Rochford issues Mayo injuries update

Mike Finnerty

ONLY three members of Mayo’s 31-man squad didn’t take a full part in training on Wednesday evening as the group’s focus turned to their Connacht SFC semi-final against Galway on Sunday, June 11.
Kevin McLoughlin, who injured his back against Sligo last weekend, sat the session out while Barry Moran (Achilles) and Alan Dillon (hamstring) were also unable to take part.
Mayo manager Stephen Rochford said last night (Thursday) that Moran saw a specialist last week and could be back in training ‘at some stage in the next 10 days” while Dillon is expected to be back in action next weekend.
On the subject of Aidan O’Shea’s groin injury, which was a contributory factor in the Breaffy clubman not starting against Sligo last weekend, Rochford had this to say:
“It’s ongoing. It’s just a case of games coming thick and fast. The ground isn’t favourable to those injuries to recover as quickly as would like so we’ll just monitor him from session to session. But at this juncture, I wouldn’t see any reason why he won’t be fit for the Galway game.”
Meanwhile, Seamie O’Shea, who hurt his neck when he fell heavily last Sunday, and Diarmuid O’Connor, who required stitches to a cut above his eye, both participated in the ‘non-contact’ aspect of Wednesday evening’s session.
However, All Star defender Brendan Harrison trained fully and is back in consideration again for a place in Mayo’s match-day squad for Salthill.
“I’m back into full training now and it felt good,” the Aghamore man told The Mayo News. “It’s just a matter of getting fully sharp now, getting fit, and hopefully being available for selection for the Galway game.
“Nobody wants to be missing games, especially in a competitive environment like we have, so it was hard not being on the field.
“It was the first time I’d had a hamstring injury so I wasn’t sure how long I was going to be out for. Now I just want to get back, make an impact, and help the team.”
The Connacht GAA Council are expecting a crowd of more than 20,000 people to attend the provincial semi-final at Pearse Stadium in Galway next month.