Photo: Irish Times (James Crombie/Inpho)
Bad news to be confirming to dampen down the mood on a nice Monday morning but the Western People (paper and digital variants) is reporting today that All-Star defender Brendan Harrison suffered a hamstring tear in a recent challenge match with Meath. The injury will almost certainly rule him out of the Sligo game in two weeks time and, if we get over that hurdle, there’s every danger that he won’t be fit for the Galway match next month either.
According to that report in the Western, the match in which the Aghamore man suffered the injury took place just before the recent Bank Holiday weekend. The recovery time, standard for hamstring injuries, is being put at “between four and six weeks” – exactly how long depends obviously on how bad the tear was and how quickly he recovers from it.
To make matters worse, the Western also states in that report that Brendan’s possibly deputy – Castlebar’s Donie Newcombe – is also sidelined with hamstring trouble at the minute. Donie is, though, expected to be back in action shortly so chances are he will, if needed, be able to line out against Sligo in two weeks time. If he does, it’d mean at least one championship debutant for us in that fixture.
The full backline will likely be Chris Barrett, Ger Cafferkey and Keith Higgins so I don’t think there will be a debutant starting. Eoin ODonoghue is probably the next in line corner back might make the bench as a matchday debutant.
Be no harm to give eoin o Donoghue a run
Good point, JP. Totally forgot Ger Caff is back!! Apologies to Eoin O’Donoghue too, of course he’d be in the frame as well and, as you say, we have a very experienced trio to line out in the full-back line should we choose to. Like many others, though, I’d like to see Keith with a different number on his jersey this summer.
There’s always bloody something like that happening. Never a full deck.
Anyway i wonder will Willie Joe be doing an owl “Who will win Connacht” poll
or an owl “How will Mayo do in 2017” poll or something like that anyway.
Be interesting to see what the people on here think and whether they agree with that GAA “expert” Sean Ban Branach that it will be a Galway v Rosgommon Connacht Final. Good God. Mercy please.
Funny thing about the negativity of the national media towards Mayo…I think this is the fuel we need to decide simply not to be beaten. We have been so close and this old rubbish about missing your chance. Do you really think any county, Dublin or Kerry included would look forward to a tussle with Mayo even though we have suffered so many gut wrenching close losses. Feck it Mayo…let us believe in our team and give them our hearts and feck the media…
I am an eternal optomist and my Dub wife has to live with that…but we are closer than ever before to cracking this monkeys nuts…and getting him off our backs! Up Mayo!!
Bad news but at least we have cover. We’ll need Harry back on the form we was last year tho if we are going to go far in this years championship. Barret, cafferky, Harrison would be my championship starting full back line.
I wish Brendan Harrison a speedy recovery, that is very unfortunate. Hopefully it won’t keep him out for too long.
Like you WJ, I would love to see Keith Higgins with a different number on his back. Hopefully we’ll give O’Donoghue/Newcombe a chance in Harri’s absence, and release Higgins further out the field.
Jesus, I hope this isn’t the start of it. Last year looked perfect after the league and then the injuries crept up. Hope Harry’s tear is on the lower end of the scale.
I think and hope O’Donoghue will be very much in the frame for Sligo. We need Keith further (but not too much further) forward.
Speedy recovery to Mr Harrison, a great bit of stuff. A challenge against Meath? How did that go? Time flying by, less than 2 weeks til the Sligo game and no harm, we need something to talk about. I see colm cooper is saying that it’s open road this year for a kerry dub final, it’s getting ahead of yourself that can often lead to distraction and getting caught out by an opponent. Dublin too, all set for Leinster title but I think Meath will have a go this year. They won’t be lacking the fitness if what I’m hearing from Meath people that have an interest in the county setup is anything to go by.
Bookies say Sligo need a 9 point head start to get a win here.
Glad to see that Mayo are not given much of a chance by the fellas that know it all. Pretty much a certainty that it will be a Dublin v Kerry final. Fellas like Whelan and Cooper and o’Se (anybody notice that its nearly all ex Dublin and Kerry “greats”) all writing us off is just what suits us. Last thing we need is to be warm favourites for anything. I havn’t heard from the “Marty squad” yet or the “Committee room” yet or whatever its called now but i’m sure it will be the same owl 3 and 4 pence. Mayo’s long wait to go on. Thats what i want to hear from all these “experts”.
We beat Meath but not by as much as you would expect! Can’t remember now what result was.
I recognize that great photograph Willie Joe. It was on the cover of the magazine Glór Achadh Mór 2016.
Regarding the Sky ad, I don’t know why so many of you are happy for Mayo to be looked on as a laughing stock in the GAA world. The great Munster rugby team were beaten at the play off stages for many years before finally winning the Heineken Cup. They were always lauded in the media for their great consistency in getting to that stage every year. What’s so different about Mayo? Is it because our supporters behave like oppressed peasants pulling the forelock before our masters in the media? I, for one, strenuously object to our great Mayo team being made the butt of a joke by a big English company which makes huge money out of games featuring Mayo
@ Jim Flag
The problem with the “lads the know it all”….is they have been right every year so far saying the same thing. There is only one way to disprove them.
We need to get Aidan o,shea out of the forward line into midfield so we can create more space in the forward line.there is always 3 around him in the forward line and with him in midfield he is very strong going forward. It would of been great if the brought the legend back which is ciaran macdonald, for a game like Dublin last year in both games in the final bringing him on with ten mins to go would Change the game, it would lift the players, put fear in the opposition and the crowd would erupt. He don’t have to look play till maybe the semi final or final and throw him on. Could be the trick we need to win the all Ireland.
Hard luck on Brendan, we need him fit for September
Maybe we should adopt this as our song this year, maybe someone could change the lyrics to suit us!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LODkVkpaVQA
Cantina, Doesn’t much matter what the expert’s says or where they come from, it’s a nice little earner for some of them, Martin Carney will be representing Mayo, as good a man as you could get to tell you what’s happened in the last 10 minutes of the match, not so great before the action, sort of Notradamis in reverse. The only ones I rate are, Bernard Flynn, Martin Beag McHugh (except for when Donegal are playing Mayo) and Tomas O Shea, we will have to give Gooch a chance, the rest are waffle waffle waffle and are even worse than being ill informed are as boring as watching paint dry.
In fairness all those “experts” did say Mayo would be in the shake up. Do ye want them all tipping us to win it?
We are an egnima in the GAA world. True we are the butt of jokes…but fuck them who gives a crap.
I respect this team, this county and all of you.
The Chicago cubs used to be laughed at…hopefully we don’t have to wait as long as them. Up Mayo
I don’t watch that Sunday game or any of them GAA programs anymore I just go the games and analyse it for myself. As for the return of Ciaran Mc Donald it’s not going to happen nor should it we should have young fellas bursting a guy to play in the forwards for Mayo. Let the media write us off all they want it’s what happens between the white lines that counts not what’s said in a plush studio in D4 by guys kitted out in Louis Copeland at the licence payers expense
Harrison is a big loss no doubt but we have options in O donoughue, Caff, Barrett, Newcombe, Vaughan, Coen etc .
for the Sligo game I think it a game too soon to start Caff.
P Hughes is a good fullforward and they have some speed inside that in mind plus the hard dry ground it would be a risk to start Caff , best bring him on later in the game .
I would start
O’Donoghue__Vaughan__Barrett
Higgins____Coen____Durkan
_______Aidan____Parsons
Boland____KMc____Keegan
__________Diarmuid
_________Cillian___Andy
Bit worried at losing a top corner back as it means management more likely to play Higgins in FB line whereas I have long been an advocate of him as sweeper with a half forward number on his back. If he were left in that role all year hoping we progress a long way then I think the benefit will be seen. There’s a lot of merit to Pat Walsh’s AOS at midfield argument as both Seamus and Barry have had winter injuries.
There is a growing call for Higgins to be moved forwards, cant see that happening, he was tried at fh a few seasons ago and it didnt work. He is still our best left corner, lets leave him there. Likewise Keegan is the best hb in the country, leave him there, his whole game is built around running from deep. He will not be nearly as effective in an advanced position.
AOS to midfield is a no brainer especially with the mark. Keep him between the 45s and we will get the best out of him.
I dont think we will play with a sweeper this year and overall I think thats the right way to go. With our lack of high scoring forwards we cant afford to have a forward standing in defence. I can see us playing with a deep sitting CB much like Cian OSullivan, Coen would be ideal.
For me a team id like to see line out would be along the lines of,
Clarke
Barrett, Harrison, Higgins
Keegan, Coen, Durcan
AOS, Parsons
Doherty, DOC, Boland
KMc Kirby COC
Caff would be my first choice fb but after a long layoff and very little county training he prob isnt at a level yet to start.
Harrison is our best corner back and I’d nearly have Barrett ahead of Higgins as well. Higgins is not a tight enough marker, and as his pace isn’t what it once was, this is causing us more problems as he isn’t quick enough to make up the ground on the attacker that he left loose.
Tubberman, Harrison predominantly right corner back, Higgins still our best recognised left corner. I would agree that his pace isnt what it was which is understandable at this stage of his career. If Keith cant hold down his natural position then moving him to another position isnt the answer.