Liam McHale has claimed that Kevin McStay had Noel Connelly in mind for a selector's role before discovering that Connelly was also in the running for the Mayo's manager's job.

As it transpired, Connelly and Pat Holmes were appointed joint-managers in succession to James Horan at the end of September after McStay's presentation was deemed "too radical" for the Mayo county board.

McHale, who was on the McStay ticket but has since taken up a coaching role with Cavan, told the Western People: "The funny thing was, before Noel put his name in the hat, Kevin rang me and asked what I thought about Noel coming in as selector.

"Kevin told me that he had heard nothing but good things about Noel, but that he wouldn't know him as well as I did. I told him you couldn't get a better guy than Noel.

"But then when Noel's name came into the picture, Kevin couldn't ring him because I suppose they became rivals at that stage. It would have been disrespectful. But that's the way Kevin was thinking at the time, that the packet would be himself.

"But that's just the way it goes."

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