Mayo Football and Hurling - Discussion pages

[Fishead_Sam]

Lads with O'Malley injured for 8 weeks I think we are so very fortunate to have such a great goalkeeper as Clarke to replace him, how many County Teams can replace one of the best goalies in the Country with one of the others. Do think O'Malley slight bit better under the high ball all the same.

(O yea how to add a picture to my profile?)

[Redgreenery]

(O yea how to add a picture to my profile?)

In your profile go to forum profile information and pick a picture or else put in your own picture by URL.

[westmayo]

Results from todays club games

Welcome Inn League Division 1A
Ballintubber    1-20   0-5   Kiltane    
Tourmakeady    1-8   2-9   Crossmolina Deel Rovers    
Louisburgh    0-8   0-14   Westport    
Davitts    1-8   1-12   Ballinrobe    
Belmullet    0-13   3-4   Bohola Moy-Davitts    
Welcome Inn League Division 1B
Claremorris    0-8   0-8   Burrishoole    
Ballaghadereen    3-11   2-6   Castlebar Mitchels    
Knockmore    1-11   1-8   Charlestown    
Ballina Stephenites    2-12   3-8   Kilmeena    
Breaffy    0-12   1-8   Shrule-Glencorrib    
Welcome Inn League Division 2A
The Neale    0-12   1-12   Garrymore    
Welcome Inn League Division 2B
Ballyhaunis    0-13   1-12   Hollymount    
Welcome Inn League Division 3A
Balla    1-10   4-13   Ardnaree

[ildanach]

from gaa.ie
Mayo talisman Ciaran McDonald will not be fit in time to play a role against Galway in the Connacht Senior Football Championship first round clash with Arch-rivals Galway on 20 May.

The Crossmolina clubman hasn't featured in the county jersey since the All-Ireland SFC final capitulation at the hands of Kerry last autumn.

With the championship opener just five weeks away, manager John O'Mahony has confirmed that McDonald will not have recovered sufficiently from an ongoing back problem to play any part.

The playmaker did attempt a return in a trial match a few weeks back but broke down

[Redgreenery]

Hard luck to him, hope he'll be fit for the rest of the championship, a championship game will be different without him.

[An Gaeilgoir]

from gaa.ie
Mayo talisman Ciaran McDonald will not be fit in time to play a role against Galway in the Connacht Senior Football Championship first round clash with Arch-rivals Galway on 20 May.

The Crossmolina clubman hasn't featured in the county jersey since the All-Ireland SFC final capitulation at the hands of Kerry last autumn.

With the championship opener just five weeks away, manager John O'Mahony has confirmed that McDonald will not have recovered sufficiently from an ongoing back problem to play any part.

The playmaker did attempt a return in a trial match a few weeks back but broke down

I heard that about two weeks ago.It seems it will be high summer at least before he's back. A massive loss.

[Redgreenery]

From gaa.ie:

Crossmolina boss Tommy Jordan is still hopeful that Ciaran McDonald will return to action this summer.

The playmaker hasn't turned out in the green and red of Mayo since last year's All-Ireland final and has now been ruled out of the championship opener against Galway by county boss John O'Mahony.

O'Mahony revealed that McDonald's continuing back problem just "hasn't responded" to treatment, and that no date has been pencilled in for any potential return to inter-county action.

"Obviously the issue for us is when he's coming back, as opposed to that he's not coming back," Jordan told the Irish Daily Mail, scotching talk that he might never play again.

"You'd be hoping he'll make it back for the championship both for ourselves and Mayo.

"The number one thing here is his health. He's no business playing if his back isn't right. Health comes first and you take football after that. We're certainly not putting any pressure on him."

It is believed that the player will have to undergo surgery to correct a disc problem in his back at some stage.

Meanwhile, O'Mahony also confirmed that David Brady will miss Sunday's league clash with Donegal at Croke Park because of a calf problem.

[IolarCoisCuain]

There's a lovely interview with Kevin O'Neill in the Irish Times today. The way he can find time to fit everything into his life, and not to be bitter about some of the football reverses he's suffered, is stunning and humbling. Anyone here with a daughter at home should be punching the air with delight and relief were she to bring the likes of Kevin O'Neill home to dinner. An exemplary character.



Veteran still willing to serve the cause

Thu, Apr 19, 2007

National Football League Final: Ian O'Riordantalks to Kevin O'Neill about his decision to remain with the Mayo squad and how adversity has only strengthened their resolve

If there were any doubts about Mayo being quite the fully committed bunch this year then Kevin O'Neill single-handedly dismisses them all. Last September's All-Ireland defeat to Kerry did take time to wash out of the system, and it was widely expected one of the definite casualties would be the 33-year-old O'Neill.

But when John O'Mahony arrived as manager he not only convinced O'Neill to stay on, he also made him captain. The former All Star forward from 1993 realised the nature of the deal.

Based in Dublin, with a demanding job that involves periods of foreign travel, he clearly needed to be enjoying his football if he signed up - because the commitment would be absolute.

"To be honest after last year I really didn't expect that I'd continue playing intercounty football this year," says O'Neill. "And I did have to think long and hard about that before I decided to do it.

"John O'Mahony coming in was a huge influence. Everyone knows he's a hugely inspirational figure, a very experienced coach, and that was a huge factor in my decision to come back.

"But the captaincy was something I never expected to get. It's a great honour, at this stage of my career, but I don't see it as any extra pressure. I've always gone out to play as well as I can and lead by example. And I've never been shy before about saying things in the dressingroom.

"Football is also something I still enjoy. Sometimes people lose sight of that factor, with the level of commitment there. But at the end of the day it is very important to enjoy the game, feel relaxed playing football and to express yourself."

O'Neill has been doing plenty of that lately, his performances at corner forward central to Mayo progressing to the National League final against Donegal.

A calf muscle injury has left some doubt over his participation on Sunday, although he's obviously keen to get out there, and make some amends for what happened in Croke Park last September.

"It was hard to get back into the training mode, but last year is already history now, and we're looking forward to the year ahead. Nobody died, it wasn't the end of the world, and life goes on. We're fortunate to have made the league final, and to get back to Croke Park so soon after what happened last September.

"Of course we've tried to learn a few things from defeat that day, and I think as a group of players we've got an even stronger resolve now, and that's been seen throughout the league this year. We have been five or six points down in a number of games and come back to win, and that's great credit to the resolve of all the team."

O'Neill's career to date has been notably stop-start. After the high of his 1993 All Star he sustained a broken leg in 1997, then opted out of the panel altogether before his surprise comeback last year.

In the meantime he'd established a professional career as director of business development for Royal Bank of Canada, and being based in Dublin, along with the foreign travel, means a truly hectic schedule of balancing work and play.

"Well I'd always maintained a good level of fitness, playing club football with Na Fianna. If anything I'm in better physical condition now, being away from all the rigours of it for two or three years.

"But there's a group of eight of us based here in Dublin, like Billy Joe Padden, Gary Mullins, Aidan Higgins, Conor Mortimer, and we travel back to Mayo every weekend, and some weeks we'd meet up with the rest of the squad half way there. We do our weight training in Riverview in Clonskeagh, and football work in Clonkeen College in Stillorgan.

"Logistically it can be difficult the way traffic has gone, and there are the demands of work on top of that. But we're all aware of what we've signed up for. You just have to be exceptionally well organised, and well disciplined to manage the schedules.

"My work does involve lots of travel, to the US and UK, and around Europe. It can be exceptionally demanding to combine that with the football, but I always bring a gear bag with me and a pair of boots. But I suppose I enjoy that too. It's a very active schedule.

"It will be like that for most of the summer, but I'm used to that at this stage, and know how to get the diet right, and rest, and things like that. The general level of fitness is quite good, and rest is probably the most important thing for me at this stage.

"But I'm still looking forward to winning something over the next year or so."

Starting, that is, on Sunday.
© 2007 The Irish Times

[the ship]

sure is he not doing what most of us would love to do play for our counties but never got the chance so maybe he should be thanful
more than we should be thanful for him.

[AbbeySider]

sure is he not doing what most of us would love to do play for our counties but never got the chance so maybe he should be thanful
more than we should be thanful for him.

Whats with the negativity?

Who is asking YOU to thank him?

It was a good article. It just shows players like O Neill make a lot of sacrifices for their county, which is a huge commitment.

Dont knock it

[the Deel Rover]

Fair play to you Abbeysider, i don't think some people realise the sacrafices the players make. Sure most of us would love to wear the jersey, but a lot of skillfull players have stopped playing when they were younger because they could not give the committment and wanted to head out weekends with their friends or head off on holidays. i know a lot of the present panel and the commintments they have made for club and county over the years is huge.They give the best days of their lives for the love of the game and the hope of getting a celtic cross.I know myself even if i had the talent which i don't i would not give the committment as it would be too much of a sacrafice.

[Fishead_Sam]

Anyone know how St. Josephs of Castlebar did down in the ladies Colleges C Final in Ennis today?

Did we in the land of Green & Red add to the U-21s Connacht title in our long list of silverway for the year to come?

[westmayo]

Fishhead you will be proud to know that St. Josephs won today by 3-8 to 2-6, great achievment for the girls and all involved. Good catch of players from all the surrounding clubs (Castlebar, Breaffy. Carnacon) Cora Staunton was their coach this year, good to see some of her winning mentality rubbed off on them.

[the ship]

but where is the sacrifice if you love the game surely nobody has asked them to make all these sacrifices dont cod yourself its for the green and red its for themselves first and everything else afterwards.

[the Deel Rover]

Sure you tell us why they are getting out of it,it must be the huge amount of money they get paid by the gaa.