2015 GAA Championship Draw

2015 GAA Championship Draw

The 2015 GAA Championship draw has been made.

The 2014 GAA Championship has barely even finished, but already the 2015 draw has been made and we are looking forward once again.

Before a name was pulled in Connacht, we already knew of two definite fixtures. Galway will travel to Gaelic Park in New York for the preliminary round on the “B” side of the draw, and Roscommon will travel to the Emerald Grounds in Ruislip to play London in the quarter final on the “A” side of the draw. Leitrim will get to play the winners of New York and Galway in the other quarter final. It’s safe to say that anyone who made it to the Big Apple in May of this year will be looking on in envy at the Tribesmen as they get set to make the trip Stateside.

Sligo are into the semi-final, playing the winners of London & Roscommon on the “A” side of the draw and the mighty Green and Red will get to play the winners of New York/Galway/Leitrim in the other semi-final. Venues, dates and times are yet to be confirmed by the Provincial Fixture Planning committee, but as soon as we know, we’ll update our 2015 fixtures page, do make sure to check back.

2015 connacht gaa championship draw

If you’re in the same frame of mind as us, you’ll still have a bit of a mental hangover after what can only be described as a bruising season. As the long nights draw in, the heady days of Championship football seem a long way away, but the FBD league is only weeks away. Nothing like a chilly January night under lights in MacHale Park to whet the appetite for the promise of the year ahead!

There was lots of discussion on social media during the draw last night about the logic of holding the draw so soon after the 2014 championship draws to a close – why not hold it in the new year and make a bigger deal of it? Are the GAA missing a trick here?

The fact that only certain draws are made on such a platform is also a talking point:

A very fair point too – if the GAA is serious about promoting these competitions, they need to start putting their money where their mouth is. Speaking from a Mayo point of view, our hurlers put in a serious amount of effort each year, for little reward (and very small crowds!). So as supporters, it would be good for us to recognise that and get behind them a little more too.

In the meantime we have the County Championship Final to look forward to next Sunday week and after that we can all get behind the lads from Achill, Ballyhaunis and Ballintubber/Mitchels in their respective Connacht Championships.

Anyway, the full 2015 GAA Championship draw is here. We go again…

 

6 All Star Nominations For Mayo

6 All Star Nominations For Mayo

6 All Star nominations for Mayo at yesterday morning’s All Star nominations announcement.

2014 GAA all stars

Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

A total of six Mayo GAA players were nominated in this years All Star nominations which were announced this morning. The six nominees for Mayo are; Full Back, Keith Higgins; Half Back, Colm Boyle & Lee Keegan; Midfield, Seamus O’Shea; Half Forward, Aidan O’Shea; Full Forward, Cillian O’Connor. Last year 2013 we had 4 All Stars for Mayo Lee Keegan, Aidan O’Shea, Keith Higgins and Colm Boyle.

mayo gaa all stars 2013

The 2014 All Star Awards will be presented at a banquet in the convention centre in Dublin on Friday the 24th of October. The full list of the All Star nominations from gaa.ie are as follows;

Goalkeepers;

Paul Durcan (Donegal), Rory Beggan (Monaghan), Stephen Cluxton (Dublin).

Full Backs;

Fionn Fitzgerald (Kerry), Keith Higgins (Mayo), Éamonn McGee (Donegal), Neil McGee (Donegal), Andy Mallon (Armagh), Rory O’Carroll (Dublin), Philip McMahon (Dublin), Paul Murphy (Kerry), Drew Wylie (Monaghan).

Half Backs;

Aidan O’Mahony (Kerry), Peter Crowley (Kerry), James McCarthy (Dublin), Frank McGlynn (Donegal), Dessie Mone (Monaghan), Jonny Cooper (Dublin), Colin O’Riordan (Tipperary), Colm Boyle (Mayo), Lee Keegan (Mayo).

Midfield;

Neil Gallagher (Donegal), Michael Darragh Macauley (Dublin), Odhrán MacNiallais (Donegal), Anthony Maher (Kerry), David Moran (Kerry), Séamus O’Shea (Mayo).

Half Forwards;

Johnny Buckley (Kerry), Diarmuid Connolly (Dublin), Paul Flynn (Dublin), Aidan O’Shea (Mayo), Ryan McHugh (Donegal), Michael Murphy (Donegal), Donnchadh Walsh (Kerry), Shane Walsh (Galway), Mark Lynch (Derry).

Full Forwards;

Kieran Donaghy (Kerry), Paul Geaney (Kerry), Conor McManus (Monaghan), Cillian O’Connor (Mayo), James O’Donoghue (Kerry), Brian Hurley (Cork), Kevin McManamon (Dublin), Tony Kernan (Armagh), Paddy McBrearty (Donegal).

Young Player of The Year:

Ryan McHugh (Donegal)
Shane Walsh (Galway)
Paddy McBrearty (Donegal)

Player of The Year;

James O’Donoghue (Kerry)
Diarmuid Connolly (Dublin)
Neil McGee (Donegal)

It’s fair to say that there is some stiff competition for places, particularly in the half-forward line which is looking particularly crowded with the inclusion of regular full-forward Michael Murphy. And as always, the selection is sure to generate plenty of discussion over the next couple weeks. Best of luck to the six lads on the night – if it was up to us, they’d all be getting gongs.

Forget getting in “early”. Get in on time!

Forget getting in “early”. Get in on time!

And here we all are again! This truly is a great time to be a Mayo supporter. The buzz in the lead-up to these games is something only a handful of counties can enjoy and we’ve had this for 4 years running now.

Hopefully your plans have all been made. If not, take a look at MayoMick’s post on alternative travel options now that the trains aren’t running. But whatever your plans, do your best to get into Croke Park on time for the All-Ireland Minor semi-final between our lads and Kerry. Remember, these lads have put in a serious shift so far this year with wins in Tuam against Galway, against Ross in the Connacht Final and a comprehensive victory in Croke Park v Armagh. These lads are in peak physical condition, something that’s hard at the best of times, but many of these lads juggled their training with exams. Not only that, but this team are a joy to watch. They play lovely football, but are well able to dig deep when it’s needed. So, get in on time (not early!) and roar these lads on to another All-Ireland final.

In other news, the senior 15 has been named for Sunday and, as always, this is followed by our now ritual “rallying call”. Bring your kit, bring your flags, bring your drums, bring your fog horns. Bring it all and make more noise than you’ve ever made before! After the anthem, we want the lads to know that we are there with them every single step of the way. If someone starts a chant beside you, join in,don’t leave them hanging. We’re all in this together! This group of players and management have reached levels of intensity and performance that we have seldom seen before in this country, let alone this county.

They have done their bit. Now let’s do ours.

HoranFans

Photo: TheScore.ie
 

Safe travels!

MayoMark

 

Despite the heartache, I wouldn’t give it up for the world

Despite the heartache, I wouldn’t give it up for the world

Welcoming long-time Mayo GAA fan and one of the most dedicated supporters we’ve ever met, Clíona O’Gara from Charlestown to the Club ’51 hot seat. Cliona sums up below how most of us feel when it comes to following the team, through thick and thin, from winter to summer.

There are days when being a Mayo GAA fan seems like the ultimate punishment for something you thought you didn’t deserve. Those moments after an All-Ireland final defeat when you feel like you’ve done something horrendous in another life to feel such gut-wrenching pain and heartache. That horrible pain you get when looking around Croke Park at the opposition’s fans celebrating, and thinking “this can’t be happening again”. Facing that dreadful journey down the motorway, seeing car flags on the road ahead, meeting other MO reg cars at the toll and everyone giving a sympathetic smile to everyone else. Stopping in Supermac’s in Longford, meeting more grieving fans and dissecting every ounce of the game with a complete stranger. Getting home, torturing yourself by watching the Sunday Game and going to bed thinking of what could have been. 
 
But even though being a Mayo fan has carried heartache on the third Sunday in September, I wouldn’t give it up for the world. We have a lot more good days than bad. I love the feeling when waking up on a cold, January Sunday morning and heading for an FBD game in Ballyhaunis or Ballinlough dressed from head to toe in your winter woollies. You look around and spot the usual 20 people that you know you’re gonna see at the rest of the games in every part of the country. You soon forget about the previous year and what might have been, and focus on what might be, and the blood starts pumping for a new season. The league flies by and before we know it, were wearing short sleeves and anticipating the championship. There’s no feeling like going to a championship game. Hearing the roars of the fans, feeling the shivers run down your spine when the National Anthem is playing, seeing those fans that have come late and cursing them for standing in front of you, but most importantly being there. Being there to watch your team, your county, your lads that you feel like you know personally from following them on twitter to Croker. 
 
Yes, not every day is a good one being a Mayo GAA fan but the good ones are nothing short of great. No, we haven’t landed that ultimate prize,; no, we haven’t seen our boys walk the Hogan stand and lift that cup we desire so much, but we will. In the meantime, we continue to get behind the team that has given us so many hours of enjoyment and entertainment. Mayo are very close to landing that prize and there will be a time when that final whistle will go in Croke Park and we will be All Ireland Senior Champions. We will experience that feeling that I’m pretty sure compares with nothing else for a GAA fan. We will cheer down the motorway, we will forget about our chips in Longford so we can get to Castlebar as quickly as possible and most of all, the journey of heartache over the years will all be forgotten.We won’t hold any grudges.

2014 may just be that year. Maybe.

 

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Horan: one step closer to immortality?

Horan: one step closer to immortality?

James Horan’s first game as Mayo manager was an FBD game in Castlebar in January 2011. His league managerial debut also took place in MacHale Park against Down a month later. He opened up his championship managerial career in West London on a bright afternoon which almost went down in the history books as a black day for Mayo football. Two further championship games in very bad conditions dictated that he brought his men to Croke Park in July 2011 as Connacht champions but with the tag of serious underdogs to face Cork, the All Ireland champions. James Horan That day he made nonsense of Spillane’s ranting about Connacht football’s “Junk Status”, ridiculed Brolly’s assertion that Cork would easily progress and set the tone for some historic Mayo days in Croke Park over the next 3 years. For many that is the day that the Horan era really started. Now the Horan era is surely coming to a close and we face Cork once again. This time Mayo will be installed as favourites and rightfully so. Cork were physically and mentally superior to Sligo in Saturday’s qualifier. In Sky Sports high definition each man looked taller and broader, and even more importantly than this, they had far better ideas when on the ball. Colm O’Neill dominated the game ably assisted by Paul Kerrigan. Sligo had a patch of dominance and took a fine goal in the third quarter but the game was never in doubt. Keeping Kerrigan and O’Neill quiet will no doubt be key to Sunday’s game plan. Cork now have a huge step up in the calibre of their opponents in the space of a week. They started brightly against Kerry but were unable to compete with them as the game progressed.  I think the match-ups will favour the Connacht champions and while we, as Mayo supporters, will never get used to going to Croke Park as favourites, the players and management seem to have no problems with it ,judging by our wins over Down and Tyrone. Regardless of our chances of lifting the blessed chalice in September, and regardless of whether he continues in the job, we cannot doubt that James Horan’s tenure has been a great success.  Let’s keep enjoying it and hope fervently that Sunday’s game will bring him one step closer to immortality.

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