Search Results for 'McHale Park'

It was predicted that the sun would be high in the sky last Sunday and so it proved. It was a glorious autumnal day for county finals and a magnificent crowd turned up at McHale Park to see what would hopefully be two action-packed encounters. However, and not for the first time, the fare on offer did not live up to the billing. I was sitting back in glorious sunshine for the County junior final in good time. What struck me immediately on entering the stadium was the fantastic crowd that turned out for the games.

Darragh McCormack came to the rescue of Ardnaree late on in McHale Park on Sunday to give his side a second crack at this years Mayo junior title. Two minutes into injury time, Michael Walsh drove forward with purpose and laid the ball off to the Ardnaree number ten who held his nerve to pull the game level at 1-5 each. It was McCormack who left only one point between the sides, six minutes earlier with a neat finish under pressure.

On the undercard of Sunday’s senior final is the meeting of two sides who have been beaten in three of the last four junior finals as they look to finally make the break up to intermediate football. Ardnaree were seen off last year by Islandeady and were also beaten in the final of three years ago by Kiltimagh. The Neale were last in the final in 2008 when Killala saw them off to claim the title.

t’s been 36 years since it was last achieved when Garrymore saw off Knockmore by the smallest of margins on a scoreline of 1-9 to 2-5 to claim a historic three-in-a-row. On Sunday, Ballintubber are looking to become the latest side to enter their name in that ledger in the history books of Mayo football.

In what will be a welcome boost to the coffers of Mayo GAA, there will be four home games for Mayo in the proposed fixtures for Division 1 of the Allianz Football league next year. The draft fixtures which were released this week will see Mayo entertain Kerry, Tyrone, Kildare, and in a repeat of this years All Ireland final, Donegal in Elvery’s McHale Park. They will be on the road to Dublin, Down, and Cork in their remaining three games. The fixtures will see Mayo open up at home to Kerry on Sunday February 3, and follow that up with another home game against Tyrone the following Sunday. After a couple of weeks break they will be back in action on Saturday March 2, in the first of two away games in a row, on a Saturday night against Dublin, they will follow that up the next Saturday night away to Down. They will be back home the next Saturday night, March 16, against Kildare, before hosting Donegal the following Sunday, March 24, in Castlebar. They will round off the group stages of the competition away to Cork on Sunday, April 7. Mayo will have three Saturday night games and four Sunday afternoon games in the proposed fixtures.

Only a matter of weeks after James Horan led Mayo to the All Ireland final, GAA matters in the county were thrown into a state of flux again with reports this week the Ballintubber club man was considering his position in charge of the side over a number of logistical issues. The issues of concern were reported to have been hotel accommodation in Dublin and the availability of training pitches and McHale Park.

It has been a remarkable few years for Ballintubber, escaping with the intermediate title by the skin of their teeth in 2007 and going on to put together back to back senior titles in 2010 and 2011. This year, they are looking to make it three senior titles in a row. On Sunday in McHale Park, Crossmolina Deel Rovers will become the latest side to try to knock Peter Ford’s men off their lofty perch.

Friday September 28

This evening in McHale Park a night of top class football promises to be in store with the county minor A and B finals down for decision in the county ground. The action will get under way at 7pm with the meeting of Carras and St Muradeach’s in the B final. The north Mayo amalgamation made their way into the final with a 1-10 to 0-9 win over Moy Davitts last weekend in Ballina. Darragh Burke was the man who got the only and vital goal of the game, with Ronan Neary kicking five points over the 60 minutes.

I think Mayo have a great chance of beating the Dubs on Sunday. Luke Dempsey called earlier in the week to discuss Mayo’s chances. He too believes Mayo will win. He suggested that the Dubs need twice as much possession as most teams to manage a victory. He believes many of their players are lacking in some of the fundamental skills of the game. I too have suggested that many of the Dublin footballers appear to be manufactured footballers, ie, many are not naturally talented. Of course they are much better than the three teams we have played in this year’s campaign so far, but are the Dubs that good? I do not think so.