Can Balla lads find the formula to stop Kobe and his crew?
Gortnor Abbey’s Jack O’Brien in action against Zach Gethins of St Clare's, Manorhamilton during last season's defeat in the Connacht PPS senior 'C' final. The Crossmolina outfit have returned to the final at the first time of asking. Picture: David Farrell Photography
It is considered a big plus if you have someone in your school team who played Mayo minor but it is next level advantage to have someone who is already in the Mayo senior squad.
Not just that, but in Kobe McDonald, Gortnor Abbey have one of the most talked about young players in the country.
He joins the likes of Pádraig Brogan and Aidan O’Shea in playing colleges football in the same year as being in the Mayo senior setup. The difference is that Brogan (1983) and O’Shea (2009) were playing ‘A’ football with St Jarlath’s and St Gerald’s respectively. McDonald is playing ‘C’ so imagine coming up against him?
He scored 0-9 in the semi-final win over Coláiste Éinde of Salthill but the Galway boys are to be credited – they somehow kept him scoreless from play.
The trouble for opponents is that as good as he is, he is surrounded by plenty of quality too.
Seán Óg McGuinness, his teammate with the Mayo minors in ’24 and with Crossmolina all the way up, including seniors this year, anchors the defence at six.
Dylan Flynn, another member of that gifted Crossmolina quintet that played minor for Mayo in ’24 and started for the Cross’ seniors in ’25, is in the half-forward line and would be the talk of the place if it wasn’t for the brilliance of Kobe McDonald.
Add in Mayo minor from ’25, Mark Sheerin from Lahardane, and Gortnor Abbey, coached by former Crossmolina player Padraic Costello, have an imposing-looking outfit. Consider too that another of that Cross’ quintet, Josh Moyles, has been out injured.
But they come up against a Balla side who have a lot of quality and balance in their team.
The Balla team have cut quite a dash in both Gaelic football and soccer. The same week as they defeated Mountbellew 0-15 to 1-7 in their ‘C’ semi-final, they secured a place in the national senior soccer final, beating Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair from Donegal in a penalty shoot-out in the semi-final. That final takes place in March with many of the same personnel involved in both.
They are another team with fine football pedigree in charge of them, jointly managed by current footballers – Charlestown’s Gareth O’Donnell and Ballyhaunis’s Adrian Phillips, a member of the Mayo senior football squad last year. Mayo senior Fergal Boland coached them last year.
They’ve four of last year’s Mayo minor squad in their ranks – Balla duo Ryan O’Donnell and Seán McCann in defence, their clubmate Mark Jennings at midfield and Ballintubber’s Oran Murphy in the inside line. Indeed, Murphy is a two-year minor, having played championship for Mayo in 2024 too and is a key member of the school’s soccer team too. Charlie Fallon from Mayo Gaels, at corner-forward, is in the 2026 Mayo minor squad.
Out through injury in the semi-final was another 2025 Mayo minor, Balla’s Rueben Basquille.
They’re drawn mostly from the Balla club (ten of the starting team from the semi-final) along with three from Mayo Gaels and two from Ballintubber.
It remains to be seen if Ryan O’Donnell, who was frequently in a man-marking role for Mayo minors last year, is the man given the tall order of picking up Kobe McDonald.
But the trouble for Balla is there is more than just one fire to put out.
Verdict: Gortnor Abbey
