That report in this week’s Connaught Telegraph, which was picked up by Hogan Stand, about injuries being carried by a few of the players seems to me to be much ado about nothing. Both of the O’Sheas have been out for a while and all of the other reported injuries appear to be of the “knocks” variety, which, if past experience is anything to go by, tend to sort themselves out reasonably quickly. It’s clear from this report that none of those mentioned in dispatches – Danny Geraghty, Jason Gibbons, Kevin McLoughlin, Alan Dillon, Keith Higgins and Peadar Gardiner – are carrying any kind of serious injury so I think the working assumption has to be that all will be available for selection for the Leitrim match.

The position with the O’Sheas is obviously different and I’d say there are still some doubts as to whether or not either of them will be okay for June 24th. Seamus isn’t, of course, a definite starter even if he’s fully fit – with Ronan McGarrity’s return to the fray giving us added cover around the middle – while Aidan’s condition means we have to think carefully about where and when to deploy him over the coming months. If I were a betting man (and I’m not) I’d say it’s likely that neither of the Breaffy boys will start against the Ridge County.

I don’t know what the story is with Aidan Campbell either. He captained the team in that challenge match against Donegal that took place on his home pitch in Swinford a month ago today and I hadn’t heard before now that there was anything up with him. The report doesn’t specify what it might be either. In any event, Aidan is currently a bit down the pecking order for a half-forward line place so even if he is 100% it’s more likely that he’ll be on the bench at McHale Park.

In other news, team captain Andy Moran is interviewed by David Jennings in the Mayo News where he talks about last Sunday’s challenge match against Westmeath and the upcoming Connacht semi-final against Leitrim. In the same paper, Sean Rice discusses the various options that James Horan was road-testing in that match in Ballaghaderreen last Sunday.

Finally, Galway and Sligo both named their teams last night for their Connacht semi-final clash at Pearse Stadium this coming Saturday evening, where throw-in is set for 6pm. (By the way this will be, for both of them, their second provincial championship match of the year while we’ll have another fortnight to wait after that for our first one: don’t get me started …) Galway’s team is unchanged from the one that started in the demolition of Roscommon a few weeks back while Sligo have made two changes from the team that comprehensively dismantled New York a month ago.  Johnny Martyn comes in at full-back for the Magpies in place of Noel Maguire while Eugene Mullen starts at midfield instead of Tony Taylor. Both David Kelly and Eamonn O’Hara failed fitness tests and so both will miss the Pearse Stadium showdown.