NO SEPARATING THEM Crossmolina’s Ciaran McDonald and Ballina’s Kenny Golden refuse to give an inch during last year’s Mayo SFC semi-final.
Pic: Michael Donnelly Big three still in control 
Kevin McStay WITH the advent of the pool format for the club championships, the early season draw has lost much of its appeal. The old system whereby you had one shot at the title tended to ratchet up the excitement – the lack of wriggle room meant you had to hit the ground running if the summer was to hold any promise at all. Nowadays you can lose a game, maybe even two if you are in an ultra-competitive group, and still emerge in August for the business end of matters.
This year’s draw for the Moclair Cup has tossed out a mix of the usual – handy groups, handy enough groups and the dreaded group of death. Which is all a little amusing really because every club will need to establish form, patterns and get a sense of whether they have the stomach for the grinding trip ahead. The pundits are going on past form and this can be a little simplistic.
Especially so, if you agree the Mayo senior scene is at a critical junction – the hegemony enjoyed by Ballina and Crossmolina appears to be at or coming to a conclusion and in such a scenario the question becomes who will fill their shoes? Ballaghderreen are at the top of most lists as the prince in waiting but that placement may just be too simplistic also.
The modern day control of the championship by north Mayo clubs is really astonishing. Only Charlestown in 2001 broke this grip and the monopoly stretches back to 1993/1994 when Castlebar and Hollymount intervened. In the interim Knockmore, Ballina and Crossmolina took over and totally dominated, often keeping the finals between two of the three of them.
Why has it come to this? I think in particular of the south of the county and the massive interest, passion and love of Gaelic football down there. That passion and rivalry has much to do with their proximity to the Galway border but the demise of clubs like Garrymore (possibly one of the great Mayo sides of all time), Claremorris (first winners of the Moclair Cup in 1971), Hollymount (winners on three occasions during their golden era of the early 1990s) and Ballinrobe (how come they have never won this championship?) is a most worrying state of affairs.
Take Ballaghderreen and Shrule/Glencorrib to emerge from Group 1 – a fairly straightforward affair really. Ballina and Charlestown from the second pool with much the same ease as the first group winner and runner-up. Group 3 will be Crossmolina and possibly Moy Davitts while the five-team final group, though the most difficult to emerge from, will supply only one real contender – Knockmore. With a county U-21 title just clinched, it should provide the ideal launch pad for another period of competitive championship football for them.
Any team from the south, east or west to stand up their full height and grab this championship by the throat? I am reminded football and sport are ever changing and those at the top of the tree are generally only there for a short period before the new kids in town pull you down. One day the rooster, the next day the feather duster. It’s the way of the world. And as mentioned above, this is where things stand right now in Mayo club football – a change is in the air. But I fear there are few if any new sides in the wings to take advantage of the break in play. If that is so, then pick the winner from Ballina, Crossmolina or Ballaghderreen.
real CHANCE FOR MAYO
TO MAKE more PROGRESS
WE PARKED the Mayo versus Fermanagh match last week for a few simple reasons: the game was shocking but the result excellent; matters would move on and the focus shift to where we are going to pick up the four (possibly) or three (definitely) points needed to give us a play-off spot in the 2007 NFL.
Let’s do our homework and recap first. We lie in joint second place in Division 1A of the league with three wins from four games, but in reality are in third position by virtue of our inferior points difference (the total amount scored minus the total amount conceded) compared to Kerry. The Kingdom stand at +10 while we are at +8, a very small difference indeed.
And this coming weekend of fixtures will offer Mayo a great chance of making a serious move in the table. Why so? Kerry travel to Donegal and so something at the top of the table must give. A draw in this fixture is the worst scenario from our point of view but if a clear-cut winner emerges (preferably Donegal!) we get the chance to bolt.
And whether or not we availed of that chance will be known 24 hours earlier when we travel to Cork under lights. It is a very difficult game for us and yet it is the crucial fixture in the league to date. Mayo must set their sights on a win here and then all possibilities will open up.
To falter now will not spell the end of the affair with this year’s league but with games against a fast-improving Dublin (at home) and the extremely difficult away fixture against Tyrone, the task would probably be beyond us.
But Round 5 should tell the tale for most of the Connacht teams. Roscommon (third) face Longford (second) in Division 2A, while Galway play table-toppers Westmeath in 1B – a win for Galway will put them near the top. Makes you laugh a little at the early season madness and talk of sackings and so on!
Sligo must beat Wexford to maintain an interest in promotion but this is looking beyond them just now, while Leitrim must beat Carlow and London (whenever that game is played). This time next week we will know a lot more and the division lines between rising and falling can be sketched. What chance that Galway will be the happiest campers when the mid-season dust settles?
THE CONNACHT minor league kicked off last weekend and although the calendar said it was springtime, the most wintry of conditions prevailed. There is great interest in the fortunes of the Roscommon minors again this year and, come the summer, I have no doubt they will contest vigorously. But the most recent clash informs us Mayo rarely field poor minor outfits and they won this opening round game rather easily.
Big, strong and competitive the Mayo boys ran the show from start to finish and appear to be coming along very nicely indeed. I read the Ray Dempsey (Mayo minor team manager) interview in last week’s Mayo News and his thoughts about this age group were very interesting. On the basis of his comments I expected nothing less than self-motivated hungry footballers in the Green and Red. We were not disappointed and when the little bit of gloss is applied over the nest few months we can look forward to a skilful and competitive squad. And have no doubt, Galway and Roscommon will match them also.
Your comments please to
kevinmcstay@mayonews.ie
