was really looking forward to a good game. I parked myself with a few of the Crossmolina boys, who were there keeping an eye on proceedings, as they play the winners this Sunday. No note taking required by these boys as Liam Moffett, the Crossmolina manager, was videoing the game from behind us, obviously for closer scrutiny later in the week in his effort to try and orchestrate another county title for the Deel Rovers. Sadly the game never really caught fire and once Ballaghadereen started getting ball into their forwards there was never going to be anything other than a decisive victory for the boys from the east. Andy Moran, who was having a really quiet championship campaign up until last weekend, played like an inter-county footballer and proved to be a right handful for the three defenders who tried to curtail his scoring threat. Andy has perfected the knack of shoving off his marker with his hand and demonstrated this tactic several times throughout Sunday’s encounter.

I received a call from RTE 1 radio last Sunday, while watching the matches at McHale Park,

The time to make amends for disappointments in the past is fast approaching for both Charlestown and Ballaghaderreen. This year’s TF Royal Theatre senior football championship final pits the losing finalists from the 2006 and 2007 final together in Sunday’s showdown for the Moclair Cup. Ballaghaderreen booked their place in the final two last Sunday thanks to a 3-7 to 0-10 win over Crossmolina, the side who denied them twice at the death in the 2006 final (the game went to a replay). After shaking the Deel Rovers monkey off their back with thanks to a three-goal salvo at the three-quarter mark, they have their eyes set on another border side.

After finally fulfilling the promise of the past number of years and sequestering the Moclair Cup in east Mayo for the winter, Ballaghaderreen look to take their next step on the road to greater success this weekend. On Sunday at 2.30pm they will enter Markievicz Park to take on Sligo Champions Eastern Harps in the Connacht SFC semi-final in what promises to be a intriguing encounter between the two border clubs.

Garrymore v Charlestown

“Ara shut up ya auld teapot” the young voice shouted down at the older man sitting next to me last Sunday. The older man and his wife were at McHale Park supporting Killala and had earlier remonstrated with the crowd of Neale supporters behind them. The Neale boys were beginning to realise that the game was slipping away from them and I can understand why they were getting a little frustrated. In such a scenario every refereeing decision can be criticised and this time was no different. Every time a Killala player went to ground the ref was derided and goaded by the boys, very often in not too flowery tones! The craic was good and, in a selfish way, I was kind of enjoying the exchange of words. For a start I had never heard anyone referred to as a “teapot” before! Despite The Neale throwing the kitchen sink at Killala in the final quarter Killala held out for the victory that had the man beside me delirious with excitement. He let a roar out of him at the final whistle that, mostly, was an expression of great satisfaction at seeing his team win, but, also a sign of the none-too-little pleasure he took in giving the figurative two-finger salute to the young cubs behind him! He was having the last laugh today. His wife was also beaming from ear to ear after the final whistle and it was a joy to witness both taking flight onto the McHale Park pitch to embrace neighbours’ children who had guaranteed a night or two of fun for all in the town of Killala. I am sure there was no place under heaven as good as Killala last Sunday night or indeed Monday as I hear the celebrations continued for a day or two!

As his side made the longer than normal trek back to the dressing room from the pitch in Dangan after subsiding to a five point defeat at the hands of NUIG, John O’Mahony faced the first of his interrogations at the hands of the hungry press core on the 50m line of the college pitch. After getting his first competitive view of his side for 2009 and how the new rules regarding yellow cards would play out, he held court over what he had just seen for the previous 60 minutes. Over the course of the game five players, two from Mayo and three from NUIG, were shown the line for picking up yellow cards, one as early as the eighth minute when Greg Begley was sent to the line for a clumsy challenge on Billy Joe Padden. “I believe the GAA are not going to change them because managers are saying they want them changed, but we have a meeting in the middle of January and I'll do my talking there. There will need to be some tweaking on them, the first lad to get sent off for NUIG my reading of it initially is it's a yellow card if you pull down a player, and will that lead to people appearing to be pulled down or fall and get a lad sent off. We'll give them a chance and see, if it adds to free flowing football then it's always a positive, but we'll have to hold our fire and see,” said O’Mahony.

John O’Mahony and his senior management team are more than likely disappointed with Keith Higgins’ decision to play hurling for Mayo rather than travel to NY for Mayo’s championship opener on Sunday week. The Mayo hurlers will play Kerry in their championship opener on the same weekend. The talented corner- back has just returned to Ireland having spent a number of months in Australia. Keith did however line out last week in Mayo’s challenge match against Kildare in Kiltoom. I expect that the Mayo management are delighted to have their ace defender back in plenty of time for the bigger challenges ahead, but would have liked if he could have travelled to the Big Apple for the weekend. However it should not have come as a huge surprise that he declared for the hurlers as Keith has always declared his love of hurling and it is no secret that it is his preferred game. This is the first time that both codes have clashed on a championship weekend, which is unfortunate as it has forced Keith to declare his preference. Coincidentally, I met with Martin Brennan, the Mayo county senior hurling manager, during the week who told me that he was thrilled that Keith opted to play in Mayo’s Christy Ring Championship encounter with Kerry. It was not a total surprise to him either as he had been in touch with Keith frequently over the last number of weeks once he was aware of the imminent clash of fixtures.

With the senior inter-county season put to bed for another year, things will return to normal on the club scene. And this weekend sees no time being wasted in Mayo with the final rounds of club games in the senior and intermediate football championships down for decision. In the premier competition only two teams have already booked their place in the last eight, both Shrule-Glencorrib and Ballaghaderreen have emerged from section three of the competition, with both sides picking up wins over luckless Breaffy and Burrishoole in their opening two games. The sides will meet again this weekend to sort out who takes top spot in the group and with that the perceived easier draw in the chase for a last eight spot. Shrule-Glencorrib have made up for the disappointment of missing out on the last eight in the last two years to book their place early, but this evening’s game could see them ship a defeat to the current county champions. With Andy Moran and Barry Regan in spectacular form for their side, the east Mayo men’s perceived greater fire power should be enough to see them over the south Mayo men. That said, any side that counts Conor and Trevor Mortimer, Mark Ronaldson, and Kieran Conroy in their starting 15 are not going to be a pushover. In the other game in this group Breaffy will host Burrishoole on Sunday afternoon for the chance to end their championship season on Martin Murphy’s full time whistle. Both sides have lost their first two games in the championship, with the losers on Sunday facing a relegation play-off to ensure their senior status. Things have gone to pieces for Breaffy this year, but they should have enough fight in them to hold off the challenge from the McGovern Park side and ensure their status and regroup for next year.