McGuinness 'fearful' of players being hurt amid accusations of Mayo collusion

The tit-for-tat between the Donegal and Mayo management teams shows no sign of abating ahead of the counties' All-Ireland SFC quarter-final on Sunday afternoon.

There is huge interest in this repeat of last year's All-Ireland final and the fires were stoked earlier this week by comments made by managers Jim McGuinness and James Horan.

McGuinness feels that his players are being physically singled out and targeted by opponents and he was visibly unhappy with the level of protection afforded to his charges by the match officials during last weekend's qualifier win over Laois.

"I would be fearful that our players are going to end up on the receiving end of something that's going to cause everybody a lot of pain, and it's just not worth it if it goes to that point," admitted McGuinness afterwards, bringing the injuries suffered by Mark McHugh in the Ulster final into the discussion.

"Because I am not happy that we have a player (McHugh) with a burst ear drum. I am not happy he had a major concussion. I am not happy that he has a five centimetre tear in his quad muscle as a result of the impact.

"I am not happy that he spent two nights in hospital. I am not happy that he has missed a full week off work. For me, we are in a very dangerous position and I would fear that something is going to happen. My biggest fear is a spinal injury or a neck injury.

"He (McHugh) also shipped a very, very heavy tackle in the All-Ireland final (against Mayo last year). We have to create a situation where we feel that it is okay to send players out on the pitch.

"We are not afraid of physicality. But Mark McHugh's injury last week was our fourth concussion in three games (the others were Ryan McHugh, Ryan Bradley, and Declan Walsh). Four concussions in three games? I would imagine the Munster or Leinster rugby fellas wouldn't have that level."

Asked about claims of players being intentionally 'roughed up', Mayo boss Horan hit back: "Donegal have been the leaders in that. There's no doubt about that. They've brought physicality in GAA to a new level, and fair play to them.

"They brought a new dimension to football last year, I think, in many ways, and particularly in the area of physicality. Look, Donegal and their backroom team, they're competitive. They're All-Ireland champions. Anything that'll give them an advantage, they'll try.

"Last year they mastered many new skills and brought football to a different level on many fronts...particularly in the area around physicality.

"They really ratcheted that up last year and put a lot of teams to the sword based on their strength and their power and their tackling.

"I don't know if any of ye have been at the end of a Michael Murphy tackle recently but there's serious, serious physicality in that team. So they've been the leaders on that front."

National Referees Committee chairman Pat McEnaney even weighed in on the debate and said no referees will be influenced by managers' comments about past matches, insisting it is 'a different day, different game'.

However, Donegal assistant manager Rory Gallagher has made this even more of a grudge encounter by alleging that Mayo passed on advice to Monaghan on how to beat Donegal in the Ulster final.

"Maybe we suspect there was a bit of collusion between Monaghan and Mayo," Gallagher told the Irish News, referring to the 0-13 to 0-7 defeat suffered by Donegal and specifically the tackle involving Mark McHugh and Monaghan's Stephen Gollogly.

"Bear in mind Lee Keegan's tackle on Mark McHugh at the start of last year's All-Ireland final (between Mayo and ourselves). When Lee Keegan got booked, he came out and winked at a team-mate as if to say 'job done'.

"I don't believe for one minute that Gollogly went out to do the harm he did. He went out to hit him hard, but our player came out of it badly. I know Gollogly hurt himself as well.

"I don't believe Malachy O'Rourke sent any player out to 'do' anyone. That is not in his nature. But ask some of the top referees to view the incident. Was it a dangerous tackle? It was reckless and dangerous. At the end of the day, that deserves a red card."

Gallagher also suggested that Horan's statements to the media are carefully prepared and worded, even alleging that he is working with prominent newspaper journalist and sports psychologist Kieran Shannon to prepare what he says.

"I think Horan works to a pre-mediated script and I think Kieran Shannon is behind a good bit of it," he added.

"I know Shannon fairly well. He was involved with Fermanagh when Malachy O'Rourke was there. I think Shannon is behind Horan's statements."