Andy Moran is stretchered off after seriously injuring his knee.?Pic: Sportsfile
Andy injury mars Mayo win
Mike Finnerty
MAYO captain Andy Moran will find out the full extent of his knee injury later this week but an initial examination suggests that the All Star has torn his cruciate ligament after twisting awkwardly during last Saturday’s All-Ireland SFC quarter-final win over Down.
There were 52 minutes on the clock when Moran sustained the injury to his right knee while attempting to track the run of Down’s Liam Doyle.
He underwent a scan at Santry Clinic later that evening before meeting a surgeon on Sunday morning. The Mayo GAA Board released a statement later that afternoon which said that Moran had “suffered significant ligament damage to his knee” and that it was “likely” that he will miss the remainder of the season.
The 28 years-old, who is currently on crutches, is expected to find out more about the exact nature of the injury when he meets a specialist consultant later this week.
Interestingly, last weekend’s 12-points victory over Down was Mayo’s biggest winning margin in a championship match at Croke Park since the 1950 All-Ireland semi-final when they beat Armagh by 3-9 to 0-6.
Meanwhile, the Mayo senior football squad will train tonight (Tuesday) before the players are released back to their clubs ahead of next weekend’s club championship matches.
Preparations will then begin in earnest next week ahead of the All-Ireland SFC semi-final clash with All-Ireland champions Dublin at Croke Park on September 2.
The Mayo Minors are also in the midst of All-Ireland semi-final preparations this week. Last Saturday’s shock win over All-Ireland champions, Tipperary, means that Tony Duffy’s side will now face beaten Leinster finalists, Meath, on Sunday, August 26 at Croke Park.
A successful day all-round was completed when the Mayo juniors beat Lancashire in their All-Ireland semi-final clash in Manchester. John Kelly’s side will play in the county’s first All-Ireland decider at this grade since 2001 on Saturday, August 25 against either Cavan or Kerry.
