EDITORIAL: County board made right call on final

WE are often quick to criticise the Mayo GAA County Board and their decision making, but there is no doubt they made the correct decision to postpone the senior final that was due to take part in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park last Sunday afternoon.
The showpiece of the Mayo GAA club calendar would have been ruined as a spectacle as Storm Ashley was probably at its peak here in Mayo around the scheduled throw-in time for the county final, which had been scheduled to take place at 2.30pm.
As stated by the Chairperson of the Mayo County Board, Seamus Tuohy, the safety of players and supporters had to take priority on this occasion, and following consultation with both Ballina Stephenities and Knockmore, the correct decision was taken.
We have seen from weather warnings in the past that conditions may not be as bad as anticipated, and it may have been tempting for the County Board to push ahead with plans for the game to take place on Sunday. The postponement was the right call.

Double-header
The board was lucky to have the option of playing a double-header on this Saturday, and there should be a big crowd in Castlebar for the much-anticipated games this coming weekend.
First up at 4.45pm on Saturday is the Junior final between Bonniconlon and Kilcommon, with the senior decider now down for decision under the lights at 7pm.
The extra week may well benefit the game as a spectacle, as both sides had injury concerns going into the senior final and may now be able to call on their strongest starting line-ups.
It should be a cracking game, and no quarter will be asked or given once the ball is thrown in on Saturday evening.
Ballina Stephenites will start as slight favourites in their endeavours to win back-to-back County finals, but Knockmore are a very experienced outfit, having won back-to-back titles themselves as recently as 2020 and 2021.
A bumper weekend of action will conclude with the Intermediate County Final taking place in MacHale Park on Sunday at 2.30pm.

Unique pairings
It is indeed unique that two neighbouring north Mayo clubs are also set to clash here, with Moy Davitts and Crossmolina looking to make the step-up back to the senior grade.
The sides clashed earlier in the round-robin stages, with Moy Davitts winning a very high-scoring encounter. One suspects Sunday’s game won’t be as open, but both sides like to play on the front foot and have some top-class attackers to call on.
So Hastings Insurance MacHale Park is definitely the place to be this coming weekend. However, if you can’t make the games, they will all be streamed live on Mayo GAA TV, and we in The Mayo News will be bringing you reports and reaction on our website and social media channels over the weekend, and of course comprehensive coverage too in our next edition on Tuesday, October 29.