We’ve had more than our fair share of bad news on the injury front over the last year but this evening the jinx struck again and did so with what looks like sickening effect. Cillian O’Connor was stretchered off in Ballintubber’s club championship match with Claremorris this evening and @MayoGAA later announced that he was in Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar being treated for a shoulder injury he suffered in that game. The same source went on to state that it “will be a few days before the full extent of Cillian’s injury will be known”.
I know a number of you have already put up comments on Cillian’s injury with some claiming to know that he’s out for the year. I don’t think this kind of speculation is particularly helpful or that it serves any useful purpose right now. We all know he’s injured and that in all likelihood it’s a recurrence of the shoulder dislocation he suffered on club championship duty with Ballintubber last back-end. Whether or not he’s out for the year will become clear soon enough so it’s as well, I think, to await official confirmation before speculating further on this.
I have to admit that a deep pall of depression hit me when word first started to filter through earlier on this evening about Cillian’s injury. The Double YPOY had been missing for a fair bit of the league arising from the original dislocation injury but made a number of telling contributions on his return to the side – not least down in Páirc Uí Chaoimh with those two astonishing sideline points – and last Sunday in Salthill it was clear that we’d found our new long-term centre-forward. He played the playmaker role to perfection in Pearse Stadium, providing assists for three of the four goals, and doing plenty more besides, so much so that he was named RTÉ’s MOTM for his bravura display that day.
I also have to admit that one of the first thoughts that went through my head in reaction to the news was something along the lines of ‘fuck this fucking club football’, which has, since April knocked Barry Moran, Michael Conroy, Jason Doherty, Cathal Freeman, Brian Gallagher and now Cillian out of action. All of them have been gone for weeks, all have missed out on being considered for at least one championship match as a result and some of them may not feature again for the county for the rest of the year.
I know that this initial reaction isn’t fair – Andy Moran’s cruciate woe shows that serious injuries don’t just happen on club duty – but I know too that such a situation whereby county panellists are repeatedly put in harm’s way with their clubs at this time of year simply wouldn’t happen in some other, if I may use the term, leading counties. Dublin’s football championship went into the deep freeze after one round a few weeks back, not to restart until the Dubs’ championship run is over, and it’s unheard of for county panellists to have to play any league matches for their clubs in late spring and early summer (if at all). Up in Donegal, Jimmy McGuinness successfully managed to wipe the senior championship from the map until after Sam was won last year so there was never any danger that the Messiah’s wafer-thin resources would suffer any breakages from the club scene.
I don’t know what the answer is and I know that blaming club fixtures isn’t the answer (well, not the whole answer) but whatever way you look at it it’s clear that we’ve suffered way more than our fair share of injuries over the past year. After Salthill and Andy’s heartwarming cameo it was easy to think that the worst was behind us in this respect and that, with the likes of Barry and Mickey C back in harness in early August, the county panel could well be stronger than ever. Now this. However it pans out over the coming days, it’s desperately depressing news, not least for Cillian himself who deserves our sympathy and best wishes as he comes to terms with this sickening setback.
A real shame. It was obvious that Cillian was becoming a real leader. Such a wise head on young shoulders. Hope to see you back Cillian sooner rather than later.
Speedy recovery to cillian. I could join him in sick bay I feel so sick about this. I agree with f— the club football
Especially when we like donegal have the bare bones at best to win Sam but with luck and the determination these guys show it could be done.
Horan simply must pull his complete panel immediately from the clubs or else go down as another galant losing mayo manager
Disaster after disaster after disaster. My big problem is that Mayo are perfectly set up for a good run this year, I’ll be cocky and say it, they will walk Connaught. Who’s going to stop them? The pick of the remaining teams would have a tough time holding them. They will be quarter finalists, and that game may be a handy draw or maybe a Tyrone type, either way Mayo has to be full strenght or near it. O Connor missing weakens it as much as Moran did last year. The madness has to stop, putting players that can fulfill the dreams of themselves and so many thousands more at risk of stupid injuries for club football is crazy stuff.
I hope horan sees the light
I think its a very narrow view of abondoning club football until Mayo are out of the Championship. From a planning view, how can club players plan holidays weddings etc when there unsure of when the club championship is fixed?? Club Champ might start in July, August or September. Nobody would know. Also, we need to view county players as equals to club players. Is it fair to tell the 1000 senior and intermediate club (junior champ wasnt really affected last year with Mayos run)players that they cannot play games for the sake of 30 county players?? Its unfair on clubs to train all year and for there season to come down to a week in October with terrible weather and the games been some sort of lottery.The Michael Walsh league was brought in to help club players get games but in my opinion it has turned in to a Mickey Mouse league where clubs/players dont care and just go to fulfil fixtures. It’s an excuse for everyone to say there’s a Constant flow of games during the summer months. These games are there for statistics. Also, while there is 1 or 2 stared league games this year but is it fair for some clubs to play games against Ballintubber and other clubs to play a stared game against Ballintubber who would be missing Dillon, o Connor and gibbons. It might be the difference whether a team gets relegated or not.
If you mention donegal and Dublins approach to the club championship, you should also mention the Kilkenny and the Galway hurlers approach to the club championship last year. They played championship throughout the summer kilkenny played a round of club championship between the semi final and final. Both teams got to the All-Ireland and Anthony Cunningham stated that this approach was of benefit to the team.
It’s very important to look at the clubs as a means of developing players. The addition of
Colm Boyle, Michael Conroy and BArry Moran has been huge to Mayo. These players would not be playing for Mayo if it wasn’t for there clubs going on long club championship runs in 2011. They were bein described as not good enough or failing to deliver on earlier promise. The club games should be used as a complement to the county panels, not a hindrance.
Also, if mayo lost last weekend (than. God they didn’t) a return to there clubs is often the best thing to happen. They return to the county panel ten days later and should be in a better frame of mind when they return to the county set up.
While its sickening enough to lose some fantastic footballers through injury on club activity,it would be simply wrong to pin this on the shoulders of the clubs. Who’s to say that some of these injuries would not hav occurred during a robust training session? Kilkenny hurlers and Tyrone footballers of a few years ago are just two examples of highly successful all Ireland winners who released their players to the clubs immediately after inter county championship games. Finding a better balance? Sure but let’s nt say Donegal and Dublin hav the best club championship systems when they held the 90percent of footballers in their counties to ransom.
David – ” the dreams of themselves and so many thousands more”. Why do I feel like the ‘thousands more’ is the focus of your point here?
It is certainly a shame that he is injured. He is one of Mayo’s key men this year. But to jump on the Anti-clubscene bandwagon is, in my opinion, a fully selfish reaction. Let’s protect one of our county’s treasures by adversely affecting countless more players? I don’t agree with that in any way and, while I certainly do sympathise with the player and feel awful as a Mayo supporter myself, I would be very careful before ostracising the rest of the club players in the county.
“‘fuck this fucking club football’” – No doubt a recurring thought right about now… I wonder if the players you are talking about would share your sentiments?
Pfb
You’re right about the thousands more part.
add in 6 lost finals in 23 years, a few semis lost, a few league finals lost and just when it looks like we have a team to really compete we jeopadize it all by this!
We went very close last year, with a fully fit panel and Buckley influencing play up front, 2013 has to be the year. Not 2014, or 2015.
Maybe the players really want to play the club stuff, I don’t know. But as long as they are playing it and getting injured they are wasting their time training to try to win the allireland.
I can’t be convinced otherwise, so we”ll have to agree to differ.
National Young player of the year , twice, banjaxed playing club football.
Can you see my point?
Terrible news on cillian injury I don’t believe running Down the club structure in mayo it’s a strong part of our football and this injury could easily happened at training for mayo r club it one of them things were always very easily to turn negative in mayo but this is a strong team its not a one man show no individual s stand out we don’t know the extent of his injury yet a lot people have ruled him out for the year all ready as they did with Barry Moran
Ah fuk it. Maybe it’s not as bad as we think.
What a piece of bad luck. Still there has been no confirmation of the extent of the injury so hopefully it’s not too bad, didn’t he pick up a shoulder injury back in April too and everyone said he would be out for a few months, but he was playing again within a few weeks. Hopefully will be a similar situation again.
I know “f**k this club football” is an understandable reaction, but I just can’t agree with putting all club football on hold, it doesn’t happen in Kilkenny for example, where Brian Cody has repeatedly said that their super competitive club scene has kept the county team so strong for so long.
In any case, isn’t a fella just as likely to pick up an injury at county training, as in a club match?? Unless they are holding back at training or something, which defeats the purpose of training in the first place.
Behind every successful county team is a strong and vibrant club scene. Having no club matches played between may and August/September every year in mayo is a one way ticket to a mickey mouse county team within 3 or 4 years, so many of our current panel were brought into the side after showing great form with their clubs, think Barry Moran, colm boyle, mickey conroy etc. That’s my opinion anyway, you can’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Best of luck to cillian on his recovery it’s still 9 or 10 weeks to the AI q finals so if we make it that far he may well be back, if we can’t make it that far without him well we are wasting our time anyway.
Agree completely Aussie Exile. To those calling for club matches to be suspended for the summer – do you think any club footballer wants to be playing the most important games of the year in November?? They will just walk away from the game if that’s the way it goes.And some of you might think “let them” since you have a “fuck club football” opinion. But county players come from clubs remember. if the club scene suffers, so will the county team in time.
County players must be allowed play club championship games.It is not fair on the majority of footballers who do not play for the county to postpone games.Hop e he has a speedy recovery.
Dont know what to say about this anti club football response, it’s a bit crazy really all county players love playing club, this is after all where they learnt to play football. Does who are going around saying otherwise have obviously never been to a club game in their lives. It’s a physical game and lads can get injured anytime including in training, CIllian fell aKwardly on his shoulder ad he did in the league against ballina last year another freak accident made worse by it being his bad shoulder, I’d hold off on all the speculation until we know the full story on it.
Speedy Recovery!
Is there any evidence or report that a player is MORE likely to pick up an injury playing a club match than in a county match, or county training, or club training for that matter?
What is so different about a club match than any of the other times?
I think a lot of the anti club reaction is kneejerk.As WJ said, the first thought that went through his head was “fuck this club football”.For a fleeting milisecond,I thought the same,until I came to my senses and realised that the Club is the oxygen that keeps the County alive.We’ve had a tough 9 months of injury but the football can’t grind to a complete halt because of this.As has been said in other posts these injuries could happen in training or in the County colours.Hope Cils shoulder injury isn’t too serious but your heart goes out to him
There goes our hopes for 2013. Cillian out for the season. Accuracy from frees will dip, and we have nobody to kick a 45. Probably down 3 pointd a game
Digits
Not much is different apart from rougher treatment for inter-county players whilst playing club football.
I can think of a dozen injuries over the years, more recently. Ronan McGarritty being hit off the ball in the jaw a few years ago.
Paul Galvin and the O’Se’s were often injured/targeted in club games in Kerry.
If you want to stop a good club team, target their best players.
The non-county player is interested in his club doing well on that day and if that is the usual method to stop the opponent, then an inter-county player or not, he will get the same treatment.
I am sure he doesn’t want to see them suffering long-term damage or for the county to suffer but nullifying a good player for 70 minutes is his job as he sees it, fair means or foul.
Having said all that, I don’t know how Cillian got his injury this time.
I see cork laid down a marker last night by crushing Limerick, lot of people foolishly writing them off as contenders this year huge amount of talent in that squad they will take beating too this year
I gather Cillian fell awkwardly onto his shoulder. I’m not talking about foul play, I’m talking about muscle injuries, ligaments, cartilage, dislocations, bones – things that can happen whether you’re playing in Croke Park or the back garden.
Hopefully Cillian will be okay and he will be back soon
Sorry for Cillian. Just back, leading the forwards and running the show…then this. Nothing can be done about it. Tough… the fall of the coin or roll of the dice. The important thing is that O Connor gets his shoulder fully healed and time will resolve that.
Someone wrote last week that we unlike a few named counties are not a one man team. I disagreed with that statement from many angles so perhaps we will now find out how dependent we are on certain players. Sometimes a catastrophe like that galvanizes an outfit. Forces something new from the squad and shifts the paradigm of expectation. Something along the lines of…”what the fuck else can go wrong…might as well give it a right lash now…we have nothing to lose” type of thing.
Club football is the bedrock and here I disagree with the consensus. In 2010 when Cork won the All Ireland they played their senior county final three weeks later. They were able to integrate both sets of desires to mutual effect.Club football is the grease that keeps the county senior team going, that gives us players for the future. Naturally enough time has to be placed between each fixture for both sides . However within the senior county panel there are lads numbered possibly 20 to 33 that wont realistically kick a ball for the county all summer. The club games is what gives them the opportunity to blow out the rust.
You can get a shoulder bust in a tough training session with the county. You can break a leg coming down the stairs. Tying in the clubs and lumping them with injuries picked up by county panelists is unfair. Its those clubs who highlighted those very lads in the first place. I predicted many years ago and I now see it happening.A county manager will pick a group of 35 men and that’s his county panel for the season. Those lads will be hived away from all club football. Thats how the rugby went, how the provinces came into being in the professional era.
The real money and allure is in inter county football. The marketing men will try and turn it into a product, the better players from prominent counties will be happy with that. No more having to play for everybody like the good 19-21 year old is forced to do nowadays. When that comes we will have cut a chain that goes back 130 years. Cillian has an injury. With Gods help he will recover soon…if not some young Mayo buck should grab that jersey, that opportunity and give the game of his life. Now the proof of the big panel is coming to the fore, we are not bereft. In will come Andy Moran and fit like a glove, maybe we will see Regan unleashed, maybe Coen will shine?
In 1951 Mayo drew the All Ireland semi final with Kerry. The backs (Sean Flanagan the tactician) fingered the forwards for gross waste. Come the final Mick Mullderrig and Peter Solon (who scored 3-1 v Galway in Connacht final) were benched. They were today’s equivalent of the Gooch and Stephen O Neill. Mayo beat Meath. Sometimes we gotta dig deep into the Mayo roots and we might be actually amazed at what we find.
Im not expressing the opinion that the club games should come to a halt, but this thing of saying that because Kilkenny release there players to there clubs that mayo should to is complete madness. First of all the Kilkenny of the past decade is the greatest hurling team of all time, no team has dominated gaelic football as much since the kerry team 30 years ago. If mayo ever win an all ireland, (this year is the first time i really think they could) it will be by the skin of there teeth, and with everyone fit, Kilkenny have fellas on the bench that would be key players on any other team in the country. Also would it be a fair statement to make that the super competitive club scene in kilkenny is due to such a successful county team, not the other way around. Club football is rather poor at the moment in Mayo, especially when you look to crossmoliana and ballina a few years ago. But can you imagine how much it will improve if mayo were to win an all ireland. Mayo possibly had one of the greatest and most competitive club scene in the early noughties at that time and it never brought the county to the golden land, maybe they should try do it the other way around.
Without Cillian any hopes of going one step further in 2013 are effectively over. We are now without our only reliable free taker, not to mention the way he was developing into one of our prime / cleverest play makers. We may scramble through Connacht but beyond that we will undoubtedly fall short. Wishing Cillian a speedy recovery and hopefully we’ll see him back playing football in the months to come.
Question for the people talking about banning club football .Who do they think will take over from this current crop of players when all the young lads are either gone to other sports or not playing anything at all, because they will not stay around the whole summer waiting to play championship football in October.
On a similar note what do people think of the idea of one weekend over the summer being pencilled in at the start of the year as a non club weekend regardless of what position the county is in.This would give the club players a chance to plan a holiday and even if it there was a game the week after at least everyone would be in the same boat.
Steady lads its bad news and certainly ruined my champions league night but we have to be positive. It could be a worse injury. A dislocated shoulder should heal by quarter final time. A fresh cillian at that time is a great asset. In the mean time McLoughlin and varley and Doherty when fit will have to shoulder the frees. At least it gives horan time tolook at other option. Lets keep going.
I’m not sure anyone is talking about “banning club football”, Fun Do, so in that respect your question is moot. I don’t think anyone really believes that a fundamental changing of the club championship timetable will take place and, in truth, I don’t think we can blame the club championship for Cillian’s injury. Once a dislocation occurs, there’s always the increased danger of a reoccurrence and the real worry I’d have for him relates to his longer term prospects of playing, given the problem he has. There’s certainly no way he should be rushed back this year if that risks his involvement longer term.
As regards the club thing, my main beef isn’t about yesterday’s championship action – mercifully, Cillian was the day’s only casualty yesterday and we can but hope that there won’t be others today – but instead it’s about those stupid league matches some weeks back which were played while the NFL was still going on. Involving county players in those matches at that time was utter insanity and that’s where we really shot ourselves in the foot as regards injuries this year. For the life of me, I cannot see how it made sense for clubs to field the entire county panel for those two rounds of matches, given how little was at stake and given the other pressures on the players at that time. The cost suffered by the county panel as a result is there for all to see.
I’d also be fairly hesitant about going overboard in praise about our county scene at senior level. Speaking as someone from the outside looking in, I don’t think that Mayo senior club football is all that much to write home about at present: our failure to make progress within the province (Ballina were the last team to win Connacht back in 2007) and the fact that the Ballaghaderreen team that won the Moclair Cup last year has only player, Keith Rogers, on the county panel (is he even still on the panel?) pretty much tells you all you need to know in this respect. Added to this is the inexcusable failure to involve promising junior and intermediate players in senior championship by not facilitating Divisional teams suggests to me that this particular goose may not be laying all the golden eggs she’s being credited with.
At the end of the day, of course, James Horan will just have to mend and make do and, fortunately, we do have a big enough panel to enable us to push on this year. What other choice have we got? It may mean springing Andy at 11, or it may mean moving AOS back up there with Barry Moran back in the saddle, it may mean a starting role for Richie Feeney, Darren Coen or Evan Regan. And we also have Jason Doherty and, later on, Mickey C to come back too. James might also want to get David Clarke to do some shooting practice with his ’45s – he has the range but the accuracy needs improving – as in Cillian’s absence we need to continue to keep the opposition honest within this range.
The loss of Cillian is without doubt, a tough one to butter up. I hope that he can make a speedy recovery. As I’ve stated before, Mayo are not “a one man dependency team”. This is one of our greatest strenghts.Whoever lifts Sam this year will have to over come adversity and not succumb to it. Mayo are no exception. If we are to do well this year it will be down to our mental strength as a whole, not the skills of the individual.
“Come on Mayo”!
Its not confirm yet how bad it is so we will have to wait and see reminds me of Aidan Kilcoyne inj few years ago that struck twice , if it is bad it will be a big blow but will give some one else a chance the likes of Evan Regan , Darren Coen , Connor o Shea , Jason Doherty who are all pushing hard for places ,, .People saying club football should be held back is unfair these lads need to be playing club football this could easy happen at training the like s of kerry or tyrone whos training matchs are as tough as championship prob is as rough as club championship to so we need to get on with it when your playing against county players in club games other players try there best and more to try and stop county lads showing what they can do and you cant blame them it dont matter if its east west south or north mayo its the same these lads are thinking of there club not mayo cause there training with the same lads all there life for the same club , it seem s more inj s are happening now one club last year had 6 serious knee injs one was a county player other5 were nt so it s not just county players that are geting inj on that basic we would have to cancel all games in mayo .
I would love mayo to have a inj free panel and win the All ire but you are never going to have a inj free panel all year we need a bit of luck but has i said its not confirm yet how bad cillian injs is which i think it wont be has bad as people think it will be so ere s hoping its not to bad and a speedy recovery and if it is there s plenty of talent through to panel try and take his place better looking at the glass half full than half empty so up mayo all the way
Was at the Ballintubber game last evening against Claremorris anf dont know if its significant but Cillian was not strechered off the pitch but walked off with the ambulance crew each side of him . now thats not to say he is ok but i for one was less worried
when I saw him walking off the pitch…..heres hoping
Said before this happened that injuries are always a key determinant of who wins and loses.
I am more frightened though by the rampant and foolish optimism running through threads.Hard work.keeping the head.playing down your chances is the way to go.Have we learned nothing.
Mayo supporters best in the land but we do get carried away.Lets wait and see on Cillian .I fail to see how we would realistically win without him.
Lets face it – none of the aforementioned players possess the free taking capability of Cillian. Can you realistically see any of them having the nerves of steel or skill to put the ball over the bar from 45+ metres out in a tense and packed croke park with the game hanging in the balance?? (assuming we get there of course). These are the differences between winning and losing major games and the odds are firmly stacked against us now…
Some of you guys should watch the mayo/Galway game again and watch Cillian clutching his left shoulder after 15/20 mins. It wasnt right against Galway early in the game and after all the persistent dirty fouling that Cillian had to endure during last nights game it’s no surprise that he got hurt. With a referee who can’t keep up with the play and see what’s going on in front of him is it really a surprise?
I’ve been to so many games over the years seeing McDonald, the ballina Bradys, the Mortimers, Dillon, Horan and now Cillian get fouled constantly on and off the ball during games. It’s a small club mentality that set out and target players for cynical foul play. Cillian was targeted yesterday evening and was fouled for probably the 20th time when he hurt his shoulder with no protection from the referee and other officials. No red cards for constabt fouling and mo sign of them coming either which is more than worrying. It’s disgusting and disgraceful to target any player for physical and verbal abuse during a game because he plays for the county. The irony is that it’s the same fuckers that constantly deliberately foul these guys that will be the first to roar and cheer the same lads like Cillian when they wear the green and red. We shouldn’t be surprised that last night happened. I hope Cillian makes a recovery and comes back in the latter stages of the championship. I’m sickened today.
Did andy or alan or barry play any part in games over weekend?anyone know?
Surely if the county team wins sam, it will attract more players to the game, raise the standard and be a great benefit to the club scene all round. That said, then Imo county players would be better off pulled from club play until the countys championship ends because the risks are obviously greater the more competetive games that’s played, that coupled with the jealousy factor that lesser players at club level seem to regard panel players with would be avoided, it would also give club players the chance to shine without being under the shadow of stars and would be less of a distraction all round.
If we have real ambitions of winning the AI then we have to concentrate all in that direction, if that means sacrifices then so be it because as I said ,winning Sam will benefit everyone.
Thoughts with Cillian and wishing him a speedy recovery, MOM last week and our answer for the Coopers, Brogans etc. He will probably need time and not be rushed back , so now its up to the rest of the squad to go all the way for him.
Maigh Eo Abu
Patriot
You said it perfectly. Lesser players target the county fellas for special treatment. Do we have to wait for Andy Moran to get sidelined with a broken arm or aiden o Shea getting his ankle smashed before we see the light. Pull the county players now.
On another note I’m delighted for London mainly because of Marty Duffy!!!
You’re talking 4 months minimum with a dislocated shoulder. Probably longer doing it twice in a year. Disaster
I don’t agree with pulling the county players at all. Our county players want to play with their clubs and its a great honour to always pull on your club jersey. It would be absolutely detrimental to the clubs who have nurtured and brought through our top players if they couldn’t play with respective club. It’s just the tactics used by small clubs with less than average players who continually get away with deliberley targeting top class players. They get no protection from officials whatsoever and yesterday evening was a clear indication of that when it was refereed by a [deleted]. What do umpires and linesmen be looking at when off the ball stuff is being dished out?
Some apes in mayo seem to believe that our county players deserve being hacked down, verbally & physically abused and constantly cynically fouled. It’s obvious to me that some referees believe in what I’ve said above. They take no action against the so called Gaelic footballers who are hell bent on just being cynical and set out to target top players. It’s beyond time that officials did their job properly and change their attitude that is contributing to players getting injured. After all they do get paid to referee fairly and perhaps it would be right and just to withdraw their wage if their performance isn’t up to standard….
Patriot – I appreciate the point you’re making but, for obvious reasons, I’ve had to delete the offensive bit in that comment about the ref at yesterday evening’s match.
Have to say, this is devastating news if it’s true about him being out for the year. For frees alone, he was outstanding. He was class in Salthill and seemed to have solved a problem position for Mayo. It really is nightmare stuff. Is it definite that it’s at least four months? Nightmare stuff. I do not want to see Clarke taking 45s again, he’s very erratic when taking them.
Horan has work ahead of him, getting all the injured players back. Interesting that the two Morans, Dillon didn’t play last night. Conroy will be needed too. This club thing needs to be looked at – the big teams won’t risk their players in these matches – Donegal, Dublin etc. We have lost a savage amount of players this year alone in these club games – something has to give.
All in all, this news sure is gutting. Only word for it.
On another note, delighted to see O’Rourke getting in a dig at Brolly re. his pre All Ireland quotes about Mayo and not mentioning Donegal’s cynical fouling.
Lads I don’t think we know enough just yet. I haven’t seen or heard anything official yet so maybe just a little OTT.
Sorry WJ , that comment was by Mister Mayor, mister “mayo”!
I quite like that twist to the name though!
I wish Cillian all the best. He goes for surgery tomorrow and will be out for 3 months or so. It’s a big blow but these things happen. You can say that he shouldn’t be playing but sure, you’d have to think that an A vs B game would be of a higher intensity than club championship. It wasn’t a dirty tackle that injured Cillian, it was a bit of a freak. We should have him back for an All-Ireland semi if we get that far. My initial thoughts are for Ballintubber. We’ll find it tough without him.
Just to clarify, Alan Dillon played the full match last night!
Need to wait for confirmation before rushing to conclusions guys, players gets injured it happens silly to blame club football. i think it’s worse if it happened during a game when it’s in the balance at least Horan has time on his hands to find a replacement for COC. When Andy Moran got injured last year most here said Mayo wouldn’t beat Dublin but they did and i think Mayo will show their strength in depth once more this summer.
COC really is a massive loss to us. We are goosed without a free taker. You saw what happened to Tyrone today. It diminishes our prospect of winning Sam by 20-30% IMO.
We don’t have a backup free taker. He is also a much underrated player from play and our smartest player front.
F#ck it anyway.
Cillian is out—move on
Plenty of time to get a replacement.It would be worse if it happened at the start of a game,
Pity really as he played well against Galway.
Wishing Cillian all the best…Someone asked about Andy playing last night…wait for it…..took two paces and kicked a ’45’ with a twent yard carry to spare
Get well soon to Cillian. And be in no rush back until you are 100% right.
Lets hope there are no more serious injuries to the county players this year. It sounds like donegal are getting warmed up and we could be meeting them at semifinal stage if all goes well.
The injury to Cillian O’Connor is to put it mildly unfortunate. However events in Ruislip today would seem to indicate that Mayo will not be taxed to get out of Connacht. Roscommon are a Division 3 team who showed nothing in the league. They will huff and puff for 40 to 50 minutes, collect a few yellow cards, and head off to the qualifiers.
Best wishes to Cillian for a speedy recovery – and what ever time it takes, so be it. He will be missed for sure, but we have a strong panel now and it will be up to other players to step up to the plate and I’ve no doubt that’s what Cillian would want too.
As regards Club v County, this is always a difficult one to call, there is right on both sides. I could be selfish and say that County players should be pulled from Club duty, in the interest of winning the big prize and dear knows that’s long over due. On the other hand a Club that has carefully nurtured their player, should equally be entitled to have him available to them for Championship matches and I’d imagine so would the player…
Speedy recovery Cillian, hope it does not upset exam time.
Very unfortunate for Cillian O’C and Mayo, I hope he is given whatever time is required to get back to 100% and that he is not going to become one of those players that struggle from one injury to the next. Lots of great commentary on last week’s great win over Galway but there is a tendency to go a bit overboard (both on the negative and positive side). Yes, we SHOULD beat Roscommon BUT we also believed that we would beat Longford in June 2010 and look what happened then, for now it should be heads down, players media exposure kept to a minimum and keep focused.
A little surprised at the how easily Donegal got passed Tyrone today, they had the game won with 20 mins left, probably too much credit given to Tyrone on the back of the League, don’t forget the way Kerry hammered Tyrone last year in the qualifiers. Probably at least another year before Tyrone can be called at top 5 team, agree with the comments above that Cork laid down a marker against Limerick last night, it’s just a pity Conor C cannot get the best out of his Cork panel as some of his tactics last year were plain daft….. Kerry of course are right at the top of the pile but they need to win Munster as they may not have the legs for the qualifiers.
Roll on the 16th in Castlebar and let’s take it one game at a time…..
Wonder will he be back for injury might not be that series if mayo get that far he is only missing the rossie game and the rossies are dangerous what about aos for full forward or will That work I think Donegal will take Dublin this year at the quarter final stage
This comment might be deleted but here goes: the main culprits here are the small minded, pathetic, individual club players who target County players, brag about it and feel good about taking them out. To actually target a County player is blackguardism of the highest degree. They are pathetic and should be disciplined by their clubs, who are responsible for them. Then referees and officials shouldn’t have to shoulder the blame.
This hasn’t happened to Cillian by the way but it happens all the time. The way the GAA clubs go with the “support” for their players will make sure nothing happens but it should be highlighted.
If this makes me unpopular, tough shit!!
Cillians injury means we need to ensure we have replacement free takers…….kevin mcloughlin and jason doherty. Without wishing to dismiss ros or leitrim/london we have plenty of opportunity to adjust before the serious stuff starts.
Bad luck for COC he’s one player Horan didn’t want injured one of Mayo most important players, hopefully he see some football this year again. How long is Conroy,Barry Moran out for? at least Dillion Andy Moran are back.
Was told 8weeks Cillian will be out he will get the best of treatment its a big blow and loss but yes we do have replacement ye seem to for get who took our frees in most of the league was jason doherty and didnt do to bad ya he missed a few but all free takers does,, Cillian miss s some as well , we will have dillon and mcloughlin to for frees and clarke can be trying 45 s now at training its not all bad mayo are team of good panel players not a one man team they will be ok but we will need Cillian back so hope he has a speedy recovery , all we need to worry about now is to beat the rossie s lot of people talking about august and sept its one game at a time we need to stay focus because that kind of talk is no good for players to hear,, they no what they have to so ere s looking forward to then and hope Cillian makes a full recovery
Like everyone i’d just hope Cillian has a quick recovery however these injuries can be slow. Football is an amateur game let us not forget. Cillian has a hard few months ahead, he needs support from all, it is a set back for him no doubt. Massive setback for ballintubber, and obviously mayo. Club football is the lifeblood of mayo. Try starving it and there will certainly be reactions.Not all positive I might add. Best of luck with everything Cillian on your rehab. We are all behind you.