Mayo's injury list worries Boyle ahead of Galway test

Mayo goalkeeper Rob Hennelly  is ruled out of their Connacht championship opener against Galway due to injury.

Former Mayo star Colm Boyle has admitted the county’s injury list is a major concern ahead of Sunday’s Connacht SFC quarter-final against Galway.

With Rob Hennelly and Brendan Harrison certain to miss the Connacht SFC quarter-final in Castlebar and doubts around Jordan Flynn, Boyle is hoping that a number of mainstays will return for the derby.
Recalling the recent 16-point Division1 final loss to Kerry, he conceded: “ I was more worried about how the next three weeks would go in preparation for Galway with so many injuries (than the result). That was my major concern, because the way that Mayo set-up against Kerry and how much they were overran in the middle third where normally we are so strong, when I sat down and thought about it, and thought about the players that were missing, Oisín Mullin, Paddy Durcan, Diarmuid O’Connor, those three especially.
“Kerry really overran Mayo in that middle third and when you get those four/five players back, eventually Mayo will be very different around that sector. The injuries are more of a concern for me at the minute. Who is going to be available for Galway and what level of training will they have done up to that.”
Boyle underlines how much Hennelly’s absence means to the team. “Don’t get me wrong, Rory Byrne had a really good league final, he kept Mayo in it but if you are looking for that bit more out of your ‘keeper, Rob just has that and you have really seen him come to the fore in the last two years.
As Mayo must do without cruciate victim, Tommy Conroy, for the season, Boyle hopes James Carr could fill the void in terms of expanding the team’s scoring threat. “James Carr in the first half (v Kerry) looked like he was getting back to his best. He obviously made the breakthrough in 2019 and has suffered really bad with injuries and has been in and out of the team since.  He is probably the closest player to Tommy Conroy in that he has a small bit of power and pace. He is very direct, he takes on his man when he wins the ball so in the first half he was very direct when he won the ball, he took on Jason Foley a couple of times and kicked two points.”