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Stephen Joyce (Clonbur) is the new Galway minor football manager for 2015.

“Let there be no question, we were very lucky against Galway. Having played a championship game stood to Galway.” Said Mayo minor manager Enda Gilvarry ahead of his side’s Connacht Minor Football Championship final against Roscommon on Sunday at noon. The manager who guided Mayo to All Ireland success in his first year in charge of the team almost saw this year’s crop of minors dumped out of the championship at the very first hurdle against Galway a few weeks ago, but the battling characteristics that defined last year’s charge to All Ireland glory were on show when they battled back to eke out a single point win in Tuam Stadium.

It is just another of the intriguing twists to a game already full of possibilities on Sunday that the Breaffy manager Declan O’Reilly will be in the blue corner after soldiering his way through his own playing days with the Mitchels. Much like on the field on Sunday where two brothers will be lining out on opposite sides, brothers of his own donned the blue of Breaffy after they relocated to Breaffy a few decades ago, while he continued to wear the red of Mitchels of their youth. Declan’s father Séan is another Mitchels stalwart having been chairman of the town team during the 70s, among other roles. But come throw in Sunday, Declan will have both feet firmly in the Breaffy camp as he explained to the Mayo Advertiser this week. “Yeah, it’s unusual, but that’s sport and that’s the way it goes. Breaffy contacted me earlier in the year and they asked me would I take over for the year, and it really was a challenge, and I said it’s a challenge I’m grateful for and I’ll take on. As I said to you before, I know the Mitchels lads well and I’ve nothing but the height of respect for them, and the way they conduct themselves and the way they play football is top class. But I signed up for Breaffy this year and it’s my obligation to see it through, in particular because I asked so much of the Breaffy players.” As for the day and the event, it is something he is chomping at the bit to get into. “It’s a good day for the club, it’s a good day for the players, a county final hasn’t come around before, so we’re looking forward to it immensely.”

Mayo manager James Horan held what was described as a “positive” meeting with members of the executive of the Mayo county board on Tuesday night, according to Mike Connelly, vice-chairman of the Mayo county board. Speaking to the Mayo Advertiser, Connelly said: “There’s not a lot really to report from it, it was a very positive meeting with James and we’ll be meeting with him again next week.”

With the cheers ringing for the introduction of the Mayo senior team as they took to the field, Mayo minor manager Enda Gilvarry was able to reflect on a job well done safe in the knowledge that his minor team had already held up their side of the bargain.

The Galway minor hurlers produced a very impressive and gutsy display last Sunday in the All-Ireland semi-final to see off the Limerick minors in a cliff-hanger, at Croke Park. After extra-time, the score-board read 0-23 to 0-20.

The fixture gods deemed it fitting that Mayo would have to face Donegal in the senior quarter-final on Sunday afternoon, however they weren’t so kind as to place the county’s minor side on the same billing. Instead Enda Gilvarry’s men will be the opening act of a double bill of minor quarter finals in O’Connor Park in Tullamore on Monday afternoon, while the Kerry minors have been given the matinee slot in Croke Park the day before against Tyrone. However Mayo minor manager Enda Gilvarry isn’t complaining and is just looking forward to getting on with the job in hand. “To a certain extent we can't control the day and venue, any pitch is the same. It would have been nice to be with the seniors but it wasn't to be. It's the same for Westmeath, they would have looked forward to playing a quarter-final in Croke Park the same as we were.”

The Mayo GAA County Board are still waiting the report of referee Liam Devenney from the controversial Crossmolina Deel Rovers and Ballintubber game last weekend. The game, which was moved from Crossmolina to Ballina on Sunday morning when the pitch was deemed to be unplayable, saw Ballintubber fail to show up at the changed venue. Speaking to the Mayo Advertiser yesterday morning, Mayo GAA secretary Kevin O’Toole said that until the referee’s report is received no firm decision will be made. O’Toole told the Mayo Advertiser that, “We are awaiting the referees report on the game, we are expecting to have received it by Thursday (yesterday) or Friday. What will happen is that the CCC will review it and a decision made on it then. It will be open to an appeal then by either side. There have been some communications received from Ballintubber on the issue. Even though the result went up on the website, it’s not official until we receive the referee’s report, especially in circumstances like this.”

It was predicted that the sun would be high in the sky last Sunday and so it proved. It was a glorious autumnal day for county finals and a magnificent crowd turned up at McHale Park to see what would hopefully be two action-packed encounters. However, and not for the first time, the fare on offer did not live up to the billing. I was sitting back in glorious sunshine for the County junior final in good time. What struck me immediately on entering the stadium was the fantastic crowd that turned out for the games.

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.