James Laffey

2 weeks ago | westernpeople.ie | James Laffey

The clocks may have gone forward by an hour on Sunday morning but Kerry looked like the only team in summertime mode in the National League Division One Final at Croke Park later in the day. While the Kingdom’s performance was far from perfect, they had the appearance of a side with one eye on the championship whereas Mayo regressed to the worst of their winter form, and the two teams might as well have been in different time zones in the final quarter such was the gulf in class.

3 weeks ago | westernpeople.ie | James Laffey

Mayo GAA fans are well used to rollercoaster rides but last Sunday’s topsy-turvy events in the National League were of the most extreme white-knuckle variety… even by Mayo standards. In the final ten minutes of a hitherto low-octane encounter against Donegal at MacHale Park, the fortunes of the home side swung wildly between relegation and a place in the Division One final, and ultimately the width of a crossbar decided Mayo’s fate.

1 month ago | westernpeople.ie | James Laffey

If the Mayo senior footballers go on to enjoy a successful 2025, the half-time team-talk against Armagh on February 22nd will be viewed as the decisive turning point. The change in Mayo’s fortunes since that blistering second-half display against the All-Ireland champions is quite remarkable, propelling the team from relegation fodder to title contenders.

1 month ago | westernpeople.ie | James Laffey

A point lost or a point gained? That was the question on the lips of most Mayo supporters at the end of the fourth-round National League tie against Armagh last Saturday evening. The draw was arguably the fairest outcome after a game in which the pendulum swung wildly between both teams but Mayo were out in front in the home straight and somehow allowed Armagh to sneak up the inside rail and grab a point at the death.

2 months ago | westernpeople.ie | James Laffey

Things are bad when the most exciting moment in a half of football is the arrival of an ice-cream vendor. The cheery tune from the van momentarily lifted the prevailing gloom at MacHale Park on Sunday afternoon but it was a brief respite from the grim spectacle unfolding out on the pitch. The new rules were supposed to make Gaelic football more entertaining but nobody told Mayo and Tyrone as they served up a game so bad it is impossible to forget.