Connacht Championship 2014

72 Pages·2014·16.69 MB·English

Vol5.
SpecialEdition
May2014
Special edition for
Connacht
Championship 2014
Roscommononthecharge
FlanaganhasSligoprimed
Tribesmenontheup
A rich
tradition
continues
Therewerefearswhenthequalifiersystemcamein
thatitwouldsoundthedeathknellfortheprovincial
championshipsbutinsteadithasjustservedto
highlighttheuniquenessoftheConnacht,Munster,
LeinsterandUlsterchampionships.
TheraceforAll-Irelandglorys!llstartswithinthe
provincialsystem.Upto1997youhadtowinyour
provincialchampionshipinordertocon!nueyourbid whichseemstobeexpanding—wenow,apparently,
fortheAll-Ireland. haveapopula!onof21,542,547topickfrom,although
OffalybecamethefirstcountytowinanAll-Ireland 21,000,000arecurrentlylivingoutsidetheprovince!
senior!tlewhentheytriumphedinhurlingviathe IwouldliketothanktheConnachtCouncilforthe
qualifiersin1998andin2001Galwaywerethefirstto foresightinproducingthismagazineandtothankthem
comethrough‘thebackdoor’andwinSamMaguire, forentrus!ngustodoit.Inpar!cular,Iwouldliketo
notevenreachingtheConnachtfinalthatyear. thanktheConnachtCouncilpresidentFrankBurke,
TheprovincialchampionshipandtheAll-Irelandseries, secretaryJohnPrenty,PROPadraigDuffyand
whileindeliblylinked,haveperhapsbecomeseparate opera!onsmanagerAdrianHasse$foralltheirhelp
compe!!onsbutneitheraretheworseforit. duringtheyear.
MayoarethisyearbiddingforfourConnacht!tlesina IwouldalsoliketothankallofthePROsinthecoun!es
row,thelast!metheyachievedittheywentallthe fortheirassistanceinproducingthispublica!onandall
wayin1950and’51whenSeanFlanaganli#edtheSam theotheredi!onsofIntoTheWestduringtheyear.
Maguire.Itwasthesecond!metheywonfour,actually Thepublisherofthemagazine,PadraigCorcoran,works
winningfiveinsuccessionfrom1906to1910, !relesslytoensureeveryedi!ongetsintoeveryclubin
Galwayequalledthatfrom1956to’60withSean theprovinceandIwanttothankhimforallhis
PurcellandFrankStockwellterrorisingdefences,and guidanceandassistanceovertheyears.
thenwonfourinarowduringtheirgloriousAll-Ireland ThanksalsototheladswithmeinMediaWest(Ireland)
runinthemid-six!es. whohaveworkedaroundtheclocktogetthismagazine
TheonlyothercountytowinfourConnacht!tlesina out,inpar!cularDeclanRooney,aproudSligoman
rowwasRoscommonfrom1977-80whenthelate whosesecuritycodenumbersarebasedaround1975
DermotEarleywastheirinspira!on. and2007forsomereason,andalsoDaraghSmall,a
Thismagazinechartsthatwonderfulhistoryofthe youngmanfromGalwayse%ngoutinthewonderful
Connachtchampionship,whilealsoprovidinganinsight worldofjournalism.
intothedramawecanexpecttounfoldinthecoming WehaveagreatfootballheritagehereinConnachtand
months.Ourown‘All-Ireland’willagainbeplayedout wealsohaveaveryrichtradi!oninjournalism.That
hereinthewestbetweenthefiveneighboursandour qualityrepor!ng,crea!ngtheexcitementand
twoadopted‘coun!es’inLondonandNewYork. encouragingmoretocomeintotheparlourofdreams,
LastyearwasawatershedandthemannerofLondon’s wasini!allythroughlocalnewspapersbutnowalso
runtotheConnachtfinalwasoneoftheGAAstoriesof throughlocalradio.
theyear.Thepanacheanddrivetheyshowedonthe Eachcountyhasitsownpapers,ownlocalradio,
fieldwasmatchedwithahumilityandpresenceoffit, superbjournalistswhoarenotafraidtolowerthe
whichwassuperblyupli#ing.Wearetheonlyprovince bladewhenitisrequiredandnotafraidtoshedatear
2
Letthegamebegin! … … … … … … … … … 4
President’swelcome … … … … … … … … … 5
Hanleyfit,butHealyout … … … … … … … … 6
HarrisonprogresspleasesFlanagan … … … … 6
CarolanmissesoutforMayo … … … … … … 7
Evansboostedbypromo!on … … … … … … 7
WorktostartonRuislipdevelopment … … … 8
FiveaddedtoLeitrimpanel … … … … … … … 8
MAYOPROFILE
Mayotargetfour-in-a-row … … … … 9
SLIGOPROFILE
Thesky’sthelimitforYeatsmen… … 15
whenthereisajoyousoccasion.Theirrole,mostly
understatedandunder-appreciatedbytheGAA,has
LONDONPROFILE
playedaphenomenalpartinthesuccessoverthe
Londonhopetoavoidsecond
decadesintheGAAnotjustsurviving,butthriving.Itis
seasonsyndrome … … … … … … … 21
notallaboutAll-Irelands,it’snotallaboutConnacht
finals,itisaboutthesoddenpitchwheretheschool, LEITRIMPROFILE
underageorclubgameisonandsomeonethereis Localderbytodefire
recordingitforposterityandtheirreadersandlisteners Leitrim’sseason … … … … … … … 27
havebeensowellservedoverthedecades.
WehavebeenblessedinIntoTheWestbythose ROSCOMMONPROFILE
journalistshelpingusbringtheirworktoawider
ImpressiveRoscommonhoping
audienceandtheirhelp,friendshipandbanterisvery
tobuild … … … … … … … … … … 33
muchappreciated.
IfIhaveoneearnestwishforthisyearoranyyear,itis
thatMayogoandfinallywintheAll-Irelandifforno GALWAYPROFILE
otherreasonsothattheseveralreportersthatIknow Tribesmenontherise … … … … … 39
whohavebeenwri!ngaboutMayofootballfor
decadesfinallygettotastethenectarofanAll-Ireland ConnachtChampionship–arecenthistory … 45
win.Fordecadestheseguyshavebeena$achingblack
ribbonstotheirSeptemberwri!ngs,wouldn’titbe NEWYORKvMAYO
wonderfulforonceifthegarlandsofvictorywereto TheBigApplehostschampionshipopener… … 46
accompanythosereports?
MINORCHAMPIONSHIP
Itisnotjustabouttheseniorchampionship,ofcourse.
RoscommonhavealreadytriumphedatU-21leveland GreenandRedlookgoodtodoitagain… … … 48
thereisalsoajuniorchampionship.
Earleyhasfondmemoriesof1990victory … … 51
Andthenthereistheminorchampionshipwhen
anothercropofyoungfootballers,havingworkedso ConnachtGAAfootballchampionshipsresults 52
diligentlyforcluborschoolorboth,getsthethrillof RollofHonour … … … … … … … … … … … 66
pu%ngacountyjerseyontheirbacks,afeelingthat
ConnachtGAAminorfootballfinals … … … … 67
willstaywiththemfortherestoftheirlives.Evenif
Championshipfocus … … … … … … … … … 70
theyhaveplayedatyoungeragesfortheircounty,
minoriswhereitallstarts. Championshipfixtures … … … … … … … … 72
That’swhattradi!onisaboutandthatiswhatthe
COVERPICTURES
Connachtchampionshipisabout.Letanotherlayerof
MayocaptainAndyMoranliftstheJJNestorCupafterhisside'sConnacht
historystartunfolding. seniorchampionshipfinalvictoryoverLondonlastsummer.
Photo:RayMcManus/SPORTSFILE
RoscommonmanagerJohnEvanscelebratesRoscommon'svictoryoverCavaninthe
JOHN FALLON
AllianzFootballLeagueDivision3final. Photo:BarryCregg/SPORTSFILE
Editor SligoforwardMarkBrehenywillhaveakeyroletoplayfortheYeatsmenthissummer.
Photo:RayMcManus/SPORTSFILE
IntoTheWest
GalwaydefenderJossMooreinactionduringtheAllianzleague.
April2014
Photo:PaulMohan/SPORTSFILE
3
Let the games begin
Let the games begin
WELCOMEtothisspecialedi!onof'IntoTheWest', andco-ordinatedbyProvincialGamesManager,John
previewingConnachtGAA’sseniorandminor Tobin.AtthispointImustpointoutthatConnacht
championshipsinconjunc!onwithConnachtCouncil’s sawnineofthemainGAA!tlescrosstheShannonin
bi-monthlymagazine. 2013.
Wearenowattheonsetoftheyear’sac!vi!es, MayominorscapturedtheTomMarkhamCup;
fromCúlCamps,GoGames,totheConnachtFootball GalwaydefeatedCorktobecrownedtheAll-Ireland
Championshipsseason,andIwishthebestofluckto U-21champions;StBrigid’swerecrownedAll-Ireland
allinvolved.Tothemenandwomenwho!relessly clubchampions;StThomas’celebratedvictoryinthe
volunteerforclubac!vi!esyear-in,year-out;parents, All-Irelandclubhurlingchampionship;Ballinasloe
guardianswhoreligiouslyturn-uptotraining,games wereAll-Irelandjuniorclubfootballchampions;
inallkindsofweathercondi!ons;givealloftheirfree GalwayseniorCamogieteamcapturedtheO’Duffy
!metopromoteourgamesatschools,clubs;tothe CupandwerecrownedAll-Irelandchampionsand
officers,membersandplayers,wesincerelythankyou theirintermediateteamfollowedsuit;StA$racta’s
all.Ilookforwardtoincludingthisyear’sConnacht College,Tubbercurry,seniorsquadwerecrownedAll-
finalistsonouresteemedwallofrecordsenclosed. Ireland‘B’footballchampionswhencapturingthe
ConnachtGAACouncilhasemployedsomeofthe NoonanCup;andStBrigid’s,Loughrea,Voca!onal
bestcoachingpersonnelinthecountry,marshalled Schoolteam,becameConnachtandAll-Irelandhurling
champions.
Nearlytwoyearsonfromitsopening,weremain
proudofourCentreofExcellence,atBekan,which
includesanall-weatherastro-turfpitch;fiveexcellent
grasspitches,counciloffices,diningfacili!es,mee!ng
rooms,sixdressingrooms,referees’room,equipment
roomandphysioandrehabrooms,andofcourse,our
newmembertostaff,CathalCregg,ourStrengthand
Condi!oningInstructor.Itisajoytoseeitputtosuch
gooduse.
Therehasbeenplentyofheadlinesdevotedtothe
subjectalready,butIalsowelcometheSkytelevision
dealwiththeGAA,whilewillprovidedigitaland
satellitecoverageofourgamestoaworld-wide
audienceandespeciallyourdiasporaineverycorner
oftheglobe.
Finally,IwouldliketothankeachChairman,
Secretary,clubmember,coach,trainer,manager,
groundskeeper,allourGAAfamily,fortheir
enthusiasmanddedica!oninfosteringandpreserving
ourna!onalgames.
LetthegamesbegininearnestandIlookforward
toanexci!ngandwonderfulseason’sac!vi!esboth
onandoffthefield.
Ismise,lemeas,
JOHN PRENTY,
Runai,CLGCuige
Chonnachta
4
CuirimfáilteromhaibhuiliggohIonadConnachtle
haghaidhlainseáilCraobhPeileChonnacht2014.Tásé
beagnachlinnanoisagusnílaondabhtachgobhfuil
an-spéissnacoimhlin’atáleteacht.Nuaira
bhraithnímsiararturasiontachMaighEoanuraidh,ar
céchomhláidiragusabhíRosComainsaChraobhFé
21agusanspioradnuaagLiatromalebuachaintan
FBDaristáimidgoléirréidhagusfaoilánseolle
haghaidhnacluichí.
Theexcitementandspecula!onsurroundingthe2014
Connachtchampionshipisalreadybuilding.Withthe
AllianzLeaguesnowcomplete,eachofourcoun!es
hasaclearfocusonthatallimportantfirstou!ng.The
championshipbeganwithMayotravellingtoNewYork
recently,whileGalwaywillsoontakeonLondonwith
thewinnerstomeetSligointheConnachtsemi-finals.
A#erLondon'sgreatachievementinreachingthe
Connachtfinallastyear,Galwaywillbeverycau!ous
fortheirLondonou!ng.Bothsideshaveprepared
diligentlyandtherewillbehugeinterestinthegame.
MayotravelledtoNewYorkandgiventheirhighra!ng SupervaluandGAAGO.Ithankeachenterprise
theyshouldcomfortablybringhomethespoils, sincerelyfortheirgeneroussponsorshipandIassure
althoughatthe!meofwri!ngtheresultwasnotyet themofourapprecia!onandthesupportofour
available.AsUachtaranIwishtoemphasisethehuge members.Inaddi!on,Iwishtoacknowledgethat
socialandpromo!onaldimensiontothesegamesand theireffortstopromotethechampionshipwithus
wearepleasedtobeabletosupportNewYorkand havebeenveryhelpful.Iamdelightedtowelcome
LondonGAAatthis!me. GAAGOasasponsorandIwishthemeverysuccessin
Leitrimhavebeenteambuildingundernewmanager theini!a!vetostreamallourchampionshipgames
SeanHaganandtheconsistencyshownintheFBD liveworldwide.Iknowthatthiswillbehugely
Leaguecouldgeneratetheconfidenceandpar!cularly appreciatedbyourmanyfriendsoverseaswho
a#erwinningtheirsecond!tle.LikewiseRoscommon, hithertohadli$leornoaccesstothegames.
underJohnEvanswillbeboostedbytheirAllianz In2012andin2013,thechampionshipswere
LeaguesuccessandtheirbrilliantU-21s;theymaywell successfullypromotedundertheslogan'Nothing
beoncourseforanexci!ngseason.Sligohavealsoa beatsbeingthere'.Ibelievetheini!a!vestoimprove
newmanagerandunderPatFlanagan,theywillbe atmosphereandthematchdayexperienceforpatrons
wellpreparedandeitherGalwayorLondonwillfindit workedwell. Iencouragethepromo!onofJersey
difficulttogetoutofMarkieviczParkwitharesult. DaysatPrimarySchoolsandalsotheOpenNightsfor
LastyearMayoleapedaheadofallopposi!onin coun!es.Allwillhelptoheightentheexcitement
Connachtandastheyprogressed,thewholeprovince leadinguptoourgames.Igratefullyacknowledgethe
waswishingthemtowardsAll-Irelandsuccess.They senseofini!a!veandhardworkofJohnPrenty
areagainverymuchtheteamtobeatintheprovince CouncilSecretary;PadraigDuffyPRO,andAdrian
andIknowthatJamesHoranwillcarefullymanage Hasse$,Opera!onsManager.
andprepareforthechallengesahead.AyoungGalway Here’stotheConnachtchampionshipof2014.Cherish
teamunderAlanMulhollandwillbeanxioustoerase thedaysandmaythebestteamswin!
thememoryoflastyear'sdefeatandwiththeirU-21
Ismise,lemeas
successesof2011and2013theyshouldbewell FRANK BURKE
capableofprogressinthiscampaign.
President,ConnachtCouncilGAA
Today,Iwelcometherepresenta!vesoftheConnacht
andAll-IrelandChampionshipsponsorsEircom,
5
openerhavingnarrowlyavoided
Hanley fit,
relega!ontoDivisionThree.
“Wewilltakestockthisweekandthen
but Healy out nextweekstartourprepara!onsin
earnestforthechampionship.London
willbeonahigha#ertheirexploitslast
yearsowewillneedtobereadytomeet
By JOHN FALLON thatchallenge,”saidMulholland.
Meanwhile,theGalwayfootballerswill
Galwayfull-backFinianHanleywillbefit bewithoutgoalkeeperThomasHealyfor
fortheopeningroundoftheConnacht theiropeninggameintheConnacht
championshipa#erashoulderinjury championshipagainstLondon.
pickedupduringtheTribesmen'sleague TheCorofinclubmanwassentoffin
campaignwasnotasseriousasini!ally Galway’sfinalleaguegameagainst
feared. Monaghanandhasbeenhandedaone
Nevertheless,the29-year-oldfacedat matchsuspension.
leastfourweeksonthesidelineashe Healywasshownaredcarda#eranoff
bidstorecoverfromtheinjurywhichhe theballtanglewithConorMcManusin
sufferedinthefinalquarteroftheir0-13 thesecond-halfoftheirclashatClones.
to0-12lossawaytoMonaghan. ManusBreathnachislikelytotakeover
Hanley,whocaptainedGalwayforthe betweenthepostsfortheMay25
pasttwoyearsbeforePaulConroytook championshipclashagainstlastyear’s
overtherolethisseason,isexpectedto Connachtfinalists.
bebackwellin!mefortheiropening
championshipgameagainstLondonin
FIGHTINGFIT:FinianHanleyisno
RuisliponMay25.
longeradoubtforthestartof
GalwaymanagerAlanMulhollandwas
Galway'sConnachtchampionship
relievedthatHanley’sinjurywasless
campaignafterhepickedupa
seriousthanfearedandhesaidtherefull
shoulderinjuryagainstMonaghan.
a$en!onwasnowonthechampionship
Photo:DavidMaher/SPORTSFILE
Harrison progress pleases Flanagan
By LEO GRAY !meforanewmanagertocomeinbutFlanaganhadimportant
TheSligoChampion
experienceofworkingagainsttheodds.
HebroughtWestmeathallthewayuptoDivision1duringhis!me
SligomanagerPatFlanaganadmitsheisencouragedbythe
withtheLeinstercountyandwastheperfectfitforaSligoteam
progressthatdefenderCharlieHarrisonhasmadeinhisrecovery
badlyinneedofafreshapproach.
frominjury.
Althoughtheyhadli$le!metopreparethesquad,thenew
Harrisonisinaraceagainst!metobefitfortheConnacht
managersaidhisambi!onwastogetSligooutofDivision
seniorfootballchampionshipclashagainsteitherGalwayor
3asquicklyaspossible,andheretainshugehopeforthe
LondoninJune.
Yeatsmena#erseeingplentyofposi!vessincehetook
The2010All-Starhasbeensidelinedsince
thejob.
hedamagedhisshoulderintheNFLgame
“Wehaveoneortwoinjuries,butotherthanthatI
againstOffalyinearlyMarch.
don'tthinkwearefairingtoobad.
However,hehasreturnedtotraining,
Thingshavegonefairlywell,butI’ma
muchtothedelightofhismanager.
li$ledisappointedatthesame!me.
“Charliehasn'tdoneanycontactstuff
“Ifeltwethrewwayagameagainst
yetbutthesignsareencouraging,”
WexfordandagameagainstCavanas
saidFlanagan.
well,butifwecanins!ltheheartand
“Youcanneverbesurehowlongthese
desiretheU-21showedagainst
injurieswilltaketofullyclearupbut
Roscommonintotheseniorteam
atthisstagewe'rehopefulthatCharlie
thereisabrightfutureforSligo,”he
willbebackin!mefortheConnacht
said.
championship.”
Withlongservingstalwartssuchas
Sligo'sCharlieHarrisonlookssetto
EamonnO'Hara,NoelMcGuire,Sean
returnintimeforSligo'sConnacht
DaveyandJohnnyDaveynolonger
championshipopeneragainstGalwayor
involved,Sligowereverymuchina
London.
transi!onperiod.Itwasn'tthebest Photo:RayMcManus/SPORTSFILE
6
Carolan misses out for Mayo
ByMIKEFINNERTY
TheMayoNews
WhentheMayoseniorfootballerstooktheirfirststeponwhattheyhopewillbe
anotherroadthatleadstoSeptember,CathalCarolanwasathomeinCrossmolina.
The24-year-old,whocameonathalf-!meinlastyear’sAll-Irelandfinal,hadsurgery
recentlytorepairatorncruciateligamentinhisrightkneeandhasnoideawhenhe
willbefitenoughtoeitherreturntowork,orplayfootball.
Hissecondseasoninthecountypanelendedabruptlyduringarou!netraining
sessionbackinMarchbeforeithadevenstarted.
Carolan’sjobasanelectricianonsiteinWestportisalsoonholdfortheforeseeable
futureand,atthemoment,hisbiggestconcernsincludehowtospendhisdays,and
howtogetfrom‘AtoB’whileoncrutchesandunabletodrive.
“I’mplanningtoenjoymysummer,domyrehab,andcomebackfi$erandstronger
thanever,”hesaid.
“I’mafairlyeasy-goingpersonsomya%tudeis‘what’sforme,isforme’.Iwould
nevergettoodownaboutthings.“Youjusthavetogetonwithit.
“Butatthe!meitwasadisasterreally,”hereflected.“ItstartedtosinkinIsuppose
whenIstoppedgoingtraining,andIwasstrugglingtoputonmytrousersorapairof
shorts.
“I’ms!llverydisappointedtobelaidupbutIthinkitwillprobablyhitmealot
harderlateroninthesummerwhenI’minCrokeParkwatchingtheladsplaying
games.”
“Alltheladshavebeenintouch,themedicalteamhavebeengreatandAndy
[Moran]hasbeenincontactalot.Myfamilyandfriendsareagreathelptoo,picking
meupandbringingmeplaces.Iliveinaruralareasohavingthathelpiscrucial.
“Ican’tputadateonwhenI’llbebackplaying,italldependsonhowIheal,”he
explained.“I’lldoeverythingthatI’vebeentoldtodobythemedicalteam,andtake
itweekbyweek.
CathalCarolanwillmisstheremainderofMayo'sseasonwith
acruciateligamentinjury.Photo:MattBrowne/SPORTSFILE
Evans boosted year.Itwasn’thappeningforuslastseason,sowehadtowork
anawfullotharder,andnowtheplayershavetheir
reward,”saidtheformerTipperarymanager.
by promotion Havingthebulkofthepanelavailablethisseason,
Evanscitedthecompe!!onforplaceswithinthe
panelastheprimaryreasonwhyRoscommonhave
prosperedthisseason.
By Ian Cooney “There’sfiercecompe!!onforplaces.Peoplehave
RoscommonHerald
beenaskingmeabouttheU-21playersandIhaven’t
HatsofftoJohnEvans.TheKerryman’simpacton commentedonit.Theonlyreasonwewereplaying
theteamwasalwaysgoingtobejudgedwhen theU-21playersisbecausetheywantedtoplay.They
Roscommonhadtheirbestplayersavailable.Ithas wantedtostaypartofthisset-up.Theydon’twantto
workedoutlikethatthisseasonandtheendresultis losetheirplacetoanybodyonthisteam.
promo!ontoDivision2withtwogamestospare. “That’sthecompe!!onwe’vecreatedwithinthecamp.
Onecouldn’thaveaskedforanythingmore. Thespiritisfantas!c,andthey’reallwillingtolisten
“I’mabsolutelythrilled.It’s andworkhardforeach
nomorethantheplayers other,”heexplained.
deserve.They’veworked
extremelyhard.They’ve
RoscommonmanagerJohn
listenedverya$en!velyand Evanshasbeendelightedwith
takeninanawfullot. theformofhisU-21s,including
“We’vechangedaroundour DiarmuidMurtaghwhowasin
gameandthescoringrate fineformastheRossies
hasincreased.Theywerethe claimedtheConnachtU-21
footballchampionship.
thingswelookedata#erlast
Photo:DavidMaher/SPORTSFILE
7
Work set to start on Ruislip development
By DARAGH SMALL theGAAatcentrallevel. Theoutstanding Londonwithacountygroundcomparable
balancewillbemetbyLondonGAAandits witheveryothercountyinIrelandwhere
clubs. wewillbeabletohostourfellowGaels
AntUachtaráinCumannLúthchleasGael inamannerLondonreceivesinevery
TheredevelopmentofRuislip,thehomeof
LiamÓNéillwelcomedthedevelopment countywevisitinIrelandandallowusto
LondonGAA,wasrecentlyannouncedin
saying:“Wearedelightedtoconfirm proudlyshowcasetheposi!veaspectsof
conjunc!onwiththeDepartmentof
detailsofthisexci!ngnewdevelopment theGAAinLondon
ForeignAffairsandTrade.
whichwillservetheneedsofLondonGAA “TheGAAisfirstandforemostacultural
Itisplannedthattheproposednew£4.17 anditsclubsformanyyearstocome. movementandLondonGAAenables
millionSTG/€5milliondevelopmentwill “RuislipissynonymouswiththeGAAin emigrantsandpeoplewithIrishheritageto
commenceinSeptember2014,andthe LondonandIhavenodoubtthatthe retainaconnec!ontohomeandcelebrate
refurbishedfacilitywillre-openfor excellentnewfacilitywillplayacentral asenseofIrishiden!ty.
London’sConnachtchampionshipmatchin roleintheongoinggrowthand “ThedevelopmentwillensurethatRuislip
May2015. developmentofourgamesintheBri!sh con!nuestobeaproudplacefortheIrish
TheDepartmentofForeignAffairsand capital”saidtheoutgoingPresident. DiasporainLondonandBritainenabling
Tradewillcontribute€600,000towardsthe NoelDunning,ChairpersonoftheLondon thecon!nuedcelebra!onofIrishculture
projectfromitsEmigrantSupport DevelopmentCommi$eeadded: andheritageatastateoftheartspor!ng
Programmeand€1.4millionwillcomefrom “ThedevelopmentofRuislipwillprovide complex.”
Five added to hasmovedtoaddafewnewfacestohis
squad.
EslinbrothersConorandMarkBeirne
Leitrim panel
havebeenjoinedbyMohillduoShane
QuinnandAlanMcLoughlinand
Aughnasheelin’sBarryMcWeeneyon
By JOHN CONNOLLY thetrainingpanel.
Meanwhile,EndaLyonshadalso
LEITRIMOBSERVER
withdrawnfromthesquadduetohis
commitmentwiththecountyminor
Withacoupleofweekstogotothe
team,havingbeenelevatedtotheteam
ConnachtSeniorChampionshipmee!ng
followingMcCrann’sinjury.
withRoscommoninHydePark,
ItisalsobelievedthatLeitrim'sclash
prepara!onsaregoingintoover-drivein
theLeitrimcamp. withRoscommonwillnowhavea3pm
Andwithinjuriesalreadytakingtheir throw-in!measRoscommontownhosts
toll,managerSeanHaganhasaddedfive theendofthefirststageoftheAnPost
playerstothetrainingpanelbeforehe RásonSunday,May18.
finaliseshis30mansquad. Officialssaythatthe3pmstartwillgive
STOPPER:LeitrimgoalkeeperCathal
FollowingrecentinjuriestoJohn spectators!metogettotheground
McCrannmissedallofLeitrim'snational
Mulligan,goalkeeperCathalMcCrann leaguecampaignwithabrokencollarbone. beforetrafficrestric!onsforthecycle
andfull-forwardTomasBeirne,Hagan Photo:MattBrowne/SPORTSFILE racecomeintoforce.
8
By DARAGH SMALL
THEnearlymenoftheGAAdidnothingto
silencetheirdoubterssofarin2014astwo
latecollapsesinCrokeParkgavethecri!csa
s!ck tobeatthemwith.
A#erlastyear’stremendouscrusadeandthe
desola!onthatfollowedoncemoreintheAll-Ireland
final,this!meatthehandsofDublin,Mayowere
expectedtocomeoutallgunsblazingintheAllianz
Na!onalFootballLeagueDivision1butitnever
materialised.
AcomfortablewinatCusackParkagainst
hosts,Westmeath,combinedwitha4-12
to2-14victoryoveranemergingCork
ou)itreallymadepeoplesitupand
listenandallofasuddenaclashwith
DublininCrokeParklookedsettobethe
crucialfixturethatwouldquellthecynicism.
Thescriptwasgoingaccordingtoplanwith13minutes
le#ontheclockasthe14menofDublinweresixpoints
inarrearsandMayolookedtobecoas!ng,butwith
victoryinsighttheGreenandRedfaltered.
Thegamewasdrawnandthenext!meMayoputtheir
feetoutontheJones'Roadvenuefortheleague
semi-finalagainst14-manDerrysomethingsimilar
happened.
Sayingallthat,therehavebeenglimpsesthisyearofa
sidehungryforsuccessandrightlyso,butMayo’s
tenancytodri#inandoutofgamesmustworryJames
Horan.GerCafferkey,AidanO’Shea,AndyMoranandCillian
O’ConnorarethekeyquartetifMayoaretohaveaninput
deepintothesummerandwho’stosaytheywon’t,well
apartfromthecri!cs.
Predic!on:LikelyConnachtchampions,butevenreachingan
All-Irelandfinalagainwon'tsa!sfyMayo.
MayocaptainFergalCostelloli!stheJJNestorCupin2004a!ertheirvictoryover
Roscommon.Photo:DamienEagers/SPORTSFILE 9
OneofMayo’smostinfluen!alforwards,the
Ballaghadereenmanhasbeenthefocalpointofthe
GreenandRed’sriseinrecentyears.
Althoughself-admi$edly,havingabelow-paryearlast
!meout,Morans!llmanagedtoleadfromthefront
asMayofellatthefinalhurdle,losingtoDublinin
theAll-Irelandfinal.
Tenaciousandhard-workingMoran’s
comba!vestylehaswonhimmany
admirersthroughouttheyears.However,
hiscareerhasbeendoggedwithinjury
themostseriousofwhicharrived
duringMayo'sruntotheAll-Ireland
finalin2012,whenhesuffereda
cruciateligamentinjuryagainst
Downinthelasteight.
Formerlyacorner-forward,the
powerfulspeedsterhasthisyear
revertedtothe40inaplay-makingroleinJamesHoran's
gameplan.
Moran’sincreasedinvolvementinthegameshas
allowedhimtofocusmoreonthetechnical
aspectsratherthantheblisteringpace
thathewasrenownedfor.
Hispinpointpassingandlong-ranged
score-ge%ngmakehimoneofthe
mostelusivefrontmenout
there.Andifcanremainfit,
Morancanhaveabigroleto
playasthechampionship
heatsupinthe
summermonths.
AndyMoran,Mayocaptainin
actionduringthenationalleague.
Photo:DavidMaher/SPORTSFILE
10