Great interview, would have liked a few more questions around the current set up, plans for the year ahead etc but it still gave a great insight into life for an inter county player. I didn’t realise he was a right back once upon a time.

Incredible to think they enjoy a few nights out now and basically that’s it until mid year for seeing local lads from the club. Incredible sacrifice that all to often is overlooked.

Nice to hear a few new faces getting a chance with the county set up.

Any news / names on the new faces added to the panel for the start of the season?

@My ball, I was thinking the same thing myself, I would hope to see a fair few new names, midfield, corner backs, centre back, wing forwards than can score, those positions need to be adequately filled for 2024.

I would add about 6 or 8 to the panel.

@Bate the blanket but do we have those players that are up to inter county level?? I have my doubts that we do I'd say it'll be mostly the same the squad with maybe one or two new faces.

Clare, we won't know until as many players as possible are tried out, sometimes a club player at County level may become a decent County player when there are better players around him.

Agree, your top club footballer will benefit from exposure to a professional environment and there is a certain amount of development as lots of the lads may not be at county level just yet .
Midfield is certainly an area we need to extend our options ,
I'm looking forward to the fbd and league starting.
Before a ball is kicked I'm hoping we use the league to blood new players ( even at the expense of relegation!!) and peak for championship.
Win Connaught and get to All Ireland semi final would be not be a disaster in 2024 .
That's just my thoughts after watching the club championship this year

@Bate the blanket yeah true fair enough suppose you can't really tell their full potential until till they get a chance at county FBD is definetly the time to try new players anyway!

I see Galway are 3rd favourites to win Sam next year with paddy power I honestly don't get that at all.... Yes we got hammered by the dubs in 2nd half but we still got further and beat Galway twice I wouldn't fear Galway anyway haha

As predicted by some here ,tomorrow's charity game is indeed moved to COE with a 2.30 start.
Probably makes sense.

@ Clare I think Galway deserve to be third favourites as they played very well in their last five final.
Also any team Walsh and Kelly deserve respect.Having said that they never met Dublin or Kerry in a quarter or semi final.
I just wish AoShea would keep off social media,or McStay should reign him in.

@JR yeah but they blew it this year not that we didn't blow it but we still won the league even though that didn't matter much in the end and beat Galway twice so how they are ahead of us to be favourites I don't get it.. Walsh is a good player but he's not consistent.

Yes they played well in the final Last year but they were meant to be favourites for Sam this year and where no where it this year if that was us we certainly wouldn't be anywhere near 3rd favourites for next year be called bottlers instead.. Don't get it at all!

What did Aido do now? Poor old Aido he can't do anything right! I didn't see anything about Aido in social media recently?

Good call for the charity game to be played in dome here's hoping for a good game for a great cause!

Just after seeing the all star team for that charity game tomorrow, I hope that mayo go really strong too because if they do it really could be a enjoyable game especially seeing how strong that all star team is some really good young players on that team, if u look from mid field up its a really exciting talented team.

2 hops says:
December 29, 2023 at 1:49 pm
As predicted by some here ,tomorrow’s charity game is indeed moved to COE with a 2.30 start.
Probably makes sense.

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usefulness of that challenge is much less now. All NFL game played outdoors and any indoor game are totally foreign to that environment.

The dome games are a waste of time.Not going to bother going now Was looking forward to it been in Claremorris.

Achill75 spot on
Indoor games like warm weather training trips are a waste of time

Why would u want to go to Claremorris in the rain and wind to watch a game of football on a heavy pitch instead of a quick fast paced game in perfect conditions.

Cause thats when most upcoming games in the Leagues are played in heavy pitches in the rain.
You get a false impression of potential players in the Dome.Nothing against the Dome as a facility but Gaelic Football is an outdoor sport.We just need to invest in more full sized outdoor astroturf pitches.

Are you having a laugh lads?

It's a pre New Year's challenge game the priorities are avoiding injuries and hypothermia.

Our approach to last year's fbd would suggest that management have put a lot more thought into the respective benefits of indoor and outdoor games than you have.

@frost the hammer agree with you... It's awful weather out there it's a challenge game for a great cause no need to go out into that awful weather for it and to risk injuries..

Fair play to all lining out for it hopefully it's a good game!

No need to go @Achill but it would be good if you made a donation online to the motor neurone association .

Great to see Eoin O'Donoghue back in Mayo panel , brillant news, should have never have been dropped or made leave in the first place.

Mayo team named a lot of new faces... Tommy conroy captain he'd be a great captain..

Connor mcstay forward tbh I don't think conor mcstay is there yet for county but only a charity match so we shall see..... Ryan O D on the bench.

Good to see Eoin o donoghue back from Australia.hopefully he gets his chance in the league

Great to see Brickendon back, makings of a great full back before injury.

Not one Claremorris player in the 2 panels tomorrow.Despite all the recent underage success.Some players most be opting not to play for Mayo seeing some of the players named.Oisin McLaughlin surely good enough for current Mayo panel.

Plenty of new blood being looked at by McStay judging by the team posted.

Excited to see young Morahan off the bench, have heard he is a great prospect.

Plenty to keep an eye on in this one..
You would have to imagine it'll be a mixture of these two sides that we field come FBD.

Indoor football is the way to go if we want consistently entertaining football. We need to use it more. The goal should be to get the Sigerson games all indoors; a small amount of people now pay to watch Sigerson games, I for one would be far more likely to pay to view if the games were inside.

The teams;

https://twitter.com/MayoGAA/status/1740852455427162481?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

https://twitter.com/MayoGAA/status/1740799135056637974?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

Sam Og some of the really good Claremorris prospects are still very young.

Where is colm reape? I know only a charity game but maybe just giving hennelly a chance there but still think reape is the number 1 obviously need 2 goalies available to you so let's see how hennelly does...

@FrostTHammer the approach last year included a number of challenges before the NFL commenced and that included the same weekend of FBD games.

Compared to soft outdoor pitches the surface inside the dome is unforgiven so unlikely to see many if any player seeing much game time on it if any injury niggle.

Should be a good game with plenty of young talent on display. Future is positive for Mayo this year and I’m really looking forward to watching this game. Great to have such high level football played in late December , credit to all involved and for such a worthy cause . Also big call out to Donal Walsh and the South Board for the minor charity game in the Dome last night raising monies for Mayo Roscommon Hospice.

What happened to Mark Moran Wesport, he looked a great prospect against Galway a few years ago, is he still playing, or injured or just no interest.

Hennelly had a great run in the Dublin championship from what I heard, Raheny could have won the Dublin championship but were without Brian Howard in the final v Kilmacud in that went to a penalty shootout.

Even if hennelly did have a good championship for raheny should invest time in colm reape he's the future and who knows how long more hennelly will be up for inter county. Let's see how he goes today..

I hope we do manage to keep Hennelly involved....if we don't he'll most likely be courted by the sky blues.That I couldn't stomach.

I didn't disagree Clare. Reape can have the jersey when he is better than Hennelly. Reape has a lot of improving to make with his kick outs.

@GBXI yes reape does have improving to do with his kick outs but he can only improve with more game time

Hennelly was poor one of the times I saw him start for mayo this year let's see if he's improved..

Reape is away, Loftus started at 6 v Offaly and not playing today, good few likely away given the time of year.
Hennelly has been a great servant but Reape or Byrne deserve their runs now. Kickouts last year were less to do with goalie and more to do with lack of midfield and a kick out strategy. If Reape or Byrne had the targets and strategies on kickouts that Hennelly had in his time I'm sure it be different.

@Gizmobobs totally agree it's reapes chance with byrne a bit behind but still decent. Remember reape made some magic saves last year especially in the league final and got player of the week a few times.

It's time to give him a chance I hope hennelly doesn't take it from him if I'm honest. He was a great servant though hennelly but time for fresh guys to take over that spot.