Mayo ready for toughest challenge to date

Fri, Feb 13, 2009

This Sunday afternoon sees the Mayo League take to the field in the semi final of the Oscar Traynor Cup in the lion’s den of the AUL complex in Clonshaugh, Dublin. Their opposition, the much fancied Athletic Union League, are the favourites to lift the cup this year. Mayo manager Declan Kilkelly was confident going in to the game when he spoke to the Mayo Advertiser earlier this week. “We have a great squad here and if we play to the maximum of our potential, we have a great chance of making the final.” The Mayo side had a warm up game last week with a charity match against Iorras Aontaithe in Carne, which Mayo won 3-2, which Kilkelly believed to be a “great bonding session for the lads and preparation for this weekends challenge.”

McHale turns it for Loftus Recycling

Fri, Feb 06, 2009

Loftus Recycling 103
Subway Portlaoise 70

Sports Shorts

Fri, Feb 06, 2009

Athletics
A couple of Mayo AC stalwarts undertook the long trip to the sodden southeast on Sunday to run the Dungarvan 10 mile, promoted by West Waterford AC, the second race in the Munster 10 mile series.

A bad, bad, day at the office

Fri, Feb 06, 2009

As Mayo footballer supporters, one of our most important assets down through the years is our optimism. With all of the news about corporate bail outs, bank rescues, layoffs, falling stock prices, and businesses going belly up, I have to admit that it is hard to stay positive at times. We are really fed up with reading bad news, and listening to the prophets of doom. And so, I was eagerly looking forward to the start of the National Football League and some good quality football in order to see a few smiling faces for the first time in ages. I arrived in Ballina in good time and was met at the showground entrance by the ever so jovial Barry McLaughlin, who was doing his bit for the local club by managing traffic flow at that end of the ground.

Footballing renaissance on the way for the GAA

Fri, Feb 06, 2009

Sometimes in life you can be lucky. And the well worn truism that you are better to be born lucky than rich has many supporters. Well, I am thinking of becoming an advocate of that maxim because last Saturday night I was fortunate enough to have been at Croke Park for a stunning evening's entertainment. It was a privilege and massive pleasure to have been in attendance on a historic and memorable evening for the GAA.

The game between Dublin and Tyrone was a marvellous 70 minutes of action packed football with some breathtaking displays and scores from the likes of Stephen O'Neill, Sean Cavanagh, Jason Sherlock (I will come back to him later), and Bernard Brogan. Then the celebration fireworks and lights display that followed was also magnificent to witness. All in all it was a tremendously successful evening for the GAA.

Mayo fail to shine on opening day

Fri, Feb 06, 2009

For the second in row Mayo started off the National League with a defeat at the hands of Derry, this time in James Stephen’s Park last Sunday. While both sides hit 10 scores the decisive score of the game came from Derry debutant James Kielt 45 minutes into the contest, who got on the end of move that came about as Tom Cunniffe lost possession trying to break out of defence.

Mixed weekend for Mayo sides

Fri, Feb 06, 2009

It was a mixed weekend for Mayo sides in last weekend’s FAI Junior Cup, with Iorras Aontaithe breaking through to the seventh round of the cup after a five goal thriller, while Westport had to suffer the heartbreak of going out on penalties 8-7 to St Peter’s from Athlone after a 2-2 draw. Westport had to come back from going behind twice to keep the tie alive in what was an end to end contest. The unlucky man was Westport centre half Martin Geraghty whose effort failed to bustle the back of the net with the 15th spot kick of the shoot out.

Meanwhile in Carne Nash the side in black and red stripes were celebrating their progress into the next round of the competition thanks to a brace of goals from Johnny Donoghue and another strike from Eric Reilly. They now await the draw next Sunday morning, knowing that no side left in the competition will relish a trip to Belmullet to face them. Next up for Iorras and as part of the Mayo League's preparations for the forthcoming Oscar Traynor Trophy semi-final between AUL (Dublin) and Mayo, a benefit game has been arranged between Iorras Aontaithe and Mayo. The proceeds from the game will go towards the Belmullet District Hospital (cancer unit), and is being organised locally by Michael S Togher. The game is down to kick off in Carne Nash this Sunday February 8 at 2pm.

Home advantage for Mayo sides in FAI Junior Cup

Fri, Jan 30, 2009

Both Iorras Aontaithe and Westport United will be hoping that home advantage can give them a little bit extra on Sunday when they enter the FAI Junior Cup sixth round. Iorras Aontaithe will be hoping that they won’t be suffering any post Connacht Cup hangover from their elimination from the provincial cup at the hands of City United by a score of 3-1 last weekend.

Winter leagues swing into action around the county

Fri, Jan 30, 2009

Westport Golf Club notices
The Thursday January 22 the senior gents’ competition was won by Chris Lavelle, with Joe O’Haire coming home in second place, Michael Heneghan claimed third place, while Jackie Dunne took fourth spot. Austin Gibbons won the Cat 1 competition, Bill Hopkins the Cat 2 section, Teddy Walsh the Cat 3, while Fergal Hope claimed the Cat 4 title on the day.

Getting off to a winning start

Fri, Jan 30, 2009

Mayo, as you know, start with a home game against Derry in Ballina on Sunday. While it is true that our preparations haven’t been perfect, with sloppy displays in the FBD league, preparations in the last two weeks have gone really well according to reports! Some of the ‘big guns’ were out last weekend in Kilmallock, where Cork were the opposition. Mayo scored 2-12 in that game against a full Cork outfit. The game ended in a draw and apparently it was a good workout for all concerned. Trevor Mortimer has returned to the fray after a couple of weeks sunning himself in South Africa and Ronan McGarrity was back at midfield having returned from his honeymoon. Mayo were as near full strength as possible, with only the injured Conor Mortimer not featuring as he had minor surgery on a broken nose received a week earlier. After this game and another workout on Sunday morning against a Mayo u21 selection management would more than likely have made their minds up on a starting 15 for Sunday. At the time of writing the Mayo team hasn’t yet been selected but I will be surprised if it isn’t Clarke, Vaughan, Cafferkey, Liam O’Malley, Gardiner, Cunniffe, Pat Kelly, McGarrity, Parsons, Trevor Mortimer, Dillon, Padden, Conor Mortimer, Barry Moran, and Andy Moran. If Conor Mortimer isn’t selected then I expect Mickey Sweeney might get the nod here as he scored a goal and two points from three efforts against Cork. I believe we will get our campaign off to a winning start on Sunday. Derry are missing quite a few of their stars as I believe Mark Lynch, Enda Muldoon, Niall McCusker, Kevin McCloy, Colin Devlin, and Paddy Bradley are not available on Sunday for one reason or another.

NFL lights up the weekend

Fri, Jan 30, 2009

It has been a wonderful change over the past few mornings to look out from around 7.20am on and see some brightness and light to help you scoff down the porridge, toast and tea before dashing out the door for work. And the really noticeable stretch in the evenings definitely adds a pep to your step as you hit the training fields or head for a good jaunty walk or jog. With winter's darkness practically in our rear-view mirror and next Sunday heralding the start of spring, it is time for us to start checking out the new faces on the county panels and see if all the old stagers are back in the fold and if they are carrying any excess baggage around the midriff and buttocks. Are the young guns up to the job in hand and is there another year or two in the auld lads? Those are the questions that will be up for debate over the coming few weeks.

And thankfully there are some top games on this weekend to get the show on the road, and the Western teams in Division 1 will all be very keen to try to get some points on the board as it promises to be an extremely competitive league division with precious little wriggle room for any team that falters early doors.

A season of Sundays begins again

Fri, Jan 30, 2009

Time has ticked by very quickly since Mayo took their final bow in the championship for 2008 on a warm August Saturday in Croke Park, slipping out of the championship at the hands of the eventual winners, Tyrone, by a solitary point. And with Cormac Reilly’s final whistle that day attention turned to 2009 and the talk of the pubs and sidelines as to what went wrong over the past two years. Well one thing is for sure, John O’Mahony is still in the hot seat and will remain there for the next couple of years after being given a new deal in the autumn. Who will make up his side this Sunday and for the rest of the year will be talking points for the next few weeks as a side begins to take shape as the opening rounds of the National League slip by.

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