Top Mayo GAA coach to depart set-up

Caoimhín Rowland

Liam McHale's mentorship of the Mayo senior men's team appears to end abruptly.

McHale served as part of the Mayo senior football backroom team for one year, he has decided to step down from his position.

Sources within Mayo GAA have confirmed that he will not be a part of Kevin McStay's management ticket in 2024.

Notably, McHale is the brother-in-law of McStay, and the two have shared a close professional relationship over the years. Their successful collaboration includes winning an All-Ireland club title with St Brigid's in 2013, followed by a Connaught title with Roscommon in 2017, during which McStay was the manager and McHale the coach.

Given their history, it was expected that McHale would join McStay when the latter took over as Mayo manager last year. During McStay's first year in charge, Stephen Rochford served as the assistant manager, while Donie Buckley assumed the role of coach, and Damien Mulligan acted as a selector. Mulligan was responsible for liaising with clubs on behalf of the senior management, while one of McHale's tasks involved U-20 liaison.

Mayo's performance under McStay's guidance saw them clinching victory in the league. However, they faced defeats against Roscommon in the Connaught quarter-final and Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter-final.