Andy Moran excited about Mayo challenge

By Cian O’Connell

Passionate about the Mayo GAA cause, Andy Moran is ready, willing, and able to embrace the challenges 2026 presents.

The Connacht FBD League has resumed, affording western counties an opportunity to blend emerging and established talent.

So, it has been a helter-skelter couple of months for Moran preparing for the footballing year ahead. “I think you described it there,” Moran laughs. “You've a lot of stuff that you get to know, I'd to re-familiarise myself with a lot of what is happening in Mayo football.

“Obviously, you'd have a good knowledge of it from watching club games, watching the underage teams over the last number of years, which was great.

“The thing for me was to just get to know the structures, the way the county works, the way the County Board works, stuff like that is probably the most important thing. Once we got that going, and the football started back on November 21, we were away.”

After reconvening for training, the Mayo panel embarked on a training camp in Portugal. It was beneficial for several reasons according to Moran. “Anyone that knows the training schedule as an inter-county team, it is very important that you don't peak fellas too early,” Moran responds.

“You can't just all of a sudden say, you finish your club, you take a rest, and absolutely dog them training. So, it wasn't that sort of a training camp. What it was more so about was to just get fellas together, get them to know each other.

“As I've said in the past, we've fellas, who're 18, and we've fellas who're 35. Even to get them fellas into the same room for a sustained period of time, I think that is beneficial at the start of any process.

“It was important. Yes, why do you have to go away for that? It makes it easier because there is nowhere to go, you can't get out of the camp, that is where you are, you stay there, you mingle, you get to know each other, and it was very beneficial for that reason.”

Since assuming the Mayo managerial position, Moran has brought Robbie Hennelly, Michael Plunkett, James Carr, and Cillian O’Connor back into the green and red fold. Moran is adamant, having these players available is hugely beneficial on and off the field of play. “100 per cent, of course there is the football side of it, but you see in any sport, a lot of sport is about characters,” Moran remarks.

“People who know how to carry themselves, but also people who know when it is a good time to tell a joke in a dressing room, when it is a good time to be serious, when it is a good time to have a bit of craic, to let your hair down.

“Them people are important. To have fellas, the likes of Michael Plunkett and Robbie Hennelly, these guys coming back in, has really that process.”

Mayo defeated Sligo in the Connacht FBD League opener and make the short trip to King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park for a match against Roscommon on Sunday. Colm Boyle, Paddy Tally, and Paul Durcan are part of Moran’s backroom set-up.

The Ballaghaderreen clubman highlights the skill and knowledge of those helping him with Mayo. “Obviously, Colm was my first port of call,” Moran explains.

“Colm did such good work around the county in the last few years, in terms of U19 squads, development squads. We've really seen the benefit in the county of that U19 squad, pushing fellas through to the U20 squad, having them ready to play when they came to their proper year of U20.

“I think that has really pushed through to the senior panel with the likes of Séamus Howard and these guys. Then, you bring Paddy Tally and Paul Durcan in. I always like having that Ulster element with me.

“I did it with Mickey Graham in Leitrim and, obviously, I was with Monaghan last year. I think that they look at the game a tiny bit different than us, in terms of how they view certain players, their characteristics and what they're looking at. I think that is very important.”

Throughout the country, several teams in both codes, have former senior inter-county managers in coaching or selector roles. “Even for me, when I'm running something that might have ran well in Leitrim and might have seen something running well in Monaghan, I might try to implement it in Mayo,” Moran says.

“All of sudden you're bringing it in; it is great to have Paddy there to say what would you've done in this situation? How would you've changed it? How does it look from this perspective?

“He just gives a different perspective on it, and it might only be a finite change, but it might be the difference between something working and not working.

“I think that is the reason why Gabriel (Bannigan) last year in Monaghan brought me in after managing Leitrim, just to give a different perspective.

“For the same reason, I asked Paddy to come with us, a different perspective. Obviously, Paddy is a renowned top-class coach, and we're seeing that first hand. That helps us too.”