New look Mayo LGFA league squad as some key players opt out
The Mayo LGFA senior team will be without the services of some experienced players for the forthcoming league campaign.
The squad announced for the competition shows 13 newcomers, including a number of very exciting prospects.
However, experienced players such as the Cafferky sisters, Lisa and Sinead, Fiona McHale, who has been on numberous Mayo panels since making her debut in 2004, goalkeeper Laura Brennan and Éilis Ronayne have all opted out of the league this year.
Liam McHale and his management team have added plenty of new talent, such as Bree Hession of Claremorris and Kayla Doherty of MacHale Rovers, widely regarded as two of the most exciting prospects in the county at present.
Elsewhere, Knockmore’s Clodagh Keane also makes her panel debut and is certain to be a key part of plans for the season ahead, while Westport defender Sherin El Massry has been rewarded with a coveted place following a great season which culminated in the club’s first ever senior county title success.
Plenty of big names remain and provide the foundations for this year’s squad, with former two-time All-Star Danielle Caldwell and nominees Saoirse Lally and Kathryn O’Sullivan joined by rising stars Aoife Geragthy, Maria Cannon, Erin Murray and Sinead Walsh.
In addition, a number of key figures have returned to the fold, such as Kilmoremoy’s Ciara Whyte, who took a break from duty last year. Whyte was an integral part of Michael Moyles' outfit who lost out to Kerry in Croke Park in 2022, and is likely to once again be a key player, with her experience a valuable asset to the new-look side. Her club-mate Mary McHale also makes a welcome return to the green and red jersey, and the 27-year-old will be eager to impress, while Charlestown’s Ella Brennan also returns to the fold following an ACL injury, and will certainly be vying for a starting 15 jersey in this season’s match-day panels.
Some of Mayo’s brightest stars also continue to ply their trade in the Australian Football League, with the Kelly sisters, Grace and Niamh, re-uniting at the Adelaide Crows, while Dayna Finn, Rachel Kearns and Sarah Rowe have all re-signed contracts for the season ahead, but none have ruled out a return in the future.
Many other high-profile inter-county set ups have reported AFL signings and retirements ahead of the 2025 season, most notably Kerry’s Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh and Kayleigh Cronin, with Ni Mhuircheartaigh exiting the stage following 17 years at the top level.
Dublin have also lost Grace Kos to the ALF, while Donegal and Kildare are also reporting exits to the lure of the professional game, so as with Mayo, there will certainly be plenty of squad changes across the board.
Looking ahead to the 2025 season, McHale is upbeat about the potential of the squad.
“The talent of some of these young players is phenomenal,” said McHale, who takes the reins of the county’s senior ladies for a second term.
“We are really excited to see what the new season brings and training has been very competitive and positive over the past few weeks.”
With a tough league opener against Dublin in Parnell Park to look forward to at the end of the month, the Mayo ladies' league campaign will certainly be used to gauge where this new-look team is at.