Mayo have confirmed that coach Liam McHale has departed the county’s football management after one year’s involvement. The move comes as a surprise given how close a relationship he has had with manager Kevin McStay, who is also his brother-in-law.
They were both involved in previous successes with Roscommon club St Brigid’s, All-Ireland champions in 2013, and the same county’s senior footballers, who they led to a Connacht title in 2017.
Appointed after a high-profile selection process last year, they together with Stephen Rochford, Donie Buckley and Damien Mulligan – also coaches and selectors – had success in Division One of the AFL last April but lost to Roscommon a week later in the provincial championship.
A stop-start campaign continued with an impressive win against Kerry, a first championship defeat for the home side in Killarney for 28 years but the performances that followed were disappointing, culminating in losing top spot in the group to Kerry and having to play a preliminary quarter-final against Galway.
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That narrow victory in Salthill was followed a week later by a comprehensive defeat against Dublin in the quarter-finals.
No details have been given about the departure, a spokesperson confirming it but adding that there would be no further comment.
