Stephen Rochford: Pundits will say the Pope is training Mayo next

Stephen Rochford says he is not stressed by what inaccuracies Mayo pundits have been spreading about his team.

Last Friday, Martin Carney claimed on radio Jim McGuinness had been invited into the camp into their final preparations. On Saturday, David Brady reiterated it only to later retract it later on the same programme. On Sunday, John Casey reported Mayo had waited in the tunnel before Dublin emerged from their dressing room, which was dismissed by Rochford.

Speaking at last night’s pre-replay press conference, the Mayo manager says the mistakes don’t bother him or his players. “I suppose if you are in the media game I think it is up to whoever it is to make sure their facts are correct if they are going out there. Again, these guys are big enough to look after themselves and they certainly aren’t a concern of mine. And I suppose why it would or wouldn’t become a concern of mine if it brought a lack of focus or became a distraction to us. It didn’t. “Our performance that would be evident, if somebody wants to say the Pope is training us next week, so be it. It isn’t something I’m going to lose any sleep about it and it won’t distract us from what the task is on Saturday week.”