Sixty seconds with some Mayo sports stars

Sixty seconds with some Mayo sports stars

Peadar Gardiner
Mayo footballer

What three words would you use to describe your sporting year in 2008?
Rollercoaster, frustrating, absorbing.

What was your sporting highlight in 2008?
Irish Olympic boxers and All Blacks vs Munster. It showed what you can achieve with the right mindset, expertise and constructive criticism.

What was your biggest sporting disappointment in 2008?
Championship defeats with Crossmolina and Mayo.

What is your sporting New Year’s resolution?
To be the best I can be.

Best live sports event you attended in 2008?
Mayo vs Tyrone/Tyrone vs Kerry – All-Ireland Final day.

What would your message be for Mayo fans in 2009?
Support the team and management in the short-term, think and act progressively about the long-term.

Who is your ‘one to watch’ in 2009?
Rory McIlroy – put the money down!

Who will win Sam Maguire in 2009? (excluding Mayo)
Donegal.

Brian Cowan or Enda Kenny?
Enda Kenny - for blue shirt reasons!

X Factor or Match of the Day?
X Factor – Give me Cheryl instead of Ashley Cole any day.


Killian Duffy
Rally Driver

What three words would you use to describe your sporting year in 2008?
Exciting, different, rewarding.

What was your sporting highlight in 2008?
Winning the Mayo Stages Rally.

What was your biggest sporting disappointment in 2008?
Retiring on the way to the last stage on Midland Stages Rally when I was leading my class. I was disappointed for Eamon Walsh, my co-driver, as he returned to the co-driving seat after four years in retirement.

What is your sporting New Year’s resolution?
Get fit!

Best live sports event you attended in 2008?
An Astroturf match a few weeks ago – it was more like cage rage!

What would your message be for your fans in 2009?
Be at the Galway International Rally and Rally Ireland, rallying needs the support.

Who is your ‘one to watch’ in 2009?
Eamon Walsh (Rallying) made his co-driving return after a long lay-off. And Shane Nally in Gaelic football.

Who will win Sam Maguire in 2009? (excluding Mayo)
Kerry (a safe bet!)

Brian Cowan or Enda Kenny?
Enda Kenny, he’s from the west!

X Factor or Match of the Day?
X Factor. My girlfriend Michelle drives the remote.


Gavin Duffy
Connacht Rugby

What three words would you use to describe your sporting year in 2008?
Good, bad, shocking!!

What was your sporting highlight in 2008?
Beating Leinster at the Sportsground in October was up there with the best of them but last Sunday was the best of all!

What was your biggest sporting disappointment in 2008?
Losing with Connacht. Losing seems to be getting harder to take and, in particular, our defeat to Ulster in November was a bad night.

What is your sporting New Year’s resolution?
To train and play even harder.

Best live sports event you attended in 2008?
I can’t remember attending any!

What would your message be for Mayo fans in 2009?
It’s far from original but it is a great saying, “Keep the faith”

Who is your ‘one to watch’ in 2009?
Ireland soccer team (hopefully) going from strength to strength

Who will win Sam Maguire in 2009? (excluding Mayo)
Kerry

Brian Cowan or Enda Kenny?
Well, Brian Cowan is, like me also a past pupil of Cistercian College, Roscrea while Enda Kenny is obviously a Mayo man....I’m torn between the two!!

X Factor or Match of the Day?
X Factor, sometimes you just don’t have a choice!!