Peter Ford and Shane Conway set for Mayo management ticket

By Mike Finnerty

The Mayo GAA Board executive met last night to discuss Stephen Rochford’s proposed management team for 2019.

Former Mayo captain Peter Ford and Shane Conway, current joint managers of the Breaffy club team, have both agreed to join Rochford’s backroom team as selectors for next season.

This follows the departures of Donie Buckley, Peter Burke, and Tony McEntee from last year’s Mayo coaching staff.

It is expected that the executive officers will recommend that Rochford’s new management team — which also includes 2018 selector Joe Keane — be officially ratified at a meeting of the County Board this week.

Peter Ford and Shane Conway were on the sideline with their Breaffy team when they drew with Ballintubber in the Mayo senior club championship on Saturday evening.

The duo have been in charge of the West Mayo outfit since the start of the 2016 season.

During an illustrious playing career, Ford won five Connacht SFC medals and captained Mayo to the 1992 provincial title. The Ballinrobe native also managed Ballintubber to Mayo SFC title in 2014.

The 56-year-old served as a selector under John Maughan when Mayo reached All-Ireland finals in 1996 and 1997.

He went on to manage Galway to both the 2005 Connacht SFC and the All-Ireland U21 championship that same year.

Conway, meanwhile, has carved out an impressive reputation as a coach and manager at club and colleges level over the last ten years.

He was part of Pat Holmes’ management team in 2013 when Castlebar Mitchels won the Mayo SFC title, before going to on to lose the All-Ireland club final to St Vincent’s in March of 2014.

Conway was also joint-manager of the Rice College Westport team that qualified for the All-Ireland Post- Primary Schools Senior ‘A’ football championship final earlier this year.