Only 2 regular starters for Mayo on the Mayo News Senior Club Team of the year. What does that tell us.

Mayo senior club championship is very poor. We haven’t been in any way competitive in Connaught not to mind the all Ireland series for a number of years.

And we automatically to be competitive at senior intercoounty ????

My Ball, Mayo most counties could only dream of, based on the finances involved and fact the players are away from their clubs for what's basically the duration of the intercounty season.
The standard of the club championships largely irrelevant to county. Since 2010 I think we've had club finalists/champions from:
Roscommon
Down
Westmeath
Clare
Antrim

None of which have been regularly threatening Sam.

@North Mayo: Results would beg to differ, or outright call you wrong if they weren't so polite.

Ballina went to extra-time and penalities against the eventual champions. Westport, Castlebar & Ballagh were all within touching distance of Ballina this year (& others like Breaffy potentially capable of getting there if they'd had the chance).

If that's not "in any way competitive in Connaught" I'm not sure what possibly could be.

Of the last 8 connaught senior club championships - we have won none.
Of the last 8 connaught intermediate club championships - we have won 2.
That's the most important stat and a very poor record no matter how you measure it.

@Gizmobobs fully agree. It does not reflect on the county team.

Broad haven bay hotel has a picture on facebook of the mayo panel at a bonding weekend. Good for them I hope they had a great start to the coming season. Anyone care to go through the pic and identify the less well known lads?

Was thinking the same Lionel. Good to see some fresh faces

Anyone name some of the new lads from that picture?

Bit pixelated and lads with heads down but to have stab at it I'd guess:
Finbar McLaughlin
Conal Dawson
Cian McHale
Tom O'Flaherty
Dylan Thornton
Dylan Prendergast
Evan Ivers

Is there 1 or 2 Duffys

Good to see Akram awarded for his club form, what age is he now?
Also the fact that Diarmuid is there might knock on the head any suspicions of Ballintubber being at war with McStay

@Lionel / Ontheroad13: Not too many. I'm struggling to name a few of the lads I'd know relatively well and have spoken to from time to time.

Very, very open to correction on these:

Davitt Neary (just in front of Jack Carney in the middle of back row), Dylan Prendergast (2nd from the bottom right), Shiroze Akram (just to Tommy Conroy's right, over Diarmuid Duffy's shoulder), Conal Dawson (l) & Tom O'Flaherty (r) (behind Fergie Boland), Evan Ivors (to Darren McHale's right) & Cian McHale (to Diarmud Duffy's right)

These are getting very sketchy... is that Pearse Ruttledge (in between DO'C & Coen)? Maybe Eamon Phillips (in front of Paddy Durcan)?

@Gizmobobs: Can't see Ewan in there, but wouldn't be at all surprised given his form. Mind me asking where you spot Finbar and Dylan T? I'd have expected to recognise both, but clearly not.

I'd have thought John Vahey might be in there too, but only caught him playing twice ever so would be much less likely to spark the memory I guess.

Yes John Vahey, good spot.
But not Pearse Ruttledge unfortunately.

Let that picture quell any negativity in the group..
Very heartening for Mc Stay to see a happy smiling group, it's more than we get up here in relation to who's in.. At least ye can see new players there.
Our lads went to Florida for two weeks and are straight back training this weekend.

Grrat to see new faces in there I can't name some of them but they look happy.. Great also Evam Ivers in there he is a real potential I think..

Paddy Durcan seems in good spirts to so hopefully his recovery is going well!

Is Diarmuid o Connor there?

@Jr: Yeah.

https://www.facebook.com/BroadhavenBayHotel/posts/pfbid0JK7d4orGcS7pFgKMHvCi7jzokDgiV4TUXRZoKWXbRdMLbhgox1MB2EQ88TZzhs4yl

Great ?

Thanks Tsu. Unless the photographer is a genius at photoshopping, this is a bunch if really happy campers.

Who is the guy behind Bob Tuohy, who looks the tallest of the lot?

I think that's Bob Tuohy Clare ?
And Conal Dawson in front of him

@Catcol: The 'tall' guy next to him is Conal Dawson, but unless Conal took an outrageous growth spurt since the club championship ended I'd imagine perspective throwing that off a bit. The 2nd row closer than the 3rd or 4th behind, so making them look relatively taller.

The real big lads all look pushed to the back so don't stand out as much. Back there you've Bob Tuohy, I'm guessing Eamon Phillips but could be wrong on that one, Conor Reid, David McBrien, one other unknown to me big lad (possibly Thornton? Can only see the eyes and some hair so struggling on that one) and Brick, going from left to right.

Tsu Thornton in pic anyway by looks of it. A fine footballer on his day, plenty of talent, but how many games has he played in past two years? I'd have liked to have seen Pearse Ruttledge given a shot, another fine footballer, and able play several positions. And seems to be far less injury prone.
The midfield pairings in early rounds of league will be interesting.

@Tubberman I know Bob touhy is there to obviously?. That's not who I was referring to. Paddy Durcan is there in the background also.

@Gizmobobs: Is that his head at the back between McBrien and Brick?

Fine player alright. If he can get a clean run of health for the year, imagine we'll all be watching him closely in the Sigerson, he'll be a big addition and offer something different on the inside, on the 40 or deeper. He's probably sick to death of hearing it, but an awful lot of (the best of) the uncle in him. A little surprised Murray didn't get in for another look, but again injuries could be a factor there.

Yeah. Pearse blew me away this year. Outstanding displays right up until that red, without the card & a solid final performance could have been POTY stuff. If you'd told me at the start of the year I'd be raving about Ruttledge and Slattery putting in serious shifts in the middle I wouldn't have believed it. Can't beat a year of club for surprises like that.

Very true Tsu, shame neither seem to be inconsideration.

Hard to beleive Oisin McLaughlin l,David McHale and Conor Diskin not getting a call before some of the names mentioned above?

Don't get too excited.
Some players may not be there for personal family reasons.
Diarmuid being there puts a better gloss on Cillian pulling out.

Thanks TsuDhoNim saved me looking it up. They do look a happy bunch in fairness. Lots of youth there.

Armaghs problems might take us off the papers.

Could anyone - Tsu, JP, and others name a 15 or near 15 from the newbies in that Broadhaven Bay Hotel photo?

It's nice to see all the newbies in our panel.
It gives us a bit of lift amid all the doom and gloom stuff.
I would love if there was a pod with McStay outlining his full panel and giving his stance on where there at with the new rules etc and to tell us how the training is going.
Keep the faith lads. We will do much better than people think.

@catcol: Not quite a 15 there (at least not that I can identify) and mostly forward heavy, so wouldn't be a terribly competitive setup like that.

Happy to give a super subjective run-down on them that might do a similar type of job as you were hoping if there's a few you're not overly familiar with, without having to horse a few forwards in as corner backs.

Vahey - Looks a really solid keeper in what we saw this year, but a relatively new name to many of us with his only recent return to GAA from Sligo Rovers. Hard to know just how high his ceiling could be yet, but exciting to see enough potential to leapfrog Jack (a very fine keeper too) that could push Colm in the future. (Really feel for poor Luke Jennings from Ballinrobe. Had another fantastic year but seems to have fallen just short. Great to see that level of competition just for the panel, never mind the starting jersey)

Akram - Pacey, intelligent, athletic and incredibly hard-working wing back. Looked to have county written all over him as an exciting underage prospect & I'd say lots of us expected him to hold his place back in '17 when he first made the panel for FBD (still u21 at the time). One of the big influences on Ballagh's emergence as a competitive side, potentially a lot to offer still at ~28 or 29.

Ivors - Big, powerful, the type of profile and abrasive aggression (in the most positive ways) we've found ourselves a little short on at times. Hard to know where we might use him yet (tends to be a 6 or midfield for Belmullet, but you could see him doing a job from 2 to 12) but at ~23 has heaps of potential left to fill. I'm 50/50 between him getting some S&C work with the panel before a cut and used for future development and him potentially being our breakout star for the year. Could go either way.

Melvin - (I can't pick him out in the pic, but someone else suggested he's there) His injury just before the start of the Championship hurt our 20s a lot this year. He (or Howard, who oddly wasn't in the 20s panel) was exactly what we were missing at times in those opening games when he wasn't 100% fit. Talented midfielder, huge potential, showed well (along with midfield partner Fenton Kelly, also in the extended squad for a couple of years now - there just in front of Conor Reid) for Davitts this year and one for the future.

Thornton - Another I'd struggle to predict a position for. Could do a job from 5 to 15, I'd expect most likely used as a powerful, ball winning wing forward (Tuohy would be the closest comparison to an existing squad member I guess) but would cause havoc on edge of the square (more than a few goals for Ballina and UL using him like that in recent years) or give us another ball-winning option around the middle/11 too. If not for injuries I'd have expected this breakthrough in '22 or '23. Potential there to push for a starter.

Neary - Outstanding year for Breaffy for the hard running wing-forward. An exciting prospect, but probably a little raw just yet. I'd expect a year of learning & skill development for him ahead of expecting a big breakthrough (though he could absolutely prove me wrong). Not quite as big as some nor as fast as others, but the combination of the two he has will cause havoc at times for any defence. So often the one to unlock the door for others to tap in a goal or take an easy score, so a much better player than a stat sheet might show.

Prendergast - Still only ~24 despite seemingly being around & spoken about for so many years, he's had a rollercoaster ride getting here. Outstanding underage talent, he ended up veering off towards rugby for a few years (representing Ireland at 18s & 19s, coming very close to pro ranks) & then a few years where injuries caused a lot of setbacks (significantly ACL & osteitis pubis) but always battled through like a warrior. When he hits form (I'd say 'stays fit' too, but even half injured he can do it at times) he's absolutely outstanding & has looked unmarkable in games. Serious power, serious eye for goal and real potential to push for a starter spot if he can get the basic skills at high speed up to scratch (they look there watching club ball, but it's a different story making that step up). Could be used from 8 to 15, I'd to see him mostly expect used inside but great flexibility there.

Dawson - I'd expect mostly a building year (S&C/skills) for Conal, though will certainly put pressure on lads for match day squads while doing it. We've used him at county underage as a corner back, wing back and midfielder (sometimes in the one game) while playing most of his club football at the time as a wing forward, so anyone's guess where he might turn up. One of our few left-footed shooters on the panel (often takes frees on the right for Westport, though wouldn't really be a county level kicker or a part of his game I'd expect much focus on atm), probably surprised a few bumping Sean Morahan to this spot.

O'Flaherty - Similar to Dawson, you'd expect mostly a building year. Talented wing forward, works his socks off and great skill with ball in hand. Physicals a bit short just yet, taken out of games a bit too easily at times for the u20s or NUIG last year, but with his work ethic he'll be closing the gaps on that day by day. One for the future.

(C) McHale - Outstanding year for Moy Davitts, probably the most exciting club player I've watched this year (at any grade, nationally). Kicked some absolutely outrageous scores, from dead balls or play, with one of the best left feet in the county (intentionally laying down the gauntlet to Dylan Gallagher & Darragh Beirne saying that). Still u21 yet, so probably should just be a building year, but has the potential to push hard. You could see his left-footed frees alone nudging him up the pecking order a little.

Eamon Phillips - (Open to correction, but believe that's his head I spot) Outstanding few years for Ballyhaunis (in both codes) for the free scoring forward. Right up there with the Coyne brothers and Zippy pushing for player of the match in most games. Huge lad, accurate free taker, would pose all sorts of different questions for a defender (e.g. set a defence up to mark Conroy and Towey and suddenly we pull Prendergast & Phillips off the bench, or vice versa). Another that could be in the first cut or could be a breakout, 50/50 between the two for me.

Ewan Duffy - (can't spot him in the pic, but could easily be there) A bit of everything from Ewan. Athletic, ferocious work rate & potential for box to box play even under the more demanding new rules. Mostly plays 11 for Ballinrobe knitting everything around him together, something they could use him for (more of a running game than other options in there), but I could see him used as a flexible utility player solving specific problems (e.g. trying to get a grip on a rampaging defender while still asking questions going forward) rather than playing specific positions. Very similar to his younger brother already involved.

Finbar McLaughlin - (Another I can't spot, but others have mentioned) The usual McLaughlin pace (Oisín, Eoghan, Fionnuala & Finbar all electric) with possibly the best shooting, relatively two footed too, among the bunch. Just out of 20s, would be a development year to get the S&C in place, but has caused havoc this year for Westport and looked at home playing colleges against some county level defenders. Could push through, but given his style of play needing the power to help break lines, I'd expect a quiet year just yet. Exciting potential going forward though.

Should be noted there's ~40 lads in the pic with a number missing (O'Shea, Flynn & Loftus the obvious ones with potential for a few less obvious ones - Niall Coggins would be borderline there you'd imagine & you could see someone like Darragh Syron brought in as another to build S&C for the future), so some names mentioned might not be around for an extended period once it comes to getting the league panel and then later the Championship panel in place.

Absolutely brilliant pen picture of all the newbies there TsuDhoNim. Thank you for that.

TsuDhoNim. Brlllant synopsis of the new players. I am intrigued by your handle name.

TsuDhoNim - thanks for the response and what a post! Willie Joe pin that up on the dressing room wall.

This is what our posters are like - wait till you see the experts!

True JR, but some have not been approached.

U21 championship isn't finished yet. Might be a few more we haven't looked at yet.

It feels like clubs that do well at Intermediate level get rewarded more than the bottom 8 Senior clubs.No new player from Claremorris, Balla , Mayo Gaels, Charlestown, Garrymore leaving out Towey and Hession.Even though there is a hugh difference between the two grades.

@ TsuDhoNim great breakdown of players.

It’s good to see the net being cast wide for talent but, and I hope I’m not breaking any house rules by saying it, I feel there’s some players there who are not even stand out at club level. That might be a contradiction by me but not overly optimistic if this was the supporting cast in 2025

Appreciate what mgt are trying to do in terms of developing a few diamonds in the rough though

That’s an incredible amount of knowledge TSU fair play , very informative to put it mildly .

@Sam og Yes that is a strange one. I'm all in favour of rewarding players who perform well at intermediate level, but I have often wondered if the management are even looking at some of the lesser senior teams.

A few of those clubs you mentioned are recently up from intermediate and have found life tough at senior level, but have still stayed up. Kilmeena learned the hard way this year that the gap from intermediate to senior is hard to bridge. Crossmolina are an exciting team for the future but things could easily go wrong next year if they dont have a bit of luck on their side.

Lots of pundits in the country praised Balla for almost pulling off a huge upset vs Westport. I wonder, was anyone in attendance on behalf of McStay? I struggle to think that Balla played that well without one or two diamonds in the rough appearing that day. We all know about Oisin Cronin who is on the u20s.

I find it hard to believe that there are no players in Balla, Charlestown, Kilmeena, Mayo Gaels or Claremorris who are worth a look at for the senior panel, with the exception of Towey and Carney who are already there. Thats almost one third of the senior championship 2024!

@TsuDhoNim.Great insight into some of our potential newbies, for some of us lesser mortals. With the strength in depth of Division 1 this year and our absentees, I was feeling quite pessimistic about our chances of survival and our hopes in the Championship, but you have lifted my spirits and made me much more optimistic about this season, and more especially seasons ahead.

@Tsu
Another fantastic post. Great stuff.
I was daydreaming the other day about what our team might look like in 3 or 4 years time and the sorts of player we might be able to add to established players such as Mcbrien,Mchugh,Callinan,Hession,Ryan,Jordan and Tommy Conroy.
The mind boggles with some of the talent that seems to be there. There were 3 Minors on the team of the year for starters.
You know your stuff Tsu. Is it just me or does this seem to be the best young crop of players we've had in years?

New pod up, this one is another free one available on all platforms. On it Rob and I chat with Ed McGreal about his book "Our Finest Hour" while Mike catches up with Seán Regan ahead of the Club Stars awards event where Seán will be getting an Outstanding Achievement award.

It's not just you, Mind the House. Colm Boyle has said on the pod more than once in the last year that he thinks the coming young crop of players are extremely promising.

I would be in favour of a series of trials where a club nominates there best 2 players of every Senior and Intermediate club in the County and 1 player from every Junior club.They are then
assessed and given an oppurtunity by Senior management, when a management is just calling certain players up cause they were on a team who had a good club run or play Sigerson while there are potential players from weaker clubs struck off due to previous bad form with County or just not been able to stand out with a weaker club team.Too many clubs in Mayo where there isnt a County player.

I’m a big follower too of underage for years and we have potential but let’s be very careful not to get ahead of ourselves. We’ve won nothing at national level underage at minor with any of these named players in the 17-20/21 age category…Derry and Tyrone have (and Galway!). There’ll be plenty time for praise when we see some medals.

@Mind the House: Yeah, exciting potential there.

Serious hard graft ahead of them if they're going to make anything of it, but the potential is there for sure. We could do with a few more big horses around the middle and a couple more pure man-marking defenders (though often they're lads that are great bombing forward too until given a specific job to do), but in terms of overall talent and forwards it's as solid a group as I've seen (whether that's the specific u20 crop or the general grouping from 17-26 at the moment) in my 30 odd years obsessing on it.

(Having said that... it's the ones you don't see coming that I really enjoy. Seeing young Darragh Staunton, pretty sure he's still u20 next year, step up as a key player at the top end of Senior Championship was a real joy this year. Clearly I need more friends in Knockmore)

@Jimbo: Haha, it does exactly what it says on the tin (I needed a pseudonym and enjoy phonetics, so it picked itself).

Jesus lads my mind boggles too when we start hyping up young lads. You cannot judge these lads based on how they perform within the Mayo club championships. We know the standard within the Mayo club championship has been very poor the last few years. From what I have seen most of these lads mentioned have not stood out when playing for Mayo at u20 level against other Connaught teams or have not stood out when playing for their clubs in Connaught club championship games. These are the real barometers to judge emerging talent. I don't want to be too negative - but I am tired of listening and reading about young lads been hyped up.

Excellent analysis tsuDhoNim.on ivers I think he could be ready to make the big step.watched 4 of belmullets championship games and he looked good physically(county obviously another level).especially against Kilmeena he nullified carney the whole game

Kevin Filan confirmed as the new Castlebar Mitchels manager, in what's going to be a hectic few months for appointments.

https://x.com/MitchelsGaa/status/1866258763042185478

Been over or involved with the bulk of their younger players since they were nippers, right the way up to 21s/B with success following them most of the way, you'd imagine a lot of the players will be pleased with that selection.

TsuDhonim, young Staunton lad was minor this year I think so should have few more years U20.

Lads would agree , let’s not hype up these young lads , we have achieved zero success at underage from an All Ireland perspective for last 8 years and almost all of these lads have featured in those teams without standing out I’m afraid to say . They didn’t perform when the pressure was on at the highest level at All Ireland semi stage, so let’s hold on the accolades until we see some real development and progress.

@TsuDhoNim, Fair play for the information on the young lads potentially coming through.
You are a fountain of knowledge.

@TsuDhoNim great post. You know your stuff.

@Mayonaze and @south mayo exile I agree. We shouldn't be talking up young players let them develop and not have any hype around them. We did not see any progress really at under age the last few years. It's also a big step up to seniors from underage as Diarmuid Duffy found out this year.

I think the new rules coming in will really suit us and it's great to have young players being brought in as we will need pace with the new rules.

Great to see a pool of young talent coming through. Really interested to see who will get our young player of the year,as all 4 are definate talents.
Great and all as it is to have the raw material to work with but if management ( Particularly at u-20 level) conspire to screw it up again by not encouraging them to play to their strengths,that will be unforgivable. Maybe the new rules will force their hand to amend the safety first attitude and make the game we love watchable again.

A young Dublin midfielder winning man of the match in a recent national final & being described everywhere as "the new Fenton" (though sparked by his own interview so tongue in cheek) is the type of hype to be avoided.

What we tend to have in Mayo is pretty much the opposite. The two best forwards at either end in that game, all but having a shootout between themselves for the win, while only a shade behind for MOTM were both young Mayo lads. Neither being described as "the next RO'D", neither even receiving much positivity and instead getting a "they've never won anything" or "they didn't perform" if they happened to look in here.

I can say with utter confidence we're in far more danger from negativity and the he view of anything less than an All Ireland win being something that shouldn't be enjoyed or celebrated than we are from someone being excited about lads earning a spot on a team of the year or chatting about the potential in the county.

The negativity will hinder player development, confidence, happiness & mental health far faster & more viciously than any hype (again, don't see anything approaching that here - a little praise for a good game or acknowledgment of good form earning a reward is far from hype) might. It's the type of stuff that has cost us opted out players in recent years and will again in the future. I'd much prefer to see that type of thing kept in check, personally.

@ TsuDhoNim,
Brilliant summary of the talents coming through. As has been said above by others, I am not as dispondent for the future as many are. These young lads mentioned were all in their formative years (10 to 13 years old) when our greatest sides were regularly competing for All Irelands in that 2012 to 2020 era. It's vital that we get as much out of this bunch as possible and they are given the supports and time to reach their fullest potential. Obviously not all of them will make it but if we could get 5 or 6 of those lads to break through to the squad then that would be success.
It can be done, as our near neighbours have proven with the current Galway full back line being the very same as their U20 full back line from a few years ago.

If we have such a good crop of underage players coming up, where are the Connaught titles at minor and under 20 for last few years, getting beaten by Sligo and Leitrem doesn't add up to great talent coming through

Culmore - we’ve won the last three Connacht Minor titles.

@Culmore: Minor Connacht winners in '24, '23, '22 and '19.

20s had the panel to win in a number of those years, without question, with the hard questions being around management far more than players (though plenty of injuries that didn't do management favours along the way). Even in the worst of those 20s performances, a few of the young lads played incredibly well (e.g. JMcM, EMcG & DB were all outstanding last year on a poor year for the side overall).

More importantly... (had to laugh when stumbling across this moments after making the previous post)

"There is an inverse relationship in youth sports between focusing on winning and developing players. You cannot do both optimally at the same time. The more you prioritize winning, the less resources you have to dedicate towards development.

The adult desire to win puts a focus on structure & schemes, wasting valuable (and already limited) practice time that could be better spent in dynamic skill building environments.

It breeds early positional specialization which limits well rounded development opportunities for all kids. It forces young kids into a performance mindset that inhibits creativity & risk taking. Long term growth is sacrificed for short term results.

Remember, selection bias is what creates the illusion that players on youth ‘elite’ teams are developing at faster rate than they otherwise could be in an environment that prioritizes development."

https://x.com/Brian_Kelly19/status/1866123736174547066

That's a leading lacross coach, but it's the exact same findings in rugby, soccer and every other team invasion sport that's ever researched it. GAA will find the exact same when the studies come out. Plenty of anecdotal stories & interviews around it already.

Winning underage is lovely. Having a squad capable of winning underage great. Whether they actually win or not? Exponentially less so.

Did they develop and improve the question we should be asking. So often the lads succeeding at the top are leaning back on the story of hurt or heartache at underage that drove them on and made them so determined to work harder (Boyler's own superhero origin story isn't quite underage but in a very similar vein). The reactions to success or adversity and the development that follows is way more important than specific results.

*I'll get killed for missing Oisín Cronin again there, for the 10th odd time - fully deserved criticism for me. Outstanding year for the young Balla man too, that he kept going into club too.

I see in the Irish Examiner and hat the Galway treasurer is questioning the cost and value of training camps.
I would agree.
An intensive training weekend at home is just as good, plenty of bonding at away league games.
He also complained about too many county games and their cost.
Perhaps the hotel and travel cost for All Ireland series games should come from the gates.
It is nor sustainable for counties to carry the burden.
Tax clearance necessary to get government funds is a concern.
Having large surprises like Galway and Clare can also cause problems.

Now I don't know if this is true but I read that eating cabbage has shown improvements in spatial awareness.. Could this be something mayo footballers could eat more of especially with the new rules?

Well done Norm - I might try that myself!

Not necessecelery Norm, it'll be a turnip for the books if true. Keep repeating it and it'll sprout wings though.

Ger Flanagan’s piece in the Mayo News on Cillian is good. It really does feel like a loss for the management, whatever way you spin it. I still cannot understand why he was so under-used in 2024. The 67th min v Derry was particularly baffling. Sorry to be going over old ground here, but its just very frustrating. His loss in the dressing room and in training will be massive, never mind the stark fact that Cillian injury free is a crucial cog in the Mayo machine. Ah!

Cillian has not been injury free for a number of years.
It appears management made great efforts to keep him.
Key that Diarmuid was at the training over the weekend.
We really missed Cillian in the final against Tyrone, but that's a good few years ago now.

It's a big loss with cillian no way to cover that up at all.

Maybe he did just want a year out to concentrate on himself he is based in Dublin and that commute up for training every week two or three times a week would be tough with his job and he has suffered from injuries.

I still think there is some unrest in camp. Though with Diarmuid still in training I am starting to think cillian just wanted a year out. They are very close cillian&diarmuid of course. If the fall out was that bad between cillian and management I would be surprised Diarmuid would stay to.

I think with padraig o hora opting out he got an awful head injury in club championship and with the way ballina went out probably felt deflated.

Who knows time will tell but the new rules will suit us big year for mcstay & co.

It's a shame that Charlie Lambert, Westport gaa, has pulled out of the contest for vice chair of Mayo GAA Board. A new face, professional attitude, a people's person, hardworking. Just hope that the Revenue audit and future implications are not scaring new potential officers off.

I concur with that, Rober. We talk about new faces and emerging talent on the field of play but Mayo GAA desperately requires a major shake up at the top table, that's abundantly obvious now at this stage. For Mayo to succeed on the pitch, we need drive, ambition and innovation off the field. We have none of that.

In my opinion, we have failed on several fronts, namely; A failure to fundraise adequately and a failure to secure a site and develop a Centre of Excellence for our academies and county teams. Most seasons, usually within 6 weeks of our senior team exiting the championship, we get drip-fed some marketing spoof from the CB about development etc etc. It never materialises.

@Mayonaze: Hadn't seen an official confirmation of the Bohola COE site before today beyond the early rumours (possible I missed it) but Ronan Kirrane's annual report today confirms it. Might be of interest to others.

"Earlier in the year the board made an application for an LSSIF Grant which was unsuccessful. This was a major disappointment for the county, especially when you see some of the amounts given to other counties and other codes. Bear in mind that Mayo never received so much a cent for the stand in Hastings MacHale Park, nor did we receive funding for resurfacing of the pitch. With the acquisition of lands in Bohola we now enter an opportunity to create something that will greatly improve the lives of all our players for generations to come. We will be sitting down with elected representatives both locally and from Dáil Éireann and we will be unapologetic about seeking major financial support for this project in the very near future."

https://mayogaa.com/2024/12/11/annual-report-2024/

Read that report earlier , he gone with a fairly aggressive tone .

How to win friends and influence people?

@TsuDhoNim, thanks. Good to see it confirmed but until there are facilities fully completed and being utilised then I’ll reserve my judgement and hold back on any praise. Bear in mind too, these lands in Bohola weren’t acquired by the CB but rather donated! So, there’s no credit for that.

Plenty of scope for things to go pear-shaped. Sorry, I don’t mean to be pessimistic, but the CB’s track record ain’t so hot. I hope they get this one right. Acquiring funding and obtaining backing and support from HQ, politicians etc is a skill in itself. Other counties have their funding…did anyone ever consider that their CB’s might be more skilful at negotiating, influencing and presenting their strategic plans etc. Playing the poor-mouth doesn’t exactly inspire confidence

I presume the CB are leaving the Mitchell's high and dry now that they have Bohola
Won't get any funds with a whiff of a Revenue Audit despite the fact that I am sure they have a Tax Clearance Cert as a voluntary disclosure was made.

Don’t think they’ll get funding , perhaps they will need to appoint that mayo vocational school player from 1971 after all mentioned on another thread to the executive, not my side of thinking type buck but nobody could ever say he didn’t do a lot for mayo and funding down the years .

@Mayonaze: Ohhh, no praise included there. Just thought it might be of interest in the context.

If I was to frame an opinion around it that'd be disappointment that the news wasn't shared more prominently or positively rather than as an aside in a much broader report, together with larger disappointment we've such limited information given any of the meetings where it was mentioned were behind closed doors so nothing more has been shared to date on what future plans might be. From what we know through unconfirmed reports it was a generous donation, so no wins for the board there.

That said, I'm always hesitant to criticise anyone volunteering for a job I haven't offered to do myself.

We've had major missteps on fundraising, but fundraising isn't the sole remit of the board and any of us could do the donkey work with the money going to the board/fund... so I'd tend not to be too hypocritical faulting someone else already doing more to help the county than I am, for them not doing a better job at something I wasn't willing to try & do at all.

Plenty of very legitimate concerns raised on the blog, recently and over years - time and time again, but alarmingly few stepping forward to try and do better (never mind achieving it - having served on professional boards of this nature they're a political beast that involve spinning more plates than the public ever sees) or even folks pitching in from the outside to try and improve aspects of the situation. Folks who do step up can hurl all the mud they like, I'd consider my hands tied past a point. I'd also fear any hypercritical analysis of the board would be exactly what could prevent highly competent new blood from stepping up to help fill gaps... so always a double-edged blade there.

@Tsu….Fair point on the double edged blade, yes.

I’d definitely look to get involved but I don’t live in Mayo and unlikely to do so in the forseable future. My only input has been dedicated support at games since the mid 80’s and donating some money over the past decade. Nothing to write home about but into five figures when you add it up. I’m sure lots of others have contributed similarly. The frustrating thing is the CB have not tapped into the global pool of income that’s staring then in the face. This ‘Mayo for Sam’ thing that became a trend over the past decade and something which also attracts a degree of ridicule too from the outside is an indication of the depth of support the Mayo team have from Mayo people and supporters around the world. It’s arguably unmatched by any other county. This quest we are on is unique in many respects. We have thousands of people in Mayo, around Ireland and overseas who I believe would gladly and willingly put their hands in their pockets and donate money; join some membership etc if they saw that it was actually going toward a physical project that would enhance our prospects of winning All Irelands. I shake my head at times when I think of these missed opportunities. Most counties don’t have that insane level of interest that Mayo possess. But the leaders of Mayo GAA, in my opinion, have never sought to harness that. It’s incredibly disappointing.

From the Donegal convention:
"Fundraising Income: €527,447 (up from €34,394 in 2023)"

Some turnaround.

Because they’ve got the right people leading it. If Donegal can do that, imagine what we could do. It’s sad really. Sad for Mayo.

I honestly think a simple idea works for Mayo .

Find 500 supporters willing to dig deep (if you find more all the better ) . You call it the 1951 club . They each donate €1951 , even 12 monthly instalments over the year of €162 odd pm and that raises you just shy of a million . Incentive for the donation I dunno maybe an opportunity to buy all Ireland final ticket if we ever got there like the season ticket , throw n a jacket or whatever. I honestly think it would work if promoted in the right way .

Is it too ambitious, perhaps but I’m only a modest earner type buckeen and I’d personally commit to such , so only 499 to go and we have lift off . lol

I always thought that McHale park was underused as a revenue-raising facility. It sits empty for most of the year. Was there ever any consideration to staging concerts or other kinds of events? We may have missed the boat on the Oasis lads but the west as a whole is underserved by events and the entertainment sector. A few good nights during the summer would go some way towards paying off the stand debt at least. Moreso than selling a few lotto tickets

Jim McGuinness getting 4 more players that walked away from Donegal in recent seasons.Wonder could McStay entice a few who have opted out in recent seasons back.
Aidan Orme and Ethan Gibbons come to mind.
We need players who can score from distance.

The fact that 2 McLaughlin brothers Eoghan and Finbarr are in the Mayo panel now surely must mean that Oisin has turned down a call into the Mayo squad as he has been the best player for Westport in the last 2 seasons.

To be honest if mayo where to get players who have opted out it certanily wont be mcstay that encourages them back by the sounds of things.

Ultair , I’d hazard a guess mchale road residents would be a massive issue if not impossible obstacle to overcome for concerts .

Bring back Leeroy, Ciaran Mac, Mortimer and WJ Padden

Since when did donegal become bench mark for everything?

Sam og: Some very odd (untrue) framing of those lads "returns" in the media.

Young Roarty is making his "return" after playing illegally while underage last year now that he's actually eligible to play.
Odhran McFadden-Ferry is back from a long term injury.
Pretty sure Eoghan McGettigan is returning from a string of niggly injuries that had him dropped.

Not aware of any of those lads returning ever having walked from the panel - at least not until it became continent for clicks to suggest it.

If I had a wish list of lads to return David Drake would be top of my list.
Going by this year's champo he's injury free and fitness doesn't seem to be an issue.
He used to get some stick for going forward and his scoring averages weren't good but I'd have him as a stay at home defender. We have ample go forward types in our ranks.

@2 hops i think drake is too old at this point. He’s mid 30s and retired 5 years ago. I don’t think the way forward is looking back

The hype around Donegal by the national media is already off the charts before a ball has been thrown in for 2025, god help us all if they win a few early games in the league.

@Tomy Freeman agree! If I hear Jimys wimjing matches for half of next year haha

Though in fairness to mcguinness he's brought Donegal bavk to the top weather or not they can win sam is another thing.

Normally I'd agree with you @Plunkett but if he's fit enough, which he seems to be,and to my mind he was as good a man marker as we've seen this year,I think he could still do a job at county level, especially next year given the new set of rules.
Anyway I don't see it happening either.

If Drake is too old for next year - what does that say about Cillian. When Ballaghadereen played Ballintubber in the championship this year Drake got the better of Cillian that day and marked him fairly well out of the game.

TsuDhoNim

Do you think Oisin Mclaughlin and Conor Diskin should be in the current Mayo squad.I know Diskin has had his injury problems. They were standout players in an All Ireland Under 20 semi final aganst Derry a few years back thought they were certain to make the breakthrough.

In all fairness to the CB they did their best to keep their Revenue problems in house.
Very difficult to do.
Our chances of government funding are negligible, no politician wants to be associated with tax problems.

@Sam og: Hard to form much of a view on Conor at the minute, he just hasn't seen the minutes (this year or the last couple) with injuries. Talent is probably there, but from what we've managed to see on the grass... no, wouldn't be there for me. Possibly one where it'd be worth a call to Ronan and get input from someone working closely with him, but with Thornton/Phillips/Prendergast around the squad they're probably comfortable having options around that type of role.

Oisín would be nailed on for me if ability was the only factor.

Think it was two years ago we first heard he'd declined an invitation, which appears to still be the case. None of us know ins & outs of any players reasons, it's a private life for a reason, so if he has commitments outside football that place him where he can't make county commitments in football that's absolutely fair. He owes us nothing.

His pace, intelligence (even his underage play as a sweeper was way ahead of what most senior players offered in that role) and football abilities would be a huge plus to the squad, I'd be reaching out to him every year just to check in as a coach or manager (and with Eoghan there you'd imagine that communication is open), but he needs to do what's best for him. If I were a betting man, I'd be backing Westport to be county champions today if he hadn't picked up that injury in Breaffy. So probably shows how highly I think of him.

@TSU, I’d agree fully on O McL (based on what I’ve seen on him at club level and reflecting back on his time for us u20) he’s the best of the three brothers so it’s a real shame he’s not involved with Mayo. He was Westport’s standout player that day he got injured in Breaffy, and if memory serves me right he was not selected on the Team of the Week, which I found baffling!?

Time for Alan Dillen to do his bit for the Bohola project.

Probably true @Jr.... don't think it helps if co.secretary is going in with studs showing.
You can't afford to be too bullish if you're armed only with a begging bowl.

Mayo government TDs did little for Mayo gaa the last 10 years with the McHale park debt and Kenny done nothing for Mayo when he was leader of the Country.

Really excited to see how this u21 championship pans out. Semi finals this weekend. Claremorris vs Mitchell’s should be a cracker! Slightly fancy Mitchels as they have the advantage around the middle with Touhey but Claremorris at home with there electric forward line with the Beirne and Hurley brothers leading the charge it should make for an epic encounter. As for the other side this is an interesting game Westport at home will be hard bet but don’t rule a Davitts win as the men from the border will not go down without a fight!

In fairness to the politicians would you give money to the CB without a well costed plan :)

There should be a some sort of a sub committee or group set up, of suitably qualified people, to concentrate solely on the Bohola project. Finance, funding/fundraising, design, planning, procurement and development.

Achill 75, I know it’s a Connaught COE, but it’s located in Mayo, it received substantial goverment funds, through a Mayo TD.

You’re right Gizmo.
Our politicians are a great example of how to proceed with a project and have it well costed. Maybe Mayo CB are a perfect fit for them.

Reading the. independent today it appears our finances are in a good state.
Gate receipts are incredible.
Brolly has a very good article on sport finances.

JR isn't it amazing what doing away with the biscuit tins and having traceable online and electronic tickets sales can so for the coffers and crowd attendances :)

Sounds like no club stars game this year, but an alternative fundraiser match will be on instead. Could be good opportunity see new playbook in action.

Brollys article is excellent today in fairness to him.

And of course our old 'friend' Timo resurfaces in finance section of same paper.

I absolutely loathe Brolly but to echo others that is a brilliant article from him today and somebody needed to say it.

It's becoming more and more fashionable to give the GAA a kicking for all the countrys ills lately but going after the legions of volunteers many of whom have paltry expenses and are often still out of pocket is sickening, especially when there are so many areas of irish life with far more egregious offenders. You would wonder who is behind it all.