Mayo recall for Ronan delights David Brady
David Jennings
THE decision to recall Ronan McGarrity to the Mayo senior football fold has received the thumbs-up from former county midfielder David Brady.
McGarrity returned to training with James Horan’s squad last Tuesday night for the first time since last August’s All-Ireland SFC semi-final defeat to Kerry.
The Ballina midfielder had been omitted from Mayo’s National League squad due to a persistent Achilles tendon injury.
However, after playing in a number of league matches with his club in recent weeks, McGarrity was asked to return to the Mayo squad.
The Mayo News understands that a decision on whether or not he will remain with the panel for the upcoming Connacht championship campaign will be taken in the coming weeks.
“You’ll never regret having him there, you’ll only regret not having him there,” said David Brady.
“Ronan has seven or eight years experience under his belt and that is something you can’t compensate for.
“If you look at the league final against Cork, having someone like Ronan might have been the ingredient that we were missing. “We needed someone to take control of the game and he might have been that man.
“It’s a no-lose situation,” added the TV3 pundit.
“Whether he starts every game, plays a couple of minutes, or doesn’t play at all, Ronan being part of the panel is a positive thing. He has great leadership qualities and this will be his eighth championship campaign so he knows what it’s all about.
“There will also be good competition for places and, if you can have two good midfielders on another two good midfielders in training games, it makes them far more competitive.”
Meanwhile, Mayo manager James Horan will also be monitoring the fitness of his captain, Andy Moran, this week after it emerged that the Ballaghaderreen forward has been ruled out of his club’s championship opener next weekend with a back injury.
Ballagh’ manager, Mark O’Dowd, confirmed last night that Moran, who also missed last Saturday’s league defeat to Ballinrobe, will be unavailable.
Castlebar’s Eoghan O’Reilly is believed to have been released from the county senior squad last week.
