Mayo GAA Discussion

I always got the impression that if McConville has something to say he says it, or speaks his mind regardless of the timing. This is more of that by the looks of it, it could be taken as sour grapes as he didn't get involved but he is honest about that disapointment and why he thought Dempsey would have been a better option. Id have all the more respect for him for it too!

Mcconville always came across as totally honest and I would have loved to have seen him involved in Mayo. He always had big time for us over the years as a pundit and came across as fair. I hope he does well in wicklow

I think that's it - Dempsey had announced a team that was larger than what McStay had announced when thing were in the mix. I'm sure there are other counties with backroom teams much larger than McStay has put together to date. I just thought it odd in terms of what he had to say. I'd have a lot of time for McConville but his comments did come across as a bit of sour grapes. Perhaps it was always going to be the way he was going to answer, he's hardly going to make out that McStay had a better ticket compiled when the one he himself was proposed on wasn't selected.

Being honest I'd have been happy with either McStay or Dempsey's team, though McStay ticket has more inter county management experience than what Dempsey was proposing, so possibly shaded it for me.

His comments re the backroom team make no sense, if Dempsey got the gig he would have a similar sized team surely? Comes across as bitter and mean spirited tbh, would have expected more from him

TG4 covering Castlebar Knockmore and Breaffy Ballintubber on Sunday from McHale park

Have always enjoyed / thought there's a good atmosphere at the double headers. Would have thought that this one should be busier than average given the teams playing, even despite the TV coverage... but the weather might play a big factor in that.

New jersey released

Definitely an improvement on the last one imo

Big weekend

Should be a tight game between us and Castlebar. Fancy Breaffy, Ballina and Westport in the other three

The McHale Park pitch looks in great condition for this time of year.

Heading out to hurling (!) now with the kids so will catch up with these games later on

Second game never got going either, really subdued atmosphere at the games.

From a Breaffy point of view, a very disappointing performance. No real game plan other than Aidan in at full forward and that didn't work at all. No real surprise tbh, there was a sense that it worked for the group games but that better teams would be able to deal with it.

Great to see Cillian back from a Mayo perspective, he was the best player on the pitch imo. So good and so intelligent.

Fair play to Castlebar, I thought their youth might be found out a bit but I was wrong. I think you would have to say that Knockmore had the look of a tired team, maybe the hunger wasn't there, maybe the focus wasn't there with all that went on with the Mayo job. Great champions all the same, it'll be hard call the next winners.

Thought the crowd was dire yesterday. You had called it before but I genuinely thought there would be a decent crowd / atmosphere given the teams involved.

Would agree re worrying about Castlebar to some extent, but I've been thinking they might be a bit short so far and I've been wrong on that as well.

Thought Orme was very good, I might have expected too much from him for Mayo last year but he looks like a guy who is getting there in terms of his strength. Could be a very important player under McStay if he can keep up his progress.

Looks like another f1uck up by the connaught

I only saw it in real time but I'm not sure it was Hennellys fault, theres a lot of Breaffy lads between him and the ball that should have taken care of that

Disappointing result for us on Sunday, Castlebar deserved it, very well set defensively. They'll probably need to score more to beat Westport. Very impressed with Ethan Gibbons and Gavin Durcan. Knockmore looked like a tired team, the good thing is we probably won't lose anyone from that team and its very young.

It'll be a f**king nightmare if Ballina win it

That goal was the defenders fault more than the goalie,you can't blame Hennelly for defenders letting the ball bounce out there.

Well Clarke didn't cause global warming... so by a matter of deduction, Hennelly has to have caused it!

A joke obviously, but the truth isn't a million miles away from that. It all goes back to the Clarke/Hennelly divide/debate/debacle imo. Views entrenched from that time continue to this day.

For a county that prides ourselves on supporting our players, it's a shame Hennelly is subject to some real nonsense at times.

That ball on Sunday was never a keepers ball, it bounced outside the square, we had a county midfielder and a former county player make a real mess of dealing with it. It was then a case of Hennelly with a standing start over Cillian who had the run on him. No contest.

He certainly played his part but Lee is probably more to blame for the single-use, throw-away society we have become!

Dempsey linked with the Limerick job

Would make sense really. The lack of intercounty management probably was a big factor in him not getting the Mayo job. Limerick is a bit of a win win situation.

I was actually looking at it from the what does failure look like angle.

They probably won't expect to stay up in Div 2, no real expectations in the Championship. That's why I think of it as a bit of a win win, he'll get the intercounty experience without a whole pile of expectations around it.

He might be better of with a big club but I think the bigger county boards like to see previous intercounty experience. It just seems like a box that has to be ticked.

And I can see the reasoning behind it tbh, an intercounty job is a step up.

Agreed - even to have a managerial job that involves that logistics of an Intercounty team is big

Lot to answer for, county board meetings etc. Lot of stuff you just don’t get at club level (have seen it myself at lower level Hurling county teams)

Honestly he could come out of county management hating it - you’d never know

I think looking back it probably was a distraction, when you couple it with the burn out it all adds up

Best of luck to him, I'd be delighted to see him do well, a very genuine fella

John Brogan probably favourite to get the Knockmore job now. I'd love to see Kevin O'Neill involved, he had a very brief stint as a temporary coach a few years back and the lads raved about him. Tony McDonnell also in with a good shout

Has McManus not pulled out or was that just rumours?