One fact, proven yet again, is that there isn't a lot between the top 6 clubs in Mayo and home advantage isn't all it's cracked up to be.

These are good days in Mayo club football.
No consolation for Breaffy and Ballaghaderreen though as there position as nearly men is confirmed for another year.
While the even nature of the championship has resulted in some shocking games in previous years, the same can't be said now

Two big clashes today in better conditions, as well as a big intermediate clash. The only pity is you can't see them all

Agreed tir but who's fault is it that both them clubs are nearly men ?
It's became cultural like breaffy have had the pick of managers over the last few years from Peter Forde, Mulligan and now Deane.
Can be sure it was something a manager as experienced as sean knew about but, their roll over and tickle my belly syndrome is acute and toxic, everyone waiting for someone else to do something when games in melting pot.
I pity for them, but just be aware we cant bring that mentality into Mayo setup and any Mayo player from last year who couldn't affect the game or steam the tide aftet that result, really needs to look at them in current cold.light of day and not base it on previous glories .

Credit to westport they are on the rise and with moran coming back into fold will be dangerous and have options going forward .

Ballagh sort of believed the hype, Ballina got on with it and this game will bring them on , no end , the returning lads are hitting form and getting match fit and full credit to Jack Irwin, great impact.
Frank Irwin, Mcstay and the superb Regan are all on it and even Regan scoring off his right.
Tighe, Murray, Thornton, Sam, O Hora , Ballina still the team to beat .

Outside of the boot I believe Andy may be bringing in more of that Breaffy mentality into the set up, but TBC.

County ladies semifinals today, they don't appear to have linesmen. The merger sure will be interesting.

Maybe Andy will do a clean sweep of the panel and start a fresh.
Nothing to loose, new game,new manager, new panel.
I feel a lot of counties will do the same, different type of player needed now.

Breaffy have had some brilliant management teams over the past 12 years and none of them could get them over the line in winning the county championship.
After being at the Breaffy game yesterday evening I lay the blame solely with the experience players in the team that couldn't see the game out after being nine points up a man up with 20 minutes to go the decision making was terrible.
A manager can only do so much but when you cross the white line the responsibility lies with the players to make the right decisions.its comes down to football Intelligence and unfortunately Breaffy showed none of this when they needed to see out the game.
Westport players deserve huge credit their will.to win and fight for every ball when everything was against them was Testament to there will to win after being beaten in the last two seasons by the same opposition was brilliant.

Very little talk here but fair play to ardnaree, not sure when the last time they have been in a intermediate semi final but they have been going about there work very well with very little talk.

The west Awake true, but with similar if not stronger squads past 2 years they've gone from finalists, to semi finalists to Quarter finalists.
Ardnaree are doing very well, and have developed strong underage panels as well competing in A grade, so likely senior sooner rather than later.

Breaffy are mentally fragile and I say this as a pure neutral albeit I’d have liked to see them win the championship but you can’t have any sympathy for them after the meltdown yesterday. In complete control. It was harder to lose than win from the position they were in and they totally bottled it. Several chances to win the Moclair but they won’t go near it in the short to medium term. It’s a pity. Sport can be cruel as we well know. You need a tough, winners mentality and Breaffy, unfortunately, just don’t have it. The evidence is there.

Westport were awful for three quarters of the game but they threw caution to the wind when O’Malley saw red. I’d go so far as saying Breaffy probably would have won it had it been 15 v 15. Dawson impressed in the comeback and Moran made a difference when introduced. Kilkelly too was decent.

It was a much better game, in my opinion, to Ballina/Ballagh which never really got going and was a bit scrappy. That being said, Ballina were very efficient in possession and mature and fully deserved the win, but looking at it from a ‘Mayo perspective’ no one particularly stood out. Ballina should have won by quite some more. Regan was the best forward on the pitch. Ballagh offered nothing in attack. A bit hyped up. They took too long to get into the game and were always chasing it. They’ll be very disappointed I’m sure. They’ve limped out of the championship.

15 mins of football and tubber with one point from Cillian . I swear people hyping the club championship in mayo would want to whist , apart from Crossmolina and their bit of youthful flair , it offers sfa in terms of quality or entertainment

The best thing about the Knockmore/Ballintubber game was the final whistle. Bloody awful shite.

Oh joeG it was a hard watch, now im watching crossmolina playing absolutely sensation football they are the best team to watch my a mile in the senior championship.

Wow Crossmolina looking brilliant Belmullet not in and it's only the first half

Crossmolina looking brilliant.Belmullet not in it and it's only the first half

Crossmolina GAA in the national papers again today for more than the football...
Awful act at end of the Ballintubber game, one their players striking a Knockmore more player from behind, after the whistle I think it was. Bad day for the Parish all round with Carnacon relegated as well.

The days of f kin donkey football are gone forever , you’ll need most of your players to be able to play football in this next era . The absolute flair Crossmolina have , it’s a joy . You can practice till the cows come home and you will always improve players but you won’t strike a ball like that the way yer man strikes it ,DNA , it’s football sexy at its best .

I really hope Conor Loftus comes back in to the Mayo fold... starting to resemble Leroy now.

Brilliant goal for Crossmolina .the way football should be played. For the lead up to the goal fast flowing

Fair play to Cross great to see Conor Loftus back at his best .

My review of the weekend now that Cross are safely through.

1) Ballagh - imo should no fight or battle qualities needed to win not just a game but also a county title. Really poor display from them. Looked like a team that pressure got to them.

2) Ballina - a champions performance. Won dirty ball and were very composed in attack. Made Ballagh play to their tune for the entire game.

3) Westport - showed a level of grit that hasn’t always been present before. Impressive response to come back.

4) Breaffy - just a waste of time talking about them anymore. I’ve never seen a team bottle so much games in my entire life. Sean Deane offer hyped up but from what I can see Breaffy have gone backwards under his rein. Anyway best make them favourites for 2026

5) Knockmore - solid win. Was at the game. Conditions genuinely terrible. A very awkward breeze and at times it made the game difficult to play.

6) Ballintubber - wasteful in attack and set up very defensively. Made like hard for Knockmore but ultimately hadn’t the answers to beat them even with Cillian on the pitch.

7) Cross - very very impressive. I think they have played all their games in sunshine so far this year. I’d love to see them on a wet windy day. It could be a different story but none the less excellent on the day today.

8) Belmullet - have been getting progressively worse since Castlebar game. Defence not up to it and was exposed badly today.

Get Kobe in with the seniors asap

Let the lad get his Leaving Cert under his belt first!

I agree let him get on with his education, he and the other young lads showed great maturity today.

Crossmolina played on many a week and windy day in their extended run through the intermediate championship last season....they seemed to handle conditions,and teams as they came up against them.

I wouldn't overhype Crossmolina just yet. If their style is seen as a threat there are coaches out there that will see stopping that football as a big win. Hoping they march on and win the whole lot because they're the one genuine team of entertainers. A final against Ballina would bring a huge crowd to McHale Park. Westport can really play but why do they only do it in patches? Knockmore won't worry about entertainment and will just do what they need to get a result but they are a hard watch.

Cross on a wet day , lads no more than what was the lazy generic stuff spouted in the podcast, Crossmolina won an All ireland final and semi final in frozen and torrential rain the following day, they aren't just a team.of Olympic sprinters, they are wonderful footballers.
Belmul tried the hard hits but couldn't get nest them as cross played around them with fast hands and precise kick passes .

Full credit to maheady , he took all the abuse and verbals from Belmul, it didn't phase him, he tagged on his scores and was a go to man and a great outlet.

A lot of credit to Crossmolina management, keeping those young fellows grounded and blending a highly skillful team together. They work hard for each other and strength in depth too. Fionnan Duffy looking very effective when he came in.
One game at a time, pitch a credit too, the whole community has bought into the adventure.

I saw Cross manage a completely frozen pitch in Longford back in January in their All-Ireland semi-final. A bit of rain and wind won’t faze them!

Knockmore a hard watch? I believe second highest scoring team in championship. Might have more to do with the defensive football Tubber have been playing their entire senior career. Plus terrible conditions

As a man with no skin left in the game i sincerely hope crossmolina win it out now, they play with a swagger and freedom that most if the sfc teams have had programmed out of them.. the exuberance of youth. Nobody worrying about their possession stats

Gizmobobs - you need to wind your neck in there. This isn’t the place to air anything about that topic and I’m not going to allow it to become so. Stick to the football.

Fair enough WJ, just responding to outside of the boots and on the ditchs comments comments and what's reported in the national press.

The knockmore v ballintubber game was a hard watch, im not saying knockmore in general are a hard watch but this particular game was that.

Thought that would be inside house rules.

That’s fair enough Gizmobobs - regardless of what tabloid coverage there has been on that issue, this definitely isn’t the place for referencing it.

I thought Josh Moyles was very good for Crossmolina.
Evan Ivers has the look of a County player but overall Belmullet not great today...

Semi-final draw: Cross v Westport and Ballina v Knockmore. Two tasty ties there!

IFC semi-final draw: Moy Davitts v Ardnaree and Kilmeena v Kiltane. Nothing shabby about those pairings either.

Tasty draws, knockmore ballina is a genuine lottery, ballina have better players but revenge is in the air and no way under dempsey and Brolly will.knockmore alloe ballina space they got in final last year .
Id wager ballina to progress on basis of Frank Irwin and Evan Regan, kicking 2 pointers and beating knocks defense from distance .

Cross v westport will be different kind of tasty, Lee and brick v jordan and loftus, Dawson v Niall Coggins . And then with forwards of Kilkenny moran and keane against a Cross team who does conceed it's so intriguing before you even get into seeing deane Mcdonald, D Flynn free scoring..

But probably the highest shot out of scoring forwards will be ardnaree v moy davitts . That will be well worth the admission

Very interesting draw. Westport not a million miles away will relish the challenge.

No South Mayo club in Senior & Intermediate Semis, what about Junior A level ?

Pity was hoping for a Westport cross final

Will one of those be played on Saturday and one Sunday.....or will it be a Sunday double header

You'd never tire of watching that Cross team and that's coming from a Belmullet man.
They are happy to run or kick the ball and have a lovely fluid style of play. Runners joining from everywhere when they attack.
I'd have Jordan back in midfield for Mayo. Thought he was very good today. The wing forward experiment worked initially but our need for him is central.

Cross got leadership from Jordan Flynn today. Midfield or 11. Conor Loftus v joey Holmes will be one of the interesting match ups

It will be really tight v Knockmore for sure .

If Cross do win outright I won't begrudge them at all they are an absolute joy to watch .

Jordan was excellent as were Crossmolina generally.Club is different though.I am not sure Jordan is really an intercounty midfielder but can "do a job" .....not sure that's a solution ongoing term though and he is likely the best we have right now or close to it...until the likes of Hugh OLoughlin or Dylan Thornton develop

How was Cillian today for Tubber ???

Everyone talks about Kobe but it’s also worth mentioning Oisín Deane and Dylan Flynn. Their unselfishness and decision making is absolutely quality for lads still Minor.

Sean Og McGuinness also very good corner back

@free the east bank, why are you not sure he cant make midfield at intercounty level.? What skills is he lacking? He's experienced, he drives his team forward, reads a game well, pops up where he's needed. Gives away the occasional silly free, but even at this stage, that could be knocked out of him.

4 best teams left in senior ? it's going to be interesting, a case can be made for all 4, really enjoyable championship , kudos for the new rules, can't wait for the next instalment

Congrats to that young Crossmolina team and I would live to see them go all the way-it would be good for Mayo football. They play football the right way, are direct and move the ball forward quickly and can take their scores and they are very entertaining to watch-a template there for Andy to ponder. The young lads were very impressive and I expect to see them flourish for our U20s. Kobe was outstanding, pure class, but I would resist the temptation to bring him up to the senior panel-I think a year with the U20s would benefit him more in the long run. Jordan was my MOTM
Conor was also excellent and he would be a great addition to the county panel, if he is of a mind-the experiment with him at 6 did'nt work, but I think that he would be perfect for it now, with the new rules.

Like many others I'd love to see Crossmolina win it because of their style and entertainment value. If they don't get over the line I only hope it's because they're "outfootballed" rather than stifled.

Listened to most Senior matches on Midwest, but watched the Cross V Belmullet on TG4. What a tonic of a match from a Crossmolina perspective. They will be hard stopped. Conor Loftus was excellent and the rest. Seen Leeroy interviewed after the Breaffy match, wondering will Andy be giving him a call....

What Jordan Flynn lacks for an inter county midfielder is height unfortunately

Just going back to @ Sean Burke and your comment yesterday. I fully agree with your opinion so far on the senior championship. A lot of really dire games. Crossmolina have been a beacon of light. Great to watch. They’ve a nice balance of flair and aggression. Pace too; so important in the game since new rules. If you’re not fast, you’re in bother. When Cross play to their top level, they’re comfortably better than anyone, Ballina included. Whether they go on to win it, who knows but I think we can say with a good degree of certainty that they’ll win several county titles over the coming years. That all being said, with so many teenagers and lads in early 20’s, they’ve still a bit to go so hoping management in the club keep them well grounded and work hard to improve further.

Completely separate but thinking of developing younger lads in senior set up’s. Claremorris spring to mind. I think it’s important that the club does it’s best to keep the group together, in Ireland, next May-July. Very difficult to get really form a team of lads are heading to the US.

The cream rises to the top. Even with the new rules the last four left are made up of the last 3 winners of the Moclair cup and the All-Ireland intermediate champions. Hard call it.

Just a note on Conor Loftus. After the year he has had, it really is great to see him playing so well. He looks stronger and tougher. He looks faster. He’s performing a leadership role. He’s never been better. I never envisaged him as a realistic option for Mayo at 6. But is there anyone performing as consistently and impressively in this position in 2025? I don’t think so?

I'll tip my hat to K Mc Stay on that one as well Mayonaze... I'll admit I didn't see it working.
He always has the ability to kick scores and play accurate kick passes but his defending and positional awareness has really improved and I haven't seen a better no.6 in our county this year. So I hope he's back with county,if he feels like getting involved.

It was for Crossmolina he played at 6 first, not for Mayo.

All grades at semi final stages , looks like most of current County panel not showing any outstanding form, same can be said for few who left panel in last few years, looks like Andy needs complete new panel , made up of mostly younger players and get them playing like Crossmolina..

Two years ago Crossmolina were knocked out of the intermediate championship by Castlebar B.
Last year they won the All Ireland club and are now in the senior semi final.
John Maughan added to the back room team last year.
But our CB decided Holmes and him were not a good fit to manage our U20 team

Our Podcast Senior Team of the Week is up now. The Intermediate one will follow later on today.

In Fairness Jr and no disrespect to John Maughan , Crossmolina are now seeing the results of the hard work that has been put into the underage teams in Cross the past 15 years . By my reckoning 11 of the starting 15 were aged 22 and younger yesterday.
Obviously John has been a huge addition to the management team , but I reckon he had a fair idea of the talent that was coming through lol .

Good point CDR.... I'll tip my hat to whoever put him at 6 for Crossmolina before K McS.

There's a good woman in Crossmolina who deserves a hell of a lot of praise for the development of the Crossmolina underage players. It was not in last two years they learnt their trade.

How can we give credit to Kevin and Stephen for playing Loftus at no.6? They persisted with it for the guts of a year and it didn’t work at all.

Don’t get me wrong, Conor has been the player of the championship at 6 for cross and credit to them for making it work. But just because a player plays in a position for his club does not mean it will work for his county.

Think of it this way, at no6 you need to be a fine defender as well as attacker. The biggest challenge Conor has faced this year at no6 would have been Conor McStay. A solid club player.

But the narrative to suggest that it would work if you put the likes of a Cairan Kilkenny on Loftus in an All Ireland QF is crazy.

Btw this is not a criticism of Crossmolina in any way whatsoever, Conor at 6 is working perfect for them. But let’s not rewrite history. It didn’t work at inter county level. And I certainly wouldn’t be blaming Conor for that either.

Probably because Stephen Rochford ,a Crossmolina man,said to Kevin McStay there's a lad playing centre back for Crossmolina called Conor Loftus and he's playing very well in that position, maybe we should try him for Mayo in that position and see if it works....or a similar conversation, was probably the reasoning behind it.

Conor Loftus has to be part of Andy's plans for '26. He seems to have bulked up considerably, and is bringing a range of skills to the Crossmolina role. I'm not hung up on where, but he has to be in there.

Thought Jordan looked very good also - I could name about nine more. His physicality is a huge weapon and one we'll need in some capacity in '26.

Exciting times - whom to leave out will be Andy's biggest headache.

Loftus is playing well at 6 but I still would have Enda Hession or Paddy Durcan marking Paudie Clifford at 6 before him if we were playing Kerry tomorrow.