Bumper weekend of Football ahead

[Peter Solan the Great]

Great weekend of Club football ahead. Something you might notice below is the Dominance of West Mayo

Senior Football Championship Semi-Finals, Sunday, September 26, McHale Park, Castlebar
Castlebar Mitchels V Knockmore, Ref: Michael Daly; Linesmen: Ronan Gurren and John Glavey. Throw-in 2pm- Winner Castlebar
Ballintubber V Shrule-Glencorrib, Ref: Vincent Neary; Linesmen: Ronan Gurren and John Glavey. Throw-in 3.30pm.- Winner Ballintubber

Intermediate Football Championship Semi-Finals, Saturday, September 25, McHale Park, Castlebar
Burrishoole V Kiltimagh, Ref: Kevin Connelly; Linesmen: John Boyle and Padraig Costello. Throw-in 4pm- Winner Burrishoole
Tuar Mhic Éadaigh V Béal an Mhuirthead, Ref: Ronan Gurren; Linesmen: John Boyle and Padraig Costello. Throw-in 5.30pm. Winner Tourmakeady

Junior Football Championship Semi-Finals, Saturday, September 25
Lahardane V Parke, Ref: Eamonn McAndrew IN KNOCKMORE; Throw-in 5pm. Winner Parke
Islandeady V Louisburgh, Ref: Martin Murphy In Westport: Winner Islandeady

[Farrandeelin]

Hard to imagine all the teams in the finals would be from West Mayo. Hope to f**k you're wrong about the Senior Championship and that Knockmore beat Castlebar, but I'm not too confident about it.

[Peter Solan the Great]

Hard to imagine all the teams in the finals would be from West Mayo. Hope to f**k you're wrong about the Senior Championship and that Knockmore beat Castlebar, but I'm not too confident about it.

Well Tourmakeady is in South Mayo but they have a west Mayo Mentality Yes it seems the power base is shifting to west Mayo alright. look at the Underage the Under 21 A and C championships went to West Mayo. Minor A and B looks like going to West Mayo also

[Farrandeelin]

I thought Tourmakeady was in the West Mayo Division.

[Peter Solan the Great]

From www.mayogaa.com

own to four in race for Moclair Cup

Only four teams remain in the race for the Paddy Moclair Cup and this year's champions will either be a 'sleeping giant' returning to the top after a considerable gap or a club winning their first every senior championship.

Knockmore v Castlebar, Sunday, McHale Park, 2pm throw in

First up in Sunday's mouth watering double header is a clash between two of the traditional powerhouses in Mayo football when Castlebar take on Knockmore.
However both sides will be seeking to address the lack of a county title stretching back to the 1990s.
It was 1997 when Knockmore last triumphed and while they have been in a few finals since then, including last year where they lost to Charlestown, the 13 years have largely been a spell of transition.
That can certainly be said about Castlebar. They triumphed last in 1993 and actually went on to the All-Ireland Club Final in 1994, only to lose to Cork's Nemo Rangers. Since then they were relegated for a few years to the Intermediate ranks, earning promotion as champions in 2005 and progressing steadily since.
Both teams have a mix of youth and experience.
In the Knockmore ranks Kevin O'Neill remains pivotal, 17 years after winning his All-Star. Declan Sweeney is still the main bulkwark in defence while his brother Stephen still produces energetic displays at midfield.
Aidan Kilcoyne is back fully fit after a turbulent, injury ravaged season with the county while county teammates Trevor Howley and Kevin McLoughlin will alternate between defence and attack, as needs must.
But Knockmore have a very well rounded look to them. Damien Munnelly is a considerable ally to Kilcoyne in the full-forward line while Gerry Higgins and Andrew Keane get through a ferocious amount of work up top.
In defence Knockmore have, arguably, the strongest defence in the county. Shane McHale is one for the future at county level, John Brogan has been the most consistent club defender of the last ten years while Brian Gibbons and Kieran Langan have been in impressive form. Add in Declan Sweeney and one of Howley or McLoughlin and you realise the strength there.
All points towards a Knockmore victory? Hold your horses.
Castlebar have been threatening for the past couple of years and won't fear Knockmore in the slightest.
If anyone can challenge Knockmore for the meanest defence in the county, then its the Mitchels. Goalkeeper Ciarán Naughton hasn't conceded a goal in championship this year, a sign of his own form and that of the three men playing in front of him - brothers Richie and Alan Feeney and Eoghan Reilly. Alan Feeney was in the Mayo squad this year but couldn't shake away injury worries for long enough to get going. But he is showing at club level what he has to offer. Older brother Richie seems to have found his best position in the corner and still comes forward to strike long range frees while Eoghan Reilly is one of those annoyingly sticky defenders.
The half-back line contains former Mayo player Pat Kelly at centre-half back, another who is playing great football this year, flanked by two attacking wing-backs, Ronan Burke and Donal Newcombe.
Where Mitchels should have an edge is at midfield. With Shane Fitzmaurice and Danny Kirby both capable of winning primary possession, Knockmore will struggle to break even in a sector where they have been second best in some games.
But it is the forward line where Knockmore look stronger. Mitchels have ability, have no doubt, but they will need their forward line to click. Barry Moran will be a handful at full-forward, Neil Douglas is a deadly dangerous corner-forward and centre-half forward Aidan Walsh has shown flashes of his true form this summer.
But Knockmore look like they could have the greater options. But the 1/2 odds being given about them by Paddy Powers are far too short. This one should go down to the wire.

Ballintubber v Shrule/Glencorrib, Sunday, McHale Park, 3.30pm throw-in

If its two teams with loads of pedigree in the first semi-final, then the second clash throws together two teams trying to write new history for their clubs.
Neither Shrule/Glencorrib nor Ballintubber have ever won a county senior championship but one of them will get the chance to compete, at least, in a final and the liklihood is both teams see this draw as favourable.
Few expected Shrule/Glencorrib to be here. Coming up against defending champs Charlestown in the quarter-finals, there was expected to be only one winner, particularly with the south Mayo men missing Mayo star Mark Ronaldson through injury.
But Shrule produced their best performance in many a year. Despite conceding three goals - two of which were own goals and the third of which would have finished many other teams - Shrule kept coming for more. Conor Mortimer was in fine form, his brother Trevor (pictured) more so and Brian Murphy looked right at home at full-forward.
They'll welcome back Mark Ronaldson too into that attack but two questions remain: can they repeat that level of performance and will that level be enough to see off Ballintubber.
The answers to both are hard to predict. Ballintubber, for their part, know that their performance in their quarter-final win over Ballina certainly won't be good enough to get them to a county final. They misfired, made mistakes to beat the band and just got over the line by a point. But they're in the semi-finals now and will know that they are capable of improving.
Certainly key man Alan Dillon will be a relieved man he won't have to face Ger Cafferkey on Sunday - the Ballina centre-back won that pivotal battle - but expect Dillon to be more prominent next time out. So, too, minor star Cillian O'Connor.
At midfield the Tubber will look to big performances from U-21 players Jason Gibbons and Danny Geraghty in an area where Shrule have traditionally struggled. But the commanding performance of James Lohan off the bench in the Charlestown game ought to be noted here.
Shrule have also managed to free up Kieran Conroy from full-back and he will bring much needed strength to the middle of the field while David 'Roundy' Geraghty looks the part at full-back.
Shrule have more experience of this level - having won a semi-final in 2005 before losing the final to Crossmolina. They'll want to get back to that stage and go one further. Ballintubber will be hoping to put all the underage promise of recent years to real benefit.
A huge day for both clubs and for the neutral a chance to see four of the best club forwards around - Alan Dillon, Cillian O'Connor, Mark Ronaldson and Conor Mortimer - display their wares.
Shrule are the bookies favourites but they've been wrong before. Don't be surprised to see a second day out required here.



Intermediate semi's take centre stage on Saturday

Burrishoole have been many people's Intermediate Championship favourites all year but as they reach the semi-final stage, they'll see three other teams with genuine title aspirations.

Burrishoole v Kiltimagh, Saturday, McHale Park, 4pm throw-in

Colm McManamon's Burrishoole have been on a march all year. Amazingly they remain undefeated in 2010. They won the Kelly Cup in West Mayo in the spring and went on to win the County Cup from there. In Division 1B they stand strong at the top of the table, only dropping one point all year (a draw to fellow semi-finalists Belmullet in the first round) while they have steamrolled teams in the championship en route to the semi-final. Their average winning margin has been over 11 points with eight points (vs Kilmeena) the closest any side has got to them in championship.
Corner-forward Jason Doherty is flying - linking up superbly with dominant full-forward David Keane - while at midfield James Moran is beginning to realise his undoubted potential. In defence Burrishoole have plenty of quality but the most significant aspect of their play this year is the ferocity of their workrate.
So, is there any point in Kiltimagh, just up from Junior, even turning up?
While reaching a semi-final in your first year up from a lower grade might be seen as bonus material for some clubs, it won't be thus with Kiltimagh.
They were senior until recent years and, amazingly, lost the Intermediate final in 2007 to Ballintubber. The same Ballintubber who on Sunday contest a county senior semi-final.
They went in one direction while Kiltimagh went in the other, getting relegated in 2008. But their stay at junior was shortlived. They bounced straight back up and came within minutes of winning the All-Ireland Junior title last March.
Undaunted by that heartbreak, they tore into the championship with relish and with the ageless Tomás Morley still the main man in the middle combined with the ability of the likes of Liam Lydon and Seán Mallee in attack and defensive sturdiness provided by Conor Heneghan and John Murtagh, Kilti will be no pushovers.

Tourmakeady v Belmullet, Saturday, McHale Park, 5.30pm throw-in

A repeat of last year's semi-final throws up a chance for Belmullet to seek revenge against their Gaeltacht counterparts.
Both sides have been knocking on the door at Intermediate level for a number of years - indeed Tourmak' kicked down the door when they won the 2006 final, only to be relegated from senior the following year. Belmullet, too, are perpetual contenders but they can they make it count at last?
On paper Belmullet look talented. County players Chris Barrett and Billy Joe Padden (pictured) rarely fail to put in big displays for their club while Stephen Carolan, Henry Gaughan and the electric pace of Shane Nallen are good assets in attack. Paddy Barrett is rock solid at midfield while further back Anthony Mills, Martin McIntyre and goalkeeper David Padden are ultra reliable.
Tourmakeady aren't blessed with a county player but you'll do well to find someone on the shores of Lough Mask who doesn't think Brendan Prendergast should have played more inter-county football. The centre-half back is Tourmakeady's heartbeat and one of the most influential club footballers in the county.
His brother David, the Naughton brothers Tom and Brian and free-scoring Kevin Dolan are very capable footballers while the Heneghan brothers, John and Joe, thrive in the competitive element of championship.
Last year, on a wet day in McHale Park, it was Tourmak' who triumphed. This year they bring in the better league form - much better in fact as Belmullet seem set for relegation to Division 1C. Their league clash saw Tourmak' triumph 1-7 to 0-6 in Belmullet but the Erris men are so notoriously inconsistent that form guides are hard to apply.
Tourmakeady do look to have more going for them however.


Western battles in junior semis

Okay, we know Lahardane is technically in North Mayo but they border Parke and so for the sake of convenience, we'll call the Junior semi-finals western battles. And expect that it is battles they will be.

Lahardane v Parke, Saturday in Knockmore at 5pm

These sides are old rivals at this stage, having competed with each other several times in the Intermediate championship in the last decade.
Lahardane dipped down into Junior first and looked permanently stuck before this year's unexpected run.
Parke dropped down in 2008, merely two years after losing an Intermediate final, and were expected to bounce back pretty quickly. They fell short last year when they lost to Ardnaree in the semi-final but this year their form in the league is impressive - they are within touching distance of promotion to Division 1B - and they managed to overcome old nemesis Ardnaree, after a replay, in the quarter-final.
They'll rely on the likes of Tom and Michael Walsh in defence, Declan Neary in midfield and the deadly duo of Simon Cloherty and Sean McHale in attack.
They'll also have in their ranks two former Lahardane men in Mervyn Marley and James Gillespie which could add spice to the game.
Lahardane shocked a lot of people when they triumphed over The Neale in their quarter-final, having previously overcome Ballintubber B in the last 16.
Their victory over The Neale was a dramatic one too, Shane Loftus struck a fantastic late goal to see them home by a point.
The men from the shadow of Nephin also have Ray McDermott back playing with them - after a spell with Salthill - and Cormac Rowland - after a spell with Knockmore. Rowland is a major injury doubt ahead of Saturday though and his loss would be huge for Lahardane.

Islandeady v Louisburgh, Saturday in Westport at 5pm

All summer players from Louisburgh and Islandeady (together with Parke and Balla) formed an alliance to compete as West Mayo in the Senior Championship.
Now they must put those ties to one side in what could be a cracking semi-final in Westport.
Louisburgh are down in the Junior grade this year after relegation last year and were an established senior club in the very recent past.
Islandeady, for their part, are Junior for longer than they'd prefer. They almost escaped in 2007 but lost their final to Achill.
Islandeady though have benefitted from both the West Mayo experiment - they had nine players starting in most games - and from having spent their league season in Division 1B with a lot of Intermediate and Senior clubs and look like they might hang onto their status too.
The Feeney brothers Vinny, Ollie and Martin have been in inspired form all summer while a fourth brother, Noel, is an injury concern at full-back.
Peter Collins has been impressive at midfield but Brian McCormack, excellent all year, is out with an elbow injury sustained in the quarter-final win over Castlebar Mitchels B. His loss is a huge one.
Louisburgh, for their part, have plenty of talent too. Ja O'Malley is still providing the goods while Stephen O'Grady and John Hegarty are serious club footballers. Alan Moran and Alan Mayberry in defence are serious operators and the battle between Moran and Vinny Feeney could have a pivotal bearing on this encounter.
Feeney's form in recent weeks, particularly with his ten points against Castlebar B (eight from play) could swing this.

[Farrandeelin]

Okay, we know Lahardane is technically in North Mayo but they border Parke and so for the sake of convenience, we'll call the Junior semi-finals western battles. And expect that it is battles they will be.

I'll have to tell that to my Lahardane friend who is on the bench for them. He would be grossly offended!

[rosnarun]

west man in the ascendancy
and mayo at a low Ebb go figure

if yo want to claim lahardane use the fact that half their players play for burrishole

[RedandGreenSniper]

west man in the ascendancy
and mayo at a low Ebb go figure

if yo want to claim lahardane use the fact that half their players play for burrishole

And a few more with Parke