With the GAA maintaining the All-Ireland group stage format for the 2025 season, one shudders to think of the dead rubbers and inconsequential matches that lie ahead next summer. GAA administrators and planners could learn a thing or two from the format of the Mayo GAA Club Championships.
Round 3 of this season’s competitions in senior and intermediate generated some thrilling drama and once again proved that the two up, one down group of four structure is the best way to guarantee entertainment until the last kick in the group. The arrival of autumn usually signals the return of some classic family-friendly TV, such as The Champions League, The Great British Bake Off and Strictly Come Dancing, but you’d be hard-pressed to find any more entertainment or action than what was on offer in the dying moments of Westport and Ballina or Ballinrobe against Kiltane or Ballintubber versus Kilmeena. You know the stakes are high and the narrative is extraordinary when the final whistle blows and players on the pitch are frantically asking about scores elsewhere. Qualification? Survival? It’s all on the line in those moments.
In the Galway Championship, the top three in each group progressed, with the top team going straight to the quarter-finals and the second and third placed teams qualifying for a preliminary quarter. With 75% of the teams in each group guaranteed to advance in the competition, the final round became a jeopardy-free zone with little high-wire tension or meaningful stakes left to play for. Moycullen 0-9 St James 0-6 and Monivea-Abbey 0-8 Dunmore MacHales 0-9 gives you a flavour of the action.
In our own group, before the final round, we (Oranmore-Maree) had already qualified in top place and the team we were playing, Menlough, were guaranteed a bottom placed finish no matter the result. This left a playoff for who finished second and third but as both Glenamaddy and St Michael’s were guaranteed to progress, this became a damp-squib, non-entity of a fixture.
Back in Mayo, the innovation of giving top-placed teams a home quarter-final was a masterstroke from Mayo’s fixture chiefs and ensured there was no easing up anywhere, even among the big dogs whose progression was guaranteed. See Ballina’s manic press late on against Westport for evidence of such. Because of this new format, a quarter-final fixture in Garrymore, one of Mayo’s most real and authentic venues, is a prospect to be savoured. As a player and supporter, I would be much more excited at playing or attending a county quarter-final in Garrymore than a half-empty MacHale Park. The atmosphere and championship vibe would be night and day.
At national level, the GAA should again follow suit and give group-toppers home advantage for All-Ireland quarter-finals. Last eight games in a cavernous Croke Park can be a soulless, echoey affair where the seagulls’ squawking drowns out the din of those loyal few who have travelled up from the country. Imagine an All-Ireland quarter-final in Killarney or Castlebar or Armagh in high summer. That would be championship. Save Croke Park for Oasis and All-Ireland semis and finals.
Mayo’s senior quarter-final draw has thrown up some intriguing pairings. By a quirk of this new system, a lot of the traditional superpowers are on the road in the senior grade. Castlebar, Ballintubber, Knockmore and Westport will all have designs on winning the Paddy Moclair in October but must escape from the bear pit first before progressing.
Knockmore will have a nice gut-check in South Mayo. The proud Garrymore faithful will welcome the men from the north of the county with open arms. The pitch and dressing rooms will be resplendent. The tea and sandwiches will be flowing before and after. In the heat of battle, though, the warm welcome will become a blazing furnace for Knockmore. This is a huge opportunity for Garry’ and they will throw the kitchen sink at it. Shrinking violets will be trampled on. Thankfully for Knockmore, the men from the Parish of the Backs like it hot and heavy and will relish a trip to Mayo footballing heartland.
On paper, Westport are probably the best side in the county right now. They have an abundance of talent and looked scintillating at times against the reigning champions Ballina last Sunday week. Football is played on grass, not paper, though, and Breaffy have probably been the most consistently impressive team thus far in Championship ‘24. In a neutral venue, you’d have to give Westport the nod, but form and home advantage count for a lot at this stage, so good luck calling that one.
James Stephens Park will see Mayo’s most decorated clubs lock horns. Ballina Stephenites have 37 titles, Castlebar Mitchels have 31, with the next closest on 10. They’re from the biggest towns in Mayo and they’re the biggest clubs. Something’s gotta give! Ballina have been plugging away nicely this season but got a tad lucky to prevail over Westport. Castlebar have been up and down with a very young team. Still, they’re outsiders heading north to Ballina with nothing to lose. Talented, pacy youngsters always have the potential to take flight in a one-off championship encounter and Ballina need to be wary and hopeful that next weekend isn’t the day that the Mitchels youngsters come of age.
The last clash between Ballaghaderreen and Ballintubber probably isn’t the most glamorous of the quarter-final lineup, but it’s one of the hardest to call. Somewhat under the radar, Ballaghaderreen have had some excellent championship showings to date and will be delighted with their home draw and opponents. Ballintubber will just be delighted to be there at all given the fact that they progressed from their group by the skin of their teeth. Cillian’s back and firing and ‘Tubber are the kings of finding a way. Both sides will fancy their chances.
Board culpable in McStay ‘farce’
In normal times, I’d imagine that Kevin McStay would be quite pleased with what he has seen in this year’s Mayo club championships. Compared to last year, the senior division has been much higher-scoring and enjoyable. A few of his county team stalwarts are still pulling up trees and in good nick while there are many other younger, newer prospects who are showing well and will have piqued the Mayo management’s interest.
Of course, these aren’t normal times. Until last Sunday night, the continued uncertainty around McStay’s future was nothing short of a farce. We have a manager who is two years into his four-year term, so why was there any doubt about who will be in charge next season? Nature abhors a vacuum and in the absence of any public backing or conclusion to the interminable end-of-season review, rumours and conjecture abounded. This cast Mayo GAA in a very bad light, and given the lack of urgency to finalise last season’s review or allow McStay to plan in earnest for next season, then he would have been well within his right to tell the County Board to take a hike. Back me or sack me!
Of course, there will be players unhappy with last season’s performance and setup – they had an underwhelming league and exited before the quarter-finals. You’d hope they wouldn’t be too content with their lot and would be agitating for better from themselves and everyone involved. The County Board obviously won’t be too happy with last season’s progress either. A short campaign doesn’t generate much hype or line the coffers. You can also be certain that McStay and co. will not have been hugely positive or enamoured with the players’ output as they faltered late on in three season-defining games.
All the main parties should have been in a room within a fortnight of the Derry game, though, to iron out any issues and plan for future improvements. This non-committal, méar fhada approach to making tough decisions has put the Mayo senior team on the back foot in planning terms for next season. God forbid, if McStay had chosen to leave the post, Mayo would be miles behind the chasing pack in terms of preparation for 2025. And would anyone else do a better job during this transition period?
But I didn’t envisage any management change happening and thankfully, sense has prevailed – just in time for us to enjoy the rest of the club championships in peace.
