Mayo team for opening championship encounter announced
Mayo manager Kevin McStay and his assistants have named the team to face Sligo in the Connacht Senior Football Championship quarterfinal this Sunday (April 6) in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, Castlebar.
There are two changes to the team that started against Kerry last weekend in the Allianz National Football League Division 1 final as Darren McHale replaces Conor Reid and Davitt Neary comes in for Eoghan McLaughlin. Stephen Coen will again captain the team, as he has done throughout the league.
Sunday’s game will be the 60th championship meeting between Mayo and Sligo, the first taking place in the 1905 championship but actually played on April 29, 1906, in Claremorris. The most recent meeting between the counties was in 2021 in Markievicz Park.
Only Galway and Roscommon have been more frequent opponents for Mayo in the championship.
Mayo hold the upperhand in with 46 victories to Sligo’s eight, while there have been five draws (in 1940, 1962, 1966, 1972 and 1975). Connacht finals have been contested between the counties in 1920, 1928, 1930, 1932, 1975, 1981, 1997, 2012 and 2015.
Markievicz Park and Hastings Insurance MacHale Park have been the most popular venues for meetings between the counties, with 14 and 11 respectively, although Sligo did not play at MacHale Park until 1966. Charlestown (four), Ballina (three), Claremorris (two) and Swinford (one) have been other Mayo venues used, while seven games were played in Sligo town before Markievicz Park was developed, with Tubbercurry and Ballymote each hosting two games.
Neutral venues included Castlerea and Parkmore, with five games each played there in the early years of the Connacht Championship, while Hyde Park, Roscommon, has hosted the last three Connacht final meetings between the counties.
The referee for Sunday's game, which throws in at 3.30 p.m., is Noel Mooney from Cavan. The match will be streamed live on GAA+ and there will be live coverage on Midwest Radio with Stephen Grealis and Martin Carney. Tickets can be purchased here.
The Mayo team in full is as follows: Colm Reape; Jack Coyne, Donnacha McHugh, Enda Hession; Sam Callinan, David McBrien, Stephen Coen; Jack Carney, Matthew Ruane; Davitt Neary, Darren McHale, Jordan Flynn; Aidan O'Shea, Frank Irwin, Ryan O'Donoghue.
The subs are: Adrian Phillips, Conor Reid, Diarmuid O'Connor, Dylan Thornton, Eoghan McLaughlin, Fergal Boland, Fenton Kelly, Niall Coggins, Paul Towey, Sean Morahan, Shairoze Akram.