Breaffy hoping to upset the odds in Junior final
Breaffy captain Meadhbh O'Shea and Kilmoremoy captain Eimear Treacy with the junior 'A' cup at the Mayo LGFA Championship Captains Call at Turlough House, National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park.
Two sides who are familiar to each other and have made improvements throughout the season will battle for glory in the Mayo Ladies Junior final on Sunday.
Kilmoremoy will take on a Breaffy side who have enjoyed upsetting the odds this season and will be confident of creating another upset in the biggest moment of the season.
For captain Meadbh O’Shea, who has been involved in the senior set-up since she was a teenager, Sunday’s game is a sign of how far the club have come and is encouraging the younger members of the squad to enjoy the moment.
“I can remember a time when we were in the dressing room counting players to make sure we have enough, and did we have to ask the other team if we could play 13-a-side.
“Now you are fighting for your spot. I was saying to the girls I know you are trying to get a spot on the starting team, but we were waiting for days that we weren’t worried before games.
“Some of the younger ones don’t realise how unbelievable it is we have that now. We are so grateful that there is competition for spots.” To win the Junior final would represent a huge moment for the Breaffy women, from underage to the senior ranks of Sunday’s team.
“There is a core group of us that have been playing senior football since we were 15, and for girls that are 15, 16 playing with us now, it would be huge for the club.
“The Saturday mornings you go out to Ballyhane or Breaffy, there is a great set up and great volunteers. It would be great for those younger girls looking up to us and the community.” Joint-manager Kevin Hopkins spoke ahead of Sunday’s game, and is looking forward to the role of the underdog.
“We were complete underdogs against Parke so we were.
“Parke were very unlucky to lose out the county final last year against Swinford, they lost by three points.
“I am not saying it is luck, we prepared awfully well for that game. We came with a plan and executed it.
“We are coming in again as huge underdogs against Kilmoremoy, but we are in a good place.” In the second year of their management alongside Fergal Moran, Breaffy have shown their true potential after a first season that started with a lot of promise.
A strong league in 2025 could did not see the momentum continue into the championship as they exited in the group stages.
However, after some adjustments, Kevin believes they are peaking at just the right time.
“The first year it was hard for the girls to get used to us and for us to get used to them, I think it took longer for them to get used to us more so.
“We done things different this year. Last year, we probably peaked at the end of the league. By the championship, we probably fizzled out a bit.
“This year, we are structured our training to be peaking towards the championship, and I think it worked.” The first meeting between these sides in the group stages showed that Breaffy and Kilmoremoy were likely to have a say come towards the business end of the season.
After a quick start that saw Breaffy take a big lead in the first half, the Ballina-based club came back strong to run out as three-point winners.
With Breaffy showing they can compete with the best, and Kilmoremoy eager to return to intermediate at the first time of asking, Kevin is expecting a quality encounter.
“We played Kilmoremoy in the group stages, and we lost by three points in the first round of the Championship.
“They are a quality, quality team. They came down from intermediate last year, spending a couple of years in intermediate, and a couple of before that years in senior.
“I have watched them a couple of times, they have some quality players.” In a big weekend for the club, one person who will be missed in the community in times like this is Seamus Tuohy.
The Mayo GAA Chairman died from illness on September 23rd, as Kevin paid tribute to a man he was close to on and off the pitch.
“It is tragic. What a great guy, you would see him around Breaffy around all the time. You would see him at the Mayo games all the time.
“I knew him myself personally through work. I work for the HSE, and he would have worked for the HSE as well.
“I would have known him for many years, it is so sad.”
