Mitchels show the heart of champions to book final spot

Sun, Feb 14, 2016

If anyone had any doubts about how much Castlebar Mitchels want to be bringing the Andy Merrgian Cup to Castlebar in March, they got their answer in Breffni Park on Saturday night. Mitchels are a team packed full of talented footballers from one end of the field to the other, but on Saturday night heart, guts, fight and determination were as much responsible for their one point win over Crossmaglen Rangers as any amount of talent.

Mitchels look to make their mark

Fri, Feb 12, 2016

When St Patrick's day rolls around Castlebar Mitchels will be hoping they are preparing for a perfect ten out of ten record in championship games in the All Ireland final. The Mayo and Connacht champions have played in and won eight championship games since they opened their account on a rainy Saturday evening in Josie Munnelly Park against Ballaghaderreen early last summer.

Mayo showed what they are made of

Fri, Feb 12, 2016

Last Saturday can only be described as a Super Saturday within Mayo GAA circles with three big games on — However none of the results matched the excitement within the county. The All-Ireland champions Dublin travelled to Elvery’s MacHale Park for what was meant to be a walk in the park for them, given Mayo’s performance the previous week in Cork. What ensued was everything but as a very different Mayo made them fight to the bitter end, only for Dublin to scrape home by two points.

Draws set up some mouth watering encounters

Fri, Feb 12, 2016

The focus of all the GAA clubs in Mayo was sharpened this week when the draw for the senior, intermediate and junior football championships were made in MacHale Park. In the senior championship the defending champions Castlebar Mitchels were pitted in a group with two of the heavy hitters from the recent past with Ballina Stephenites and Crossmolina Deel Rovers in the pool with them. Joining those three sides are Ballinrobe who'll fancy their chances of turning over at least one of the former giants.

Mayo look to make it three in a row

Fri, Feb 12, 2016

Mayo made it two wins from two in the National Football League last weekend when they saw off Dublin by two points in Swinford Amenity Park. This win, backing up their victory over Cork the previous weekend has laid down a serious marker of intent from Frank Browne's ladies for the season ahead.

Mayo look to get off to winning ways

Fri, Feb 12, 2016

The Mayo senior hurlers get their league season underway on Sunday, when they host Donegal in Elverys MacHale Park at 2pm. Mayo will be hoping to use the league as a learning curve as they have much bigger things on their mind come summertime.

Dubs hold Mayo and rain storm at bay

Sun, Feb 07, 2016

Mayo showed the kind of fight and heart that will have given their supporters plenty of cause for optimism going into the rest of the league campaign which will return at the tail end of the month. However, despite that fight and heart Mayo are still pointless after their first two rounds of action in the league and now face into two tough road trips to Ulster on the bounce before the final swing of three games at the tail end of Spring.

St Mary's end Hollymount-Carramore adventure

Sat, Feb 06, 2016

The great Hollmount-Carramore All Ireland adventure came to an end in Croke Park on Saturday night, where the south Mayo men came up just short against an impressive St Mary’s, Cahersiveen side in the All Ireland final.

Ardnaree fall short on All Ireland day

Sat, Feb 06, 2016

It just wasn’t to be for Ardnaree in Croke Park on Sunday, the Mayo champions had blitzed their way through the club championship in Mayo and on into Connacht, but on the day they just came up against a better team, despite their best efforts.

Mayo look to avoid capital punishment on Saturday

Fri, Feb 05, 2016

It was not the start to the National Football League that new Mayo manager Stephen Rochford would have hoped for last weekend, but Rochford was honest in his views on what went wrong last Sunday. Speaking to the Mayo Advertiser this week Rochford said: "Obviously the scoreline tells a story of being second best, having reviewed the video, you know the second quarter of the game, I would be very disappointed with because 15 or so minutes we were level and Cork went into a period where they couldn't miss and in that time we missed three or maybe four of what we'd call softer or easier chances, and if we had capitalised on those chances we could have really been within touching distance of four points at half time which would have left us in a more sprightly manner for the second half. But the way things materialise if you don't take your chances in this division, you're going to be punished and we met a Cork team that hit a lot of very sweet scores."

School is back in session

Fri, Feb 05, 2016

If Stephen Rochford had any notion that the Mayo manager’s job was going to be a bed of roses and that the press and public would be forgiving for the settling in period then he was met with a rude awakening in Pairc Ui Rinn, Cork, last Sunday. On top of Mayo’s lethargic and very under par performance, three more players were added to the enormous injury/unavailable list, and serious question marks were asked about the Mayo medical team’s decision to leave Lee Keegan on the field after a head collision with Cork power house Eoghan Cadogan.

It really was a nightmare first round national league debut for the new manager and one which left him a forlorn figure after the final whistle. Let’s deal with the last matter first. I am glad the county board and medical team have put their hands up and admitted they made an error with Keegan. Lee Keegan is a warrior, you will probably find that half of the blood in his body is green, he epitomises all that is good about Mayo football, a quiet unassuming man off the pitch, a tiger on it. Keegan was captaining Mayo for the first time last Sunday and truly did not want to look like he was throwing in the towel despite being worse for wear. He fought with the medics to stay on the field, he did not want to succumb to Cork and as a result he was left on the field. It was only some minutes later we realised he was in trouble when we quite literally watched him wobble off. The most important points here are firstly that he will make a full recovery, secondly that the necessary parties admitted their mistake, and thirdly that a lesson will be learned and it will not happen again. Despite the negative publicity and comments after the game we have to realise we have one of the best if not the best medical team in intercounty football.

Coen ready to answer the captain’s call

Fri, Feb 05, 2016

Tomorrow evening in Croke Park, if all things go to plan, Darren Coen will be standing half-way up the Hogan Stand looking out on the field of the greatest victory of his club's history. Does he have a speech written ready for that moment? No, Coen will be shooting from the hip like he has on the field this season and in his speeches after wins in Mayo and Connacht. "No I won't think about that, I got a bit of slagging about my speeches already this year, they might have been a bit off the cuff, but look I won't change the routine, whatever comes out will come out, and hopefully I'll get the chance to go up the steps and relish it, and it'll be a dream come true, but it's all about winning at the end of the day as a team," he told the Mayo Advertiser last week.

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