League final victory is double the delight for Mayo management

Mayo hurling managers Brian Finn and Ray Larkin were delighted to get the better of Sligo for the second time in three weeks and in doing so, capture the Allianz Hurling League Division 3A title.

Mayo scored two goals in the first-half to put some distance between the sides, a gap that Sligo never really looked like closing completely despite only trailing by three come the full-time whistle.

“I thought it was a very enjoyable game,” said Brian. “The conditions were poor but I though we worked awful hard and moved the ball well and got some fabulous scores.

“They had their purple patches and I thought every time they came and got a score and came back within touching distance, we were able to steady the ship and move on again and take on another score or two.

“The work-rate of the lads was huge out there, particularly Liam Lavin and Adrian and Cormac Phillips. They worked trojan across that line and got a lot of ball. Defensively, I thought we did well as well and we were very happy with the performance of the game.” 

Ray Larkin said the team improved on their performance last time out against Sligo. The Yeats County also came up second best during the final game of the group stage of the competition two weeks ago.

“It was very hard to play hurling two weeks ago with the wind and the conditions,” said Ray. “It was a bit like today when we got the rain but I think we worked hard in the last couple of weeks with our ball-to-hand stuff and we got our shot selection and it was much better today,” he said.

“The goals came at a good time for us,” said Brian Finn. “We took them well. In the overall game, we had another two or three wides which is great for us. That is something we’ve been working on the last few weeks where we were getting big scores but were dropping short or having wides.

“Today, to come away with two or three wides is great given the conditions,” he added.

Winning this title will be a huge boost to Mayo, building towards the beginning of the Nicky Rackard Cup in two weeks’ time, the pair said.

“We’re in a good position now,” said Ray Larkin. “We’re still building on getting a certain team but we’re happy enough now and we’re happy with the subs who came in as well, they made a difference.

“The win today gives us a platform to build on going into the championship,” said Brian. “We had a good run in the league and did well and it is great to finish with the cup.

“No one remembers who came second and we have promotion, a newly formed division for next year, so everything to look forward to coming down the line.” 

It was a busy weekend of Mayo hurling; Finn guided the U20s to victory in the All-Ireland ‘B’ hurling quarter-final against Donegal in Letterkenny on Saturday.

“These two wins will definitely help to raise the profile of Mayo hurling,” said Brian. “The U20s had a great win in the quarter-finals and have a semi-final in a couple of weeks’ time which is great for them. It gives them an extra game in that competition and if they take that on, they’re in a final.

“For the U20s, it’s a pathway into senior and ultimately what we want is that those lads keep coming and that they’re playing senior hurling in a few years’ time. It all looks good at the moment.”