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The Connacht Council has handed the down a €10,000 fine to Mayo GAA for their failure to take part in the away final of Connacht FBD League. The final was due to take place on Sunday October 7 against New York in the US city, two weeks after Mayo had played in the All Ireland final against Donegal in Croke Park.

On the undercard of Sunday’s senior final is the meeting of two sides who have been beaten in three of the last four junior finals as they look to finally make the break up to intermediate football. Ardnaree were seen off last year by Islandeady and were also beaten in the final of three years ago by Kiltimagh. The Neale were last in the final in 2008 when Killala saw them off to claim the title.

Only a matter of weeks after James Horan led Mayo to the All Ireland final, GAA matters in the county were thrown into a state of flux again with reports this week the Ballintubber club man was considering his position in charge of the side over a number of logistical issues. The issues of concern were reported to have been hotel accommodation in Dublin and the availability of training pitches and McHale Park.

Ten Mayo players have been rewarded for their performances in this year’s football championship with nominations for the GAA GPA All Stars. Mayo’s haul of 10 nominations was only two short of All Ireland champions Donegal’s total. Both Alan Dillon and Andy Moran will be looking to pick up their second All Star awards with their nominations for this year. David Clark’s great year in goal has seen him get the nod alongside Dublin’s Stephen Cluxton and Donegal’s Paul Durcan. Both Keith Higgins and Ger Cafferkey were given nominations in the full back line, with Lee Keegan and Colm Boyle in the half back line. Both Aidan O’Shea and Barry Moran are up for one of the midfield berths, with Kevin McLoughlin joining Dillon and Moran in the race for a All Star in the forwards. Cillian O’Connor, who won the young player of the year last year, is nominated again this year for the same award.

With the club championship providing plenty of distraction last weekend from the impending All Ireland semi-final with the defending All Ireland champions, this weekend the build up to the showdown really cranked up.

The Mayo senior ladies’ side will get back to championship action tomorrow evening when they make a trip to the midlands in the All Ireland qualifiers. At 6pm tomorrow they will go toe to toe with Tyrone in Birr in the second round of the All Ireland qualifiers as the main attraction on a double header bill.

Success has its costs and for the Mayo County Board, success in the Connacht Junior Football Championship came with the cost of having to send a Mayo team across the Irish sea for the third time this year. The Mayo hurlers had two adventures in London in the league and the Christy Ring Cup, and this weekend it is the turn of the junior footballers who are heading to Manchester to take on Lancashire in the All Ireland semi-final tomorrow at 2.30pm in Old Bedians, Manchester.

On Wednesday the Mayo GAA rumour mill was at full steam with talk that Conor Mortimer had decided to leave the Mayo senior panel, only a matter of days before Sunday’s Connacht Final. The former Shrule-Glencorrib man, who along with being Mayo’s all time leading scorers, has been one of the most colourful and charismatic players to every wear the green and red for Mayo.

Just like last year Mayo will square off against NUIG in the home final of the FBD League on a Friday night in McHale Park. The prize for the winners, a trip to New York in October to take on the exiles in the away final, should be enough motivation for any amateur player, but both sides have bigger fish to fry in the coming days and weeks, which will be a distraction this evening.

“Frightening and scary” is how one well known Mayo GAA personality described the figures presented by the Mayo County Board executive to the delegates at Monday night’s county board meeting. It had been a high pressure day for some of the principal officers, who were summoned to a meeting with Croke Park officials in the Connacht Council offices in Ballyhaunis earlier that day to discuss the financial situation of the development. County board chairman Paddy McNicholas told the meeting that they had to have a plan in place in a fortnight’s time for Croke Park and the banks.