Mayo GAA Discussion Part 2

RD10

I've a good feeling for 2016. We have the players, we know we can beat the best. Its just getting over the line. Even if we stumble over i dont care! Come on mayo!

PressRun

Rochford on Off The Ball now.

Edit: He sounded good. Calm and collected, but confident that he could build upon the strong foundations that are already there. Podcasts from the show are put up on soundcloud, so can be found there, if anyone missed it.

ProudDUB

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

I'd argue that Dublin's failure to beat Donegal had more to do with Kerry winning in 2014 than Kerry's two tough games v Mayo.


I'm not a believer in the idea that teams like Mayo, Dublin and Kerry need a test before a final.

At this stage in the decade we know what those 3 are about
Its only when teams emerge from the field haveingplayed questionable opposition that we need to ask if they are real contenders or not.

Dublin would have still won the AI had they beat Mayo by 8 the first day.

We'll never know though, as they never played each other. There is no way of knowing for sure, that if Dublin got past Donegal, the same flaws that were exposed in that game, wouldn't have reared their ugly head in the final against Kerry. If they did, I think Kerry may have had their number. All we do know for sure, is what has happened in the past. And in the past two AI campaigns, Sam was won by the counties who had the benefit of a two, hard fought games under their belt. Coincidence?

If you go back even further, in 2013 Dublin had the epic semi final against Kerry to draw on. In 2012, Donegal beat Tyrone, Cork, Kerry & Mayo on the way to Sam. In 2011, Dublin had the game that many players rank as their hardest game ever (the infamous 0-8 to 0-6 semi final against Donegal) in the tank before the final.

So overall, recent history does not point to the counties having the easier routes to the final, actually profiting from it, even though it is very tempting to want to avoid playing your biggest rivals, until as late as possible.

happyoutscan

Best of luck to Rochford and his staff.

Stoner

ProudDUB wrote:

So overall, recent history does not point to the counties having the easier routes to the final, actually profiting from it, even though it is very tempting to want to avoid playing your biggest rivals, until as late as possible.

I'd say that between Donegal, Dublin, Mayo and Kerry the main thing I'd take from recent years is that out of any match up from the four that the most likely win would be Mayo beating Donegal. The others could go either way, you could argue that on recent form Dublin would beat Kerry too but nothing has been as convincing as Mayos wins over Donegal .

I would agree a little with Fr Tod but the first Mayo Dublin game fixed Dublin IMO but I dont think that the Cork game fixed Kerry, I think Kerry knew they were better and underperformed in the first game.
For example IMO Mayo and Dublin would have beaten Cork at the first asking with a bit to spare, Donegal would have too, but it would have been closer.
When you look at it Kildare beat Cork by a decent margin and kildare shipped what was it 19 and 24 point losses this year? I know it was a short turn around for Cork but they've been at sea now for about three years. They haven't given anyone a serious test they way Tyrone, Kerry, Mayo ,Donegal or Dublin have since 2011.

Finally I understand that you could say that a more testing path would be more likely to bring success, but the path Mayo had this year was potentially difficult
Donegal, Dublin, Kerry.

What ever about needing to play two of the top three, but all of them is a hard call.
Overall I'd prefer Mayos matches for 2016 compared to 2015.

PressRun

I wouldn't like to get complacent either with the 'easy route to the final' talk. That's the kind of thing that could lead to a nasty shock!

ProudDUB

Stoner wrote: »

What ever about needing to play two of the top three, but all of them is a hard call.
Overall I'd prefer Mayos matches for 2016 compared to 2015.

I get where you're coming from, but I suppose we all look at these things from our own counties perspectives. In 2012, we thought that we had the easy side of the draw, as Donegal, Kerry, Cork & Tyrone were all on the other side of the draw. We "only" had to get past Mayo and we were in the AI final again, easy peasy. And as Mayo hadn't been in an AI final in 6 years, we thought they'd be easy enough to overcome & a spot in the final was guaranteed to be ours. Boy we were ever wrong ! If that is the Mayo mindset next year, it could be a problem, just as it was for us.

Fr Tod Umptious

ProudDUB wrote: »

I get where you're coming from, but I suppose we all look at these things from our own counties perspectives. In 2012, we thought that we had the easy side of the draw, as Donegal, Kerry, Cork & Tyrone were all on the other side of the draw. We "only" had to get past Mayo and we were in the AI final again, easy peasy. And as Mayo hadn't been in an AI final in 6 years, we thought they'd be easy enough to overcome & a spot in the final was guaranteed to be ours. Boy we were ever wrong ! If that is the Mayo mindset next year, it could be a problem, just as it was for us.

It may be the mindset of the fans which is fine, but it won't be the mindset of the team/manager.

charlie14

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

It may be the mindset of the fans which is fine, but it won't be the mindset of the team/manager.

Unfortunately such a mindset can easily transfer to the players. Dublin just one example in recent years.

ProudDUB

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

It may be the mindset of the fans which is fine, but it won't be the mindset of the team/manager.

But you don't know that. Lets say (for arguments sake) that Mayo play Roscommon (stop laughing ) and Tyrone in their 2016 AI quarter final & semifinal.

With human nature being the way that it is, there is no way, that every single Mayo player will be as mentally locked in and fired up to play them, as much as they would be if Kerry and Dublin were their opponents. No way. The teams that you have played your most important games with in the past, are always the ones that you get fired up for, just that little bit more.

That is the very nature of sport. It catches teams out all the time, when the underestimated team has a sting in the tail that comes unexpectedly to their opponent. That may or may not be a problem for Mayo (or any other county) next year, in terms of match results. But there is no way that we can say with 100% accuracy, that it won't be an issue for 30 odd players, when its been an issue for all players since team sports were first invented.

PressRun

A lot of thought is being put into what Mayo are missing in terms of the top three teams - 'where do they need to improve against Dublin or Kerry?' seems to be the question being asked the most. That's where complacency could sneak in. There are other teams and matches to be played before we meet either of those, and I definitely think there's capacity to be shocked if the aim becomes all about all Ireland final day rather than what comes before that. It becomes very easy to lose sight of the journey when all you're thinking about is the destination (and in the process, brushing off teams that aren't Dublin or Kerry as 'easy to beat').

Fr Tod Umptious

PressRun wrote: »

A lot of thought is being put into what Mayo are missing in terms of the top three teams - 'where do they need to improve against Dublin or Kerry?' seems to be the question being asked the most. That's where complacency could sneak in. There are other teams and matches to be played before we meet either of those, and I definitely think there's capacity to be shocked if the aim becomes all about all Ireland final day rather than what comes before that. It becomes very easy to lose sight of the journey when all you're thinking about is the destination (and in the process, brushing off teams that aren't Dublin or Kerry as 'easy to beat').

Since 2011 Mayo have not lost a game to anyone other than Kerry, Donegal and Dublin.

They have a very similar draw this year to last, the core of the team will still be the same.

I'm going to give them some credit and think that they are far too mature and far to professional to allow complacency creep in.

ProudDUB

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Since 2011 Mayo have not lost a game to anyone other than Kerry, Donegal and Dublin.

They have a very similar draw this year to last, the core of the team will still be the same.

I'm going to give them some credit and think that they are far too mature and far to professional to allow complacency creep in.

I don't know if you are being wildly optimistic or very naive, or both.

If complacency can affect better and more successful teams than Mayo, it most definitely can affect Mayo too. Despite all the talk of players training to a professional standard, they aren't professional soccer or rugby players. They don't spend months on end, holed up in a training camp in Carton House, talking to no one but each other, managers, professional coaches, trainers, physios, sports psychologists etc etc. They go about their day to day life, just like normal people, so all kinds of things can seep into their heads & affect how they approach games.

PressRun

It's not about not giving them credit, it's just about acknowledging that shocks can and do happen. It happened to Dublin, and it could happen to Mayo. I don't think there's anything wrong with being aware of that and keeping our wits about us. There's nothing to be gained from getting ahead of ourselves.

I remember reading something about Brian Cody's philosophy and aside from the fact that he commits to bringing through young players and has a ruthless, business-like attitude towards selection, he also takes the approach of improving the team across the year as a whole, rather than just focusing on the All-Ireland final. I think that's important.

irishgeo

Is the GAA club + and cairdre maigheo the same thing now . I assume the free jacket etc is gone now?

Cosmo Kramer

No they're doing a jacket, hat and scarf I think this year. I doubt it costs them much to do it, it's probably funded by Elverys. Also no minimum attendance requirement for a final ticket, if we get to the final, you're guaranteed a ticket. That aspect is likely to appeal to supporters overseas who wouldn't make the 60% but would come back for a couple of big games.

voz es

Cosmo Kramer wrote: »

No they're doing a jacket, hat and scarf I think this year. I doubt it costs them much to do it, it's probably funded by Elverys. Also no minimum attendance requirement for a final ticket, if we get to the final, you're guaranteed a ticket. That aspect is likely to appeal to supporters overseas who wouldn't make the 60% but would come back for a couple of big games.

have you a link for where to buy this or do you have to go to mchale park

Cosmo Kramer

www.seasontickets.ie to get the ticket. I presume they'll email ticket holders about the jacket etc. after Christmas, you'll need to go to McHale Park to pick that stuff up.

Fr Tod Umptious

PressRun wrote: »

It's not about not giving them credit, it's just about acknowledging that shocks can and do happen. It happened to Dublin, and it could happen to Mayo. I don't think there's anything wrong with being aware of that and keeping our wits about us. There's nothing to be gained from getting ahead of ourselves.

I remember reading something about Brian Cody's philosophy and aside from the fact that he commits to bringing through young players and has a ruthless, business-like attitude towards selection, he also takes the approach of improving the team across the year as a whole, rather than just focusing on the All-Ireland final. I think that's important.

But the point I am making is that an All Ireland final should be the minimum ambition of this Mayo team for 2016.

There is a gap between the top 3 teams (Dublin, Kerry, Mayo) and the rest.
Mayo avoid the other 2 until the final unless Kerry lose in Munster or Dublin lose before the Leinster final.
So they should be winning Connacht, especially with home games, winning the QF v the A side qualifier and winning the SF v Ulster champ and the B side qualifier.

Baaring unforseen circumstances like major injuries etc, I as a fan gave no problem saying that anything less than a final appeance would be a bad year.
That's what they booted out the old management for wasn't it.

tacofries

Trying to renew my mayp season ticket but it will only let me buy the €200 cairde maigh eo one!? Anybody any ideas whats up?

yop

tacofries wrote: »

Trying to renew my mayp season ticket but it will only let me buy the €200 cairde maigh eo one!? Anybody any ideas whats up?

Did you miss the deadline?

Cosmo Kramer

tacofries wrote: »

Trying to renew my mayp season ticket but it will only let me buy the €200 cairde maigh eo one!? Anybody any ideas whats up?

Tickets that hadn't been renewed by holders by Monday night were released to the general public on Tuesday morning. It's probably gone I'm afraid. €200 ones still available for now.

seligehgit

Interesting feature article on the new boss Stephen Rochford. Here's hoping those new lads he bloods in the FBD get their opportunity to flourish against the Rebels and Dubs. It appears like he may ultimately play it safe with vital league points at stake.


http://www.mayonews.ie/sports/26892-rochford-wants-mayo-to-be-ultra-competitive

PressRun

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

But the point I am making is that an All Ireland final should be the minimum ambition of this Mayo team for 2016.

There is a gap between the top 3 teams (Dublin, Kerry, Mayo) and the rest.
Mayo avoid the other 2 until the final unless Kerry lose in Munster or Dublin lose before the Leinster final.
So they should be winning Connacht, especially with home games, winning the QF v the A side qualifier and winning the SF v Ulster champ and the B side qualifier.

Baaring unforseen circumstances like major injuries etc, I as a fan gave no problem saying that anything less than a final appeance would be a bad year.
That's what they booted out the old management for wasn't it.

Of course an All-Ireland is an ambition. The point is though that it doesn't really serve anyone to be getting ahead of ourselves and thinking we have certain teams beat before we even set foot on a pitch. That kind of arrogance was the undoing of Dublin on a couple of occasions in the past, and there's nothing wrong with warning against that.

It seems Rochford is taking things on a game by game basis too, rather than this obsession with September, which is absolutely the right way to approach it, imo. We have a much higher chance of making it as far as September if we take things a step at a time.

tacofries

yop wrote: »

Did you miss the deadline?

Ahh ****e,. two years ago my mam bought myself and my dad the ticket for Christmas and so it was her email address that was used. She must have got the renewal email and forgot to tell me ! I'll try ringing them Monday but to date I havent found the season ticket office to be too helpful!

ProudDUB

PressRun wrote: »

Of course an All-Ireland is an ambition. The point is though that it doesn't really serve anyone to be getting ahead of ourselves and thinking we have certain teams beat before we even set foot on a pitch. That kind of arrogance was the undoing of Dublin on a couple of occasions in the past, and there's nothing wrong with warning against that.

It seems Rochford is taking things on a game by game basis too, rather than this obsession with September, which is absolutely the right way to approach it, imo. We have a much higher chance of making it as far as September if we take things a step at a time.

It's not just Dublin though, even if we're everyones favourite punching bag for when it all goes wrong. :rolleyes:

Look at Meath and Cork this year. Did some Meath players have an "ah sure its only Westmeath, when have they ever beaten us?" attitude? Or did Cork players look at Kildare and think "when have they ever beaten a Division one team in the champo?"

And we all know how their seasons panned out.

If you start thinking you are unbeatable, or you have your eye on the next game, because the team you are playing now, haven't beaten you recently....well, its a toxic mind set to have. Sooner or later, it will catch you out big time.

davegrohl48

Good interview with Rochford in the Indo with Colm Keys (on mobile no link).
Delves into influences and his thinking on how the other coaches will contribute.

Fr Tod Umptious

ProudDUB wrote: »

It's not just Dublin though, even if we're everyones favourite punching bag for when it all goes wrong. :rolleyes:

Look at Meath and Cork this year. Did some Meath players have an "ah sure its only Westmeath, when have they ever beaten us?" attitude? Or did Cork players look at Kildare and think "when have they ever beaten a Division one team in the champo?"

And we all know how their seasons panned out.

If you start thinking you are unbeatable, or you have your eye on the next game, because the team you are playing now, haven't beaten you recently....well, its a toxic mind set to have. Sooner or later, it will catch you out big time.

But there is a big difference between Meath and Mayo in this day and age.
If Meath had the same "professional" approach as the likes of Mayo they may actually compete with Dublin year in year out, given their population etc.

Cork on the other hand are schizophrenic.
You really don't know how they are going to perform from one game to the next.

I think it's actually a bit hard on Dublin to say that they were in some way arrogant or guilty of getting ahead of themselves in 2012 and 2014.

In 2012 there was an obvious 16 year All Ireland hangover, they were sluggish all year not just v Mayo.
2014 is harder to nail down, but I don't think arrogance was the biggest factor in their demise.

jack67

2014 is harder to nail down, but I don't think arrogance was the biggest factor in their demise. Arrogance was not a factor at all Dublin were beaten by a better team on the day end off.

Fowler87

davegrohl48 wrote: »

Good interview with Rochford in the Indo with Colm Keys (on mobile no link).
Delves into influences and his thinking on how the other coaches will contribute.

Just after reading it. He sure loves his sport and has a similar mindset to Buckley. Not surprised they knew of each other long before he took the Mayo job. McEntee will play a big role too when looking after the Dublin based lads

Cosmo Kramer

Looks like the €200 Cairde season tickets are sold out now as well. The non-renewal tickets only went on sale on Tuesday so that's some going for them all to be gone already.

ProudDUB

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

But there is a big difference between Meath and Mayo in this day and age.
If Meath had the same "professional" approach as the likes of Mayo they may actually compete with Dublin year in year out, given their population etc.

Cork on the other hand are schizophrenic.
You really don't know how they are going to perform from one game to the next.

I think it's actually a bit hard on Dublin to say that they were in some way arrogant or guilty of getting ahead of themselves in 2012 and 2014.

In 2012 there was an obvious 16 year All Ireland hangover, they were sluggish all year not just v Mayo.
2014 is harder to nail down, but I don't think arrogance was the biggest factor in their demise.

I agree to a certain extent. Meath and Cork are both in very different places to Mayo and Dublin. But the basic point still stands - if you take your opponent for granted, based on results in the past, you are in for a nasty shock sooner or later. The Donegal, Cork and Tyrone players and management have a lot more All Ireland medals, than anyone in Mayo has. I wouldn't be dismissing anything that they can do, just because they aren't in this magic "top 3" category that the media and some spectators seem to be obsessed by. At the end of the day, it means doodley squat.

irishgeo

Cosmo Kramer wrote:

Looks like the €200 Cairde season tickets are sold out now as well. The non-renewal tickets only went on sale on Tuesday so that's some going for them all to be gone already.

Got in just in time so. I got it confirmed via twitter that a jacket hat an scarf are included.

PressRun

ProudDUB wrote: »

I agree to a certain extent. Meath and Cork are both in very different places to Mayo and Dublin. But the basic point still stands - if you take your opponent for granted, based on results in the past, you are in for a nasty shock sooner or later. The Donegal, Cork and Tyrone players and management have a lot more All Ireland medals, than anyone in Mayo has. I wouldn't be dismissing anything that they can do, just because they aren't in this magic "top 3" category that the media and some spectators seem to be obsessed by. At the end of the day, it means doodley squat.

Rochford seems to subscribe to this thinking too, having said that he plans to take things on a game by game basis rather than obsessing over an All-Ireland.

manofwisdom

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

But there is a big difference between Meath and Mayo in this day and age.
If Meath had the same "professional" approach as the likes of Mayo they may actually compete with Dublin year in year out, given their population etc.

Cork on the other hand are schizophrenic.
You really don't know how they are going to perform from one game to the next.

I think it's actually a bit hard on Dublin to say that they were in some way arrogant or guilty of getting ahead of themselves in 2012 and 2014.

In 2012 there was an obvious 16 year All Ireland hangover, they were sluggish all year not just v Mayo.
2014 is harder to nail down, but I don't think arrogance was the biggest factor in their demise.

Meath need more than a professional setup to compete with Dublin. They don't have the panel strength or enough player quality to do that. Problem with Meath is club and underage, a senior Meath club hasn't won a Leinster title since 2002 while their county U21s haven't won Leinster since 2001. The teams that do compete with Dublin are all division one sides a division Meath haven't played in for ages.

Cork on the other hand could do with a professional setup but it seems 2016 will be another year without one.

Rawhead

I for one would fully support some form of crowd funding initiative to support John and lads. I mean, I've seen injustices in my time but this takes the biscuit. Paris Hilton would blush at the sense of entitlement shown here.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/share/uuid/43ceae4a-9d11-11e5-bc43-d5c9a88f2773

seligehgit

Rawhead wrote: »

I for one would fully support some form of crowd funding initiative to support John and lads. I mean, I've seen injustices in my time but this takes the biscuit. Paris Hilton would blush at the sense of entitlement shown here.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/share/uuid/43ceae4a-9d11-11e5-bc43-d5c9a88f2773

Seems a rather bizarre conclusion to come to,is the full article available to peruse?

Cosmo Kramer

Ah, it's just the time of year where the lunatics running the asylum get to have their speak on things. He also took a swipe at Darragh O'Se for calling a spade a spade.

yop

seligehgit wrote: »

Seems a rather bizarre conclusion to come to,is the full article available to peruse?

The idiot needs to get off the drugs with them conclusions

PressRun

Only 15,000?! How will they manage??

irishgeo

Mayo GAA season tickets seem to be available again on seasontickets.ie

Green_Tae

I think this is just one expression of the kind of siege mentality that exists within Dublin GAA. There is some justification to the sense of paranoia, e.g. "culchies trying to split us in two", etc. and now that Dublin are a huge sporting brand as evidenced by the AIG sponsorship deal, there is a sense of momentum building towards seeing that cash windfall redistributed to the rest of the country. This is more than fair in my view and perhaps that small holiday bonus is the first step towards a fairer allocation of resources?

This is just speculation on my part but in the modern era of corporate sponsorship HQ has to take a serious look at how that income should be handled and ideally redistributed.

PressRun

I think most people know at this point, regardless of whether some within Dublin want to admit it, that Dublin GAA have more than enough money coming into them on an annual basis. More than enough for several holidays, I would imagine. John Costello is taking the absolute piss with his statement. Of course the distribution of money needs to be looked at. It's ongoing joke as it stands.

seligehgit

The Mayo News Club Stars 2015:

At last night's The Mayo News / O'Neills Club Stars held in Knockranny House Hotel Castlebar Mitchels walked away with 11 awards plus Paddy Durcan won Senior Player of the Year and joint managers Declan O'Reilly and Declan Shaw won the Manager of the Year accolade.

And the winners are:

Rory Byrne
Tom Cunniffe
Eoghan O'Reilly
Paddy Durcan
Ger McDonagh
Barry Moran
Richie Feeney
Neil Douglas
Danny Kirby

Replacements:
Donie Newcombe
Shane Hopkins

Senior Player of the Year:
Paddy Durcan

Manager of the Year:
Declan O'Reilly and Declan Shaw

Unable at the moment to find a link to the other winners at the moment.

seligehgit

Very good article by Larry Tompkins in the Irish Independent,much of his suggestions are eminently sensible.

Former Cork boss says inter-county football is now 'sickening to watch'
Club game showing up county scene, says former Cork and Kildare hero

Larry Tompkins believes there is a growing level of dissatisfaction with inter-county football compared to club games like Portlaoise against Ballyboden1
Larry Tompkins believes there is a growing level of dissatisfaction with inter-county football compared to club games like Portlaoise against Ballyboden.Larry Tompkins has described much of modern-day inter-county football as "sickening to watch", while also rapidly eroding the skills of the game.



The All-Ireland winning former Cork captain, who made his senior inter-county debut with his native Kildare at the age of 16, says that even Kerry and Dublin - renowned for their sense of adventure - have been sucked into a defensive approach.

"Maybe not all the time, but we saw it in the All-Ireland final. When you see Kerry doing it, you know things have changed. Dublin got caught with a few sucker punches against Donegal last year, so they changed their approach too. Both felt it was they way they had to go," said Tompkins.

He gauges the wider public mood among the customers watching games in his pub on Cork's Lavitt's Quay and has found a growing sense of disenchantment.

"Compare most of the county games we saw this year with last Sunday's Ballyboden-Portlaoise Leinster club final, or the Corofin-Castlebar Connacht final a few weeks ago.

"The club games were great to watch. It was mostly football as it should be played, as opposed to the county game, which has squeezed out a lot of the skills," he said.

Tompkins believes that a few simple changes would make a significant difference, including kick-outs having to pass the 45-metre line, a ban on back-passing to the goalkeeper, and insisting that only frees kicked off the ground can yield scores. He would also ban goalkeepers from taking scoreable frees.

"What does it say about where the game has gone when goalkeepers are used for long-range scoring attempts from frees? Why can't outfield players kick the ball properly off the ground?

"If all attempts for scores from frees had to be taken off the ground - as used to be the case - outfield players would work on it and there would be no need to call up goalkeepers," he said.



Requiring kick-outs to pass the 45-metre line and allowing a player who makes a high catch to call a 'mark' is back under consideration, and Tompkins believes it should be introduced immediately.

"The benefits are obvious. People were saying it worked great in the International Rules game a few weeks ago. You wouldn't need to be a genius to know that it would be the same in our own game," he said,

"As for banning passing back to the goalkeeper, it might look like a small thing but it would have a real impact."

Tompkins, who managed Cork for seven years after his playing days, is not enamoured with the proposal to scrap the All-Ireland U-21 championship, questioning why it's necessary.

"The U-21 is run off quickly before the senior starts. It's a good competition in its own right and is a great way of finding out if a player has the potential to make the senior grade."

He does not accept the argument that players are suffering from burnout, arising from college and U-21 games early in the year.

"If there's damage being done, it's not caused by the games but by the training. In that case, the answer is simple: cut back on training. There's too much collective training going on anyway."

Tompkins has wide experience of the demands imposed on talented youngsters from his days with Kildare, having played minor, U-21 and senior for two years, and then U-21 and senior for five years.

"Lads want to play games, whatever the competition. So if there's a problem with burnout, don't drop the competition, curb the training," he said.

Tompkins accepts that club players are frustrated by the haphazard nature of the fixtures schedule but believes it could be addressed quite easily.



"You have clubs playing one championship game in April and then waiting maybe three of four months for the next one. I'd scrap the back door in county championships. But if you do that, the league needs to be made more relevant to the championship.

"That could be done by running the club leagues off before the championship and seeding teams for the draw, according to where they finished in the league. Then have a straight knock-out championship, which would be much easier to run," he said.

He queries why counties make championship draws in December/January and believes that if the leagues were used to decide seeding for the premier competition, it would be a boost for the club scene.

"Why is there a need for a club to know who they are playing in the championship until a week or two before the game? I'm convinced that it wouldn't take that much to improve the lot of club players if everyone put their minds to it," he said.

He supports Paraic Duffy's proposal to limit county squad sizes for Allianz League games so as to have more players available for club duty. However, he says it doesn't go far enough (Duffy wants it restricted to 26).

"Why not 22? Only six subs can be brought on so even with 22, one player has no chance of getting a run. You can have anything up to 30 players travelling for league games and nine of them can't get a game. It makes no sense, when they could instead play for their club that weekend," he said.

PressRun

Some new names being invited onto the senior panel, according to the Mayo News. I'm excited to see some new names in there.

john mayo 10

Didn't see the mayo news. Any names?

PressRun

Jason Gibbons, Shane McHale and Cathal Carolan have all been recalled. Then Donie Newcombe, Eoghan O'Reilly and Ger McDonagh from Castlebar Mitchels, Shane Nally and Caolan Crowe from Garrymore, Padraig O'Hora from Ballina Stephenites and David Kenny from Aghamore. The entire 2015 panel are invited back.

seligehgit

PressRun wrote: »

Jason Gibbons, Shane McHale and Cathal Carolan have all been recalled. Then Donie Newcombe, Eoghan O'Reilly and Ger McDonagh from Castlebar Mitchels, Shane Nally and Caolan Crowe from Garrymore, Padraig O'Hora from Ballina Stephenites and David Kenny from Aghamore. The entire 2015 panel are invited back.

It's great to see some relatively fresh blood coming on board, delighted Jason Gibbons has been recalled. Evan Regan in the mix, he was in last year's panel at various points.?TBH can't wait for the FBD..Danny Kirby mentioned?

PressRun

I didn't see Evan Regan or Danny Kirby mentioned, but I have heard about them possibly being in the mix in the coming year, so I wouldn't rule it out that they'll be there or thereabouts. I would imagine Paddy Durcan might be getting involved once Mitchels' club championship is wrapped up?