Search Results for 'Colm Boyle'

Confusion reigns as far as this columnist is concerned in trying to predict the outcome of Sunday’s league final. It is eerily quiet about the place, for many reasons, which has meant the build up to this final has been quite different. There is also a wintry sting in the air these past few days which does not help create an exciting atmosphere for a big game. The reality for the downbeat mood could also have something to do with the fact that that we just do not really know what to expect on Sunday. But I felt that way too for the semi-final, when so few from the participating counties took an interest in proceedings. Very few I met or spoke to prior to the game gave Mayo much of a chance of reaching the league final. Most thought that Kerry had played tricks with the Mayo players’ minds during the final round of the league one week earlier in Tralee. Kerry played with the kind of arrogant cocky swagger which is their wont for most of the afternoon in Croke Park without displaying an ounce of panic until the game had practically slipped away from them. On this occasion there were no big guns on the subs bench to rescue the situation… they were all on the field of play. They played poorly and fitness levels were questionable. They were also missing two of their big stars in Declan O’Sullivan and Tomás Ó Sé, and a combination of these factors meant that they could not stop a more energetic Mayo side once they got a sniff of victory. In times past when Kerry felt any level of threat, they simply put the foot back on the pedal and drove on. Not so on this occasion and after Pat Harte’s brilliantly executed penalty Mayo looked re-energised, fitter, fresher, and stronger as they recorded another famous victory over the Kingdom. The handful of loyal supporters that travelled were not found wanting when assisting their team over the finishing line.

The Mayo footballers will have received a huge boost from last Sunday’s narrow victory over Kerry in the National League semi-final.

Mayo 0-20

Being on top of the table in division one of the National Football League after only completing two games, while six of the other seven sides in the division have already played a game extra, has Mayo in good shape ahead of the visit of Down on Sunday to McHale Park.

Mayo 1-14

It is a normally a once in a lifetime thing for most people, some get a second chance at it, but for the vast majority it is a one shot deal. Getting to an All Ireland Club final is the most special occasion for anyone involved in a club. It is the pure essence of what the GAA is about, the smallest unit of the organisation, making it all the way to the greatest stage that it possibly can. While the All Ireland senior club championships have been one of the highlights of the GAA calendar for decades now, the introduction of the All Ireland championship at junior and intermediate level has brought the ability to achieve the ultimate to every club in the country which has a rutted field, a run down club house, and puts out a team into championship action every year, against the odds of modern life, the depopulation of rural Ireland, and the mass youth emigration that is currently happening across the isle.

Only 60 minutes separates Davitts from making not a little bit of history, but one that will be remembered for as long as the men from the borderline towns of Ballindine and Irishtown play football. On Sunday in Tullamore, one more win and an All Ireland final beckons for the men in black and red next month.

It was not exactly back with a bang, but inter-county football was back last weekend for Mayo when they took on and defeated a hard working Leitrim side. January throws up very little in definite road signs for the direction the summer will take, but there were a few new options in route planning on show that will have given both James Horan and the Mayo supporters something to think about in the coming weeks and months.

Mayo 0-10

The Mayo squad for the FBD league and the NFL will also see some new faces.