Andy Moran aims to give Mayo fresh edge as he begins new era

One of the greatest players to put on the Mayo jersey, Andy Moran, is now determined to put them back into contention as manager.

The former Footballer of the Year is now Mayo manager, seven years after he retired from inter-county football, as he takes over from Kevin McStay.

The Ballaghadereen forward's former teammates, Cillian O'Connor, Robbie Hennelly, Michael Plunkett, and James Carr, have all returned to the panel, in a big boost to Mayo's forward line.

It means that alongside a crop of young recruits, Mayo now can call on players who have served their time on the frontline of Championship football. It's a mix of youth and experience, which Moran highly values.

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

Mayo defeated Sligo last Saturday as the FBD league returned, after an absence last season.

Having the pre-season competition is a benefit for any manager, especially someone as new to the job as Moran, who resists claims that competitions like the FBD league impact players' workload.

"I don't think it washes that not having the FBD league helps with player burnout. I think that's quite silly, because all our games now are localised.

"They're between Sligo and Roscommon in the first two games, and one of them is in Charlestown: they're local, so you're not doing huge travel.

"If we didn't have the FBD, we'd be in Meath, we would be in Cork, we would be in Dublin, you'd be all over the country playing challenge matches.

"So I never really agreed when the McKenna cups, McGrath cups, or FBD were pulled.

"Even getting a player in front of 2,000 people against Sligo in