To celebrate the return of the pre-season provincial tournaments this year, Connacht GAA held an offical launch the other day of this year’s Connacht FBD League.
This year’s FBD got underway, of course, last weekend, with the second and final round of matches on this coming weekend, following which teams will compete for the FBD Cup, Shield and Plate trophies depending on where they sit in the table after the two rounds of matches.
What Andy Moran had to say at the launch resulted in a fair bit of national coverage. As the new kid on the block for a high-profile county that’s only to be expected and Andy’s chirpy, outgoing demeanour makes the journos’ jobs all the easier in eking out some copy from the launch.
Here’s a selection of links to pieces that have appeared over the last few days arising from this.
In the Mayo News (here), Andy expressed his delight at the return of the FBD. As well he might – anyone who was in Kiltoom for that hilarious encounter with the Rossies back in 2017 will recall fondly Andy’s late, late cameo off the bench to seal a Mayo victory for which the neighbours have never quite forgiven the Ballaghaderreen man.
Also in the Mayo News (here) and in Balls.ie (here), Andy expresses his frustration at what he sees as an unwillingness to consider players ready for Senior inter-county football until they’re in their early twenties. To his mind, there’s no reason why talented lads who are just coming out of Minor shouldn’t be able to step up to Senior the following year.
He definitely has a point in this respect. While there was for over a decade an increasingly strong (to the point of being oppressive) focus on S&C and athleticism, the revised playing rules have, literally, changed the game. Lithe, fast, skilful forwards now have a very important part to play under the revised rules as the Crossmolina kids showed in this year’s Senior club Championship.
Andy is obviously backing this up in terms of the new generation of players – including Darragh Beirne, Eoin McGreal, Colm Lynch, Tom Lydon and Kobe McDonald – he’s called up to the panel in these early weeks of the new season. It’ll be interesting to see how many of them remain key to Andy’s plans over the months to come.
Andy was obviously asked specifically about Kobe and what he had to say on that topic is covered by RTÉ (here).
All that makes complete sense: we’re talking here about a lad who will be sitting his Leaving Cert in June so that’s obviously his main priority over the coming months. Schools football also needs to be fitted in and I don’t think it’s an accident that Andy specifically referenced the Mayo U20s. It could well be there where the Crossmolina player gets to display his talents at inter-county level this year.
Ontheditch says:
January 8, 2026 at 6:11 pm
Good to know that Andy is developing a good rapport with sports journalists. And naming panels in advance of games will endear him to supporters who attend games.
The new rules definitely leans in favour of quick moving forwards but come championship time a level of physicality will creep in. I'm not totally convinced that 19-20 year old are physically well developed enough but time will tell. Andys theory could be correct. We are in a great position to showcase our young lads.
Neiphin says:
January 8, 2026 at 10:55 pm
Delighted to hear Andy say that he has no time for people saying a player is too young. Cillian and Diarmuid O Connor went straight from minor to senior the following year and they didn’t do too badly. Probably many more.
FrostTHammer says:
January 9, 2026 at 11:33 am
Must get back in the habit with my team predictions:
Predicted team for Roscommon;
Hennelly
Coyne Golden Hession
Kelly Plunkett Lynch
Touhy Thornton
Moran Towey Howard
Beirne Callaghan Carr
Clare says:
January 9, 2026 at 11:54 am
Maybe Tommy Conroy should get a go to for game time before the league
Sam og says:
January 9, 2026 at 12:58 pm
If Andy is going to use Kobe in championship its time for him to start playing him now, Aidan O'Shea made debut in his Leaving Certificate in the 2009 FBD v Galway.
Moy2Pointer says:
January 9, 2026 at 3:37 pm
Sam og - Somebody mentioned on another post he has a schools game next week, so if Sigerson players aren’t lining out this weekend, I’d imagine schools players won’t be available either. He’s already had senior minutes against Meath, and he’s probably featured in a few other behind‑closed‑doors games as well.
TsuDhoNim says:
January 9, 2026 at 7:04 pm
https://mayogaa.com/2026/01/09/mayo-senior-football-team-v-roscommon-jan-2026/
Team up for the weekend.
1. Rob Hennelly – Raheny
2. Enda Hession – Garrymore
3. Jack Coyne – Ballyhaunis (C)
4. Liam Golden – Ballina Stephenites
5. Paddy Durcan – Castlebar Mitchels
6. Sam Callinan – Ballina Stephenites
7. Cathal Keaveney – Parke/Keelogues/Crimlin
8. Bob Touhy – Castlebar Mitchels
9. David McBrien – Ballaghaderreen
10. Diarmuid Duffy – Ballinrobe –
11. Ryan O’Donoghue – Belmullet
12. Seamus Howard – Belmullet
13. Darragh Beirne – Claremorris
14. Aidan O’Shea – Breaffy
15. Tommy Conroy – The Neale
16. Jack Livingstone – Breaffy
17. Eoin McGreal – Garrymore
18. Michael Plunkett – Ballintubber
19. Stephen Coen – Hollymount/Carramore
20. Rory Brickenden – Westport
21. Jack Carney – Kilmeena
22. Dylan Thornton – Ballina Stephenites
23. Niall Hurley – Claremorris
24. Liam Donoghue – Kiltane
25. Tom Lydon – The Neale
26. Oisin Jordan – Balla
CDR says:
January 9, 2026 at 7:43 pm
Few players named there who played sigerson during the week.
Ontheditch says:
January 9, 2026 at 7:51 pm
Strong team and rossies will be without the Bridgets boys. McBrein at 9 is interesting, it's a big year for him in terms of leadership. Glad to see Howard is held in high regard
Clare says:
January 9, 2026 at 7:57 pm
Strong team good to see Niall Hurley on the bench as he is promising and Tom Lydon. Great to have Michael Plunkett back to.
No doubt says:
January 9, 2026 at 8:04 pm
Strong team for this time of year but it's definitely the best way for the new recruits to learn on the job with plenty of experience around them for guidance. If too many young players are on together they are all minding their own corner and it's hard to judge players in those games.
Clare says:
January 9, 2026 at 8:11 pm
@No doubt
100% spot on you can't just introduce a load of really young guys with no experience around them .
Ontheditch says:
January 9, 2026 at 10:20 pm
Very true no doubt
Gerry Nugent says:
January 10, 2026 at 1:04 am
Andy Moran has started in his new post as Mayo manager with a far too high media /press profile.
The whole focus should be on building a Mayo football team that will actually win a senior football All Ireland, after 75 years.
A wiser approach would be less media exposure / photo shoots etc and more actual effort out of the limelight to achieve what Mayo football need to accomplish.
The same results will follow the same decades of unfounded hype.
I would love to see Mayo win a senior football all Ireland but get off the media and work at what needs to be done.
There isn't even a ball seriously kicked and the photo shoots and media exposure is in overdrive.
Mayo's starting point is with a bit more honesty.
1951, to begin with.
MO2023 says:
January 10, 2026 at 1:54 am
Interesting team selection by Andy Moran on Sunday for a FBD game in the 2nd weekend in January with newbies Liam Golden,Cathal Keaveney,Darragh Beirne,Seamus Howard to play alongside basically championship starters
TsuDhoNim says:
January 10, 2026 at 10:47 am
@Gerry Nugent: I'd say I disagree with you, but that's fairly irrelevant when there are entire industries built around marketing, promotion, sales, communications (especially crisis communications where you need to have relationships & credit in the bank), sponsorship, community building, fan engagement, sports psychology & elite performance management that disagree.
Much of the promotion you're so critical of is compulsory. Any manager over Mayo would be obligated to fulfill the media engagements around the launch of the FBD, just as they'll likely have to (normally with players available too as Jack Coyne as our new captain has been recently) when it comes to the launch of the National League, the Connacht Championship & the All Ireland Championship. That's par for the course these days. The Mayo manager tending to get a little more coverage nationally than others as it's usually easy clicks, with that focus then put under a microscope when we're so fortunate to have the blog here to push discussion and engagement around Mayo football and our little bubble orders of magnitude ahead of many counties with the odd chat on scattered (and relatively poorly maintained) forums.
When it comes to the non-obligated stuff, that's often just a great idea.
Mayo crowds are significantly down on recent years. Mayo fans have been especially cynical and frustrated in recent years (understandably enough given some of the perceived underperformance [especially at underage] & issues around administration). So while the passion for football is no weaker in the county than ever (a quick look at the excitement & attendances at last year's club championship confirm that) it's important to try and have that energy redirected in a positive direction again.
A quick comparison between the topics of conversation here on the blog prior to Andy's latest rounds of media engagement and what emerged since show he's doing a pretty solid job at it too.
Part and parcel of modern management is the constant media attention (be that traditional media or the often far more toxic & problematic social media spotlight). If managers don't fill the void with messages and a narrative they control it will still get filled. What it might get filled with instead being far more questionable than comments that will hopefully inspire confidence, generate greater interest & help creating the kind of environment where the team can achieve their best results (something that today actively requires keeping sponsors and supporters happy).
We're incredibly fortunate to have two Senior managers in Andy & Diane willing to engage the way they do (here and elsewhere) and managing to do it so successfully. At a time when we've got some really outstanding young talent breaking through (or about to break through) in both GAA & LGFA it's a vital role to help ensure the right messaging is going out, to fans, sponsors & players alike.
You might not like it, I'd imagine our management teams would much prefer to be out on the grass rather than chatting into a mic too, but it's a most necessary of evils today.