It is expected that former All Star-nominee Pádraig O’Hora (31) will be stepping away from the Mayo football panel. He joins Cillian O’Connor, who on Monday announced he has opted out of intercounty activity for next year.
Although not first-choice this season, O’Hora was a prominent panellist who appeared in a couple of championship matches this year.
He was named Man of the Match in the All-Ireland semi-final win over then champions Dublin in 2021 – the Dubs’ first championship defeat in seven years – the year he earned his All Star nomination.
At 32, O’Connor has time to return to top-level football should he decide to do so but was low key last season for a player who is the top championship scorer of all time, having overtaken Colm Cooper five years ago, and who was twice named Young Footballer of the Year (2011 and ‘12).
In 2020, he also broke the record for individual scoring in a single match with 4-9 in the All-Ireland semi-final against Tipperary. Since then, O’Connor has sustained a number of injuries and was deployed more in a supplementary role this season.
He started the All-Ireland group games against Cavan and Roscommon and came on as a replacement in most of the other championship fixtures, sitting out only the Connacht semi-final against Roscommon.
Meanwhile, Dessie Hutchinson has been named Waterford hurling captain for 2025. New county manager Peter Queally and his team announced on Monday that the prolific Ballygunner forward, who this Sunday will be involved in the Munster club SHC final against Cork’s Sarsfields, will captain the county next year, joined by Lismore’s Iarlaith Daly as vice-captain.
Also on Monday, the GAA launched the new Game Changer initiative at Croke Park, which aims to raise awareness on tackling Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (DSGBV) through sport.
The partnership between the GAA, Ruhama and White Ribbon Ireland, supported by the LGFA and Camogie Association, will seek “to harness the positive influence of Gaelic games to challenge the social and cultural norms that contribute to gender-based violence and sexual exploitation and aims to deliver positive behaviour change throughout society.”
The programme hopes to challenge the societal culture of sexual violence, encourage behaviours that support values of gender equality, encourage men and boys to engage in active alliance to eradicate gender-based violence, support the challenging and disclosure of abusive behaviours, and raise awareness of the harms and consequences of human trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Speaking at the launch, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said: “There is an epidemic of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in this country and I have prioritised action to tackle domestic violence and violence against women.
“Our objective has to be nothing short of zero tolerance. This means not only zero tolerance for this crime within our criminal justice system, but also zero tolerance for it within our society.
“The GAA is a phenomenal organisation and their support and leadership, at national and at community level, will ensure this important message of zero tolerance is brought to every town and every parish in the country.”
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