Mayo minor footballers set for All-Ireland semi-final v Kerry

The Tom Markham Cup was last seen touring Mayo back in 2013 when Enda Gilvarry led the Mayo Minors to All-Ireland glory.

That team featured players such as Stephen Coen, Diarmuid O’Connor, Conor Loftus and Michael Plunkett, who have all gone on to blossom at senior level.

READ MORE: Details confirmed for Mayo’s All-Ireland minor semi-final

Now, the 2025 Mayo minor crop are in the All-Ireland semi-final and thoughts are tentatively turning towards ultimate glory. There is hope, there is optimism and there is certainly belief.

This year’s crop are a talented side. The Connacht Final defeat to Roscommon was a disappointing outcome, but the way Mayo overcame Offaly in the quarter-final shows this group are a resilient bunch of players. The manner in which Tom Reilly and David Heaney’s side defeated the Leinster champions, was admirable considering two of their most promising players Tony Carey and Cian May were absent through injury. 

One surprise in that fantastic win was the positioning of Dara Flanagan. The Eastern Gaels lad had been operating at wing-back all season but against Offaly, wearing 7 on his back, he played at centre-half-forward. This role suited him perfectly and he cut loose. He and full-forward Conor Hession stole the show in Hyde Park and the talented East Mayo duo kicked 2-8 between them.

Kiltimagh’s Hession has been immense all season and the physical presence he displays can cause damage to any defence. Long-range scoring is no problem to the full-forward and he has kicked an impressive 4-28 across his six appearances. He’s one to watch, not only now but in the future and it looks like he has a big career ahead of him.

READ MORE: Player Ratings - How the Mayo players fared against Donegal

Kerry, were beaten by Mayo in the 2022 All-Ireland semi-final but there has never been much between the sides when they met at the business end of the competition. The Kingdom have won the Munster Championship 11 times in the past 13 years which shows how dominant they are at this age-group.

This season’s Munster decider was a stroll in the park for the Green and Gold as they waltzed to glory on a scoreline of 0-18 to 0-9. Kerry’s inside forwards, Kevin Griffin and Ben Kelliher are fine footballers who certainly know where the posts are. A Kerry team with names such as Clifford and Ó Sé in it, is probably worth keeping an eye on.

In the quarter-final, Wayne Quinlivan’s side got the better of Cavan by just two points so it’s clear that this Kerry side are talented, but at the same time they’re certainly not world beaters. 

It’s expected Ardagh’s exciting attacker Tony Carey will be available for this clash while Ballinrobe’s Cian May could feature after recovering from injury. This is very positive for Mayo and if Carey, Hession and Neary, who is the brother of Mayo senior player Davitt, click on Sunday, Mayo have a great chance of reaching the All-Ireland Final where Roscommon or Tyrone will be waiting.

VERDICT - MAYO