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This is in 'rumour' territory but coming from sources that would be well informed and wouldn't be throwing stuff around.
Anyway we will have to wait til morning to see if there is anything in it.

Great win on the road by our lot above in Clones. I'll be disappointed if we don t build on that at home this weekend. Kerry started the year spluttering a bit but were bright eyed and bushy tailed as soon as a gunslingin' Donegal rode into town. Donegal were cranky for February above in Ballybofey the Sunday before and Kerry took note and seemed keen to get their retaliation in first it appeared.
That game may have slaked their thirst for blood for a whileeen.
Hopefully we can get a couple of wins now. Twould be nice to be heading up to Longford for the last game as a semi-final shoot-out rather than a relegation must-win.

Looks like Mayo could be heading into last 3 rounds without any points on the board. Monaghan unlucky not to take anything from Dublin. Last years game was a testy affair. Mayo were bullied to an extent in last quarter in Ballybofey and that won't have gone unnoticed.

Must say I'm really into this. Never saw some of that footage in part 1 before. Great stuff. The nephews looking up at the cup in the national school is great stuff.

Venue is Mayo's call this time. Sligo went with The Hyde in 2012.
I'm not sure Mayo would go with Hyde Park, even if it was available.
Mayo are trying to get Sligo to come to McHale Park. What Sligo will demand remains to be seen. A number of future matches played in Mark. Park if they are not finals? A cash incentive? The game would attract as many as 10k more in Castlebar. Say an extra 100.000 euro in the coffers. Sligo can of course tell us to feck off and hold out for a neutral venue.

A must win for Derry if they re going to stay in Div.1. I think they will get it. Their need is greater and we ve not done so good against Derry teams down the years. A win here and we d find it hard to avoid the dreaded semi-finals.
I have to say I don t understand Derry. Eoin Bradley, Chrissy McKeigue, Fergal Doherty, Mark Lynch, James Kielt are top players but seem to be missing a lot. Injuries?

?

The winner of this could be in the semis. Mayo coughed up a healthy points advantage in last few minutes v Cork but still we should be happy enough. We re not likely to be relegated after losing to a team that may well go down. Really we should be in semis already but there were reasons for the sluggish start so no worries.

With the Castlebar players available and Andy, Dillon and Chris Barrett also reported to be close we appear to be snowballing along nicely.

However I don t expect much change. Maybe Cuniffe will start but probably too soon for Barrett. The 3rd man in ff line is the only iffy one besides. A pity the obvious one is still not back in the reckoning.

Huge weekend of sport to look forward to.

Cork are always difficult and often formidable at all grades. I suppose that is what made the U21 win in 2006 a bit special.

Still I m expecting Mayo to win this at home. I posted a team on the last thread that I d like to see start. I m sure other people have a different take on things?

Any Cork posters about?

We really need 2 more points here to give us a bit of breathing space. No doubt Westmeath will be desperate to take something out of the league and will have to give this a right go at home.

The Mayo selection will be interesting. With the U21s playing the following Wednesday Gallagher might be sitting this one out and maybe the plan is to give Doherty an extended run in the half forward line anyway.

I expect Higgins to remain at the back for the time being anyway in the continued absense of Barrett and Cuniffe and Vaughan and Seamie may be held in reserve for another couple of games yet.

Probably contrary to general consensus I liked the settling influence Andy had the last day and he probably needs all the game time he can get. On last days form Varley deserves to start and Freeman should be persisted with at ff.

Any thoughts?

[CADBURY'S CONNACHT U 21 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP 2014]

CADBURY'S CONNACHT U 21 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP 2014Extra Time in all games
Pre Lim:
Wednesday 12th March
A: Mayo v Roscommon Mac Hale Park

Semi Finals
Wednesday 19th March
Sligo v Winners A Mac Hale Park/Kiltoom

Saturday 22nd March
Leitrim v Galway Carrick on Shannon

FINAL
Saturday 5th April

From a Mayo perspective it has been a very poor 4 years. Yet there was plenty of quality in the squads.
There appears to be a bit of class around again so it ll be interesting to see if the new management can improve on results. I believe we play Tyrone in Ballina on Sunday at 1.30 but with the weather the way it is that may change. Hopefully it goes ahead and we get a look.

Was just looking at appearances in All Ireland finals (Mayo are in joint fifth with Meath behind Galway, Cork, Kerry and Dublin).

Then noticed some teams won and lost finals. However some never got over the line. The criteria I used was teams that either had multiple final appearances or at least one final and one semi in a different year.

I know I should not be torturing my fellow Mayomen with this type of stuff but I expect we re all fairly numb at this stage.

We can expect a big improvement but Cork wont want to lose 2 on the bounce either. We looked very flat the last day and our confidence was shot long before the end so it s hard to know how we will respond to that drubbing. Physically we were dwarfed by Donegal and Cork are another big lot.

I hope Horan freshens the team up a bit. Limited if the u21s are still tied up but likes of Campbell and Conroy can hardly make things worse.

Size is a worry though. Half of Sunday s team were under 6'. Several of them well under. And it s not like they make up for it in bulk. A win and we could make the semis yet.

Must say I m really looking forward to this Championship. Any thoughts?

Connacht U21 Championship 2010

10 March  Leitrim v Mayo (QF) – Wed evening match under lights in Cloone
17 March  Galway v Sligo (SF)
17 March  Leitrim or Mayo v Roscommon
3-6 Apr (tbc) Connacht Final

All Ireland U21 Championship
17 April Semi-Finals – Connacht v Leinster, Ulster v Munster
1 May All Ireland U21 Final

Probably been done before.

Just that my kids seem to enjoy the old ones the best. The stuff I used to watch - still do.

My favs are The Pink Panther[including The Inspector and Ant and Aardvark] and Foghorn Leghorn.

Should I be worried?

Any ideas who will finish up top scorer in the championship 09? Think it was John Doyle last year. Michael Meehan looks one of the more likely ones.  Meehan plays London this weekend and should score heavily. You would expect Galway to have at least 4 games this Summer.

Here is Ray Silke [I think] s tuppence on the effect the budget will have on schools in the South. It would be a terrible loss imo. But hardly a mention of it.





Budget cut-backs sound the death knell for sport in schools
Mayo Advertiser, October 24, 2008.

It is a beautiful crisp spring morning in February 2009. The game has been fixed for over two weeks at this stage. The school team are to play their deadly rivals in a key championship encounter and all the arrangements are in place. The bus is booked and enroute, everyone is in good spirits and the students are excited and looking forward to the fray with great anticipation. The hard work has been done after school on the training field and now they want to display their talents and array of skills in the school colours. It means a lot to them. And to you. One final check over the essentials - Pitch and ref organised. Jerseys. Medical kit. A few euro off the secretary for the referee. An intelligent lad or lassie who is not afraid of blood as an unqualified medic.

A few tall lads with reasonable eyesight and co-ordination for umpires. And a mobile one for linesman. Finally an experienced hydrologist and ye are in mighty shape. Time to hit the road. However, there is a glitch - at the last minute the principal knocks on your door and informs you that the game has to be pulled as he cannot get cover for your classes and from a health and safety perspective, you cannot go. B***ix. B***ix. B***ix.

Is this the end of an era?

This will be the new reality for students and teachers who are involved with GAA and soccer in second level schools from next January as a direct consequence of last week's budget cut-backs in education. As part of a wide range of cuts, substitution cover will be suspended for school business absences in post-primary schools.

The net effect of this measure is that school managements all over the country will not be able to employ subs to cover the classes of those away at games. Which begs the question, who will cover those classes?

BI-location for teachers is not an option and some schools will not have sufficient cover under the existing supervision and substitution scheme to cater for colleagues away with teams. The GAA hierarchy have requested an urgent meeting with Deptartment of Education officials and their minister, however; considering the amount of U-turns taken already this week by the Government, it is unlikely that they could be seen to pull the hand-break again and do another 360 degree turn. Indeed this column is not screaming from the roof tops that such a manoeuvre should take place. Money is tight and the substitution scheme was very expensive for the Deptartment of Education and Science, but it does beg the question, do the powers that be want sport in schools or not? They cannot have it both ways.

You cannot have a teacher or two away with a team in whatever code and also expect that teacher/school to have their classes covered without incurring some degree of expense. From next year the vast majority of schools will have no option but to massively restrict such absences rather than pay substitute teachers out of their own resources. General secretary of the Joint Managerial Body, which represents the boards of almost 400 second-level schools, Ferdia Kelly, pointed out during the past few days that this decision "would lead to the demise of schools competitions, even though we've always prided ourselves on looking after the growth of the student not just academically, but with sports and other extra-curricular activities."

Minister O'Keefe's spokesperson in the Dept is also aware of the challenges - I love that word - that this cut-back entails. "The Minister fully realises that the changes regarding substitution will present particular challenges - t(hat word again) - in the day-to-day management of schools and he asks schools for co-operation and understanding in undertaking to implement the arrangements." We must do our patriotic duty it seems. The bottom line here is that there is a genuine and high probability that many schools will have to pull out of games and competitions, especially with the health and safety requirements to have two adults accompanying students who are away with games. Some teachers and parents would not shed any crocodile tears if sport was removed from the remit of schools completely, however to say that such a development is a positive for school children is incorrect and is gullible in the extreme. Ironically the recent cut-back will not have a major impact on rugby schools which have seen rising numbers in school competitions recently as their games are usually played on Wednesday afternoons when most participating schools have half-days.

Unbelievable. I did nt see this one coming. County Board approved a 2 year extension to his contract last night. I find it hard to believe but there ye go. I m surprised he sought an extension but he said he would help out the county in this difficult period of transition.
  Obviously the County Board never heard of Eddie O Sullivan and contract extensions. They are nt listening to opinion around the county either. I dont know whether to laugh or cry.

How about a team of beardies. Never a common thing and I can only recall a few offhand.






6. Alan Larkin -
7. Liam Currams
8. Colm McKinstry
9. Martin McCarrick
10.Martin Carney

12 John P Keane

14. Mickey Freyne




I think I remember Colm McKinstry had a beard, Horse Regan in his early years and John Stenson too?

Just back from 'haunis.  Draw. Laois 1-15  Mayo 3-9 . Half-time  it was 2-5 to 7 points and Mayo had the breeze in the second half. Alarming Mayo collapse for most of the second half though, even if it was only a challenge. Laois on the other hand look in rude good health and their poor league form looks irrelevant at this stage. They looked more of a championship team than we did today. They re big and pacey with a few classy forwards and I thought the 7-1 I got just now on Paddy power good value for Leinster. On the other hand the awful performance of the Mayo forwards in the second half will not convince some of us that the Mayo team is better without CMcD. I can go into detail of individual performances, scoring etc for both teams if anybody is interested.