West Mayo face difficult return to the senior ranks
Interview
Mike Finnerty
THE start of the Mayo senior club football championship has come “a few months too soon” for West Mayo according to their manager as they prepare to take on the county champions next weekend.
The junior amalgamation will play Charlestown in the opening game of the 2010 championship next Saturday evening but with just six training sessions under their belt so far, the West Mayo side know they will be up against it.
“Charlestown have years of experience that we don’t have and senior league experience too,” Padraig Walsh told The Mayo News last week. “For us, it’s difficult to get lads together and it’s a big step-up in terms of thought, pace and physicality. They’re used to playing junior at a slower pace and really this match has come a few months too soon.
“We just haven’t enough done,” added the former Louisburgh footballer. “But we’re going to have a good crack at our games. The guys that have come in are top-class and have a great attitude. I look on it as a great challenge too. It’s really a shop-window for the lads and if we could even win one game it would be an achievement.”
Walsh has drawn players from his own club, Islandeady, Balla and Parke to line out under the West Mayo banner this summer. Together with Des Ryan, Christy McNicholas and Darren Flynn, Walsh has put the players through their paces in Islandeady for the last six Wednesday evenings and the response has been good.
Next weekend Charlestown will find themselves coming up against the likes of Louisburgh’s Jarlath O’Malley, Martin Nee and John Hegarty; Islandeady’s Peter Collins, Cormac Gordon, and Martin, Ollie and Vinnie Feeney; Parke’s Simon and John Cloherty and Dwayne Flynn, and Balla’s Conor Walsh, James Dempsey and Sean Burke.
“Just because of their place of birth, these guys may never have played senior in their playing lifetime if it wasn’t for this amalgamation,” explained Padraig Walsh.
“It’s really about giving guys a chance, an opportunity to play at a higher level and, who knows, some fellas may even break into the Mayo senior panel.
“You’re type-cast when you’re a junior player and it makes breaking into the county scene a lot harder. But, in Kerry for example, there are plenty of amalgamated teams and the likes of Paul Galvin is a great example of a junior player that came through to play for his county. If we could find one guy like that it would make it worthwhile.
“I think it will be of benefit to clubs too with some of their guys being exposed to a higher level of football. It will mean when they go back to clubs that they’ll hopefully have picked up some good habits and will push on their team-mates.”
So after a lengthy break, West Mayo find themselves back in the Mayo senior championship where very little is expected of them. However, it’s unlikely their future opponents (and neighbours), Westport and Breaffy, and Kiltane, will take anything for granted.
“We have no outstanding individuals but we’re well capable of competing at a higher level,” said Padraig Walsh. “There’s great ambition there and the lads have trained very intensely. I’d be hoping that one of the West Mayo clubs would go on and win a Junior title this year.”
