The 2017 Player of the Year and two-time All-Star has agreed to take over from Terry Hyland today.

This will be Moran’s first major stint in Senior inter-county management after weeks of rumours and speculation that he would finally delve into management.

Moran is currently stationed as player-manager for Senior club Ballaghaderreen, who last played in the Mayo club championship last weekend, defeating Balla 3-10 to 1-15 in Ballaghaderreen.

Moran will be joined by fellow Ballaghadereen GAA man Mike Solan as Assistant Manager, while former Leitrim players Barry McWeeney and James Glancy will join the backroom staff as selectors.

Leitrim Senior Team Management 2022 – https://t.co/abL2sjg98s pic.twitter.com/jPH0gF7a6N

— Leitrim GAA (@LeitrimGAA) October 7, 2021

Currently relegated back down to Division 4 in 2020 after former manager Terry Hyland guided Leitrim to their first promotion up to Division 3 back in 2019, where they won their first five games of the Allianz League before ultimately lost the league decider in Croker Park 0-20 to 0-16 to Derry.

Making his senior county debut in 2004, Moran has won eight Connacht titles and two Allianz Leagues in his 16-year inter-county career, which also saw him contest in six All-Ireland finals from 2004 to 2017.

Andy Moran confirmed as Leitrim Manager

For more News and Stories on all things GAA, click here.

The post Andy Moran confirmed as Leitrim Manager appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The Cavan native spent three years in the job and brought Leitrim to Croke Park for the first time since 2006 in his first year.

He got the side promoted to Division Three of the National Football League in the process but his side only managed to win once in Championship football – never winning a provincial tie.

His side looked worlds apart against the reigning Connacht champions and All-Ireland finalists on Sunday.

In a statement, the county board expressed their gratitude to Terry and his backroom staff for their three years in charge of the side.

“Leitrim GAA has been informed by Senior Team Manager Terry Hyland that he has decided to step down from the role,” the statement read.

“We wish to express our eternal gratitude to Terry and his entire backroom team, for the professional, wholehearted, and energetic manner in which they have carried out their respective duties to the team and all associated with it over the past three seasons.

“In his first year in charge, Terry oversaw the Allianz League promotion to Division 3 in 2019 and a rare appearance in a Croke Park Final which gave Leitrim GAA, its players, and supporters the biggest lift since the days of 1994.

“Over what has been the most difficult sixteen months in living memory since the onset of the Covid pandemic, Terry and his management team managed to navigate our players through difficult times for all concerned, while always respecting and abiding by the various levels of restrictions that we have experienced across these unprecedented times. Progress was inevitably affected by the huge disruptions that this caused to all involved.

“Leitrim GAA is hugely appreciative and proud of its association with Terry and his professional and practical manner of dealing with both the board and its players over his three seasons in charge. We appreciate his many sacrifices on our behalf.

“Indeed his contribution to the activities of Leitrim GAA went way beyond those expected from a Senior Team Manager, particularly during the course of the pandemic. We will be always grateful for his very positive efforts with us and the wealth of experience he brought to the role of Leitrim Senior Team Manager. We wish Terry the very best of luck in the future.

“We wish to also acknowledge the excellent contributions of Jason O Reilly, Gary Donohoe, Padraig McGourty, Kevin Downes, Padraig Dolan, Damien Eames, Colin McCabe, Shane Bohan, Fergal Wynne, Alan Loftus, and Ronan O Rourke as the various members of Terry’s backroom team over the past three years, while not forgetting the unsung heroes Leo Duignan, Kevin Lee and Brian Blake.”

Hyland is the fourth managerial casualty of the year in inter-county Gaelic football, with Padriac Davis, Mike Quirke and Paddy Tally all vacating their posts previously.

The post Terry Hyland Leaves Leitrim After Three Years appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE SCORES ON LEITRIM V MAYO

Mayo will host Leitrim at MacHale Park in Castlebar this coming Sunday at 2.00 pm in the Connacht Senior Football Championship semi-final.

In their last outing, Mayo thrashed Sligo in the quarter-finals of the Connacht championship. Winning by 3-23 to 0-12 in a 20-point winning margin.

Mayo was on tip-top form throughout their league campaign, after their shock relegation. They have bounced back to Division 1 in style.

The level of young and prosperous players James Horan has at his disposal is unquestionably brilliant.

With Belmullet’s Ryan O’Donaghue and The Neales Tommy Conroy amongst the new recruits to try and make Mayo All-Ireland challengers.

Leitrim on the other hand, are often seen as the whipping boys in Connacht.

Going by their league form in Division 4 North, Leitrim will be outclassed by this young Mayo side.

Putting up decent showings against Louth and Antrim before losing to Sligo, who in return got hammered by Mayo in the quarter-final.

The two teams met last year in the quarter-finals, with Mayo coming out 11 point winners on a wet and windy day in Carrick-on-Shannon.

If Leitrim does cause an upset, they could look to Clare’s performance in the league semi-final against Mayo.

Mayo were rattled once Cillian O’Connor came off with his serious injury.

At one point leading Clare by 2-13 to 0-08 points and by the 46th minute, the lead was 2-17 to 2-10.

Coming out with the victory by a score of 2-22 to 2-18.

Although Clare is a much better side than Leitrim, in reality, Mayo will not let a lead slip like that against a poor Leitrim side.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Leitrim’s weaknesses are apparent to see almost immediately, they do not have the raw talent that elite county footballing sides possess, and in Connacht, they have been picked apart on more than one occasion.

Mayo will be missing Cillian O’Connor for the remainder of the championship, without him James Horan will need to improvise going forward.

Aidan O’Shea was in scintillating form against Sligo, showcasing his brute force and finishing ability when deployed in the full-forward line.

With Ryan O’Donoghue taking over from Cillian O’Connor, he will need to improve his free-taking skills if Mayo is to compete come late August.

Darren McHale also impressed. Scoring 1-05 from play.

Conclusion

Any result where Mayo does not come out victorious here will be one of the shocks of the decade.

It will be plain sailing for the defending Connacht champions, with tougher tests to come against Galway in the Connacht final.

Prediction: Mayo by 17 points

Predicted Teams – Subject to Change

Mayo

1. Rob Hennelly
2. Enda Hession
3. Oisín Mullin
4. Lee Keegan
5. Paddy Durcan
6. Michael Plunkett
7. Eoghan McLaughlin
8. Matthew Ruane
9. Conor Loftus
10. Kevin McLoughlin
11. Darren McHale
12. Jordan Flynn
13. Tommy Conroy
14. Aidan O’Shea
15. Ryan O’Donoghue

Leitrim

1. Brendan Flynn
2. Aidan Flynn
3. Michael McWeeney
4. Paddy Maguire
5. Oisin Madden
6. Conor Reynolds
7. Jack Gilheany
8. Donal Wrynn
9. Shane Quinn
10. Shane Moran
11. Mark Plunkett
12. Dean McGovern
13. Pearce Dolan
14. Keith Beirne
15. Tom Prior

Betting

Mayo: 1/500

Leitrim: 33/1

Draw: 66/1

A Twitter List by IrishScoresGAA

The post Football – Mayo v Leitrim – Starting News, Live Scores, Betting; TV Coverage appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

CLICK FOR live score commentary, with scorers and minute by minute updates

Leitrim suffered relegation themselves in the League. They had a chance of survival if they beat Tipperary in the final round. However, a two-point loss sealed their fate. Previously, they had to concede the game against Down. This was a result of players waiting on Covid-19 test results and not being able to field a team.

It has been twenty years since Leitrim last made it to a Connacht final. This year, they again drew the short straw as even an upset against Mayo would pit them against Roscommon in the semi-final with Galway on the other side of the draw. The return to action hasn’t exactly given Leitrim fans reason to be hopeful about this game. However, with no qualifiers to fall back on, they may relish the chance to take on some of the best in the game and see how they fare.

Can Mayo master Connacht again?

Mayo have not won a Connacht Championship since 2015 (their fifth in a row). This is surprising considering they made it to the 2016 and ’17 finals and 2019 semi-final. Indeed, it has been Connacht that has proven the hardest for Mayo to conquer in recent years.

When Mayo trounced Galway in the first game back recently, the familiar echoes of ‘Mayo are back’ echoed around the west. But, in typical Mayo fashion, they undid their hard work at home a week later to end their 23-year spell in Division 1.

This could prove to be the best thing to happen to James Horan’s side. In recent seasons, after losing in Connacht, Mayo progressively got stronger during the qualifiers. But, a loss this year does not yield a second chance. Therefore, with defeat already on their backs, Mayo could fall into the familiar pattern of finding form when they are on their last life.

The final two League games made for interesting reading for Mayo fans. The team selections yielded some very exciting prospects (e.g Tommy Conroy, Mark Moran, Eoghan McLoughlin, Oisin Mullin) but it was perhaps Aidan O’Shea’s deployment at full-forward that most caught the eye.

O’Shea was the biggest anarchist against Galway and even if he did not repeat the trick against Tyrone, the tactic is a good option to have. In fact, Leitrim could be the best place to experiment with such a move again.

The likes of O’Shea and Cillian O’Connor have been around for longer than it seems now. Likewise, the Keegans, Vaughans, and Parsons are aging faster than Mayo fans would want. As a result, this could be the greatest chance for Mayo to launch an All-Ireland quest again. It will only require five wins in a row to go all the way (Mayo played 10 games in the 2017 campaign). The new injection of youth could complement the experienced heads nicely.

LAST FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP CLASHES

Things to note

Betting

Leitrim are as long 14/1 to cause an upset. Mayo are 1/66 and a draw is 33/1.

The game is being shown on RTÉ News Now.

Prediction: Mayo.

Team News

Leitrim

1.Brendan Flynn

2.Donal Casey

3. Donal Wrynn

4. Conor Reynolds

5. David Bruen

6.Aidan Flynn

7.Cillian Mc Gloin

8. Mark Plunkett

9. Domnnaill Flynn

10. Conor Dolan

11. Paddy Maguire (Captain)

12. Jack Gilheaney

13. Shane Quinn

14.Evan Sweeney

15. Keith Beirne

Mayo

1. David Clarke – Ballina Stephenites
2. Oisín Mullin – Kilmaine
3. Stephen Coen – Hollymount/Carramore
4. Lee Keegan – Westport
5. Patrick Durcan – Castlebar Mitchels
6. Rory Brickenden – Westport
7. Eoghan McLaughlin – Westport
8. Matthew Ruane – Breaffy
9. Conor Loftus – Crossmolina Deel Rovers
10. Bryan Walsh – Ballintubber
11. Ryan O’Donoghue – Belmullet
12. Jordan Flynn – Crossmolina Deel Rovers
13. Tommy Conroy – The Neale
14. Aidan O’Shea – Breaffy (C)
15. Cillian O’Connor – Ballintubber

Connacht Football Championship Quarter-Final: Leitrim vs Mayo, Sunday, November 1st, 13:15 (Carrick-on-Shannon).

We begin our @ConnachtGAA campaign next Sunday against Leitrim in Carrick on Shannon at 1:15pm.

The game will be live on @RTENewsNow, sky channel 521. #mayogaa pic.twitter.com/NBsjMJ9VbQ

— Mayo GAA (@MayoGAA) October 27, 2020

https://3.249.64.60/gaa/could-mayos-relegation-be-a-blessing-in-disguise/

https://3.249.64.60/gaa/could-mayos-relegation-be-a-blessing-in-disguise/

https://twitter.com/MayoGAA/status/1321106158480953345

The post Leitrim vs Mayo: Connacht Football – Preview & Starting Team News appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Unfortunately, Leitrim had to concede their game to Down at the weekend. The Connacht team couldn’t field a team due to unavailable players who were waiting for Covid-19 test results.

As a result, the round 7 league game this weekend will be their only outing before they play Mayo in the Connacht Championship the following week.

On the other hand, Tipperary were impressive against Offaly. Conor Sweeney and Jack Kennedy were two notable performers. But, Kevin Fahey, Michael Quinlivan, Jimmy Feehan, and sub Liam Boland also made key contributions.

Therefore, David Power has reason to be confident heading into this one.

Team News

Leitrim County Board Chairman Enda Stenson confirmed that one member of the squad had tested positive for Covid-19 before the cancelled game against Down. However, he did not reveal who it was. Instead, the Leitrim players had a vote over whether or not to travel to Newry. 52% voted not to.

So, it will be interesting to see what sort of squad is available for selection this weekend. But, since it is a home game there should be a little more ease about playing the fixture.

Tipperary lost Stephen O’Brien from the midfield in the 23rd minute against Offaly. Otherwise, there are no other major notables absent for this one.

Predicition: Tipperary. The fact of the matter is that Leitrim are yet to play competitively since the restart. Furthermore, the cancelled game last weekend will leave a sense of caution and uncertainty among the players. Tipperary are undoubtedly in better shape heading into this one.

Leitrim vs Tipperary: Division 3, Sunday, October 25th, 2pm (Carrick-on-Shannon).

GAANOW have the highlights from last weekend's #AllianzLeagues Football action. Watch the round-up here! pic.twitter.com/HlRQePTUVZ

— The GAA (@officialgaa) October 20, 2020

https://3.249.64.60/gaa/gaa-league-division-3-how-table-stands-for-promotion-and-relegation/

https://3.249.64.60/gaa/gaa-league-division-3-how-table-stands-for-promotion-and-relegation/

https://twitter.com/officialgaa/status/1318509012535644160

The post Leitrim vs Tipperary: Division 3 Preview, team news & live score updates appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Allianz Football Division 3 round 6
Down v Leitrim, Newry, 4pm Preview and live score commentary

Team News
Down (v Leitrim): Rory Burns; Gerard Collins, Patrick Murdock, Ryan McAleenan; Daniel Guinness, Peter Fegan, Stephen Fegan; Johnny Flynn, Conor Poland; Barry O’Hagan, Caolan Mooney, Liam Kerr; Ceilum Doherty, Jerome Johnston, Donal O’Hare.

The Mourne men are currently in second. But, only points difference sets them apart from third place Longford. On the other side, Cork are three points clear at the top meaning it will be a huge task to usurp them. The Rebels were the only team to defeat Down before the lockdown. With that in mind, Down would have been frustrated when their momentum was forced to take a seven-month sabbatical.

On the other hand, the suspension of inter-county football gave Leitrim a chance to take stock ahead of the remaining two League games. A draw on the opening weekend against Derry and a win over Louth in round five is their only source of points so far. Tipperary share their record and the two sides face each other in the final round. As a result, that game could condemn either team to relegation. Therefore, Leitrim need a good showing against Down to avoid an immediate return to Division 4.

Leitrim begin their Championship on November 1st by hosting Mayo in the Connacht quarter-final. This means they need to hit the ground running in the league. In addition to this, they won’t have the luxury of experimentation that other teams may have.

Meanwhile, Down are also in their provincial quarter-final. But, they have an extra week to ready themselves before they face Fermanagh. The Ulster Championship is easily the most competitive of the four. Hence, Down won’t be afraid to throw everything at the League.

Allianz National League Division 3: Down vs Leitrim, Saturday October 17th, 4pm (Newry).

#GAA news: @SkySportsGAA Championship schedule released

— The GAA (@officialgaa) October 7, 2020

https://3.249.64.60/gaa/weekend-gaa-fixtures-results-25th-26th-27th-july-2020/

https://twitter.com/officialgaa/status/1313789219576438786

The post Down vs Leitrim – Division 3 League Preview appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Recently, it’s always been Carrick Hurling who have come out on top. In fact, a win this weekend will make it four championships in a row. Firstly, they defeated Cluainin Iomaint last year by 1-20 to 0-20. Secondly, it was 2-07 to 0-7 in 2018. Thirdly, it was 3-11 vs 0-08 in 2017. 2016 was the last time Cluainin Iomaint were crowned the champions. On that occasion, it was 0-14 to 0-06.

As a result of the trend that has developed in recent years, this final always promises to bring a battle. Despite winning three-in-a-row, Carrick Hurling always have to dig deep to defeat Cluainin Iomaint. But the latter will consider it more than about time they retained the title.

Since this is such a small competition, in terms of the teams competing for it, the runners-up are always so tantalisingly close. Therefore, Cluainin Iomaint will be more driven than ever. But, don’t expect Carrick Hurling to just hand over their title.

Leitrim SHC Final: Cluainin Iomaint vs Carrick Hurling, Saturday 3rd October, 3.30pm (Avantcard Pairc Sean MacDiarmada).

https://www.leitrimgaa.ie/competitions-clubs/?g=76373&y=2020#2020

https://3.249.64.60/gaa/top-5-hurling-goalkeepers/

The post Leitrim Hurling Final: Clauinin Iomaint vs Carrick Hurling Preview appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

CLICK here for live scores from Leitrim football final

St. Mary’s are the surprise package in this year’s championship. Firstly, they lost their opening two games. Then, they turned their form around and came alive in the knockout rounds. For example, their semi-final was against 2019 winners Glencar Manorhamilton. It ended 2-14 to 0-13 in a game that will leave the St. Mary’s players full of confidence ahead of the showdown.

Likewise, Mohill actually lost their championship opener. But, this didn’t prevent them topping their group. In fact, they have already beaten St. Mary’s this year. In the group stage, it was 2-14 to 0-07 to the 2017 winners. After that, Mohill kicked on and have only been improving. After scoring 3-16 and 1-16 in their quarter and semi-final games respectively, they are very much the team to beat.

Mohill is bedecked in green and white in recent days – experienced player and Mohill stalwart Danny Beck talks about the path to the final and the hunger that drives the team.https://t.co/rbWacvzUbf

— Leitrim GAA (@LeitrimGAA) September 24, 2020

Mohill are undoubtedly the more experienced side at this stage of the competition. Yet, St. Mary’s Kilytogher are a good offering for the final. In club football, form is huge factor and both these sides have found it at the right time.

The game is live on Leitrim GAA.ie.

Leitrim SFC Final: Mohill vs St. Mary’s Kilytogher, Sunday 27th September (Páirc Sean MacDiarmada), 3.30pm. 

Championship Finals – Livestream Pass – https://t.co/UnoB3qvSR8 pic.twitter.com/ZR7KkoiW2c

— Leitrim GAA (@LeitrimGAA) September 24, 2020

https://3.249.64.60/gaa/top-5-gaelic-football-goalkeepers/

https://twitter.com/LeitrimGAA/status/1309213514154807298

https://twitter.com/LeitrimGAA/status/1309101396336181260

The post Leitrim Football Final: Mohill vs St. Mary’s Preview appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.