Pat Kelly withdraws from sqaud

According to John Maughan in the Mayo Advertiser this morning, Kilmaine’s Pat Kelly has with drawn from the Mayo squad. Writing in his column he said  “I hear that Pat Kelly has withdrawn from the Mayo football panel.

Stepping away: Pat Kelly has left the Mayo panel

It would appear that Pat became a little disillusioned after the Donegal match two weeks ago. Pat started that particular game at corner back and was subsequently replaced at half time in a move that saw Andy Moran move to wing back from corner forward, Pat’s preferred and, arguably, best position. Pat I suppose was frustrated, initially at his selection in the corner, and he would have assumed that Andy was being viewed as a better half back than he. He is a loss to the squad as I honestly feel Mayo needs players of Pat’s experience around the place as we continue to introduce new younger members into the panel.”

Prenty urged to name and shame

John Prenty has been urged to name and shame those who he alleges broke the collective training ban for November and Decemeber. In this evenings Evening Herald they reoprt that GAA President Nickey Brennan has called on our own JP to name and shame those who he knows were doing it.

“GAA president, Nickey Brennan, has called on Connacht Secretary John Prenty to name and shame the counties who have broken the moratorium on collective training in November and December.

Time to tar and feather, GAA bosses have called on John Prenty to name and shame those who broke the training ban

In his annual report, Prenty strongly suggested that there had been breaches of the new regulation within his own province, saying he would be “naive” to think there had been no transgressors in Connacht.

And while Brennan said the GAA would investigate the matter, he also urged Prenty to make public the specifics of his claims. “We want to hear about facts and proof that people broke the rules and then we’ll take the necessary action,” said Brennan. “I haven’t seen Prenty’s report. Let’s see what precise wording he uses then we’ll see if he should be asked to come up with some evidence because certainly if there is we want to know about it.”
This was also coverd in todays Irish Examiner and in the Indo, while I’m sure there are plenty of sides who have found ingenious ways of getting around this ban (maybe backs training one end of the field and forwards on the other). Prenty has been grabbing the headlines of late he also lambasted then news that the interprovincal hurling final is going to be in Abu Dhabi saying  “For the coming year, the hurling finals are being played in Abu Dhabi. Will this be Yabba Dabba Do for the inter-provincials?”"

Westmeath game all ticket

Now when was the last time that you heard that for a National Football League game, but last night the Mayo County Board

Anyone buying or selling tickets

announced that the game against the midlanders in Charlestown will be an all ticket affair on Sunday week, according to Mid West this morning. A total of 2,000 tickets will be available for the game for Mayo supporters from clubs around the county and supporters have been asked to get their orders in for it now.

Championship changes voted down

In other news the proposed changes to the league and championship were voted down by all the clubs at a special county convention last night. The proposals were to change the championship to two groups of eight with the top four in each group going on to the quarter finals and the bottom two fighting it out in a relegation play off. The proposals came about from a Connacht Council Study to give sides more meaningful games in the summer, but the clubs in Mayo rejected it and decided to stay with the current format.

New PRO on the block

Everyone will remember former PRO Noelle Horan’s parting shot at the county board at the AGM last year, but last night it was a case of out with the old and in with the old, when Tourmakeady’s Kevin O’Toole was voted in as the new PRO. You may remember that O’Toole was the PRO a few years ago when the whole controversy of getting the fixtures in Irish cropped up as one east Mayo side decided to use the rule to not turn out for a game and O’Toole had a change all fixtures for every competition in every grade around the county to gaeilge on short notice.

Fast, times at Flanagan Park

While school day’s in the west of Ireland are drastically different from those protrayed on the tv and movie screens of life as an American teenager, even their high school sports are played at a what seems a different level. Going out there and doing it on the field with the lad you sit beside in maths class every day and spend two afternoon’s a week busting a gut with as championship looms, is something pretty special and universal. This Sunday two Mayo schools will go head to head for the Connacht Colleges senior A title. In the blue corner fighting out of Castlebar is St Geralds College, with a collection of Mitchels, Breaffy, Ballintubber, Parke and Islandeady players all putting the west Mayo rivialries aside for school pride. While in the red corner is the pride of south Mayo former winners of the Hogan Cup, somthing their opponents have never done and but for some bad luck last year could be defending champions St Colmans.

And leading both sides out to take the handshake in the middle of the park will be two of the stars of last years Mayo minor side Aidan O’Shea captaining St Geralds and last years minor captain Shane Nalley leading the line for Colmans. Mike Finnerty spoke to both lads for this weeks Mayo news, and reveals the fact that O’Shea is 6′4 and just under 16 stone, some size for a young fella while Nally, reveals that his side have decided to take on the best the north has to offer in preparation.

The 1997 winning St Geralds team

Does, this Sunday’s encounter display a changing of the guard and the dying of an institution that once was St Jarlaths, the SJC boys were the standard bearers of Connacht Colleges football, for forever, one could say. While the Tuam school has become an institution it’s decision to close to borders has seen it loose out on so many great players from Mayo who have graced this side like Padraig Brogan and even up to couple of years, Sean Rice asks this question also.

This should be a good contest as long as Gerald’s remember where the posts are after hitting 23 wides last time out against Jarlath’s in the semi-final. And where will N.O.S.S be sitting on Sunday, well the heart and head still have to go to the old alma matter on the Newport Road in Castlebar. But here’s hoping for a good game.

PS:

A little post script, St Louis, Kiltimagh will be looking to claim the college B title before hand, Rice College in Westport have been the kingpins at this grade for the last few years, I don’t know anything about Louis apart from the fact they knocked out Rice College in the semi-final and Maurice Sheridan is coaching them. So they should have a good free taker anyway at the least. The action gets underway at 1.30pm with the meeting of Louis and St Pauls then at 3pm, the fun will start in the senior decider.