Mike Finnerty
WITH less than a fortnight remaining to Mayo’s first game in this year’s Connacht championship, John O’Mahony says that he is ‘hopeful’ that Conor Mortimer will be fit to start against Sligo.
Mayo’s leading scorer in their last four championship campaigns is suffering from a thigh strain and was forced to miss Shrule/Glencorrib’s club championship match against Ballaghaderreen last Sunday.
Mortimer sustained the injury while weight training last month and aggravated it further during Shrule’s opening club championship game with Breaffy. He did travel to Portugal with the Mayo squad on their training camp recently but was unable to take any part in training.
“The injury has really restricted him in the last few weeks,” John O’Mahony told The Mayo News. “We’ll just have to wait and see how he responds to treatment but we’d be hopeful that he will be right for Sligo. Ideally, we’d like to see him play a bit of ball before Sunday week as there’s a difference between being fit and being match fit.”
The Mayo manager also said that just two players had picked up knocks in last weekend’s club championship games as far as he was aware. Ballintubber’s Alan Dillon (back) and Shrule/Glencorrib’s Kieran Conroy (dead leg) are due to be assessed by Mayo’s medical team this week.
MEANWHILE, just three teams have qualified for the quarter-finals of the TF Royal Hotel & Theatre Mayo senior football championship following last weekend’s second round games.
Ballaghaderreen, Charlestown and Crossmolina are all safely through with two wins from two games but there is a fierce scramble on to see who will join them in the last eight.
The outcome of Section D, in particular, remains up in the air after last weekend’s results with all four teams still in contention for the two quarter-final places. Claremorris are in pole position with two wins from two games but Ballina, Castlebar and Burrishoole are still all in the running with one round left to be played.
In the Intermediate championship, Aghamore and Crossmolina B have booked their place in the quarter-finals with two wins from two games while Westport are within touching distance of the knock-out stages after beating Achill last Sunday.
In Section D, Kilmaine’s victory over Hollymount has blown the five-team group wide open with Davitts, Kiltimagh and Tourmakeady also in the frame.
