Big challenge ahead for the new Mayo ladies manager

TYNAN'S TAKE BY STUART TYNAN

FOLLOWING the departure of Peter Leahy to the Meath Under-20 set-up, the Mayo ladies are now under the tutelage of former Mayo player Michael Moyles and he certainly has a huge challenge ahead of him.

No doubt new Mayo LGFA chairperson Des Phillips has much work to do at board level and he will be delighted to get the services of Moyles, who has attained an excellent coaching reputation to dare.

It has been a rough couple of years on and off the field for Mayo ladies football. I feel most of us who follow it can remember more what has happened off the pitch to what has taken place on it.

From player walkouts, county board members resigning en-masse to ill-advised comments in the media, it has been a PR nightmare for the game here in Mayo in the recent past.

Moyles’ top priority before anything else should be attempting to bring the Carnacon players back into the inter-county panel.

It may seem like a hopeless quest, and some relationships among players may never be the same, but there may be some hope on this front already, with Fiona McHale recently saying she would be willing to return to the Mayo set-up under new management. You can only hope other members of Mayo’s most successful club side are also willing to return too.

For too long, Mayo have been playing without a full deck and it has cost them dearly in the chasing the biggest prizes. If they are to have any chance of beating the likes of Dublin, Cork and Galway, the door must be left open for those players. Or else Moyles, like his predecessor, will suffer the same fate.

*You can read Stuart's full column every Tuesday in our print edition.