Horan calls ex-Connacht captain Duffy into Mayo squad

Mayo manager James Horan has called former Connacht captain Gavin Duffy into his senior squad.

Duffy last played Gaelic football for his club Ballina Stephenites in 2000 against Knockmore in the Mayo SFC. He lined out for Mayo in the 1999 All-Ireland MFC final loss to Down alongside current half-forward Alan Dillon.

Duffy joined the panel for a training session on Tuesday with the Mayo-based players and will train again with the full squad tomorrow.

A midfielder in his youth he was being groomed to man the centre forward role with Mayo until professional rugby called.

“I feel I’m young enough to play sport at a high level, whether that is rugby or with my local GAA club,” he said last week.

“I feel I have something to offer sport. It is just a question of whether I want to play professional sport. If not, I will still play to the highest level I can with my local team, Salthill-Knocknacarra.”

Meanwhile, Tipperary football selector Michael O’Loughlin believes the four weaker counties will walk away from the 2015 Munster SFC if aggrieved players are “forced into a corner”.

O’Loughlin said withdrawing from next year’s provincial championship is far from an empty threat.

The Tipperary selector has added his voice to the growing chorus calling on the Munster Council to restore the open draw.

Players from Clare, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford have so far followed through on promises to boycott this year’s McGrath Cup and interpros, with Waterford captain Shane Briggs this week reaffirming their pledge to abandon the 2015 Munster championship if the seeded draw remains in place.

O’Loughlin is optimistic the championship seedings will be scrapped next year. However, determination by provincial top brass to give the seeded system a second term would force the players to act, he added.

“That is a dangerous situation to be contemplating — four counties withdrawing from the Munster championship. That would be the ultimate decision, that would be the ultimate move in protest against the seeded draw,” he noted.

“I imagine every county would be reluctant to go down that line, but if there were no negotiations forthcoming from the Munster Council and players had been forced into a corner then I could see it happening.

“Hopefully sense will prevail and an open draw will be restored. I have no doubt the Munster Council are well aware that counties are angry over it. It is an issue they have to address.”

Munster Council CEO Simon Moroney refused to be drawn on the threat of a two-team Munster championship and stressed that the issue would not be addressed until later this summer.

“I wouldn’t start to tell anybody what view they should hold or what kind of analysis to give,” he said.

“All I would come back to is that a democratic decision was taken and the majority view prevailed. People can be aggrieved over it and they have to be respected. I wouldn’t engage in an argument. The decision was made correctly and properly. We move on.

“The way the GAA is structured, rules and regulations can only be reviewed on an annual basis. They cannot be reviewed more frequently than that. It is the prerogative of any county as a constituent part of the council to bring any proposal they wish in relation to any of the competitions, not just the Munster SFC. Obviously that is the one in the limelight at present.”

Added to the absence of Waterford boss Niall Carew and his Clare counterpart Colm Collins, no player from either of the four counties attended Monday’s Munster championship launch in Limerick. Moroney said he was not aware of players snubbing the event, nor was he “unduly worried” by their decision to stay away.