Mayo door remains open, says James Horan

Mayo door remains open


Mike Finnerty

ANY players hoping to force their way into the Mayo squad before the start of the Connacht championship next month have five rounds of the county senior league to catch James Horan’s attention.
The Mayo manager released six players from his panel last week but has stressed that the door remains open to anyone who comes into form with their clubs ahead of the start of the provincial championship on May 29.
Aidan Kilcoyne, Barry Moran, Tom Parsons, Mark Ronaldson and Brian Benson were all informed last week that they were being cut from the Mayo panel after the conclusion of the Allianz League.
The Mayo News understands that Ruaidhrí O’Connor was also released from the squad later in the week, and a couple of other players are also likely to be dropped as the Mayo management team decide on the final 30 footballers that will make up their championship panel.
Tourmakeady’s Kevin Dolan, who broke his jaw three months ago during his inter-county debut against GMIT in the FBD League, has been included in the Mayo squad along with other newcomers like Ronan Rochford, Eoin O’Reilly and James Burke.
Meanwhile, Seamus O’Shea was forced out of Breaffy’s league match against Davitts last Saturday evening after suffering what was believed to be a quad muscle injury. The full extent of the damage is not yet known.
Elsewhere, a number of Mayo panellists did not line out with their clubs last weekend due to niggles and strains.
These included Garrymore’s Enda Varley, Castlebar’s Neil Douglas and Crossmolina’s Peadar Gardiner, all of whom are suffering from hamstring problems. Richie Feeney also missed Castlebar’s win over Burrishoole with a calf strain.
Trevor Howley (ankle) and Donal Vaughan (groin) sat out their club’s league games as a precautionary measure but are likely to feature for Knockmore and Ballinrobe, respectively, in next weekend’s senior league fixtures.
Keith Higgins was another player who was sidelined last weekend. The Ballyhaunis defender missed out on Mayo’s Allianz Hurling League final against Roscommon due to the hamstring injury he sustained against Monaghan while on football duty on Sunday week last.