No rest for the great and good of Mayo football

Fri, Oct 14, 2016

It was back to the grindstone for our county players last weekend as most of them had to put the hurt of the previous week's All-Ireland replay loss behind them to help their clubs in their bid to make the play offs, maintain status, and for others to help their team try to avoid being in a relegation dogfight.

Serious weekend of club action in MacHale Park

Fri, Oct 14, 2016

Over the next two days, MacHale Park in Castlebar will host four big games as the quarter-finals of the Mayo GAA Senior Football Championship are down for decision. Our Sports Editor, Colm Gannon previews the action.

No quarter given this weekend

Fri, Oct 14, 2016

Four games spread across three venues will determine the future of eight sides all looking to be the one to claim the Mayo Intermediate Championship and book their place with the big boys in the senior event next summer. The last few games that had to be tidied up in the group stages took place last weekend and Kiltimagh, Westport, Belmullet, and Islandeady topped their groups, with Moy Davitts, Burrishoole, The Neale, and Shrule Glenncorrib joining them at the quarter final stage as runners up.

Gibbons the hero as Louisburgh rally to claim Junior honours

Sun, Oct 09, 2016

When Matthew Flanagan drove the ball over the Louisburgh bar five minutes from time from a free well out beyond the 45m line in MacHale Park on Sunday, it looked like the McDonnell cup would be making the short 11km journey out the road to Balla for the Winter. But Louisburgh hadn’t read that particular script and the seasiders dug deep from there on in and through injury time to rally and hit the final two points of the day to seal a historic win for John Kelly’s outfit.

Castlebar and Ballintubber on course for semi-final showdown

Sun, Oct 09, 2016

The draw for the quarter finals of the Mayo GAA Senior and Intermediate football championships were made on Sunday at half time in the junior final between Louisburgh and Balla in MacHale Park. The draws for the semi-finals in each competition also took place.

Final eight now known in senior championship

Sat, Oct 08, 2016

The last eight of the Mayo GAA Senior Football Championship are now known after this evenings final round of group games. The draw for the quarter finals will take place tomorrow in MacHale Park with four seeded sides, Breaffy, Castlebar Mitchels, Ballintubber and Knockmore and the other quartet of qualifiers, Ballaghaderreen, Aghamore, Garrymore and Crossmolina Deel Rovers.

Another gut wrenching, shattering defeat

Fri, Oct 07, 2016

This one is hard to comprehend,very hard. Some are harder to take than others. This defeat is pretty difficult to take. Our 1996 loss to Meath is forever etched in my memory for all the wrong reasons, it's very similar to last Sunday.

Another room added to the House of Pain

Fri, Oct 07, 2016

It was that all too familiar feeling in Croke Park last Sunday, when Maurice Deegan blew the full time whistle. While 'The Auld Triangle' drowned out the celebrations from the Hill and Dublin supporters around the ground, for us Mayo folk, we sat back and took stock of what had happened, just like we did in 89, 96, 97, 04, 06, 12, 13, and now once more in 2016. If you have not heard the last lamenting few minutes of Mid West Radio's commentary from Mike Finnerty and John Casey, it captures the feeling we all felt as well as anything could. "It's just not meant to be, it's just not meant to be for Mayo," was how Mike called it, before a few seconds of silence came from their microphones before he was able to try to put some sense on what happened. While when he could finally get some words in Casey emotionally adds "is there ever a God going to smile on us," and, "Ah give give us a break, give us a break for God's sake, that team deserve something."

Mayo GAA SFC Preview

Fri, Oct 07, 2016

Group One
Davitts v Breaffy

Sunday shootout in store in junior decider

Fri, Oct 07, 2016

It is an all West Mayo decider in MacHale Park on Sunday in the county junior final when Louisburgh and Balla meet at 3.30pm. It has a been a long time coming for both sides who are looking to make their way back out of the the junior ranks and into the intermediate grade for next year.

It’s deja vu and dejection all over again

Sat, Oct 01, 2016

And so another All-Ireland against Dublin ended with a crucial kick from the man whose sublime finish had us back here in the first place.

Mayo give their all, but just don't have enough

Sat, Oct 01, 2016

It’s the fine margins that win games at the top level and big calls have to be made, for Mayo the fine margins are once again something they fell just short of in Croke Park on Saturday night. The big call made by the management also didn’t work out for them in the end, but there wasn’t an ounce of effort not put into trying to bridge that small gap. Just like 20 years ago, there was point just in it at the end and a penalty for the opposition helped them along the way.

E-paper

Read this weeks E-paper. Past editions also available from within this weeks digital copy.