2 absolute belters of games for the time of year. All 4 teams had a right go anyway.

But jaysus Knockmore, nobody had them tipped again this year, then they lose 5 or 6 of their very best players and stumble through the group and now in with a right shout of winning it.

Serious grit and heart in that club. They have no fear

...Any chance ruttledge gets off on appeal because he would be a savage loss to Knockmore in a final. He's in the mix for player if the year as it stands

Was on the road so only followed on Midwest. Some of Aidan’s decisions were baffling. Took the free to win it , from 48 meters . I’ve never seen him convert from that distance and took one at the end when he should have been in front of the goal. I have great time for him but he’s being doing the same thing with Mayo for years. Decision making seems to be a big part of our problem.

Well done to knockmore on beating a good breaffy side.it came down to fine margins.breaffy had a free in the final play of ordinary time which Aidan O'Shea took out of the hand 55 meters out I'm not a fan of players kicking the ball out of the hand 55 meters out he should have left it to the goalkeeper to kick from the ground.
Knockmore we're down to 14 five minutes into extra time with Breaffy going two points up At the start of the second period of extra time only for themselves to be reduce to 14 30 seconds into the second period
That for me was the losing of the game for breaffy.
Breaffy will be very disappointed that they didn't manage the the second period of extra time better
There young players will learn a lot from this defeat under the guidance of Sean Deane who is rebuilding the team and no better man for the job 2025 could be there year.
Who would bet against knockmore to win the county title in two weeks time
One thing for sure it will be a fascinating final against there near neighbors Ballina.

Was Absolutely gutted for Breaffy, game management and some questionable decisions cost them. Goals win games once again. Hopefully its a good final, and best of luck to both teams.

Two terrific games in Castlebar. Must give a shout out for David Tighe. An outstanding performance in both defending and attacking and Sam Callinan was fantastic too bor Ballina.
For Knockmore David McHale is a warrior and David McBrien for Ballaghadereen left nothing on the pitch.

Agree Bonni, some odd calls by Breaffy proved very costly. They now in worse place than they were last year. Almost everything good they do revolves around Aidan and when he gets wrapped up like he was yesterday they seem bereft of ideas.
The fact was it two minor lads about 17 years old that came on for Knockmore and helped nail the coffin would be tough to take.

Fair play to all the senior teams in action yesterday.
While disappointing to lose , it's small margins and every mistake or poor decision will hit the players hard . But it wasn't for the want of raw effort that either team lost .
Glad to see Knockmore back in the final .
A great tradition with that bit of steel / knowhow.
They will be hard bet in the final.

An interesting angle on O'Shea's "point" :)
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAyhnvfIWGv/?igsh=MXRiY2doNWJ1Y2FzNg==

Had to laugh at Ed on pod there when he said he felt "Breaffy were 6 points a better team", in "terms of ability and capacity" than Knockmore.
Poor Breaffy never beaten them in knock outs apparently.
You wouldn't begrudge Breaffy a title, especially after all the near misses they've had the last decade. But as all us here in Mayo know, nearly never bulled a cow.

Just seen a stat from the Crossmolina V Ballinrobe game that the free count was 31 frees given against Crossmolina and 13 against Ballinrobe - surely that could not be right, did Cross foul a lot or was the ref very one-sided?

Have to agree Giz, thought it was an interesting comment to say the least. I too would like to see Breffey get over the line one day but when you hear analysis like that it’s baffling. I’m not sure how he reached that conclusion. Without AOS in their attack they are very limited. I heard on a pod recently that he was involved in 75% of Breffey scores so far this year. Knockmore showed a far better blend of scorers, so much so a lad who hasn’t even sat his leaving cert came on and scored 1-1 in his first ever championship game. Ballina similar to Knockmore in that regard with a good blend of scorers. Should be a great final. Biggest rivalry in the county should draw some lovely gate receipts for the CB in two weeks time.

My take on Breaffy is that they are a team from a relatively 'new' community and there is very little succession there in terms of sons/grandsons of ex Breaffy players. When the chips are down and the call can't be made in the dressing room 'this is the club my father played for, and my father's father,' to rally the troops. Young Cogill, young Cunningham maybe 1 or 2 more but it's important to be able to reach for something extra to propel you on when things are crumbling. Knockmore have that in spades,as do several other 'country ' clubs as I would term them who might not have the big names with county standard ability but they have the attitude to see them through.
Anyway should be a good final.

2 hops Im sorry but that is pure and utter crap. Breaffy was formed in 1953...71 years ago so there are generations there who played for them.
People move into areas so you could say knockmore is a new community too with your logic. Im not buying that!

Breaffys problem is that they have a superiority complex and put themselves up on a pedestal. They'd remind you of the English soccer team except England actually won a title.

Year in year out they buy into their own and their supporters hype and when push comes to shove they fold. Yesterday they were in control and they relinquished it.

There were many key moments they can only blame themselves. Aos missed a free an underage player would put over. He kicked a free short to win it into an area he should have been in causing problems. And then when they're cruising in added time the no 18 comes in with a tackle you would only see on WWE. Red card and they fold even though it was back to an even game 14 on 14.

Well opinions vary and that's mine on it .
Maybe you are more familiar with the area.

@PK, I don't think Breaffy have any sort of superiority complex. They really are a small club with little tradition of competing at senior level until the O'Shea's came along. You could easily argue they're punching well above their weight.
If they haven't got the right planning in place they'll be intermediate in 5 years when Conor, Aidan, and Mattie have retired. That's because they don' t have the consistent history of bringing through a few players every year to help maintain their senior status, like Knockmore do.

Just to reiterate, there was nothing in that game yesterday. As much as O'Shea missed a gimme free, Orme missed one just as easy and the one to win the match that Orme missed in normal time was cat as well. Knockmore had their own needless red card when the game was in the melting pot. All in all, you had to two very average senior teams doing everything possible to lose that game yesterday.

I actually think it was the most open senior championship I can remember. Anyone of the quarter finalist could have won the competition in my opinion.

Hard luck to Breaffy. But I think one of their expected big guns . ie. Their captain did not perform at all. I think I remember him having 2 possessions in the game one he did fist over .You can’t afford this in Semi Finals. A

If Breaffy was formed in 1953 they 5 years older than Knockmore according to their website, they were established in 1958.

Fair play and hard luck to Bellmullet/Kilmeena in the relegation decider. After so many years of success and growth it will be hard pill for Kilmeena to swallow. But they have very good numbers coming through it seems with Westport overflow, so they should see better days again.

Kiltimagh to feel for them a bit, they've great work done on pitch and new stand. Hopefully things turnaround on pitch for them.

I agree with Chick 79 Conor O Shea had a very poor championship one could actually argue if they had a replacement he have spent a lot of time on the bench.
That's a challenge for the management team next season to get the best out of him if not then find a replacement to take his place in the team.they cant afford to be carrying players that offer nothing to the team. Especially when you get down to the business end of the championship.

If I was in Sean Deanes shoes next year, I’d nearly hope that AOS took a year out for championship. Not that I don’t think he’s a top class player, he is. But until Breffey realises they can’t keep relying solely on him to pull them through games then they aren’t going to develop. I reckon Breffey would develop more as a group next year if Aiden was out injured. Not that I am wishing injury on him, just playing devils advocate. May not get as far but would build a more steely character. Look at how Knockmore and Ballina responded when they both lost their biggest leaders (McHale and Swanny)

Down to County finals now, has any new players put their hands up for places in county panel. maybe a few tigerish backs but no scoring forwards that we need comes to mind. Many of last years panel had poor Club Championships, will they be given more chances or is it time to give different players a chance next year. Plenty on here calling for changes to Management but maybe its changes to players panel thats needed.

How can Kuba and SAM be on the team of the week.
Were they not marking each other?

Sam got on for his attacking and kicked 2 points more so then his defending. Mcbrien as john Maughan would say is some unit just has it all physically, I just hope for our sake he can get a injury free run for mayo next year.

That in a nutshell sums up Mayo defense.Praised for attacking

I watched game live but can’t remember whether Callinan was actually marking Kuba Callaghan? Based on their numbers they would seem to line up opposite each other but it didn’t seem like they were marking each, watching back highlights! Maybe that was the problem from Callinans perspective!!

What’s pleased me with Callinan though is his point kicking efforts, he’s improved a lot in that respect. It should still be remembered too the lad is only u21 yet and should improve defensively with more experience!

I’m pleased to see Frank Irwin showing signs of development too. His style of football in recent years I found too safe, alot of sideways passes. Yesterday when he fielded that late kickout, he was head up, move the ball forward and off after the play. Hopefully he can keep that going now

In the first part of the game, O'Shea didn't have a kick when playing inside. But that was actually when he was most influential in the game. Tied up Knockmore's two best defenders inside and this allowed Breaffy to dictate the terms of the game. When he came out the field, Knockmore could take more risks and played themselves back into the game. For me, if he stayed inside and did nothing, Breaffy would have won. You don't always have to be on the ball to influence the game.

@GBXI Iwill disagree with you on the 1st part. They are basically another Castlebar club as Breaffy is part of and more or less joined to Castlebar so I wouldnt call them a small club. If anything they have underperformed. I think one year they had the highest number of club players on Mayo team and no county medal. Underage they're average but in fairness at senior they could have landed a title in the last 10 years but like mayo similar failings.

2nd part of your comment yes 100% most open county championship and unfortunately probably due to the poor standard of club football...it is no wonder mayo have slipped from being a top team in championship

Breaffy is basically a suburb of Castlebar. I was rooting for them I’ll admit. Their chance to win a first senior county title is likely gone unfortunately.

What year did Breaffy win intermediate to go up to senior?

Outside of their county players Breaffy have a lot of average club players that aren't good enough when it comes to the crunch in big games. This has been proven over last few years in games where their top players have either been held or not performed - the other players on the team were not able to step up

Hi southmayo Exile if you take the county players out of any of the four clubs County semi-finalists they all would be weaker sides.
I go as far as saying 90% of clubs sides up & down the country without their county players would be a lot weaker not jilust breaffy.

The point I'm making West Awake is the non county players in the other clubs are better players than the non county players are in Breaffy. Of course every team is going to be weaker without their county players.

In your opinion Southmayo Exile still don't get your point can you tell me when have the likes of Ballina & knockmore or westport been without all their County players in championship games from the quarter final onwards in the last four seasons. I can't think they ever have been,.The point your making has never been proven.

The west awake is Exiles point made that by continuously losing with their county players present e.g. on Sunday Matthew and Aidan played and for Knockmore Darren and Colm played. That other clubs non county players are presumably better than Breaffy’s?
Similar last year v Ballina.

Will knives be out for management again I wonder seeing as they progressed further last year than this year?

The pods keep coming! We've another new one up on Patreon, in which Mike is joined by Colm Boyle and Nigel Reape to reflect on the weekend's action.

To be fair Gizmobobs the management team didn't lose the game against knockmore the players did they didn't manage the game well enough.... When they were 15 vs 14 two points up with ten minutes to play in the second half of extra time they were in a brilliant position only for a breaffy player to be sent off 30 seconds at the start of second period of extra time when 14 vs 14 they didn't manage the game and get over the line that down to the players on the pitch.
Management can only do so much once they cross the white it's down to the players on the pitch to make the right decisions.
Breaffy were in a mess before the new management team came in July only one win in nine games. Since they're taken over they won seven out of Eight games the only defeat coming last Sunday. They have done a great job in working with the players for only three months . 2025 could be there year the management team will have a full season to work with the players and probably will see some of the six players that were unavailable for all of the 2024 season return to the squad.

I think you could point to AO'S rejoining the panel towards the end of the league and onwards as having the most bearing on Breaffy 's upturn in form.

With what your saying 2hops Breaffy don't need any management team in place as long as A'OS is playing
I take from the point you're making you'll never managed a football team any any level.

The West Awake, who encouraged Aidan to take the long shot at goal at end normal time and the one from sideline near the death instead of putting him in as an aerial threat?
Also who brought Aidan outfield when he was being kept quiet inside but tying up 2 knockmore defenders at same time meaning other Breaffy men had room to move and get their scores and this was when Breaffy were most on top? Bringing Aidan out the middle freed up knockmore defense to allow men bomb out from back and cause overlap off the shoulder. I imagine thats exactly what Knockmore hoped for so it seems Brogan/Kilcoyne won the tactical battle over Deane.

Maybe you are right about 2025, and them having players back. But Knockmore could have Timlin, Parks, McHale, McLoughlin and Armstrong back from last years starting teams that did not feature yesterday also.
Ballina could have Murray, Thornton, O'Hora back etc.

Your point on them being a mess when their county players were missing for bulk of the league seems to counteract your own point from earlier that "90% of clubs sides up & down the country without their county players".

would be a lot weaker". Maybe if previous management had been left in place and given the time to work with the county players returning it could have been a different story.
Either way it is equal now. the history books will show Breaffy fell a hurdle shorter this year than last.

any word on what Mayo players are involved in Croke Park over weekend.

Not heard Culmore, 6 from each county were invited to take part whose clubs had finished.

I say Aido, McBrien ,ROD, Donnach McHugh, Tommy Conroy, and Matty Ruane on this years form.Aido, Paul Conroy or Enda Smith potential captains.

Three days on and I still cannot fathom Breaffy's decision-making on Sunday. It has been living in my head all week. Digits above sums it up best, and while I am genuinely really disappointed for Aidan, up front is where he was most effective *for his team* and up front is where he should have remained, especially in the last quarter. How no-one on the sideline could see this is strange, but perhaps everyone (including the man himself) was spooked because he had been so instrumental on the ball in previous games. But next year is another year and the future is looking a lot brighter for them.

It was the day of the Davids really. David Tighe, David McHale, David McBrien but above all David Drake. I thought he had another phenomenal championship and when you think of how he was so badly misused for Mayo it's a killer. He is such a leader on the pitch, reads the game so well and has the pace and physicality to mix it for another few years. Player of the senior championship for me.

- Conditions on Sunday were very good for football which allowed some good points to be scored in both games.
- You have to hand it to Knockmore for digging out that win.
- Ballagh will have nightmares over that gimme goal opportunity when Clarke was caught in no man's land.
- If O'Hora plays in the final then Ballina will win.
- Overall standard of play way better than last year, hopefully the final will be a good match