Five players who caught our eye in the Mayo intermediate county final

VARIOUS players on both sides had their moments but then underperformed under the cosh.

So we picked the five who stood out most consistently throughout the 2024 county intermediate final.

Cian McHale

^{Cian McHale in action for Moy Davitts against Crossmolina's Aaron Coggins during Round 2 of the 2024 Mayo Intermediate Football Championship (Pic: The Mayo News)}

Where would Moy Davitts be without this buck?

Not preparing for their second county final in six days, that is absolutely certain.

Indeed, given that he has now climbed to the top of the Intermediate Football Championship’s scoring charts with 2-28 to his name, you’d genuinely wonder how Moy Davitts would have gotten to the final without him.

In that same final, the 21-year-old delivered one of his biggest performances one the biggest day of his club career.

Some of the points he kicked were top quality - often under pressure - and he’s also a dab hand at free-taking.

With appearances for Mayo at Minor and U-20 level under his belt, a senior callup may not be that far off.

James Maheady

^{James Maheady in possession during Crossmolina's intermediate championship quarter-final win over The Neale (Pic: The Mayo News)} 

If this lad is let play, he’s absolutely deadly.

Raw, rambunctious, and mad for shooting, Maheady proved his quality and worth with three lovely points in the first half of his first adult county final, bringing his championship tally to 1-19.

The 19-year-old was a gamechanger against Ballinrobe in that epic semi-final. He looked set to do the same here, but for some reason spent much of his time in the middle third.

He didn’t look comfortable outside of his natural domain, which is up front, taking the man on, jinking and jiving and shooting as soon as he sees the whites of the posts.

The former Mayo Minor has the potential be a player that Crossmolina can build their team around.

How he fares against a Moy Davitts defence that have already tasted various his tricks and flicks will be fascinating to observe this Saturday.

Conor Loftus

^{Conor Loftus of Crossmolina watches Brian Heneghan of Moy Davitts during Round of 2 of the 2024 Mayo Intermediate Football Championship (Pic: The Mayo News)}

Remember, this is the guy who was among the top scorers in Mayo after he burst on the club scene as a free-scoring forward after winning an All-Ireland Minor title with Mayo.

What started off as a seemingly mad experiment with the Mayo seniors appears to have turned Kevin McStay’s Mr Versatile into one of the best half-backs in Mayo.

He’s worn the number six from the start of this year’s championship and has very much made it his own.

Conor Reid is a Mayo senior who needs considerable shackling at club level. Loftus completed the task with flying colours and even put the Moy Davitts defence on the back foot on a few occasions. 

The experiment appears to be over. Conor Loftus will end his career as a centre-back - a county-title-winning one, if he has his way.

Brian Reape 

^{Brian Reape in possession for Moy Davitts against Crossmolina during the 2024 Mayo Intermediate Football Championship final (Pic: Conor McKeown)}

Perhaps Brian Reape’s most overlooked characteristic is his natural game intelligence.

That intelligence was abundantly clear when he knocked down a ball he knew he had little chance of winning towards Brian Heneghan, who delivered a game-changing goal in the 59th minute.

A perma-plague of injuries has meant Brian Reape has never, and may never, really played to his potential on a consistent basis.

With speed, strength and natural eye for a score, he was Moy Davitts’ go-to man again on Sunday.

While he didn’t set the scoreboard on fire, he certainly gave the Crossmolina defence loads to think about from full-forward.

His influence was key on a day when himself and Cian McHale were the only Moy Davitts players to point from play.

Diarmuid Coggins

^{Diarmuid Coggins of Crossmolina pictured with Brian Reape of Moy Davitts during the 2024 Mayo Intermediate Football Championship final (Pic: Conor McKeown)}

Still only 19, but playing like a man who’s been at it for years.

With pace to burn, an insatiable appetite for work, and the ability to make a big tackle, a killer pass and kick an odd score, Diarmuid Coggins and his brothers are the kind of players you’d love to clone. Because quite simply, they can play anywhere.

Up and down the field faster than two quad bikes, Diarmuid and his older brother Niall (21) were hugely influential in the first half of a game where the wet conditions rewarded workmanship.

A quintessential all-rounder who will need to produce a big performance in Saturday’s replay.