Make-or-break feel about derby clash
Sligo’s Paul O’Leary gathers the sliotar whilst challenged by Kieran McDermott during Mayo's Nicky Rackard Cup win at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park last season. The sides meet again at the same venue next Saturday. Picture: David Farrell Photography
Without question, the biggest game of the Mayo senior hurling team’s inter-county season takes place in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park next Saturday.
Given that group leaders Tyrone look poised to advance to the final directly having beaten Mayo and Sligo already (and have their final two games at home against bottom of the table Armagh and Fermanagh, whose sole win so far came against Armagh), it means this all-Connacht clash will likely decide who advances to the semi-final, where Lory Meagher champions New York await the runners-up of the round robin stage.
After three rounds, the sides are fairly evenly matched. Outside of their defeats to the Red Hands, they have each won their other two games convincingly. Mayo were too strong for Armagh in Round 1 while they recorded a big win over Fermanagh a fortnight ago. Sligo also defeated the Orchard men well and ran out big winners over Louth.
Mayo do have a slightly better scoring difference with plus six. Indeed, Ray Larkin’s side are the biggest scorers in the Nicky Rackard so far with 5-84, but it is at the other end of the pitch where the Green and Red’s problems have been well documented, having failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their championship games so far.
No one in the hurling championship’s fourth tier has conceded more than Mayo this year, and although the majority of the eight goals they conceded came during that encounter with Tyrone – shipping five overall – Mayo will need to tighten up considerably if there are to keep Sligo at bay.
Mayo have been boosted by the return of captain Eoghan Collins to the half-back line from injury, while Conal Hession was also back in the 26 for the first time this year against Fermanagh. Should both men be ready to start on Saturday, combined with the scoring power of the Phillips brothers Cormac and Adrian, as well as Tooreen duo Eoin Delaney and Shane Boland, then Mayo have the firepower to take a giant step towards the semi-finals.
Both counties have also had contrasting league campaigns, albeit at different levels. While Mayo were always going to find it tough in Division 2 amongst Joe McDonagh sides like Westmeath and Laois – and were subsequently relegated back to Division 3 – Sligo enjoyed a fruitful league showing in Division 4. In fact, Sligo will meet Mayo in Division 3 in 2026 as they were promoted as league champions after beating Longford to win the Division 4 title.
The Yeats County are now looking to make it a league and championship double but to do so, they will need to pick up a first win over Mayo since the two counties met in the 2023 Christy Ring Cup, a competition that both counties will feel they belong in.
Joint-captain Andrew Kilcullen, whose exploits with his club Easkey on their way to two All-Ireland junior hurling finals as well as recent Sligo and Connacht dominance, have been well-documented, is the main threat for Sligo and is their top scorer so far in the championship with 0-32. His clubmate Patrick Walsh has a keen eye for goal while Robert O’Kelly Lynch of Naomh Eoin topped the scoring charts in Division 4 with 3-51, closely followed by Kilcullen (7-30) who had missed some of the league campaign.
Given Mayo’s slight edge on scoring difference, a draw does Sligo no favours and would mean they would likely require a favour from Louth when the Wee County plays Mayo in two weeks’ time.
Mayo will be slight favourites going into this game, but this one is likely going to go to the wire.
