Conor out? More snow on the way?

With life slowly returning to something other than a turkey-filled pigfest, with it comes the first bit of tangible football news for a good while.  The first news report of the year isn’t a positive one either, as it appears that Conor Mortimer could well be missing for the entire 2011 season – full details from Hogan Stand.  Losing Conor for  a whole year isn’t exactly a welcome development but I guess we’re far less dependent on him now than we were a few years ago.  The likes of Mark Ronaldson, Enda Varley, Alan Freeman and Neil Douglas all have experience of operating in the full-forward line and I’d expect to see Cillian O’Connor making his senior debut before too long so it’s obvious that we have a number of alternatives to Mort at this stage.

Looking at alternatives would appear to be the sensible approach that James Horan and his new management team will be taking for the upcoming FBD League.  This piece in the Mayo News confirms as much, with names likes the Ballintubber quartet of Jason Gibbons, Cathal Hallinan, Cillian and Ruadhri O’Connor (see, I told you so), as well as Tourmakeady’s Kevin Dolan, Burrishoole’s James Moran and Ballinrobe’s David Killeen all being mentioned in dispatches.  Two trial games were held in McHale Park at the weekend and in that Mayo News report, it’s stated that James already has a fair idea of the teams he’ll field in the FBD, with every one of the thirty or so lads involved at the minute – the bulk of whom would not appear to have been part of the 2010 squad – set to play some part over the three pre-season matches.  We’ll be seeing plenty of new faces over the coming few weeks, it would appear.

And, possibly, we could be seeing plenty more snow – if this report is to be believed.  If this does come to pass then the weekend’s return to the fray may have to be postponed but it’s too early to be jumping to any such conclusions at this stage.

3 thoughts on “Conor out? More snow on the way?

  1. I find it amazing that Mort has played without a cruciate ligament for a number of years! I have a feeling from the way the report is written that we may see him in a Mayo jersey when the weather gets fine!

  2. Sorry to hear of his injury. However its time Mayo moved to a different format up front and indeed last season Morts contribution was diminishing. Time for the young bucks to stand up and do what must be done. O Mahony wasted four years when he should have been rebuilding. Horan has now got to do that job. Its an opportunity for another lad to stake a claim.

  3. Whatever about the cruciate, is he going to be in college forever? DCU or UCD or whatever it was for years, I think there was somewhere before then and now UUJ. Hes tipping on as well, time to get out in the real world and earn a crust Conereen!

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