New-look Mayo set for stern Dublin test
Mayo's Saoirse Lally, centre, remains with the panel after a number of key departures and will play a crucial role this season. Picture: INPHO/James Crombie
The Dublin/Mayo double header gets underway this Saturday afternoon as Mayo get their second year under Liam McHale underway against the Ladies in Blue in Parnell Park.
Overall, the first year under the Mayo legend’s stewardship can be best described as plenty done but more to do. The Green and Red consolidated their spot in Division 1, comfortably finishing mid-table with three wins from seven games, defeating Galway, Waterford and Cork while also securing a hard-fought draw away against eventual All-Ireland champions Kerry, but were beaten in the Connacht final by Galway before exiting the All-Ireland at the quarter-final stage at the hands of Division 1 league champions Armagh.
McHale will likely consider another mid-table finish in Division 1 an excellent return in the league as the Mayo squad has undergone quite a radical change for 2025. The Ballina man has lost the much experienced duo Lisa and Sinead Cafferky in attack, the Kilmovee duo opting out of Mayo this year. At the other end of the pitch, Carnacon’s Fiona McHale, a near constant presence for Mayo for two decades will also be out as is Hollymount goalkeeper Laura Brennan and former All-Star nominee Eilis Ronayne (Davitts). Grace and Niamh Kelly, Dayna Finn, Rachel Kearns, Sarah Rowe and Aileen Gilroy all remain Down Under in the Australian Football League while Shauna Howley and Sarah Mulvihill again will sit out of Mayo action to focus on club commitments with Knockmore.
In more positive news, four players who tasted county success with their clubs in 2024, Castlebar Mitchels duo Danielle Caldwell and Kathryn Sullivan and Westport’s Aoife Geraghty and Saoirse Lally, remain and will be key cogs in the McHale machine while the likes of Maria Cannon, Fionnuala McLaughlin, Sinead Walsh and Hannah Reape will look to cement their places in McHale’s starting XV for this year.
A total of 13 new players have been added to the 39-player squad announced at the beginning of the month, which include exciting young forwards like Knockmore’s Clodagh Keane, Kayla Doherty of MacHale Rovers and exciting Claremorris forward Bree Hession, who played a major role in her club reaching the 2023 All-Ireland junior football final. Aghamore’s Lilian Keane, who helped fire Aghamore to the Mayo junior title, is another player tipped for big things in the future and she will be one to watch as she comes into the Mayo squad for the first time.
Another boost for McHale is the return of several key players to the panel. Ciara Whyte, who was a crucial part of Michael Moyles’ side that reached the All-Ireland semi-final in 2022, is back after a two-year absence due to her studying in Aberdeen and will look to hit the ground running while her Kilmoremoy teammate Mary McHale is also back in the squad. Charlestown’s Ella Brennan is also back after recovering from an ACL injury while Sherin El Massry, another player in Westport’s historic maiden senior success, has also returned.
This Mayo mix of youthful exuberance and experienced warriors will certainly be thrown in the deep end against the Jackies. Much like their male counterparts, the Dublin ladies are entering a new era of their own after Mick Bohan stepped down last year. The Dubs enjoyed a glittering eight-spell under Bohan, winning five All-Ireland titles, including a four-in-a-row from 2017 to 2020, and there will be big shoes to fill for the new management team of Paul Casey and Derek Murray.
While beaten by Galway in the All-Ireland quarter-final last year, they remain one of the biggest threats in the country and it is expected that Mayo will have a tough encounter. Whether McHale chooses to throw a few of the debutants into proverbial fire pit or go with a more tried and testing starting side will be interesting to see. It will be a big ask for the Green and Red to come back down the M4 with two points in the bag against Dublin, who themselves will want to show they not gone away after losing the Brendan Martin Cup, but Mayo are more than capable of ruffling more than a few feathers in the capital.
