Final places up for grabs as Mayo Senior Leagues go down to the wire
Jordan Flynn of Crossmolina is tracked by fellow Mayo panellist Conal Dawson of Westport during last Sunday's Mayo SFL Division 1B clash at St Tiernan's Park. Picture: Lily Hegarty
A thrilling climax to several of the divisions in the 2025 AbbVie Mayo Senior Football League is guaranteed next weekend, as teams jockey for the positions that will determine where they play in a restructured league next season. Mayo GAA County Board agreed ahead of this year’s competition that in 2026 they would revert to a traditional Division 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc. system, and that a particular method would be employed to decide what clubs would appear in what divisions next year.
Currently, there are A and B sections in Divisions 1 to 4. In order to create a new ten team Division 1 in 2026, the top five teams in sections A and B of this season’s Division 1 will qualify. In addition, the top team in each section will contest this season’s Division 1 final. Teams placed six to nine in Divisions 1A and 1B will form Division 2 in 2026, along with the top team in both Division 2A and 2B. The consequence of this, however, is that the bottom team in Divisions 1A and 1B will drop all the way to Division 3. Mayo GAA’s reasoning is that there had to be an incentive for teams in Divisions 2A and 2B to try and win their leagues this season, and that there had also to be relegation from Divisions 1A and 1B.
The top team in 2A and 2B will contest this season’s Division 2 final while those placed in positions two to five will form Division 3 next year along with the two teams relegated from Division 1.
The 2025 AbbVie Mayo SFL Finals are scheduled to be played on the weekend of July 19/20.
Eight of the ten teams all have something to play for in next Saturday’s final round of matches in Division 1A. Breaffy are favourites to reach the Division 1 final given they occupy top spot, one point clear of Castlebar Mitchels. However, to make sure they advance they will need to win an away game against Belmullet, which will be no mean feat given what’s at stake for the home side.
Failure to get a result and Belmullet will run the risk of slipping out of the top five places and into Division 2 for next season, which is something they’ll be keen to avoid. The Erris side have been posting some enormous scores of late, including 5-21 at home to Charlestown and 4-14 away to Parke-Keelogues-Crimlin when winning their last two matches, so with a vocal Tallagh support behind them, they will believe they can make life very uncomfortable for Sean Deane’s visitors.
Ready to pounce on any slip up by Breaffy will be Castlebar Mitchels who despite a humbling by Ballina Stephenites last time out, will be odds on favourites to get back to winning ways when they travel to Ballinrobe. The latter have nothing riding on this fixture; they are not in threat of relegation but nor have they any chance of finishing in the top five places. A Breaffy defeat and Castlebar win would send Mitchels through to the final.
Even if both those West Mayo teams were to lose, which really would be a seismic shock, that wouldn’t be enough to see Ballina Stephenites through to the final, regardless of whether they win their local derby with Knockmore. In that scenario, the Stephenites would finish level on points at the top of the table with Breaffy but lose out on the head to head record, with Breaffy having won the opening round fixture at James Stephens Park. The only minute possibility of Ballina reaching the Division 1 final would be to beat Knockmore and hope that Breaffy lose to Belmullet and Castlebar Mitchels only draw with Ballinrobe, forcing a three-way tie between the clubs. Qualification for the final would then be settled on scoring differences – but Mitchels presently have a huge advantage over both Breaffy and Ballina on that count.
Knockmore have a huge need to win their North Mayo showdown with the Stephenites because if they don’t, then any sort of a result for Belmullet against Breaffy, coupled with a Davitts win away to Parke-Keelogues-Crimlin, would see Ray Dempsey’s side playing Division 2 football in 2026. Davitts will fancy their chances too, given recent games have seen them win away to Ballina and draw away to Castlebar Mitchels, and also have ten points to spare over South Mayo rivals Ballinrobe. There’s every chance that a win would secure Davitts a place in Division 1 whereas Parke are the second of the teams in 1A for whom to win or lose next weekend isn’t going to alter the fact that they are destined for Division 2 next year.
The biggest game of all in Division 1A next Saturday is the one that involves the bottom two teams. Results elsewhere will have absolutely no impact when Charlestown Sarsfields host Ardnaree Sarsfields at Fr O’Hara Park. The former have lost all eight of their games to date while Ardnaree, rather timely, won their first game of the season last time out, when beating Parke-Keelogues-Crimlin by nine points. The winner next Saturday will play in Division 2 next season, the loser will drop two tiers to Division 3.
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Only one team, Crossmolina, is mathematically certain of finishing in the top five, ahead of a fascinating final round of Division 1B matches. The Deel Rovers host second place Claremorris with the winners of that game guaranteed to contest the Division 1 final against the 1A winners. But should Claremorris lose, there is a scenario where they could be leapfrogged by Garrymore and joined on the same number of points in the table by Ballintubber, Balla and Mayo Gaels, with scoring differences then used to determine what teams will help form Division 1 in 2026 and who’ll slide into Division 2.
Crossmolina put themselves into pole position for reaching the final by virtue of a hard-earned four points win against Westport in a carry-over game played last Sunday (see report on page 5), with the latter now dependent on other results to make the top five – and that’s even providing they hold their side of the bargain and pick up a home win over Mayo Gaels.
It’s at the bottom of the table where fingernails will come under most pressure. Either one of Hollymount-Carramore or Burrishoole are sure to be relegated, given they occupy the bottom two places on three points each. The big issue is that the opponents of both are going to be very hungry for the points too; Balla visit Holly-Carra believing a win will secure them a place in the top flight for 2026 and it’s the same goal that Ballintubber will have when they travel to Burrishoole.
In fact, Moy Davitts are the only one of the ten teams in 1B whose standing in 2026 has already been determined, with Paul McGarry’s side assured of a place in Division 2.
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Aghamore’s high scoring victory over Bonniconlon on Friday evening last (see report on page 4) confirmed that they will be 2A’s representatives in the Mayo SFL Division 2 final later this month, as they hold a three points lead over neighbours Ballyhaunis at the top of the table with just one round of games left to play. It’ll be a consolation to Ballyhaunis that they are the only other team in the division who are mathematically guaranteed a top five finish, with six other teams battling it out for the remining three ‘top five’ places. Eastern Gaels v Kiltimagh and Cill Chomáin v Lahardane MacHales are two matches where the winner may have done enough to finish in the top half and, as a result, consign their opponent to the lower regions for next season.
Bonniconlon, junior championship finalists in 2024, will fancy themselves to solidify their position in Division 2 when hosting an Islandeady team that is already assured to finish bottom of the group, while Shrule-Glencorrib may hope that Ballyhaunis ease off the throttle when they visit East Mayo on Friday evening, given the home side are already certain of finishing second.
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Ballaghaderreen have scored 111 points more than they have conceded while Killala have conceded 22 points more than they have scored, so the prospect of the visitors from the north coast upsetting Ballagh’s hopes of reaching the Division 2 final seem very remote ahead of Friday night’s clash in the furthest reaches of East Mayo. A draw would even be enough for Ballaghaderreen who currently sit one point ahead of Kilmeena at the top of Division 2B and who have dropped only one point to date, that in a draw with The Neale who sit one further place behind in third.
In the unlikely event of a Ballagh’ defeat, Kilmeena would reach the final providing they win a local derby with Westport ‘B’.
It’s a division that was disrupted by the withdrawal of Parke-Keelogue-Crimlin’s ‘B’ team, leaving Kiltane with a bye in this weekend’s final round. The Erris outfit wrapped up their campaign last Saturday when recording a 2-14 to 0-14 home win against Swinford.
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Ardagh are uncatchable at the top of Division 3A having gone their first eight games unbeaten, dropping just one point when held to a draw by Castlebar Mitchels ‘B’ last April. Mitchels and another of the division’s ‘B’ teams, Knockmore, are both in second place in the table on eleven points, but both face tricky away ties in Round 9, with Mitchels away to Ballycroy and Knockmore making the long trip to Achill. Kilmovee Shamrocks fell victim to both Ballycroy and Achill in their last two games so it’s a daunting task for Shamrocks that this weekend they now travel to the top of the table Ardagh boys.
The success of Crossmolina Deel Rovers’ first team looks to have taken its toll on its junior side, with just two points out of a possible sixteen to date. However, they will believe there’s an opportunity to end their league campaign on a high when the basement side visit second from bottom Ballycastle, knowing a victory would not only see them leapfrog the Céide boys but potentially move level on points with Ballycroy.
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Aghamore are in the unique position of potentially having both it’s ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams top their respective divisions, with the junior side one point ahead of the pack in Division 3A whilst also having a game in hand over their three nearest challengers Claremorris, Davitts and Ballintubber. It’s the latter, however, who Aghamore will host next Sunday in a game that will see ‘Tubber attempt to close the two points gap that currently exists. Claremorris will aim to capitalise on any slip up when they travel to Hollymount-Carramore in a South Mayo derby, having won six out of eight matches to date.
Kilmeena dropped out of the division at an early stage so Ballinrobe have a bye next weekend and have completed their campaign, waiting to see if they are leapfrogged in mid-table by the aforementioned Hollymount-Carramore, or by Ballina Stephenites who host Davitts.
