Neck injury may force former Laois All Star Kelly to quit

FORMER Laois football All Star Tom Kelly may never play again after breaking a bone in his neck while playing for his club, St Joseph’s over the weekend.

Kelly sustained the injury in the first half of the ACFL Division 1 game against Arles-Killeen. He was subsequently removed by ambulance to Portlaoise General Hospital however on Sunday evening he was transferred to Tullamore where he underwent a number of scans which revealed he had broken one vertebrae and fractured two more.

He was expected to be released last night but he could be in a neck brace for up to eight weeks.

Kelly hasn’t played for Laois since the summer of 2008 but is still regarded as one of the best footballers in the county and when playing with Laois was hugely respected and among the most highly-rated players in the country.

He won an All Star in 2003 after excelling in Laois’ Leinster-winning campaign and was also selected on the Irish International Rules team for that year’s trip to Australia. He excelled at the hybrid game, winning eight international caps and twice travelling Down Under, where he was selected as Ireland’s player of the series in 2005.

Meanwhile the Mayo footballers are set for warm weather training camp in Portugal next month.

Chairman James Waldron said: “There’s nothing written in stone yet but we’re provisionally looking at a few days in Portugal for a training camp. The players approached us and said they were interested in this idea. They understood the financial situation and said that they had no problem doing some fund-raising. The County Board will obviously be assisting them and a number of people from the Mayo GAA Supporters’ Clubs in Dublin and Galway will also be helping to drive the golf classic.”

A fund-raising golf classic, being organised by the Mayo players and members of the Mayo GAA Supporters’ Clubs in Dublin and Galway, will help defray the cost of the training camp.

The provisional schedule is for the squad to leave home on Sunday, May 9 and return the following Friday, in time to play Cavan in a challenge match on Saturday, May 15 to mark the opening of Belmullet GAA club’s new facilities. The county players will then line out for their clubs in league games the next day.

Meanwhile, Mayo boss John O’Mahony is expected to name his championship panel later this week.

As well as the 24 players named for last weekend’s NFL final loss to Cork, injured trio Keith Higgins, Peadar Gardiner and Enda Varley will all be in Mayo’s plans for the summer.