I think bringing in 7 new rules is pure daftness. It will be a completely different game. The 3 up in the forwards can be tried but the goalkeeper should not be allowed out past the 20 metre line.

Great to see Austin O Malley manage Cuala to their first senior county title. Keep it going and he might throw his hat in for the future Mayo vacancy

Be interesting to see if Robbie Brennan's club-managing skills transfer to inter-county with Meath. Fair play to Austin, and he paid a glowing tribute to Mick Fitzsimons in the aftermath.

Surely Austin has to be considered for Mayo position when McStay departs.

@Robe Green and Red yeah fully agree.. Great to see cuala winning it instead of Crokes all the time . They are a genuine great club.

Austin would be great to mayo whenever the tine is right.

Has Austin managed an intercounty adult team? If not the Board will chalk him off probably :)

Here we go people getting carried away…Austin for the Mayo job. As for the county board not looking at him because he has not managed a county…well James Horan and Stephen Rochford did not manage counties before they got the Mayo job. Anyway sure isn’t it Andy’s “turn” next…

Don't think people are getting carried away over Austin just saying he's doing a pretty good job with a club who has not won a county title since what 1996 or something..

@Gizmobobs good question I'm not sure if he has or not....!

Anyone any update on O 'Hora by any chance?

Yew_tree my comment was tongue in cheek in relation why board stated they went for current management.

Experience didn't even have be a good one it seems, but was a huge weighting factor as it turned out, although no mention of it if I recall correctly before the "process" kicked off.

Clare, that, I believe, was cualas first senior football club title. Nevertheless, a great achievement for a man from Mayo and the South county gaa in Dublin, which seems to be overshadowing the old traditional Northside in latter yrs. Still, methinks McStay and Co will remain in situ until 26, and that's probably about right imo. This coming season will see some fireworks in both Mayo and Dublin if neither shakes themselves into contention.

You're correct, Mark - that was Cuala's first Dublin SFC title. They're the first Dublin club to win their first senior title since Brigid's in 2003.

I understand that multiple counties are flat out training already.
Training in groups of 5 I understand.
This is within the rules but outside the spirit of the rules.

@Mark Dempsey ah Ok didn't realise it was their first!

Yeah I agree mcstay should stay the full term.

Yeah there definetly will be fireworks if we don't do better next year be interesting to see what happens as it's so open.

Hopefully the final this weekend will be better then last year's final..

The pods keep coming! We've another up on Patreon now, this time focused on Saturday's Junior county final.

Micky Graham and Dave Morris added to Galway back room team..
PJ given a new 2 year term..
Morris has been the brains behind all Corofins success in the last 15 years so it's a great addition.

[Deleted].

By all accounts Mickey Graham and Davy Morris 2 great additions to the Galway backroom, Graham taking cavan to 2 ulster finals and winning 1, not to mention winning leinster with Mullinalaghta, that's a very impressive cv.

Davy Morris a great get too, galway county team long overdubs getting some of the corofin brains trust in.

If they manage to get Peter Cooke back on board for the year they'll be in a good place again

Though it must be said the way Mickey graham was poached from leitrim leaves a bit of a sour taste

Jr - I've asked you before not to be spreading unconfirmed stories of this kind. If you do so again you'll be headed for moderation.

Supermac- please stop doing likewise.

It's up to the team management to announce (or not to, if that's what they want) who has come in or out of the county panel. It's been my long-standing position that this isn't the place for people to spread stories they've heard themselves. Whether these stories are accurate or not isn't the point - the point is that I don't want this place to become rumour HQ. I'd ask everyone again (though I really shouldn't have to) to respect this position and act accordingly.

All the top teams are making tweaks to their backroom teams to freshen things up while Mayo are sticking with the same crew who didn’t even get us to 1/4 final in 2024.

Fair enough WJ.
Purely speculative on my part, just hearing chinese whispers/loose chat so happy to redact

Won't happen again

There you go Tony & what do we expect to change next year by standing still? Fair enough if we had gone close or we could see something building, but I personally think it's ridiculous to not have made changes. A few token changes in Psychology or S&C won't make a shite of a difference when our set up, our approach & our gameplan is all wrong. And I think a fresh approach was even more vital when you consider the possibly huge changes to how Gaelic football will be played next year. I'll eat my hat if we win Sam next year under current set up.

I don't agree with all talk of changes in our backroom team.
We were within a whisker of winning Connaught beating Dublin and Derry.
Our style of play while hard on the eye was replicated by Armagh and Galway both teams ended up in the final.
Some of our backs are young and one can't coach experience.

@Mayo focus we are not that far off at all our style of play was hard to watch at times no doubt about it and need to learn to close out games..

But there is no stand out team atm and we really are not that far off.

@JR agree with you.. We nearly beat Dublin probably should have beaten them.. lost to Derry on penalties and lost to Galway by a point in connacht final from an absolute fluke free at the end..

It's anyones game next year if we can tweak a few things in the style of play hopefully get Durcan back (won't be up to his usual standards for a bit after the awful injury but a half in form Durcan is better then none)..

We have just as much chance as any of the other counties next year honestly I couldn't even say who might be favourites for next year it's that wide open.

Tonight will mark the 3rd season in a row we will not have any All Stars.Hopefully it changes next season.

Not tonight Sam og . It is on next friday night. Maybe aidan has a fighting chancr to claim an all star award.

I agree Clare, we aren't far off. But personally I can't us bridging the gap unless we come up with something different. If a lot of these new rules come in, you could have a comical situation where our players might now be encouraged to shoot from distance, where they had been vilified for shooting from distance under current regime because they were low percentage shots.
That's just my opinion looking in

@Mayo focus ah totally fair enough I get what your saying..

Not saying we will win next year either but it's just so hard to call..

I just think if we don't get further next year and that means at least to semis then there's going to be fireworks as some have said... time will tell sure but I actually think the new rules will suit our guys Aido was flying with them sure..

It was soo much more open in the railway cup with new rules and free flowing yes only challenge games really but if it keeps going that way it'll benefit us we love an open game and where football is actually played rather then teams parking the bus I hope these rule changes stick cause it's the only way forward.

Nearly never bulled a cow, sure we couldnt even pull a Dublin man down like they did to us in 2017 to see out the game.Serious lack of aggression/dirt and been ruthless in most of the current crop.We are back to been a nice team as John O'Mahony used to say.Thats one thing the Mayo 2011 to 2017 team wernt and why they are so different to every other Mayo team I can remember.We really need to get back to the off the cuff chaos style football or we are not winning anything with the current style.

Spot on Sam. It was a simple thing to do at the time. Drag Kilkenny to the ground or f..k him over the sideline. Even if it meant a black card. Would give us time to get back to defend. We’re too naive. They would have done it. We’ve been too nice for far too long.

Nothing to be gained by regurgitating old cud lads. Dublin were in a pickle in that game- looking lost for ideas. I'm not one for cliched what ifs, but it's a lack of firepower that prevents Mayo from pulling away in games they're dominating. The new structures might catch some managers on the hop in the league. If Murphy returns to the Donegal fold I'm sure they'll be contenders. Accurate shooters will be pure gold in the coming campaigns.

@sam og obviously 'Nearly' is not good enough.

Before the game loads of people where saying we would get hammered by the Dubs.

It took a freak shot from Kilkenny at the end to draw it.

Funny how when Galway beat the Dubs by a single point they are absolute heroes and people where not saying the Dubs looked lost for ideas against them then but did look clueless against us hmm....

@Norm I do agree that we have been to nice for far to long that's been a big thing for us is well..

Anyways it's in the past I just hope to god we learn how to close out games.

Sorry I meant @Nephin there not @Norm! Apolagies for double post!

Did cormac Costello not punch the ball over to equalise that game

Bad 5 mins for bonni there .

Yeah it was Costello .

I see on RTE Sport goal back to 3 points and 45 to one.
I would have preferred if all frees outside arc were one.
Time to restart training free takers and not rely on goalie.

Bonni were flying it in the first half. Kilcommin seemed to be frozen, sending off massive though and healy has grabbed game by scruff of the neck. You can only see one winner from here

Bonni claw it back to level. Serious grit from them to hang tough for so long with 14 men against the favourites