Drama at the death as junior semi-final goes to replay

Sun, Sep 13, 2015

For a game that looked to be going only one way eight minutes in when Achill lead Killala by four points to no score and they looked like they could do what they wanted in possession of the ball, this junior championship semi-final sure had a dramatic ending.

With six minutes left on the clock, Killala trailed by three points and looked to be on the verge of leaving the junior championship. Corner forward Conor Gilvarry looked to burrow his way towards goal and was upended by an Achill defender and referee John Glavey spread his arms and gave the north Mayo men a penalty. The Achill defenders and their vocal support were less than convinced of the merits of the spot kick, but it looked to have been the right call. Up stepped wing back David Loather who took a text book penalty, driving with power past Sean Cafferkey in the Achill goal. That score levelled the game up at 1-7 to 0-10 and it was anybodies once again, after Achill looked to have done enough to wrestle control of the game back into their own hands in the previous 15 minutes.

Gone in 25 minutes

Fri, Sep 11, 2015

Another chapter for Mayo’s House of Pain secured itself after the football team's 2015 adventure came to an abrupt end at the hands of Dublin in the semi final last weekend. In a few years' time people will look back at the result and the score line will suggest that Dublin were comfortable winners but the margins were very tight in this game. A stroke of luck for Dublin and, in my opinion, a poor refereeing decision put paid to any chance Mayo had of reaching the All-Ireland final and for another crack at Kerry.

The end of the latest adventure

Fri, Sep 11, 2015

It might not have had the drama and frustration of how things ended last year in Limerick, but at the end of the day the result was the same and Mayo were bound for home on Sunday evening, with plenty of questions and plenty of regrets in the boot. In the past 12 months, Mayo have played in four All Ireland semi-finals (including replays both years) and not got over the line and back to the All Ireland final. Plenty time will be spent over the winter months picking over where it went wrong again and what could have been done. At the end of the day, the better team won. Dublin should have killed us off the first day when they were seven points up, but they made no mistake last Sunday when we were unable to hold onto a four point lead with the game entering the final straight.

The present is all that matters for Ardnaree

Fri, Sep 11, 2015

"If your feet are in the past, you haven't a leg to stand on in the present," said Ardnaree manager Declan O'Dea this week, when speaking to the Mayo Advertiser about his side's upcoming junior championship semi-final against fellow north Mayo men Ardagh. O'Dea is back in charge of Ardnaree this year after a few years' sabbatical from the post. Ardnaree haven't won the junior championship since 1971 and bringing the Pete McDonnell Cup back to home is something that has gone on too long for all those concerned. Ardnaree have lost three finals in recent times going down in the 2009, 2011 and 2012 deciders, and they're back this year for another crack at glory.

GAA: Mayo GAA JFC Semi Final

Fri, Sep 11, 2015

Achill v Killala
Sunday, September 13 at 3.30pm

Disappointing weekend for Mayo and Galway senior teams

Fri, Sep 11, 2015

Mary Hannigan of The Irish Times is one of my favourite journalists. Her TV View column in Monday’s Times is a must read as her humour, caustic wit, and wry take on things invariably brings a smile to my lips.

Super weekend in the Super League

Fri, Sep 11, 2015

Manulla v Straide and Foxford United
Saturday, September 12 at 6pm

Westport United put Celtic to the sword

Fri, Sep 11, 2015

With Mayo playing against the Sky Blues on Saturday night there was a somewhat congested Mayo League card on Sunday afternoon. Westport Utd recorded a facile 6-0 win at home to their former fierce rivals Castlebar Celtic on Sunday morning. Dave Hoban fired home four goals in a stunning display, as well as efforts by Phil Keegan and Darren Browne in a superb display by the Covies. Ballina Town were made work for their three points at home to Conn Rangers. A first half Brendan Lavelle strike ultimately proved the difference in a closely fought affair.

Mayo suffer capital punishment

Sat, Sep 05, 2015

No matter what when on in the build up to this game, the simple truth when it came down to the crunch was that Dublin were the better team and won out in the end. The pantomime theatrics of the crowd booing the perceived villain on either side of the debate gave way to a game of football in the end and Dublin were the side who landed the knock-out blows when it mattered most.

'Seconds out.... round two'

Fri, Sep 04, 2015

Well, have the heart rates returned to normal yet? With just over 24 hours to go until Mayo and Dublin square up again in Ireland's colosseum, anticipation is at boiling point as the gladiators in green and red prepare to do battle once more with the Jacks from the city. While Mayo have named their first 15 on paper already ahead of the skirmish on Jones Road, if we have learned anything this year from Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes' tenure in charge of it is to expect the unexpected. While Barry Moran's inclusion in the quarter-final was a bolt from the blue, the decision to drop David Drake into the cauldron for his first championship start was a bolt from far beyond the reaches of our solar system.

A game of biblical proportions

Fri, Sep 04, 2015

Liam Gallagher once described a gig he played in Slane Castle as biblical, what went in Croke Park last Sunday was nothing short of the same. It was the most anticipated All-Ireland semi final in living memory and it certainly did not disappoint. I arrived early to do a piece with Radio One outside the Croke Park Hotel alongside former Hill 16 favourite Barney Rock and the place was buzzing at 12.30pm. I ran into a few former team mates, namely David Heaney, David Brady, and Kevin O'Neill who had just flown in from the USA for the game. I also had a chat with current Kerry minor and former All-Ireland winning senior manager Jack O'Connor who was rightly cock a hoop about Mayo’s chances. He told myself and Brady that he was coming up to Mayo for a week after they eventually win Sam which he said could be in a few weeks time. I hope he’s right.

Where the game will be won and lost

Fri, Sep 04, 2015

As in every game between two evenly matched sides a number of factors will be decisive in sorting out where the winning and the losing of this game will be. We will look at a few of those factors here.

E-paper

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