Our predictions for the season ahead
Mike Finnerty
GAA
Mayo SFC champions: Castlebar Mitchels.
Mayo IFC champions: Kilmaine.
Mayo JFC champions: Louisburgh.
Mayo SHC champions: Tooreen.
All-Ireland football champions: Dublin.
All-Ireland hurling champions: Tipperary.
Gaelic footballer of the year: Paul Flynn.
RUGBY
European Champions Cup: Toulon.
Six Nations: Ireland.
World Cup: New Zealand.
RACING
Gold Cup: Silviniaco Conti.
SOCCER
Champions League: Real Madrid.
English Premier League: Chelsea.
Mayo Super League: Westport Utd.
Sporting wish for 2015: Mayo for Sam!
Sporting event you’d most like to see live in 2015: A Mayo v Dublin All-Ireland Final.
Sportsperson who is going to make the biggest impact in 2015: Dan Carter. What a man!
Edwin McGreal
GAA
Mayo SFC champions: Can I be coy and say a West Mayo club?
Mayo IFC champions: Hollymount/Carramore (I was told I must have been drinking jungle juice to be predicting The Neale last year. I will be drinking it soon enough.)
Mayo JFC champions: Ardnaree, if they can bring their A game to a final.
Mayo SHC champions: Ballyhappiness.
All-Ireland football champions: Dublin – though the hope lingers.
All-Ireland hurling champions: Tipperary.
Gaelic footballer of the year: Paul Flynn.
RUGBY
European Champions Cup: Toulon.
Six Nations: Ireland.
World Cup: Ireland – they just might do it!
RACING
Gold Cup: Bobs Worth.
SOCCER
Champions League: Real Madrid.
English Premier League: Chelsea.
Mayo Super League: Westport United.
Sporting wish for 2015: That we see more honesty, passion and openness in sporting interviews. Too much to ask for? Okay, Mayo for Sam then.
Sporting event you’d most like to see live in 2015: Barry Jordan returning to Breaffy training before July.
Sportsperson who is going to make the biggest impact in 2015: Jonathan Sexton.
Seán Rice
GAA
Mayo SFC champions: Castlebar Mitchels.
Mayo IFC champions: Westport.
Mayo JFC champions: Achill.
Mayo SHC champions: Ballyhaunis.
All-Ireland football champions: Mayo.
All-Ireland hurling champions: Kilkenny.
Gaelic footballer of the year: Lee Keegan.
RUGBY
European Champions Cup: Clermont Auvergne.
Six Nations: Ireland.
World Cup: New Zealand.
RACING
Gold Cup: Lord Windermere.
SOCCER
Champions League: Chelsea.
English Premier League: Chelsea.
Mayo Super League: Westport United.
Sporting wish for 2015: Mayo for Sam.
Sporting event you’d most like to see live in 2015: All-Ireland Hurling Final.
Sportsperson who is going to make the biggest impact in 2015: Writer Hajo Seppelt in exposing systematic doping in Russian athletics.
Michael Duffy
GAA
Mayo SFC champions: Ballintubber.
Mayo IFC champions: Moy Davitts.
Mayo JFC champions: Kilmeena.
Mayo SHC champions: Ballyhaunis.
All-Ireland football champions: Dublin.
All-Ireland hurling champions: Cork.
Gaelic footballer of the year: Diarmuid Connolly.
RUGBY
European Champions Cup: Northampton.
Six Nations: England.
World Cup: New Zealand.
RACING
Gold Cup: Simonsig.
SOCCER
Champions League: Real Madrid.
English Premier League: Chelsea.
Mayo Super League: Westport Utd.
Sporting wish for 2015: Ballintubber to win a Connacht Club title.
Sporting event you’d most like to see live in 2015: Would love to get a chance to pop over to see my man Gareth Bale in action at the Bernabéu. Where are the doubters now?!
Sportsperson who is going to make the biggest impact in 2015: Dan Carter.
Austin Garvin
GAA
Mayo SFC champions: Ballintubber
Mayo IFC champions: Hollymount/Carramore
Mayo JFC champions: Achill
Mayo SHC champions: Ballyhaunis
All Ireland football champions: Dublin
All Ireland hurling champions: Tipperary
Gaelic Footballer of the year: Diarmuid Connolly
RUGBY
European Champions Cup: Clermont Auvergne.
Six Nations: Ireland.
World Cup: New Zealand.
RACING
Gold Cup: Silviniaco Conti.
SOCCER
Champions League: Real Madrid.
English Premier League: Chelsea.
Mayo Super League: Westport United.
Sporting wish for 2015? Obviously the same wish since 1951 – to see Mayo bring Sam back to his rightful place.
Sporting event you’d most like to see live in 2015: The Masters in Augusta.
Sports person who is going to make the biggest impact in 2015? Rory McIlroy.
Daniel Carey
GAA
Mayo SFC champions: Castlebar Mitchels. Surely any team managed by two Declans is unstoppable?
Mayo IFC champions: Westport to bounce back.
Mayo JFC champions: Achill. Imagine the roar when Stephen Grealis got JFC Player of the Year at the Club Stars, then multiply it by ten.
Mayo SHC champions: Eeny, meeny, miny, moe ... Tooreen, Good news for them – I got the last two right!
All-Ireland football champions: Dublin. Remember when they were supposed to do five in a row?
All-Ireland hurling champions: Clare. They haven’t gone away, you know.
Gaelic footballer of the year: Bernard Brogan. There won’t be a cow milked in Castleknock that night.
RUGBY
European Champions Cup: Toulon. A (great) year in Provence in store.
Six Nations: Ireland. England at home, France at home, and the trophy won in Murrayfield. What’s not to like?
World Cup: New Zealand. Good news for the Kiwi christened ‘Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii’, before a judge ordered a name change.
RACING
Gold Cup: Holywell should have backers in Westport, Ballintubber, Ballinrobe and Tourmakeady. Plenty of holy wells in Mayo, after all.
SOCCER
Champions League: Bayern Munich might finally give me a reason to dig out that scarf I bought at the Allianz Arena.
English Premier League: Chelsea. Mind you, I didn’t think Spurs were going to beat them on New Year’s Day!
Mayo Super League: Westport United to finally end my terrible record in this category. And if they don’t, you’ll know who to blame!
Sporting wish for 2015: To watch more live sport, endure less paranoia and hear about motivations other than defying criticism. ‘What do you think of that, Joe Brolly?’ is so 2014.
Sporting event you’d most like to see live in 2015: A Rugby World Cup final involving Ireland. But I might have to do with my ticket to the Italy game in the group stages!
Sportsperson who is going to make the biggest impact in 2015: Richie McCaw. Not to confused with Richie McCow, the psychic calf who had a decidedly mixed World Cup in 2011.
