All-Ireland Senior Championship

The gap is over.
Semi-final, Sunday 16 August.

Top four qualify. One seven-inning game stands between this squad and an All-Ireland final.

Time to the semi-final

—Days
—Hours
—Mins
—Secs

Semi-final: Sunday 16 August 2026

Venue and throw-in time to be confirmed. Next session is Sunday 9 August, 6:30pm.

01

The team default

Base running

Round first base hard.

Every single is a decision. Turn wide, look up, and make their defence prove it can handle you. That is where the extra runs live.

A rounders diamond. A bright dashed line runs straight from home to first base and stops there. Over it, a gold curve shows the runner instead taking a wide turn outside first base, rounding the bag and carrying on to second. 1st 2nd 3rd Home
  • The round. Wide turn, still moving, on to second.
  • The flat stop. Safe, and it leaves a run out there.

The five moves, in short. The message they were pulled from is at the foot of this card, exactly as it was sent.

  1. 1Round first base hardNever a flat stop. Take the turn wide and be moving as you look up.
  2. 2Stretch a single into a doubleIf the turn shows you the room, take it. Only if possible, and only at your own speed.
  3. 3Hunt the mistakeBobbles in the outfield, throws to the wrong base, overthrows. Be looking for them before they happen.
  4. 4Make their defence decidePressure creates the error. The error creates the run.
  5. 5Practise the round at training“During training I’d practice ROUNDING bases.”

Do it safely, know your own speed. Aggressive is not reckless. Two, three, four or more runs come from doing this consistently, not from one hero moment.

VDR Victor del RosalWhatsApp · 6 Aug, 08:41

Made a mental note from yesterday's training: Let's be smart AND aggresive running the bases. Round first base HARD. Stretch a single into a double if possible. Be on the lookout for bobbles in the outfield, throws to wrong bases, overthrows, etc. This WILL put pressure on their defence, lead to mistakes, etc. Let's take advantage of this. We can squeeze in a good 2, 3, 4 or more runs if we do it consistenly. Goes without saying: do it safely, know your own speed. During training I'd practice ROUNDING bases. Fair play to you if you're already doing it, let's just make this the team DEFAULT. Let's win this base by base. 😉🥳 🦵 🏃 🏍️ 💪

02

The mandate

CJ Colm JordanThursday 30 July

“That gap is well and truly over.”

He set this group up away from the main club group for one reason: to refocus for the semi-finals. Push, encourage and test each other over the next few sessions so everyone is ready to perform come semi-final week.

Read it in full

Well lads, just set up this group away from main group to say its time we refocused ahead of the semi finals in just over 2 weeks. I know we have had a gap, which can be used at times as an out to miss sessions but that gap is well and truly over. Let's as a group refocus now and put the work in over the next 2 weeks, we are where we want to be so let's not undo all our goodwork now... no regrets! Let's push, encourage and test each other over the next few sessions so were all ready to perform come semi finals week. Feel free to respond, leave some motivational inspirational speech if you like. The time is now lads, let's do this 💪

MGT ManagementFriday 31 July

“Train as you intend to play.”

Twelve or thirteen lads for nine places in the men's, and five places in the mixed. There is no preferred nine. Semi-final starting line-ups are picked on what management see in training over these weeks, not on what has gone before.

Read it in full

Hi guys. Just following up on Colm's message. If our Club is going to achieve our goal of reaching 3 finals we are going to have to raise our game in the next few weeks. Of course management understand that people can miss training due to work or holidays. We need to bring an energy and intensity to training that doesn't exist at present. The key to this is competition for places. Unlike last year we have 12 or 13 lads fighting for 9 places which should create serious competition for places. For mixed the competition for 5 places should be savage. However, I'm not seeing what I'd like from everyone. I'm seeing complacency from some and indifference from others. Contrary to what some might think, management don't have a preferred 9 for mens and 5 for mixed. For the semis, starting line ups will be picked based on what we see in training in the next few weeks not what has gone before. We need to see a new attitude and drive from Sunday onwards at training. Train as you intend to play. Let's drive each other on to new standards. No regrets.💙💪

03

The road to three finals

Management named the goal: three finals. Here is what that actually means, straight off the 2026 senior fixtures. Top four in each code qualify; first plays fourth, second plays third.

Men

Senior MenUs

  • Semi-finalSunday 16 August · venue TBC
  • FinalSunday 6 September · Offaly GAA CoE
Women

Senior Women

  • Semi-finalSunday 16 August · venue TBC
  • FinalSunday 30 August · NGDC Abbotstown
Mixed

Senior Mixed

  • Semi-finalSunday 23 August · venue TBC
  • FinalSunday 13 September · Mallow GAA
04

Know the detail

Next session

Sunday 9 August, 6:30pm

“Sorry lads, can ye be there for 6.30 on Sunday please.”

Then

Semi-final week

9 August is the last Sunday before it. Any midweek session is on top of that.

Game length

Seven innings

Semi-finals and finals are one-day, seven-inning games.

If it is a draw

Two extra innings

Still level, the team that won most innings takes it. Then a replay inside seven days.

Pitching distance

12 metres

Senior men and mixed. Yellow size 5 sliotar.

Our home venue, not the semi

Ballyheane

Ballyheane GAA Pitch, Cornaveagh, Ballyheane, Castlebar, Mayo, F23 VP70. The semi-final venue is still TBC.

No regrets. Base by base.