‘We’re just a puck of a ball away from doing it’ — Phillips

Fri, May 23, 2014

Tomorrow afternoon the Mayo senior hurling team put their season on the line when they make the trip to Arklow to take on Wicklow in the quarter-final of the Christy Ring Cup at 2.30pm. Mayo manager Christy Phillips told the Mayo Advertiser this week that he believes that his team have what they need to make the breakthrough on Saturday and reach the semi-final of the competition for the first time in a number of years.

‘You have my number James’

Fri, May 23, 2014

The inclusion of Gavin Duffy in the Mayo senior squad certainly got tongues wagging in the county and several people asked about my opinion on the matter. Gavin Duffy played midfield for the Mayo minors in an All-Ireland final in 1999, which is 15 long years ago. My senior inter county career finished the same year, I wonder would James Horan be interested in a fifth choice goalkeeper; you have my number, James. There is certainly no guarantee a good minor will become an integral part of a senior set up and I have watched many brilliant minors fall by the way side and some weren’t even playing club football by the time they were 22, but in Duffy’s case I’m sure he would have made the grade. The fact that he went on to have a very successful professional rugby career with Connacht and Harlequins reassures me that whatever he put his hand to he would have been a success. There are loads of positives to take from his inclusion in the panel. He has been a professional sportsman for the guts of 15 years so the physique, stamina and temperament are already in place. He is a leader and captained Connacht for many years and his inclusion will lift the tempo at Mayo training and push the existing players that bit further.

A note in point, with the way current county players train and mind themselves you will find that Gavin Duffy will not be alone in his physical condition within the Mayo set up. Most county players look like rugby players now and already the thought of a collision between himself and Colm Boyle at training makes my eyes water. My only concern is how his skill levels will be with a round ball after 15 years playing with a rugby ball. I have no doubt his training regime will involve two hours of ball skills pretty much every day to get him up to speed as fast as possible. The next big question is where to play him? He played midfield as a minor, played full back in rugby so you’d imagine he would have to be considered for a central position. Now is the time to experiment, I would try him everywhere from full back to full forward to see where he is most comfortable. There is also no guarantee we will see Gavin Duffy playing for Mayo this summer although I could think of a few guys I’d like to see him rugby tackle before the summer is out. I wonder if he would escape a black card on the grounds of his previous career.

The race for Moclair begins

Fri, May 23, 2014

With just two league games under their belts for the 16 senior clubs in the county, the race for the Moclair Cup gets under way this weekend with eight games across the four groups in the Treanlaur Catering Mayo GAA senior football championship getting going to the whistle over Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.

Cup action dominates this weekend

Fri, May 23, 2014

A few hours after this week’s edition of the Mayo Advertiser went to print last night, a trio of catch-up games in the Super League will have taken place. Westport United will have the chance to stretch their lead at the top out to five points when they take on Ballyheane, Castlebar Celtic will host Moy Villa, while the two teams at the bottom of the table meet with Iorras Aontaithe hosting Fahy Rovers.

Westport United stretch their legs at the top

Mon, May 19, 2014

Going into Sunday’s game in Green Road against Straide and Foxford United the news that the previous evening, Ballina Town had been held by Manulla gave Westport United the chance to stretch their legs at the top of the Elverys Super League table. And that’s exactly what they did and in some style thanks to a 4-0 win. That’s 22 goals the Coveys have now scored in their four games so far in the league, an amazing 5.5 goals per game so far in the league.

Breaffy take down Mitchels in style

Sun, May 18, 2014

In a repeat of last years county final Breaffy and Castlebar met in round two of the Mayo GAA SFL league in Breaffy on Saturday night and it was the hosts who came out on top with a 2-13 to 0-7 win over their neighbors. The visitors lined up without Richie Feeney and Barry Moran at their services, while Breaffy weren't able to call on Seamus O'Shea who picked up a knock in their defeat against Ballintubber the previous week.

Back to normality and back to the club scene

Fri, May 16, 2014

With all the furore, excitement, and stories from my recent visit to New York for the start of the Connacht championship I did not leave many column inches for the most important part, the match. It was amazing the amount of Mayo supporters who expressed concern to me before the team departed from Dublin for the Big Apple. I was regularly asked if they would win in New York, and the number of times I heard “they’ll hardly mess up, will they?” made me snigger to myself. Supporters were concerned after the performance against Derry in the League semi-final, but you were dealing with three in a row Connacht champions and double All-Ireland finalists here against a bit part team made up of a sprinkling of average county players and mostly of average club players. The result was never in question, but it took until the last kick of the game when Enda Varley goaled to seal my prediction of Mayo winning by at least 20 points. New York’s so called bigger players, Brendan Quigley and Ross Wherity, completely faded into obscurity as they were overwhelmed by Seamus O’Shea, Jason Gibbons, and Donal Vaughan. It was a difficult game to watch and even more difficult to talk about as New York had 13 men in their own half for long periods to basically try to keep the score down.

Fear of failure drives Centra sponsored cycling team for An Post Rás

Fri, May 16, 2014

The Mayo Centra team will be the only Connacht team in the 2014 An Post Ras. The once amateur race has seen more professional teams enter over the last five years, and it is only a few years away from being a fully professional event.

‘Same as it ever was’ for Westport

Fri, May 16, 2014

Outside the Box was on a sabbatical overseas last week, but did make it back in time for the Connacht Junior Cup final in Milebush last Sunday and you can read all about that at www.advertiser.ie/mayo/article/69409. While Castlebar Celtic were suffering a heartbreaking defeat to Ballinasloe Town in the provincial cup decider, the team who lost to them in the previous year’s final, in a similarly heartbreaking way, were cementing their position at the top of the Elverys Sports Super League table.

Celtic women look to bring home the glory

Fri, May 16, 2014

Following on from the defeat of their senior men’s side in the Connacht Junior Cup final last weekend, it’s the turn of Celtic’s women’s team to head into final action this weekend. It’s been an eventful season for this current Celtic side after they made it all the way to the FAI Women’s Senior Cup final in the Aviva Stadium only to lose out in extra-time.

Duffy joins back up with Mayo

Fri, May 16, 2014

Mayo manager James Horan has thrown a wildcard into the mix this week, with the news that former Ireland and Connacht rugby player Gavin Duffy has joined up with the Mayo senior football squad. Duffy who was a Mayo minor star on the team that lost the 1999 All Ireland minor final was recently released by Connacht after his second stint with the province where he played 173 games scoring 83 points. His period at Connacht was interrupted by a spell in England with Harlequins from 2003 to 2006 where he played 110 times and won the Challenger Cup in 2004 scoring a try in their final win over AS Montferrand. Duffy played ten times for Ireland over his rugby career scoring 18 points, getting his first try in his second cap against Scotland in the 2005 six nations. He was also part of Eddie O’Sullivan’s squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

Kiltane prepare for National Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta Finals

Mon, May 12, 2014

Kiltane GAA club are priming with confidence ahead of the National Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta Finals in Moycullen over the June Bank Holiday weekend after the clubs double success at the Mayo Comórtas Finals held recently on Achill Island. The Bangor club strode to victory over Kilcommon in the Mayo Senior final on a score line of 4-12 to 1-08 with man of the match Ultan Corrigan, Barry Mc Andrew and Tommy Conroy all finding the net over the hour.

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