Monday Morning (comming down) or the afternoon really

Well busy weekend on the Mayo front with two senior games in the space of 14 hours, and not good news really to report at all. Although I missed the game on Sunday morning due to a rather large amount of beverages on Saturday night, having been speaking to one or two who were there it wasn’t all that exciting apart from the fact that David Heaney made his come back at number six rather than full back. But in all seriousness going on Saturday nights game he’ll probably find his way to number three come Saturday in Derry.

Tim Kelly Engineering Cup

Mayo 2-9

Westmeath 0-9

In Ballinrobe

By far and away the most entertaining thing to come out of the game on Saturday night was the wisecracking PA announcer who when Aidan Kilcoyne popped over the last point of the game announced to the crowd that “and thats the proof that leg warmers are the key to scoring” in result to Kilcoyne’s sartorial choice, where he came on to the field in a pair of skin tight warm up pants like John Barnes did once in his pomp for Liverpool in the 8O’s, whatever the chance that the nickname “Killer” which has been bestowd upon the Knockmore man of scaring anyone went out the window on Saturday night as from my spot in the stand there was more than a few hundred people sniggering at him. Well on to the game anyway.

The big news Conor Mortimer was back, along with Barry Moran, Colm Boyle, Tom Parsons, Chris Barrett, legwarmers Kilcoyne, Aidan Campbell and Andy Moran. Tom Cunniffe who I stated last week that I was looking foward to seeing was named in the side, but pulled out injured.

Game started well enough with Keith Higgns clipping over one in the fifth minute as the game started to find it’s feet, he was quickly followed up by James Gill who was played in by Mortimer to shoot from close range, the visitors got their first score of the contest on the nine minute mark when Fergal Wilson pointed from a placed ball and three minutes later Dermot Bannon levelled it up when Conor Mortimer was caught out by a ball over his head into the channel from Martin Flanagan. A minute later the visitors took the lead when Wilson again was allowed to shoot over from a free.

Mayo shortly after had the first goal chance of the game when Michael Mullins, James Gill and Austin O’Malley combined for the Louisburgh man to shoot on goal which was saved well low to the ground by Gary Connaughton in the Westmeath goal. But the wait for the opening major wasn’t long and Barry Moran was able to finish to the net after a some neat if overly complecated interchange between Peadar Gardiner, Austin O’Malley, James Gill and Conor Mortimer before the ball eneded up with the big Castlebar man.

Peadar Gardiner hit Mayo’s third major with a point after Austin O’Malley played him in, but the chance could have been lost because AOM took an age to decide when and who he was going to pass too. The midlanders responded with a Paul Bannon point from a really tight angle out on the right. O’Malley then his two points for Mayo one from play the other from a free, before Wilson responded with two pointed frees for Westmeath. The final word on the half was left to Micheal Mullins who cut in along the endline and powered the ball to the back of the net to leave Mayo 2-6 to 0-6 in the lead at half time.

The second half, well the less really said about it the better as Mayo feel apart at the seems along with their opponents, there was no consistency, wrong options taken with the ball. When it was in hand they carried it into the tackle and lost it too often. When they did drive to drive it long it was nearly always to a spot where there was no Mayo man there. It was just one of those evening where nothing went right. But maybe it was the cold getting to me. I’m sure there be far more analytical views from the Mayo, the Connacht and the Western tomorrow. But from this writers point of view a hell of a lot needs to be done in a week.

Mayo: David Clarke; Conor Moran, BJ Padden, Liam O’Malley; C. Barrett, A. Higgins, K. Higgins. P. Gardiner, S. O’Shea; J. Gill, A. O’Malley, M. Mullins; C. Mortimer, B. Moran, A. Moran; Subs: Kilcoyne, Campbell Benson, Parsons,

The weekend

So, it’s been a busy week here at nooneshoutedstop towers and I’m only getting a chance to post up my few thoughts on the weekend now. So I suppose most of the interest will concern the Mayo v Westmeath game on Saturday evening in the wonderfully appointed Flanagan Park. It will give us all a chance to have a look at how the college lads will blend into the side with the likes of Andy Moran, Conor Mortimer, Barry Moran and all getting back into the fray for the green and red.

On player I’m really looking forward to seeing is Tom Cunniffe ever since the 2005 minor campagin he really stuck out in my mind as a guy who will have a really big future in the game and to go on the follwing year and anchor the U21 side in the half back line really brought him on. If I can remember rightly he was still in school when Mayo won that All Ireland. All in all it should be a good nights entertainment at the least. Have also heard whispers that there is another behind the scenes challenge lined up for the weekend against either DCU of DIT I can’t remember exactly who I was told, but it will give the lads another run out.

If you still haven’t your football fill

The quarter finals of the Connacht Colleges A championship are down this weekend with St Geralds (looking for their fourth final in a row) St Colmans and Rice College all in action, it will be a Castlebar v Westport clash in Ballintubber at 2pm on Sunday. The Westport outfit have looked really good in the B competition and could threaten to do what Geralds did in 1996 come from the B competition and win the A aswell, it should be a good game all around and worth watching. Colmans have also been flying this year and knocked out the Pres in Headford who were trained by none other than former Galway, Sligo and new Castlebar Mitchels manager Peter Ford there in action against one of the surprise sides of the last few years St Attractas Tubbercurry in Charlestown also at 2pm.

Ladies Manger still to be appointed

It will be Monday night it seems when the Mayo ladies senior manager will be appointed, leaving really only five days to prepare for the start of the league madness I tell you.

The ladies still without a manager

So it looks like the Mayo Ladies County board are in a big mess once again. Normally a manager guides his side to the All Ireland Final in his first season on the way, picking up the League title and their first Connacht Crown in about four years, they’re pretty safe to bet that they’ll be given another crack at it the next year. Not so if your the manager of the Mayo Ladies side. Frank Browne has told the press that he was only interviewed for the post last Friday night (January 18) and won’t know if he got the job again until Monday next (January 28) and the National Football League is starting six days later on Sunday (Feburary 3). So if it’s Browne or someone else, no one knows who the other nominees for the job were or if there really were any because the new county board who still don’t have a secrecatary never mind a number of other positions are saying nothing about it. And when Anthony Hennigan of the Western People tried to contact them in connection with the post, no one was able to talk to them on the matter. So six days to get a side together and train for the start of the defense of the national league crown, and we thought the mens board were bad at times. (Oh and Cora Staunton will be out for a good few months as she’s having an opperation according to Daniel Carey in the Mayo News today, so the odds are stacked even higher against them.

And no for somthing different

Camogie County Board for Mayo

For the first time in over three decades, a camogie county board in Mayo has been established to cater for the growth of the game within the county. The Connacht Council Office in Ballyhaunis was the venue last week when four camogie clubs from the area sat down to form a county board to oversee the running of underage competitions within Mayo and to ensure that the Mayo Junior Camogie side is supported in their relevant competitions.
Chairing the meeting on the evening was Mary O’Connor (National Camogie Director) along with Caroline Murray (Regional Development Officer), while also present were delegates of the Castlebar, Na Brideoga, Moytura and Western Gaels (Sligo) camogie clubs. After a brief introduction to the running of a camogie county board by Mary O’Connor, the following officers were elected: Chairman – Peter Cassidy (Na Brideoga), Secretary – Martina Mulligan (Castlebar), Treasurer – Mairin Wade (Western Gaels), PRO – Geraldine Ryan (Moytura). Registrar – Ellen Henry (Na Brideoga), Child Protection Officer – Kitty Morley (Na Brideoga), Junior Team Management – Daryl and Ellen Henry. All officers appointed were wished well in the future by Geraldine McGrath and Maeve Healy, who were representing the Connacht Camogie Council on the night.

Upcoming camogie events
Paudie Butler Coaching Workshop on Wednesday January 23 at 7pm in Breaffy Sports Hotel. East Mayo Foundation Camogie/Hurling Coaching Course on Tuesday January 22 at 8pm in Tooreen GAA Clubhouse. West Mayo Foundation Camogie/Hurling Coaching Course on Thursday January 24 at 8pm in Breaffy Sports Hotel. The next County Camogie Board meeting will take place on Monday February 4 in Ballyhaunis at 7.00. The All-Ireland junior camogie division 5 blitz day will be held on Sunday May 4 in Cavan. There will be another All-Ireland junior camogie blitz day on Saturday August 30 in Tyrone.