The Mayo News

FOOTBALL A new-look Mayo senior team is expected to line out in Sunday’s FBD League opener against NUI.
Here we go again

Students to provide first test of season for new-look Mayo

Mike Finnerty

A NEW-LOOK Mayo senior football team is expected to line out for the first competitive match of the new season when the FBD Connacht League swings back into action at Flanagan Park, Ballinrobe next Sunday.
John O’Mahony’s ‘open-ended’ squad of approximately 35 players is down around the 20-mark because of a combination of college football commitments, injuries and a number of key personnel opting to sit out the opening weeks of the new year.
This means that a host of new faces (and some older, more familiar ones) will be given an opportunity to impress in games against NUI, Galway, Sligo IT and Roscommon over the next three weeks.
Speaking to The Mayo News, John O’Mahony admitted that running the rule over players was his main priority before the start of the National League on February 2.
“The FBD League is going to be very much a non-event for us in the sense that we’re only going to have a squad of about 20 players available because of college commitments,  injuries and players taking a break but we will still use it to get a look at lads in competitive action.
“Since we lost to Derry last July we’ve had five or six trial games and watched a lot of U-21, Senior, Intermediate and Junior championship games right across the county. From all that we’ve brought in a number of new players and intend to have a look at all of them during the next few weeks.”
Among those included in the Mayo squad for the FBD League who were not part of O’Mahony’s plans last season are James Gill and Pat Kelly, two players who have featured in the recent past under previous management regimes.
The new faces include Achill duo Colm Cafferkey and Donal Corrigan, Knockmore’s John Brogan, Shrule/Glencorrib’s David ‘Roundy’ Geraghty, Charlestown’s Tony Mulligan and Westport goalkeeper, Tom Higgins.
“We’ve done very little outdoors work so far, the majority of it has been mainly in the gym,” added the Mayo boss. “We trained outdoors on a Saturday a couple of weeks ago collectively and we brought any of the lads who missed that session out a week later. Guys are also doing their own gym programmes so we’re happy with the way things are going.”
Among the high-profile absentees for the FBD League will be Conor Mortimer, Andy Moran and Barry Moran who will be lining out in the O’Byrne Cup, McKenna Cup and McGrath Cups with DCU, Queens University and the University of Limerick respectively.
Meanwhile, John O’Mahony confirmed that David Heaney, Kevin O’Neill and Trevor Mortimer will be concentrating on weights during the month of January while James Nallen and Ciaran McDonald have yet to rejoin the squad.
However, he said that no player from last year’s panel had made themselves unavailable for selection.
“What we’re beginning here is a transition period and we’d like everyone on board to help us get onto the next level,” explained the Mayo manager. “Everyone is available if needed at the moment but things will probably become clearer over the next few weeks and months. Nobody has opted out yet anyway.”

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