Many of the lead characters from Mayo’s intoxicating decade of Sam Maguire-chasing melodrama continue to exit the stage. Rob Hennelly’s decision to retire from intercounty football sees another of the links in the chain break away.
Between 2012 and 2021 the Mayo footballers contested seven All-Ireland finals (including the 2016 replay). Hennelly started between the posts for three of those showdowns, David Clarke manning the goal for the other four. Both are now retired.
Indeed, it appears some seven players from the starting team in the 2021 decider, Mayo’s last final appearance, will not be involved next season – Hennelly, Pádraig O’Hora, Lee Keegan, Michael Plunkett, Oisín Mullin, Kevin McLoughlin, and Bryan Walsh.
That doesn’t include Cillian O’Connor, who didn’t play in the 2021 final because of a ruptured Achilles. O’Connor, the top scorer in the history of the senior football championship, last month announced he was taking a year out from the intercounty game.
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At first glance, to lose seven players from a starting All-Ireland final team in such a short period is unusual, but the squad was on the cusp of a natural evolution anyhow and the arrival of new management in late 2022 inevitably brought fresh ideas.
And whilst the decisions of Hennelly, O’Connor and O’Hora will have an impact on the dynamic of the dressingroom – manager Kevin McStay will still be able to call upon all 15 players that started Mayo’s last championship game of 2024, their All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final defeat to Derry.
The team has transitioned under McStay’s stewardship, with new players emerging in key roles. Colm Reape was the Mayo goalkeeper throughout the 2023 and 2024 championships, starting all 13 games across those two summer campaigns.
Hennelly’s last championship appearance was the 2022 All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Kerry. His final game in goal for Mayo was February’s National League defeat to Tyrone in Omagh, during which he scored a point.
Of the other absentees from that 2021 All-Ireland final loss to Tyrone, the highly influential Keegan retired in January 2023. O’Hora has stepped away from the panel for the 2025 season while it has been widely reported by local media in Mayo that Plunkett, James Carr and Rory Byrne will not be involved next season.
The most significant loss from that 2021 final is Mullin, his decision to join AFL outfit Geelong in 2023 was a blow to the then-new Mayo management. He was a two-time Young Footballer of the Year and McStay would have hoped to build a team around the Kilmaine man had he remained in Ireland.
McLoughlin retired in August 2023, after giving 15 years of dedicated service to the green and red.
Walsh has not really featured during McStay’s reign – with the Ballintubber man’s last involvement coming in the Connacht League final against Roscommon in January 2023.
The news of Hennelly’s decision was unlikely to be a total shock to McStay, given the lack of game time the two-time All Star nominee has had in recent times.
Hennelly (34) had been maintaining an intercounty career with Mayo whilst living in Dublin, where he is a key leader within the Raheny senior team, so it required huge commitment.
“I am privileged to have been involved with the Mayo senior team since 2009 and to have played at the highest level for as long as I have,” said Hennelly announcing his retirement.
“However, now feels like the right time for me to retire from intercounty football (although I’m sure many thought I already had!) I tried to give it a go again this year, but life moves fast as they say – and I’m grateful to be leaving on my own terms.”
Hennelly was sub goalkeeper in the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final loss to Derry in June, Reape having got the nod to start.
It was notable that he name-checked his Breaffy colleague Aidan O’Shea in his farewell statement. O’Shea is sticking around for 2025 after producing one of his strongest seasons in 2024.
“I want to give a special mention to Aidan – we started a journey together with both club and county and unfortunately, we won’t finish it together, but you’ve always been an inspiration to me and so many others,” said Hennelly.
“I’m so glad you’re there to continue to lead this team and battle on. To the current Mayo team, while I’m sad to leave, I’m so excited to see where you go this year. I know the characters, culture, and environment in this group will drive Mayo football to where it belongs.”
The belief remains within the county that where Mayo football belongs is on the top steps of the Hogan Stand on All-Ireland final day, despite the changing personnel.
Mayo fans will get the opportunity to see how the class of 2025 are shaping up on Saturday, January 4th at MacHale Park when McStay’s side play Monaghan (throw-in 6.30pm) in a charity match in aid of the Mayo Motor Neurone Association.
Before that, all attention will be on the boardroom on Wednesday night as Mayo’s rescheduled convention takes place in which issues around the county board’s financial affairs and ongoing Revenue audit are expected to dominate the agenda.
MAYO TEAM v TYRONE, 2021 ALL-IRELAND SFC FINAL
- Rob Hennelly – Retired
- Pádraig O’Hora – Not expected to be involved in 2025
- Lee Keegan – Retired
- Michael Plunkett – Not expected to be involved in 2025
- Patrick Durcan – 2024 team captain is currently recovering from a cruciate injury
- Stephen Coen – Still involved
- Oisín Mullin – Currently playing AFL with Geelong
- Matthew Ruane – Still involved
- Conor Loftus – Still involved
- Diarmuid O’Connor – Still involved
- Aidan O’Shea – Still involved
- Bryan Walsh – Last played in 2023 Connacht League
- Kevin McLoughlin – Retired
- Tommy Conroy – Still involved
- Ryan O’Donoghue – Still involved
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