Rochford’s powerful backroom team

Mayo managerial hopeful Stephen Rochford is piecing together a formidable backroom team, including Donie Buckley and Tony McEntee, as he gears up for the final stage of the process to replace Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes with the Connacht champions.

Corofin manager Rochford, a six-time county championship winner with Crossmolina, is regarded as the hot favourite to be in charge of the Mayo footballers next season, though ex-manager James Horan is still regarded as a contender.

Nominations close tomorrow week for contenders, with Mayo GAA executives looking to have their man in place a week thereafter. Rochford, who has completed thee Galway championships in-a-row with Corofin this autumn, is hoping to keep Donie Buckley involved in 2016, and is also lining up Crossmaglen All-Ireland winner Tony McEntee, as coach. McEntee has been in charge of Dublin’s St Brigid’s for the last two seasons, and could take sessions in the capital, where a number of the Mayo squad are domiciled.