New year heralds new era

New year heralds new era


Preview
Mike Finnerty

THE next chapter in the Mayo GAA story begins next Sunday in the unlikely setting of Ballinamore in Leitrim (twenty-five minutes outside Carrick-on-Shannon), as James Horan’s reign as the new Mayo senior manager gets under way.
Over the next three weeks the FBD Connacht League will present Horan with an opportunity to run the rule over approximately 30 players against Leitrim, GMIT and Roscommon.
The Mayo management team have earmarked almost 50 footballers for consideration ahead of the start of the National League against Down on Saturday, February 5, at McHale Park, Castlebar.
However, college commitments, injuries and unavailability means that James Horan and his selectors will only have about 30 of them available for Mayo selection in the coming weeks.
Two trial matches at McHale Park last Sunday gave the new manager plenty of food for thought and he told The Mayo News last night that he was happy with what he had seen.
“We’ve been delighted with the response so far,” said the 38 years-old Ballintubber native. “The trial games were very good in the sense that young guys like Cillian O’Connor, James Moran and Jason Gibbons stepped up and took to what we were trying to do really well.
“That has created a momentum that I’m really happy with. Some of the young, new guys have set the bar and that will mean that the older, more established lads will have to push on again too.”
Along with his selectors Martin Connolly, Paul Jordan and James Nallen, Horan also revealed that he has already sketched out the selections he would like to line out in each of Mayo’s Connacht League games this month.
Among those set to feature are Ballintubber quartet Cathal Hallinan, Jason Gibbons and brothers, Ruaidhrí and Cillian O’Connor, as well as Tourmakeady’s Kevin Dolan, Burrishoole’s James Moran and Ballinrobe’s David Killeen.
A plethora of familiar names are unavailable for selection next weekend, including injured quartet Seamus O’Shea, Donal Vaughan, Liam O’Malley and Conor Mortimer.
Meanwhile, Trevor Mortimer is likely to miss at least the opening three rounds of the National League as he is currently travelling in Asia and the southern hemisphere.
Pat Harte (cruciate ligament) is unlikely to feature until Mayo’s Connacht championship campaign begins on May 29 against London in Ruislip.
“We’re going to keep the panel fairly open until the start of the National League,” explained James Horan.
“Our plan is to give each of the players involved at the moment a run during the FBD League.
“We have the three teams we want to play set out in our heads. We know who we want to play and when we want to play them.
“What we’re looking for really is who can step up on game-day, and how guys can fit into a system. A lot of guys will be getting a chance to wear a Mayo jersey for the first time so it will be interesting to see how they respond.”
Former Mayo boss, Mickey Moran, is beginning his third season as Leitrim manager but his long-serving assistant, John Morrison, is not involved with the county this year.
Moran is also expected to be without experienced players like Declan Maxwell, Dermot Reynolds (St Mary’s), Shane Foley, Colin Regan, Michael Foley and Gareth Phelan this spring due to emigration and retirement.

Fixture FBD connacht league
Leitrim v Mayo

Sunday, January 9
Ballinamore at 2pm
Referee: TJ Keaveney (Sligo)