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Standing in the broad sunshine in Pearse Park, Longford, last Saturday as evening began to creep across the midlands a disappointed but still positive Pat Holmes picked his way through the questions that followed his side’s third consecutive defeat in an All Ireland u21 semi-final. “Of course you are disappointed, that you didn't get another step when you come out of your province. But some very fine players have emerged for Mayo. The group of players that we had, you couldn't fault any of them for attitude for commitment, and I believe that they all gave to their full potential, but what more can you ask for?” Despite tasting defeat Holmes is confident that the players who have now passed on from his tutelage at this grade and some who are still under-age next year will have a big say in the future fortunes of Mayo football.

Mayo may well be the bookies’ favourites to win Sunday’s All Ireland semi-final clash against Down, but the favourites’ tag is something that Ray Dempsey has never paid much heed to as an inter county player and as an inter county manager since he took the reins of the Mayo minor side in 2008. The Knockmore man who brought last year’s batch of minors to within seconds of claiming Mayo’s first All Ireland minor title since 1985 last year, is once again only 60 minutes away from the last Sunday in September and an All Ireland final day out in front of a packed Croke Park.

It was third time lucky for Ciaran McBrien’s men last Sunday as they claimed the Moclair Cup thanks to a three point win over Knockmore in the county senior final. The east Mayo men were deserving winners over an injury hit side from north Mayo who lacked the killer punch up front denied to them by the absence of Aidan Kilcoyne and Damien Munnelly, but that is of little worry to Charlestown who went out and did what they had to do. David ‘Ginger’ Tiernan rolled back the years with a tireless display in the middle of the field which saw him rightfully rewarded with a man of the match trophy after the game but good performances from the likes of Richard Haran which saw him score four points, John Casey in goal who pulled off a few good saves one late on when Knockmore were battling for a goal to save the tie and substitute Brian O’Connell who offered them something different in attack when they needed it, during the final scuffles saw them over the line. And after the celebrations died down this week, attention will turn to the Connacht Club championship, a competition the east Mayo men won the last time they were county champions back in 2001.

“You’ve got to dance with the ladies that are in the hall, as they say,” is Ciaran McBrien’s outlook as he thinks about the injuries he has to deal with ahead of this Sunday’s refixed Connacht club final against Corofin. The Charlestown manager already knew that he would be without the influence and experience of David Tiernan for this final due to injury, and star forward Richie Haran was going to be another major doubt for the game last weekend with a broken bone in his hand. The extra week has given Haran some more time to recover, but McBrien does not know if it is going to be enough. “It’s one of the hardest breaks to heal we’ve been told, they reckon it will be a six to eight week injury whichever way you look at it, but we hope he’s able to make it in some form.”

The freezing conditions that have beset the country have seen the cancellation of the first round of games in the Connacht FBD League this weekend. The Connacht council announced the decision on Wednesday saying: “Due to hazardous driving conditions and having checked the weather forecast for the weekend Connacht GAA Council has postponed the start of the FBD Insurance League until Sunday January 17.” Mayo were scheduled to open their FBD League campaign with a tie in Garrymore against the students from NUIG on Sunday, but all the ties have now been put back a week due to the snow and ice. Mayo will now start their campaign on Sunday week, and follow it up with a game at home to Sligo IT on Sunday January 24 in Charlestown, and wrap up the league stages on Sunday January 31 in Ballinlough against Roscommon. The home final for the league has been pencilled in for either Saturday February 20 or Sunday February 28, and the final against New York on Sunday October 10.