Nigel Reape makes a very good point, in my opinion, on Ballina. We know they like to go into this kind if slow, lateral, controlled build up play and it can be very effective at times (like against Ballagh) where they just squeeze out teams like a Boa Constrictor. You can understand to a degree why they do it. They’ve got lots of lads comfortable in possession and outside Regan they’ve no one else really who you can rely on to score heavily so they grind teams down. But I think this will only take them so far and moving ahead to Connacht I feel they need to throw off the shackles and go at teams. Irwin is a much better player when they adopt this kind of approach because he’s arguably the best ‘scoring midfielder’ in Mayo at the moment outside Kobe and he needs to showcase what he can do - it’s time for him to prove how useful he can from a Mayo perspective. Murray is also well able to score and Dylan Thornton has an opportunity now too to show what he can do. And then obviously there’s Callinan who can tear holes in teams when he’s in form and he’s showing over the past two months that he’s playing better football now than at any time I’ve the past two seasons. Ballina need to win Connacht at the very least and I think to do that they need a more aggressive front foot, faster attacking approach. Cobra-like and not take the foot off the gas which they often have a tendency to do.

@Mayonaze

Well if Ballina can't go further then this not like any other mayo club sure is it.

As Evan Resgan said himself and a few others said never write Ballina off. No one else they can rely to score ??

Eh Frank Irwin that got two pointer for the replay ? Mikey murrey? Jack Irwin?

You are going by the usual view of Ballina.

Ballina need to win connacht at the very least?? Suggesting the last few years been bad since not. Eh if Ballina could not win conacht the last few years you honestly think any other mayo club could of??

They will go better this time in connacht...

I agree with Mayonaze. Ballina's game of possession type football, slow build up etc saw them 10 points behind Westport with 10 mins to play. Only then did they open up and play fast attacking football that yielded I think around 2-7 in 14 minutes. That's the way to win Connaught titles - fast attacking football. Ballina with a squad of county or ex county players should have a lot more ambition than just winning another county title. Let's hope they go out in Connaugh to play that faster brand of football that could yield a Connaugh title at a minimum.

New pod up on Patreon - Mike reviewing where the Senior final was won and lost with Ger Flanagan and Aidan Kilcoyne.

Clare I don't think Mayonaze was critical of Ballina or suggesting any other Mayo team would do better. It's up to the other teams in Mayo to make the improvements required to surpass Ballina.

Ballina have had two attempts at Connacht & it's been underwhelming. If they are best we have, it's time they make waves in Connacht! Maybe they have no interest outside of Mayo. But they should. But I'd certainly agree with Mayonaze that they are way too reliant on Regan. Irwins, Murray etc can all score on a good day. But they all need to step it up now if they are to progress

When you think of all the big midfield lads Ballina have produced it's kind of strange that they haven't produced too many top inter county forwards in the last 20/25 years...from their previous All Ireland winning club team till now, maybe Ger Brady ,more a hard running half forward than scorer to Regan 10 year ago to McStay recently there haven't been many that I can remember. Ciaràn Treacy in and out.
Even of the promising 20's of late apart from Luke Feeney who isn't really an out and out forward, although a good target man.
I could be missing some of course.

On the topic of forwards, I do find it interesting how certain clubs have produced forwards of a really high calibre in the past 30 years.

If you think of Ballintubber for example. In my lifetime you had Horan in the 90s, Dillon in the 00s and Cillian in the 10s. In Knockmore you had Kevin ONeill in the 90s, Aiden Kilcoyne in the 00s, Kevin McLoughlin in the 10s. Is there any link with players growing up in a club where there is a star forward and going on to emulate that. It’s a bit like Kerry, you have Maurice Fitz, Mike Frank, Gooch, Clifford to name a few. It’s a continuous conveyor belt

For me with Ballina I think they have a strong team and should be doing better in Connacht. There’s no onus on them to do better but you’d expect with the clubs tradition, these lads will want to compete with previous Ballina teams and progress in Connacht. The last 3 in a row team in Mayo was Castlebar between 15-17 and sandwiched in there was a run to the club final. If they want to be recognised against those teams they prob need to do better now

https://x.com/DubGAAOfficial/status/1983576737691615407?s=19

Surely Andy and County Board could hold a tournament like this instead of waiting till December to judge new lads been called in.Ger Brennan means business.

@Achill 75, it would be a good money spinner.

When people say ballina have been underwhelming in connacht I don't think it's an insult its just a fact. It's a different competition and it suits some teams and not others. Corofin often escaped out of Galway by the skin of their teeth and then would explode into life in the all ireland series. When Castlebar and Ballintubber were dominating Mayo there was barely a kick of a ball between them yet Ballintubber never took a big scalp in Connacht while Castlebar won two titles and got to two all ireland finals beating corofin Bridgets, Crossmaglen, Crokes along the way. Winning the county can be a grind as players know each other and teams can nullify each other. Outside the county its a more open game with the handbrake off! Hopefully Ballina can let loose and have a right crack at Connacht, we know they are built for the grind but it's time to show everyone the talent they have.

@Clare…hold on a second now. Where did I suggest that any other club would do any better?? How did you come up with that from what I said??

And it’s true that no Ballina forward outside of Regan can be relied on to score heavily. It’s a fact not an opinion. I also said Frank has very good scoring potential(read what I actually said, I described him as the best scoring midfielder in the county after Kobe…that’s a compliment!) but would be far more effective in this regard in fast attacking strategy. I don’t think their slow build up strategy maximises Frank’s attributes

I want Ballina to do well. But they’d be the first to admit themselves that they’ve been poor in Connacht and anything less than a provincial title will be a disappointment . The point of my message was that I believe they need a more front foot and direct style if they want to win Connacht and go further. The slow lateral possession play that they usually go with won’t work….that’s my opinion.

See reports of players dropped from County panel, has the full panel been published anywhere.

Of course not. They're not officially even allowed to start training yet.
There'll probably never be an official panel announced anyway.