I love listening to the pod but I find it hard to take your teams of the week seriously. I was at or watched 4 of the senior games over the weekend and would think the pucks above are to deliberately try and include as many clubs as possible yet still managed to omit the Ballina players who took a full part in probably the best club game I've ever watched. However this is just my opinion and everyone has one.
Still love the pod in general.

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Is Darren McHale more at home in the half back line? As opposed to further forward.

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Might have stumbled onto something there 2 hops...

It was very noticeable last year with Monaghan they put up huge scores from halfback line, conor mccarthy and dessert ward, 2 converted hard working forwards playing this role.

McHale tackles hard and could potentially be an option there breaking forward from deep to scores 4/5 points from halfback line. Not as crazy as it sounds

Darren progressed well at 11 in 2025. Maybe a kev McLaughlin type player. Dug deep for his club yesterday, covers a lot of ground.
Good to see Brian McDermott acknowledged

Was in mayo abbey, great to see David Dolan return to form. Certainly our most talented keeper. Most natural shot stopper since David Clarke, still only 19/20, and he was impressive with his dead ball kicking and notably wanting to kick long range frees. Last year and a bit he wasn't confident over them and would nearly wait a minute to go up for one, hoping someone else would step up.
Also very impressively came commandingly for any high ball in on top of Jack Fallon, something Colm Reape it's fair to say wouldn't always do.
If reape is opting out next year, there's no clear candidate and Dolan isn't ready but it's good to see him back in contention to make the squad.

The comments above is why we will never win an all Ireland, Darren Mchale arguably are best and most consistent forward from play in this years championship & now we’re talking about converting him into a half back
THE MAYO WAY

Looks like Jack O’Connor has the Keys to the Kingdom got anther 2 years (@westKerry should get that reference)

Huge boost for Kerry football. If he can win 1 more, for me he will go down as the greatest football manager since Mike, and maybe even better. To win 5 all Irelands in 3 different decades is an incredible achievement and shows his adaptability to a changing game.

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Still can't understand for the life of me why anonymous posters feel like they have the right to talk about a 17 year old life and future on a forum, thats despite numerous warnings from Willie joe not to do so.

3-20 scored against the two in a row county champs and one Crossmolina forward on team of the week? That dosn't make a lot of sense to me. As Jimmy S would say, it's time to take the politics out of mayo football lads.

I can’t understand it either, Deel Rover. But I’ll say it again - this is someone who’s only 17 and is still in school so adults posting comments here should exercise a bit of cop-on and refrain from discussing his possible life choices. And it’s the same main culprits all the time. You can consider this your final warning on that topic.

I've now gone back and deleted all the offending comments so you all know who I'm referencing in this warning. I don't want to start sanctioning contributors but I'm being left with no choice here unless people start engaging their brains on this topic before posting.

@The Maroon River

Agree alot of politics in mayo football there should be at least 1 from Ballina on there despite loosing . Though team of the week is really just a bit of craic .

Teams of the week are only a bit of fun. Everyone has rose tinted glasses towards their own teams.
If there was 16 teams in action the weekend that is a minimum of 16 x 6 = 96 forwards that played the weekend if no forward subs used.
Ballina scored 4 goals, and no forward. It's an impossible task, but fun to create discussion.

@the Maroon Rover - a team of the week selected as a talking point by a Podcast is "politics in mayo football" is it now is it.

Forward line should have be Kobe, Deane, Flynn, Leddy, Maheady and Dr Mick Loftus in your view I'm sure

Said in jest Clare. Not to be taken literally. The pod lads have worked their arses off all weekend and are in entitled to pick whatever team they want. Just think their might have been one or two more of our forwards included and Evan Regan deserves to be in the reconing too. He kept Ballina in that game yesterday along with David Clarke in goal.

@The Maroon River

As I said in my post it's just a bit of a craic the team of the week .

@Willie Joe
Apologies for my in put on that conversation earlier also .

Everyone is entitled to their own view on the Teams of the Week but the claim that the selections are somehow based on politics is beyond laughable and, to be honest, more than a little insulting in light of all the work that went into them. We had eyes on the ground at every game this weekend and the final selection was based on what everyone saw at all the venues. Obviously, there were several tight calls and, of course, any number of other selections would have equal validity. And none of them would necessarily have anything to do with politics either!

Can't see Kerry relinquishing Sam in a hurry with that announcement. Gas that a Dub might've ensured Kerry's going on a run. Speaking of which, gossip though it might be, Mr Gavin might be heading to the Aras if FF has its way.
Hope I'm not out of line posting such wj.

Great to see so many young players coming to the fore in club championship.
New game probably suits them.
Hope Refs give them fair play.
Great opening for a new keeper.
Kicking half backs are the way forward.

@Maroon Rover, I'd agree. I thought Crossmolina were classy yesterday and in comparison to the other senior games I saw, the calibre, intensity and pace of that match was far superior to what was served up in Breaffy, Claremorris and even Knockmore, albeit it was a step up from the other two. I think Dylan Thornton must have been close to selection. I really like MacMonagle and if he works hard he will be a Mayo senior in time. I watched the game but in particular I followed him. He didnt do anything wrong and was steady, but I wouldnt have thought he would have been on a team of the week. I don't know how anyone on that pitch made it. C O Shea was decent but not in the running for me (although I think over Breaffy's two games, he has been their most effective player). Maybe I need to watch the Knockmore one back, but I didnt notice Darren McHale having much of an influence. I heard from a couple of sources that Evan Ivers did a very good man marking job on Boland though so I'm surprised not to see him. But obviously TOTW is all subjective and not to be taken that seriously!

Loftus and Plunkett oozed intercounty class. Brian McD too - showed glimpses of this and you'd wonder why he has never really featured for Mayo. In the sticks, good to see Dolan doing well and if he continues to work on his game and kicking then he has a great opportunity to make the Mayo senior panel in 2026.

Just to be clear, I'm not agreeing with the politics remark at all....just Maroon Rover's suggestion that Crossmolina might have had more selections.

Intermediate TOTW up now. I'm happy to confirm that politics played no part in this selection either!

It's a bit of a worry of Clarkie is still our best keeper to be honest. I didn't see the game but according to Martin C on mwr most of his kickouts went to the same area where Cross 'gobbled'' them up in his words.... maybe he varied them after that for all I know....but kickouts/restarts have been our Achilles heel, along with a keeper who can bag us a few distance frees would be handy going forward

Love the graphics and design of that team sheet Willie Joe.

Loftus, Kuba and Ryan named two weeks in a row.

What happened to John Vahy.
He was making great progress.....did he go traveling or get injured or something.

Pat

Kuba Callaghan is in the kind of form where if he's in with Mayo in the winter, he's not there to prove himself, he's there for other players to put their inclination to shoot or pass the parcel and practice plays in training to put him on the ball facing goal.
I think this is a big thing Andy will correct. With the space now GAA has things to learn from soccer. You need plays that setup your shooters in space. The other thing with Kuba is he's very hard stopped 1 v 1 if you tee him up facing goal. He has that burst of pace and he's pretty big and physical.