Donie Buckley set to stay on with Mayo?

Daniel Carey
Castlebar

DONIE Buckley looks set to remain as Mayo senior football team coach for 2016.
Chairman Mike Connelly told Wednesday’s meeting of Mayo GAA Board that team managers Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly ‘don’t foresee any change to the back-room team’ for next year, which suggests the Ennis-based coach will be staying on in his position.
Buckley, a native of county Kerry, has been coaching the county senior squad for the last three seasons.
The chairman reiterated that everybody involved – players, management, back-room team and County Board – is ‘going to have to look at how to do better’ in 2016.
The update came in the course of Connelly’s Executive report, which prompted no questions from delegates.
The meeting came a day after Irish Independent reported that there was ‘strong speculation’ that the Kerry native ‘will bring an end to his Mayo involvement’.
Delegates at the meeting – held at MacHale Park, Castlebar – also backed Enda Gilvarry to continue as Mayo minor football team manager for a fourth season.
A proposal that the Killala clubman remain in the position got more support than a separate proposal calling for nominations for the position to be sought from clubs.
In a note read out to delegates by County Board secretary Vincent Neary, Gilvarry revealed that he had met and agreed a new back-room team for 2016: Daniel Forde (Ballycastle, trainer), Pat Kelly (Kilmaine), Brian McLoughlin (Burrishoole) and Damien Gavin (Swinford). He also indicated that he would manage an under-17 squad in 2016.
Finally, John Maughan has emerged as a late entrant in the race to succeed Niall Heffernan as Mayo under-21 football manager.
The Mayo News understands that the former Mayo senior boss was nominated for the position by the County Board executive.
Maughan, who is currently involved in a coaching capacity with the Achill footballers, is one of three candidates for the position, alongside Ballaghaderreen’s Michael Solan and former Mayo defender Anthony McGarry.
All three are due to be interviewed by a committee that includes Mayo GAA Board secretary Vincent Neary, two other members of the County Board Executive, and an outside specialist in human resources.