Latest news with #KevinMcStay
BBC News
15 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Mayo bounce back to beat Tyrone in All-Ireland group stage
Mayo bounced back from an opening day defeat to shock Tyrone 2-17 to 1-13 in their All-Ireland round-robin meeting in O'Donaghue top scored for the visitors with 1-6 including a second-half penalty while Darren McHale grabbed the other Mayo goal after the first-half hooter had blown. Stephen Rochford took charge of Mayo for the game after manager Kevin McStay confirmed earlier in the week that he was stepping back from his role for the immediate future to deal with some personal health came into this one as favourites after their victory over Ulster champions Donegal in Ballybofey seven days ago while Mayo had opened with a home defeat to Cavan a fortnight ago. The difference in turnaround times for both sides may have been a factor as the visitors dominated the hosts, who looked flat throughout and struggled on their own restarts. Mayo blow Group One wide open Mayo led 0-6 to 0-2 midway through the first half with Rory Brickenden and Ryan O'Donaghue amongst the scorers, but their lead could have been greater as the cut the Tyrone defence open on multiple occasions with O'Donaghue and Aidan O'Shea coming close to Red Hands would go 13 and then 12 minutes without registering a score during the first half with efforts from Ben McDonnell and Darragh Canavan stopping the rot. But it was Mayo who would lead by eight at the break (1-9 to 0-4), after scoring a late held possession for over three minutes before the hooter sounded and Bob Tuohy then had a shot on goal which was spilled by Niall Morgan in the Tyrone goal, allowing McHale to shoot into the empty net. Malachy O'Rourke's side needed a response in the second half and got just that with a quickfire 1-2, Darragh Canavan finishing off a fine individual goal before O'Donaghue and Darren McCurry, who took 49 minutes to register a score, exchanged efforts. Morgan came forward and nailed a long range free from two-point range to cut the gap to just a single point and when it looked Tyrone had the upper hand, Mayo replied with an unanswered 1-4. Their second goal came from the penalty spot after referee David Coldrick adjudged that Ciaran Quinn had pushed Davitt Neary inside the box. O'Donaghue stepped up and sent Morgan the wrong way, atoning for his penalty miss in the 2021 All-Ireland decider between the sides to seal victory for the Connacht men. That result blows Group One wide open, with Mayo taking on Donegal in a fortnight's time while Tyrone face Cavan with all-four counties having a real chance of advancing beyond the group stage. Tyrone: N Morgan (0-4 2 2ptf); C Quinn, P Teague, N Devlin; M McKernan (0-1), R Brennan, K McGeary (0-1); B McDonnell (0-1), C Kilpatrick; S O'Donnell, M Donnelly (0-1), C Daly; D McCurry (0-2 1f), M Bradley, D Canavan (1-3 2f). Subs: Liam Gray for S O'Donnell (HT), Shea O'Hare for R Brennan (HT), Peter Harte for M Bradley (48), Ruairi Canavan for C Daly (48), Aodhan Donaghy for B McDonnell (62)Mayo: C Reape (0-1 1f); J Coyne (0-1), S Morahan, R Brickenden 0-2); S Coen, D McBrien, E Hession; P Durcan (0-3), M Ruane; J Carney (0-1), D McHale (1-0), B Tuohy; A O'Shea (0-1), C Dawson (0-2), R O'Donaghue (1-6 5f, 1 pen). Subs: Jordan Flynn for B Tuohy (52), Davitt Neary for D McHale (52), Fenton Kelly for C Dawson (57), Fergal Boland for M Ruane (65), Sam Callinan for P Durcan (67).
The 42
a day ago
- Sport
- The 42
Rochford climbs on top of the Mayo volcano as they face yet another last stand
INTERCOUNTY MANAGEMENT IN the modern era is a game of bluff. To appear to the outside world that you are so chilled you might look around yourself for another layer, all the while sitting on top of a volcano. Or at least a Bunsen burner, turning your backside to tan leather. Take yourself back to the first round of the National Football League in 2023. Paddy Carr had just brought Donegal to a win over Kerry. He struggled to hold back tears as he talked about how much it meant to bring a little happiness to the people of the county. Having taken over in late October, and then having to deal with the retirement of Michael Murphy, Carr was a man under pressure, so the win came as a huge relief. Yet before the league was out, he was gone after a meeting with some key players who made it clear they did not think he was the man for the job. Occurrences of managers leaving a post mid-season were once unheard of. Nowadays, they crop up every couple of seasons. It has been a strange last fortnight in the world of Mayo GAA. Defeat to Cavan has left them facing a last stand this Saturday night against Tyrone in Omagh. In the middle of it all, manager Kevin McStay took unwell at the team training session in Castlebar last Saturday. While his health is now stable, he has had to step down as the county team manager. Inherently decent and hugely respected in the GAA, McStay doesn't strike us as one of the Teflon individuals at the very top end of Gaelic football management. Having a life and a career outside the game has granted him a more rounded personality but the stress of the last number of weeks cannot have been easy for him to bear. Kevin McStay with Rochford on the line. Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO / INPHO Writing in the Mayo News this week, journalist Michael Gallagher was present at the defeat to Cavan and recalls: 'In the last few minutes of that game, some of the vitriol directed towards him from a small band of humans had to be heard to be believed. How this could occur defies belief, but it doesn't surprise me.' Advertisement Despite all, the Mayo show goes on and rolls into Omagh. It will now be led by Stephen Rochford, who had a previous spell as manager a decade ago. Back then, it was a fairly daunting challenge. Like it or not, the dressing room he walked into could be seen as anything from 'strong' to 'difficult', given how the previous management team of Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly were pushed out of their roles. Within Mayo, the support were still digesting how they let Dublin wriggle off the hook over two All-Ireland semi-finals. But there was a sense that the same players who had been shaped into credible All-Ireland contenders under James Horan might have their opinions taken into consideration. Stephen Rochford with the Mayo players. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO After a typically long, drawn-out appointment process, it was 30 November before the county board confirmed Rochford's appointment. Naturally, how it ended for the previous guys was among the first questions he was asked. His answer was illustrative. It could have been scripted by a PR company to give a little bit of jam to everyone. Classic rugby-speak. 'It is unfortunate what happened. There is a mediation process ongoing between the player and county board and we will take on board any significant learnings from that.' With that done and put to bed, he got on with the job. What style of play he had with Mayo wasn't quite what he had as manager of Corofin, whom he coached to an All-Ireland club title. He knew he had the meanest half-back line in Ireland, fashioned in the ways of Horanball, and he kept that unit intact. While they may have lost two All-Ireland finals in 2016 and 2017, both performances were as good as it ever got for Mayo in the modern age. Conceding two own goals in the drawn 2016 final was freakish. Limiting the Dublin attack to 0-6 from play however was incredible. For the replay, it was a mere 0-8 from play for Dublin as they edged it by a point. It was another single point margin in the following year's final. Rochford with Declan Bonner during his time in Donegal. Evan Logan / INPHO Evan Logan / INPHO / INPHO While 'Newbridge or Nowhere' was the end of Rochford's first Mayo spell, he was always going to be in demand. Declan Bonner made a move and brought in Rochford to the Donegal management, where he remained for four seasons. 'There's no time to dwell too much on it,' Bonner says of Rochford's current transition from Mayo's Maoir Foirne to Bainisteoir. 'I'm sure the guys are back in training since they were on Saturday morning when the incident happened. He's getting the side ready against Tyrone and they are a side who will be bouyed up by how they got on in Ballybofey.' 'There's no doubt, it's a pressured situation and the demands are huge,' Bonner says, reflecting on his own two spells over Donegal, from 1998 to 2000 and again from 2018 to 2022. 'But you don't have to do it if you don't want to do it and a lot of people decide they don't want to do it. That's just the way it is. The good days are good and the bad days are pretty low. And of course, the bad days definitely outweigh the good days. 'Unless you are winning provincial championships or All-Irelands year in, year out, there's a lot to put up with.' Read Next Related Reads Mayo GAA address financial situation at special delegates meeting 201 not out: How Aidan O'Shea has kept the Mayo faith over 17 seasons Galway have plenty reasons to be cheerful, but can 2025 provide payback for recent hurt? Rochford isn't one for the gap year with a metaphoric spell away travelling. A high-ranking bank official with AIB, he has been coaching since he was still playing for Crossmolina and this year marks a full decade in the county game. After his time at Donegal wrapped up, he was named as a coach for Bernard Flynn's potential management team of Meath before the county board gave the job to Colm O'Rourke. A couple of months later, he joined McStay's set-up. At the time, it looked a crowded house alongside Donie Buckley and Liam McHale as well as selector Damian Mulligan. If it looked top-heavy, that was revealed after the first year when McHale left, citing, 'The four lads had a completely different philosophy on how this team should play than I had… I just felt there is no point in me being there when I am so removed from their thinking.' As the seasons rolled on, Rochford assumed a greater control, running the sessions with input from Buckley. Now, they are faced with a shot to nothing. Same old Mayo. Different Mayo. Nothing changes. Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here
Irish Times
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Mayo GAA finances Q&A: Why were the GAA's top officials in Westport?
Even by Mayo's standards, it was an eventful few days. As the county came to terms with their footballers' unexpected home defeat by Cavan on the first weekend of the All-Ireland series , word emerged on the Friday of last week that GAA president Jarlath Burns and director general Tom Ryan would be arriving in Westport's Knockranny House Hotel the following Monday to attend an extraordinary meeting of the Mayo county committee. Speculation was that they would be addressing financial issues, believed to centre on allegations that included a charge that Croke Park had not passed a reduction negotiated with the bank after it had assumed responsibility for loans taken out by Mayo. By then football manager Kevin McStay had suffered a medical episode at training last Saturday and it was announced just before Monday's meeting that he would be stepping back from his involvement with the team, leaving assistant and coach Stephen Rochford in charge of affairs for this weekend's critical group match against Tyrone in Omagh . How did we get here? The problem began with the redevelopment of MacHale Park in Castlebar, which was completed at a cost of €18 million and opened in 2009, not great timing in financial terms. READ MORE By 2014, Croke Park had loaned Mayo €5 million and taken over an additional, consolidated €5 million as part of a scheme to alleviate distressed loans to GAA units. Last Monday, the GAA's most senior officials were attending the meeting in Westport to deal, inter alia, with allegations that a debt 'haircut' of 50 per cent had not been passed on to the county. What happened? GAA director general (DG) Tom Ryan dealt with the matter of the loan – eventually – after the meeting had opened with condemnation of the intimidatory treatment suffered on social media by county officers and others in the GAA. Ryan, previously the association's director of finance, explained that the outstanding loan, confirmed at €7.8 million, was based on the original total of €10 million – two loans at €5 million each, the second, Loan B, of which had been taken over from Ulster Bank. He strenuously denied that Croke Park had failed to extend the whole reduction to Mayo, saying that it in fact represented 'one of the highest single-value discounts' obtained by any GAA unit. But what does that mean? Ryan outlined that a €1 million reduction on Loan B had been secured, in other words 20 per cent, as opposed to the alleged 50 per cent. The €1 million remains on the balance sheet but reduces as the rest of the loan is paid. Repayments have been brought down over the past 10 years from €46,000 per month to the current €25,000, now payable over 32 years at 1.9 per cent. The DG has a reputation for measured presentation and was very effective, for instance, when the GAA were before the Oireachtas committee on sport and media for its hearings on the 'future of sports broadcasting' and more specifically the GAAGO streaming service. Those present were largely convinced by what he had to say on the loan and the passing on of the discount. Everyone is happy, so? GAA president Jarlath Burns with GAA director general Tom Ryan. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho Although there was no counting of hands, there is believed to have been more or less unanimous support for the officers at a vote taken afterwards. Delegates, who were looking for dissent, report that they didn't see hands not raised and no objections were raised. There is a difference of opinion though between those who attended the meeting, who were impressed and persuaded by Ryan's presentation, and those who weren't present, some of whom felt unconvinced by what they heard back and viewed as vague details. As one said, the priority should have been to equip members with the tools to refute the rumours, which they felt hadn't been done. One delegate acknowledged that financial details can be hard for delegates. 'They come from clubs, which have a different approach. You fundraise – you build. You're not dealing with balance sheets. You're dealing with a set of accounts,' the delegate said. This isn't peculiar to Mayo but a fact of life in a voluntary organisation where there is a growing list of demands on the time of officers given the expanding governance requirement. To cope with this, counties are now required to have an audit and risk committee to advise the treasurer on governance matters and to report back at least annually to provincial and national equivalents. How did abusive social media activity become an issue? After this year's league final in which Kerry beat Mayo, Burns in his presentation speech expressed support for and solidarity with Mayo officers, who had been under fire because of these allegations. At Monday night's meeting, this online hostility was highlighted with examples shown to delegates in an unexpected presentation by county secretary Ronan Kirrane. County chairman Seamus Tuohy said: 'The nature of this campaign includes threatening and abusive emails targeted at individual members of the county board, social media posts making a raft of false accusations about officers of the county board as well as inaccurate and defamatory articles that were published online.' Burns added that the communications had 'gone way beyond' anything that could be 'considered acceptable.' Was the initial emphasis on the abuse of officers counterproductive? Even by Mayo's standards, it was an eventful few days. Photograph: Donall Farmer/Inpho For some outside the meeting it was unhelpful, generating too much smoke and giving the opportunity to depict it as deflection. For others in attendance, it was of sufficient scale and gravity to merit being raised. Not everyone would have been familiar with what had happened. 'It was shocking,' according to one of those present. What about the five players? A strange addendum to the presentation on abuse of officers came from Burns. 'I'll tell you one example of toxic activity,' he said. 'I received an email saying 'are you aware that there are five members of the Mayo senior football panel living in Dublin in an area where it is not laid out for residential use? I am reporting those five players to Dublin City Council .'' The players under threat left what is believed to have been a customised warehouse space but for some of those present, it was an odd line to take. After all, in this case the whistle-blowing appeared to be justified. 'If I were Mayo GAA, I'd be ashamed that our players were living in those conditions,' said one, 'and not drawing attention to it.' What now? Nobody is quite sure whether enough has been done to quell any disquiet but delegates and officers clearly want to move on. There have been recent suggestions that the county might commit €15 million to a centre of excellence, the lack of which former Mayo manager James Horan recently lamented on the Examiner football podcast. Presumably, with a legacy debt hanging around – albeit with flattened repayments – for another three decades, a major infrastructural project would have to be funded in advance.
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
What time is Tyrone v Mayo on today in the All-Ireland SFC and is it on TV?
Mayo will still have a chance to salvage their season against Donegal if it goes south for them in Omagh this evening, but it would be a long shot. The fallout from the Cavan defeat has been considerable, followed by Kevin McStay's health forcing him to step back, and there's a feeling that the season can't end quick enough. Mayo have thrived in these conditions before and may confound everyone again. But it just feels like they're not quite good enough this time. Verdict: Tyrone Where is the game being played? The game is being played at O'Neills Healy Park in Omagh. What time is throw-in? Throw in is at 7pm. Can I watch the game on TV? No, the game is not live on television but there will be highlights on The Saturday Game on RTÉ 2 at 10.50pm tonight. Is the game being streamed online? Yes, it will be streamed live on GAA+. Betting Odds: Tyrone: 3/10 Draw: 10/1 Mayo: 16/5
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Crunch time for Mayo and Galway on bumper weekend of GAA action
Saturday All-Ireland SFC, Round Two Group One Tyrone v Mayo, Healy Park, 7pm (Live on GAA+): In the county's extensive history of difficult weeks, Mayo put down yet another one over the last seven days. The optics of the GAA president and director general both attending a hastily called Mayo County Board meeting on Monday wasn't a particularly resplendent look for all involved. More importantly, news of Kevin McStay's health issues forcing him to step away as manager at this time is a worry that goes beyond football. All of this unspooled just one week after Mayo's surprise loss to Cavan . That loss means they will struggle to emerge from this group now so to at least keep their summer alive a little longer Mayo must not leave Omagh empty-handed. But if Tyrone reproduce their Ballybofey form, that's likely to be Mayo's fate. Verdict: Tyrone Group Two READ MORE Cork v Kerry, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 4.45pm (Live on GAA+): Once bitten ... and all that. Kerry received a hell of a scare from Cork in the Munster semi-final in April so that will be fresh in the minds of the Kingdom's players and management. Cork's lacklustre display against Meath last weekend must be a worry for the Rebels. That was a game John Cleary would have targeted for two points, but Cork played with no spark in Navan. Verdict: Kerry Roscommon v Meath, Dr Hyde Park, 6pm: Roscommon have never beaten Meath in championship football. This is the fifth time the sides will have clashed – with Meath winning the previous four (1952, 1991, 2006, 2009.) Robbie Brennan's Meath also beat Roscommon in the league this year but the Rossies still finished in the promotion places while Meath did not. This is likely to be a close affair between two evenly matched sides and could end in stalemate. Verdict: Draw Group Three Down v Louth, Páirc Esler, 5.30pm: Down delivered one of the most comprehensive displays of the opening round with a 3-27 to 1-16 dismissal of Clare in Ennis. Louth edged Down by a point when the sides met in the league in February so don't be surprised if this one comes down to a winning score at the death. Louth have had some injury issues in recent weeks though and they were denied permission to play their round one 'home' game against Monaghan in Newry as Down didn't want to cede any advantage ahead of this game. Verdict: Down Odhran Murdock of Down goes for a score. Photograph: Natasha Barton/Inpho Tailteann Cup, Round three Group Two Wicklow v Waterford, Wexford Park, 6pm: Wicklow's solid win over Laois last time out leaves them on course for a place in the knockout stages. A draw or a win here will guarantee Oisín McConville's side progression from the group. They face a Waterford side who, whilst competitive, lost to both Laois and Offaly. Verdict: Wicklow Offaly v Laois, St Conleth's Park, 6pm: Laois manager Justin McNulty was critical of his team's performance following their defeat to Wicklow in round two. Offaly, meanwhile, have been the form team in this group and that momentum should see them make it three wins from three. Verdict: Offaly Group Three Westmeath v Limerick, O'Moore Park, 2pm: This is a straight shootout for top spot and a pass directly to the quarter-finals. Dermot McCabe's Westmeath appear to have hit some real form in recent weeks and their high-scoring victories over London (0-26 to 1-10) and Antrim (4-24 to 1-17) suggest they might have superior firepower here on Limerick. Verdict: Westmeath Nickey Rackard Cup final Mayo v Roscommon, Croke Park, 1pm (Live on TG4 YouTube): Mayo had seven points to spare on Roscommon when the sides met in April and while Roscommon have shown to carry a real goalscoring threat this year, their Connacht neighbours look to have a better balance to their team. Mayo lost last year's final to Donegal. Verdict: Mayo Lory Meagher Cup final Cavan v New York, Croke Park, 3pm (Live on TG4 YouTube): New York's participation in the competition has sparked plenty of debate in recent weeks and they enter this final as unbackable favourites. New York were parachuted in at the semi-final stages, where they beat Monaghan 1-29 to 2-13. Verdict: New York Christy Ring Cup final Derry v London, Croke Park, 5pm (Live on TG4 YouTube): Derry overcame London by four points when the sides met in Ruislip during the group stages. Both sides have shown impressive form this season but Derry have been the most consistent side in this year's Christy Ring and are hoping to make it third time lucky after losing the last two finals. Verdict: Derry All-Ireland under-20 hurling final Kilkenny v Tipperary, UPMC Nowlan Park, 3pm (Live on TG4): Kilkenny's path to this final came with wins over Laois and Dublin in Leinster whereas the round-robin format in Munster meant Tipp played all comers in their province – beating Cork, Clare and Limerick. They then beat Clare again in the Munster final and should enter this decider much more battled-hardened than the Cats. Tipperary are also still stewing from last year's All-Ireland final defeat to Offaly. Verdict: Tipperary Sunday All-Ireland SFC, Round Two Group One Cavan v Donegal, Kingspan Breffni, 2pm Interesting to see what sort of reaction Donegal bring here, having thrown away a good position after a very patchy display against Tyrone. Cavan surprised everyone by tearing Mayo to shreds so Jim McGuinness's side will be well-warned. Shaun Patton's importance can rarely have been better advertised than last Saturday night so the sooner Donegal have him back taking kickouts the better. They should probably be too strong for Cavan but then we said that about Mayo too. Verdict: Donegal Group Three Monaghan v Clare, Clones, 4pm Monaghan have been impressive, putting Louth away for more comfortably than the scoreline suggested last weekend. They will surely have plenty in hand against a Clare team that couldn't get out of Division Three and have lost by 11 and 17 in their last two games. Verdict: Monaghan Stephen O'Hanlon of Monaghan. Photograph: Ciaran Culligan/Inpho Group Four Derry v Galway, Celtic Park, 2pm (Live on GAA+) Not exactly a loser-goes-home game but not a million miles off it. Whoever is beaten here will still have a chance to escape deep water in a fortnight but it's a long, long way to the surface. The return of Odhran Lynch and Lachlan Murray give Dery some hope – god knows they need it. They won't find much encouragement from their home record anyway – they haven't won a championship match in Celtic Park since June 7th 2015, a decade ago almost to the day. Not a lot of succour in their history against Galway either – in five championship meetings down the years, they've lost every game. Galway look to have evolved past their dependence on having both Shane Walsh and Damien Comer available at the same time, which can only be a good thing. A team with their pretensions can't afford a defeat here. Verdict: Galway Dublin v Armagh, Croke Park, 4pm (Live on RTE Two) The only game of the weekend between two first-round winners. It's first time that Dublin have faced a proper All-Ireland contender in Croke Park in a group game in either the old Super 8s or the current format, so there should be some electricity. The absence of Con O'Callaghan is a killer for Dublin, who don't have a replacement. That said, they will be heartened to see Lee Gannon back after they feared his season was done. Armagh have a deeper squad and a cleaner bill of health. Should be enough. Verdict: Armagh Tailteann Cup, Round three Group One Kildare v Sligo, Dr Hyde Park, 2pm Sligo are nobody's mugs and drew this fixture in the 2023 Tailteann Cup. Both these teams will progress so it might take a slight edge off. With Daniel Flynn back firing, Kildare could have a class edge. But not by much. Verdict: Kildare Leitrim v Tipperary, Mullingar, 1.30pm Still something to play for here – a Tipperary win will likely earn them a spot in the next round. Leitrim's points difference leaves them with more of an uphill struggle and they haven't won a game since May 2024 so they can be forgiven for just wanting the season over. Verdict: Tipperary Group Three Antrim v London, Newry, 1.45pm This has really turned into a rotten season for Antrim. Relegation from Division Three has been followed by a championship in which they've been conceding cricket scores. Even this fixture is a bit forlorn – both teams have such a lead weight points difference that a win most likely won't buy them passage to the knock-out stage. Might favour London, oddly. Verdict: London Group Four Carlow v Longford, O'Connor Park, 1.45pm Joe Murphy has performed quite the exorcism in Carlow, going unbeaten against Wexford (Division Four champions) and Fermanagh (finished a point off promotion in Division Three). They should have enough to put Longford away and will probably top the group. Nobody saw that coming when Shane Curran walked in late March. Verdict: Carlow Fermanagh v Wexford, Croke Park, 1.45pm - GAA+ Crunch tie of the day in the Tailteann Cup. Fermanagh came so close to beating Down in Ulster that most presumed they'd breeze through the early stages of the Tailteann but Carlow nipped them in a stone-cold classic. Wexford were four up going into injury-time against Carlow the last day but gave up a goal and point at the death. In four meetings between the teams, Fermanagh haven't been beaten. This is no time to be making history. Verdict: Fermanagh
