Counting down to Sunday

THE signs are everywhere.
At the GAA club lotto draw on Monday night, the die-hards spent two hours discussing the best way to park cars at the back of the Sportlann goal on Sunday and another two hours debating the pros and cons of trying to sell lotto tickets to the Breaffy crowd at half-time.
Rumour has it that Pat Synott put on his new Ballinrobe jersey (yes, the one with the number 11 on the back) yesterday morning, cycled to town, and will be standing at the gates to The Lough until Tom Carney arrives on Sunday morning to let him in.
Seemingly Michael Coyne (our very own Celtic Tenor) has been practising Amhrán na bhFiann in Rathredmond four times a day since the draw for the first round was made. In March.
And Danny McHugh in Supermacs swears he hasn’t seen a Ballinrobe footballer in his place since last Saturday night after The Valk.
The first round of the championship does strange things to people and right now, before a ball is kicked in anger, every single man, woman and child who has paid their membership to Ballinrobe GAA club (and some who haven’t!) are counting down the days to Sunday.
The first round. Breaffy. The Lough. And a chance for our seniors to hit the ground running and maybe, just maybe, give themselves a fighting chance of getting ‘out of the group’ this summer.
The players have trained hard, made sacrifices, committed to the cause, and done everything that has been asked of them by Norman, Billy, Gilly, Dermot and Martin.
None of us know what is going to happen when the ball is thrown in on Sunday at 2 o’clock and the game starts to take on a life of its own. Some guys will seize the day, others will see it pass them by, but all of them will keep plugging away, trying to do the right thing.
But what we do know is that every single one of ‘our lads’ — from Kenny O’Malley to the subs that don’t get on — will do everything they can do for the Ballinrobe cause.
Like the inscription inside the collar of the Ballinrobe jersey says, ‘Wear It With Pride’.
You can be sure they will. Lads like the Keanes, the Killeens, Paul Finno and Seán Grimes don’t know any other way.
And all they ask in return from the people who live in their town is that they get behind them.
So spread the word: on Sunday, June 12, the Ballinrobe senior footballers are at home to Breaffy in the first round of the Mayo senior championship. And they deserve your support.
Baile An Roba abú!

COMING SOON  We preview the big match v Breaffy and give away a pair of FREE tickets for the game to one lucky Ballinrobe GAA club supporter.