A bluffer’s guide to Mayo’s championship countdown
Feature
Mike Finnerty
mikefinnerty@mayonews.ie
FIVE weeks have passed since Championship 2012 began on a balmy Sunday afternoon in Gaelic Park, New York.
Since then we’ve seen combat in Connacht and across the other provinces, as the likes of Roscommon, Cavan, Louth and, of course, Galway all tumbled into the All-Ireland Qualifiers.
Mayo, meanwhile, have been watching impatiently from the wings, waiting for their turn to step into the ring on Sunday week next, June 24, against Leitrim in Castlebar.
They will be the last county to join the race for Sam Maguire this summer and, at this stage, Team Mayo and their supporters (not to mention us lads in the press!) are counting down the days, hours and minutes.
So, in anticipation of D-day, here’s all you need to know at this stage of the game about Mayo’s big match preparations.
Is the panel picked?
TO answer the question, it depends on what you mean by ‘picked’. ‘Open-ended’ is probably the best way to describe it.
James Horan is working with 33 players at the moment after the return of Ronan McGarrity to the fold last month.
The former Mayo captain was initially recalled to the squad for a three week ‘trial’, but four weeks later it looks like he is there to stay for the summer.
Young guns like Michael Forde, Michael Walsh and Leaving Cert student, Evan Regan, are all still in the mix as is Chris Barrett who has returned to action recently after a long lay-off with injury.
Castlebar Mitchels duo Alan Feeney and Eoghan O’Reilly were both released from the panel before the championship preparations began.
What’s the story with injuries?
THE Mayo medical team are being kept busy with niggles, aches and strains in recent weeks but most of them should have cleared up by June 24.
The O’Shea brothers, Aidan and Seamus, remain the biggest injury worries for the date with Leitrim as they battle to recover from their respective ‘rectus sheath’ and hamstring problems.
Aidan Campbell (hip) is also struggling to make the first game while Peadar Gardiner (badly bruised foot) has been sidelined in recent weeks. Kevin Keane picked up a dead leg last week but should be good to go for Leitrim.
Kevin McLoughlin, Jason Gibbons and Danny Geraghty all lined out with their clubs last weekend.
Will McHale Park be finished?
YES, four years after the project started, the official opening of the redeveloped stadium in Castlebar will be taking place on Sunday week next.
The President of Islandeady GAA club (aka An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD) will be doing the honours as he unveils a plaque, makes a speech, and declares the €18m stadium to be officially open for business.
Mayo GAA Board officers have been working intensively behind-the-scenes in recent months to secure the funds from Croke Park that would allow them to complete the project.
The controversial media tower was the last piece of the jigsaw and the finishing touches to that revamped building are being applied this week.
As a result, local and national radio stations, as well as the TV cameras, will all be based in the media tower for the first time on Sunday week.
What have Mayo been doing?
IN the six weeks since they lost the National League Final to Cork, Mayo have been mixing training sessions with team meetings with club games with individual assessments, not to mention that work-out against Westmeath last week.
The challenge for James Horan, Tom Prendergast, James Nallen and the likes of Cian O’Neill and Ed Coughlan has been to keep the squad ticking over, fresh, sharp, focused and ready to join the championship race later than every team in the competition.
It has to be easier said than done.
Kieran Shannon, the sports psychologist who is now firmly embedded inside the Mayo camp, has also been playing an integral part in keeping the players’ minds sharp as they watch on from the sidelines as all the other championship contenders have been getting stuck in.
But the waiting is almost over, with less than two weeks and counting to go. And not a minute too soon for all of us.
HAVE YOUR SAY email mikefinnerty@mayonews.ie with your comments
