THE appetite for Mayo GAA club football shows no signs of abating, and perhaps it is a by-product of the split season, but there is a ravenous hunger for conversation around what has been an exciting championship across all three levels so far, with no shortage of talking points.

The only shame is that it has to come to an end at some point, and as the evenings shorten, we are now heading rapidly towards the business end of things. 

Due to a myriad of other commitments, I only managed to get to a relatively paltry two games (by our usual standards) over the weekend, and still haven’t managed to watch back anything on Mayo GAA TV.

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What a luxury to have that option, though. The calendar has been cleared for quarter final weekend, so here’s hoping the fixture-setters will schedule them to allow optimum cross-country commuting and season pass usage, given that unfortunately none of us have yet mastered the art of bilocation. 

The weekend gone by was one of what-ifs and could-haves for several clubs, the most high-profile of these being Castlebar Mitchels, who despite fulfilling their own part of the bargain with a comprehensive victory over Aghamore, could only watch helplessly as a last-gasp winning score by Breaffy against Belmullet knocked the Mitchels out.

This was a nice handy one on the doorstep in Ballina, and it drew a huge neutral crowd. No doubt, Breaffy will be doubly satisfied with that outcome from their lucky escape, and now, in a repeat of last year’s fixture, they will face Westport at home.

Whatever about the entertainment levels, spectators will be hoping for slightly less of a soaking this time around. Anyone who was there last year probably still has their socks on the radiator, so rancid a day it was.

Given that Breaffy didn’t manage a point from play for the entire second half (and most of the first) in this game, they will need to up the ante, though is safe to say Westport have not yet been firing on all cylinders either. 

OPPORTUNITIES

BELMULLET, on the other hand, while safely through, will surely be ruing the missed opportunity for a home quarter-final.

Not a club in the county would have relished a trip to Tallagh, but neither are the Erris men any strangers to St Tiernan's Park, where Crossmolina’s young guns will relish the opportunity to really test their mettle at in the knockout stages. 

What a meteoric rise it has been for Crossmolina. Just three games after promotion back to senior, they are now being touted as favourites for the Moclair Cup. Crossmolina have brought the style – and the scores – to all three of their group games so far, racking up a terrifying tally of 8-54, compared to Belmullet’s 2-40. 

The biggest and most depressing realisation that dawned on me during the Belmullet-Breaffy game however, was that it is somehow now winter, and time for considerably more layers than I had donned on Saturday evening.

The wind would have cut you in half, which is more than either team did to their opposing offences. The game was exciting despite being disappointingly poor in quality, but both sides will need to improve considerably next day out.

At least the sun was (mostly) shining in Charlestown on Sunday for Ballina’s do-or-die clash with Garrymore. The Stephenites faithful must have camped out the night before, and had the stand taken over 45 minutes before throw-in.

We, meanwhile, found ourselves distracted by the fancy coffee at Complex Coffee (petition to make a Complex Coffee mandatory at every ground, please) and John Casey, who was ostensibly doling out programmes but in reality was recruiting investors in the Charlestown GAA lotto, which at the time of buying stood at €18,400.

It’s utterly impossible to say ‘no’ to John Casey, so I’m just waiting for the phone to ring or a cheque to arrive in the post. Any minute now.

BAFFLING

BALLINA’S dream of the three-in-a-row remains alive, but there are ominous signs; they didn’t manage a score after the seventh minute of the second half and are still a bit over-reliant on Evan Regan to produce the goods.

Frank Irwin’s solid midfield performance however makes the previous Mayo management’s decision to drop him all the more baffling.

The Stephenites, will probably be most satisfied with their performance at the back, with Luke Jordan having an outstanding day at full-back, plugging the considerable gap left by stalwart Ger Cafferkey.

Sam Callinan, too, looked far sharper and more threatening. Garrymore, meanwhile, put in a spirited performance, and Darren Quinn will surely get a genuine chance under the new Mayo management, as will, in time, young Eoin McGreal.

The standout fixture of the senior quarter finals must surely be Ballaghaderreen versus Ballina, especially after the former’s impressive win over Ballintubber under Saturday night lights.  

Nearly 900 words in, and I haven’t even touched on the Intermediate championship, which once again is outshining its senior equivalent.

Some blockbusters await, not least the mouthwatering North Mayo derby between Kiltane and Cill Chomáin, and the visit of Parke to Ardnaree.

For those of us who might struggle with a dearth of football, this weekend we have the tempting prospect of an in-form Ardagh hosting Bonniconlon in the Junior Championship. 

KEEPING IN TOUCH

LET’S not also forget that the women’s championship is also in full flow, and over the weekend, current champions Westport maintained their favourites tag with a devastatingly decisive victory over Carnacon, who only managed four points over the 60 to the victors’ 3-13.

Fellow contenders Knockmore, too, shot the lights out, clocking up 6-11 against East Mayo’s Kilmovee Shamrocks. There is so much to talk about there. For another day! 

In a fortnight’s time, there may well be a need to dust off the thermals and get out the flasks, but in the meantime, huge credit must go to those keeping us in touch with the club championship across the board.

The local newspapers (offline and online, including this paper’s Pitchside series), Midwest Radio’s essential Sunday evening results show, Mayo GAA’s own player and manager interviews on social media, and the sterling efforts of the previewing and reviewing podcast teams of Ah Ref and the Mayo Football podcast, who, it seems, have eyes, ears and feet on the ground all over the county, despite some even being involved with teams themselves. Thank you for your service. On to the quarters we roll.