Coen to captain Mayo in league clash with Galway
Mayo GAA senior football team manager Kevin McStay and his backroom team have named the team for round two of the Allianz National Football League Division 1.
The game against Galway will be played this Sunday (February 2) at 2.30 p.m. in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, Castlebar.
Stephen Coen from Hollymount/Carramore will captain the team this weekend. Coen is in line to make his 120th appearance for Mayo on Sunday (between league and championship), putting him in 12th place in the overall list alongside Colm Boyle.
McStay's charges will be looking to kick-start their league campaign and pick up valuable points following last weekend's defeat to Dublin in Croke Park. Galway, meanwhile, started the season with an impressive win over All-Ireland champions Armagh.
Mayo and Galway are not only neighbours, they also share a long rivalry in both league and championship, having met on 146 occasions since their first meeting in the 1902 Connacht final.
There have been 51 league meetings between the counties, with only Kerry having clashed more often with Mayo. Twenty-five of these games have been played at Galway venues, with Mayo enjoying home advantage on 23 occasions, while the 2001 and 2023 finals and the 2007 semi-final were played in Croke Park.
Tuam (Parkmore and Tuam Stadium) and Castlebar have been the most popular venue for meetings, with 19 and 17 games respectively being played there, while five games have been played in Galway, three in Ballina, two in Ballinrobe, and game in both Ballinasloe and Charlestown.
In terms of results, the advantage rests firmly with Mayo, who have triumphed 28 times, with 18 wins for Galway and five draws (1933, 1942, 1981, 1995 and 2023).
Noel Mooney from Cavan has been announced as the referee for the game on Sunday, which will be covered live on TG4 Sport. There will additionally be live radio commentary on Midwest Radio with Michael D. McAndrew and Martin Carney, and Mayo GAA will have live updates from the game across all social media channels. Tickets cost €20 for adults, €15 for students and OAPs, and €5 for Under 16s/juveniles, and can be purchased on Ticketmaster.
The Mayo team in full for Sunday's game is as follows: Colm Reape; Sam Callinan, Rory Brickenden, Enda Hession; Stephen Coen, David McBrien, Fenton Kelly; Donnacha McHugh, Matthew Ruane; Conor Reid, Fergal Boland, Davitt Neary; Paul Towey, Frank Irwin, Ryan O'Donoghue.