Mayo businessman Gerry Casey appointed to IRFU executive
by John Melvin
WELL known Castlebar businessman Gerry Casey has been appointed to the executive of the IRFU.
Newly appointed club president Jimmy Staunton congratulated Mr. Casey on his appointment at a recent club meeting, where many tributes were paid to Mr. Casey.
"Gerry has been a great servant to Castlebar as a player and as a coach and I have no doubt he will bring his skill set to his role as a member of the national executive, where he will be a very strong voice for Connacht rugby given his vast experience over a long and successful career both on and off the field," said Mr. Staunton.
Meanwhile, competitive rugby will return to Castlebar next week with the opening game in the Cawley Cup.
Mr. Staunton said it was great to see rugby back after such a long lay-off and he wished the teams and coaches involved in the club the very best of luck for the coming season.
"We are fortunate to have a very strong committee at the club and there is a lot of work being done behind the scenes preparing for the new season.
"We are always looking for new members and I would urge parents to bring their kids to the underage training sessions, which will be starting later in the year."
It will be all systems go for the start of the rugby season for Castlebar who get their season off the ground with an away game to Creggs in the first round of the Cawley Cup this Sunday.
Head coach Simon O’Malley said the squad is in good shape and looking forward to the season, which will see Castlebar defending their Connaught Junior Cup title later in the year, while the league will also provide them with seven games on a home and away basis.
O’Malley will be freshening up things this season with the upgrading of a few of the Under 18 panel who will be given their senior debut in the Cawley Cup and the league.
"We’re in pretty good nick but you just don’t know until you start playing competitive games how the fitness levels will stand up, but I think the lads have been putting in the hard yards during the lockdown and we have been doing some fairly rigorous training for the last two months in preparation for the season opening," he said.
"We have more or less the same panel as last year but we will be bringing in a few of the Under 18 lads who will be given the chance to step up a level, so it should be an interesting season."
The draw for the Connacht Junior Cup has yet to be made but Castlebar, who are joint defending champions with Connemara following the decision to cancel the final due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will be determined to defend their title.