GAA
1 October 1997
By Tom Kelly
Mayo manager John Maughan had no intention of quitting in the aftermath of his side's All-Ireland senior football final defeat at the hands of Kerry, it has been revealed.
Sources close to the Mayo squad have indicated that Maughan was determined to carry on despite the huge personal upset of suffering his second All-Ireland final defeat in the space of two years.
He spoke at length with his selectors, Peter Ford and Tommy O'Malley, and they were in agreement that it would not be in the best interest of Mayo football for them to walk away.
The trio, who have turned the county team's fortunes dramatically around a short space of time, have one year of a three-year contract left to run with the Mayo County G.A.A. Board.
Their decision to carry on will be warmly welcomed by the sporting public at large.
Maughan spoke publicly after the match about the huge pressures involved in managing the team. He said there was not the same pressures when he held the same position in Clare in the early nineties.
"I wonder how long I can keep it going because it dominates your life," he added.
