SIDELINED Mayo team doctor Seán Moffatt is pictured with injured Mayo footballer Jason Doherty. Pic: James Wright Photography
Mike Finnerty
MAYO forward Jason Doherty looks set for another spell on the sidelines after sustaining a serious knee injury during a training session with the county footballers last Thursday evening at MacHale Park, Castlebar.
This is the latest injury setback for the 30 year-old from Newport, who only returned to club action with Burrishoole in July after being out of competitive action for almost 12 months due to a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his left knee.
That injury was suffered during the course of an All-Ireland SFC ‘Super 8s’ game against Donegal in Castlebar in August of last year.
The Mayo News understands that this latest injury is to his right knee, and Doherty is due to undergo a scan to reveal the full extent of the damage later this week.
A Mayo GAA spokesperson confirmed yesterday (Monday) that Doherty was ‘currently undergoing further medical assessment by the Mayo medical team and will have a specialist review later this week’.
The experienced forward had worked incredibly hard on his rehabilitation to return to training with the Mayo squad last March, just days before the Covid-19 ‘lockdown’ brought the 2020 inter-county season to a halt.
“Everything had gone to plan; I was running, jumping, twisting, turning and all that for a good while. So the plan was to get some game-time in April and get the match fitness up,” Doherty told The Mayo News last April. “Now, that’s obviously changed.”
The news means that he looks certain to miss the upcoming inter-county championship with Mayo scheduled to take on Leitrim in the Connacht SFC quarter-final on Sunday, November 1.
This is the latest injury blow for Mayo manager James Horan to contend with as Brendan Harrison is also unlikely to be available for selection for the upcoming league and championship campaigns due to a knee injury.
James McCormack from Claremorris is also currently rehabilitating from a foot injury.
Challenge games
MEANWHILE, Mayo played two challenge games last weekend against Donegal and Clare in preparation for the resumption of the National League against Galway on Sunday week next.
James Horan used the matches to run the rule over most of the available members of his squad, with newcomer Mark Moran (Westport) featuring against Donegal.
However, Mayo’s decision to play a match against the Ulster champions led to some criticism on social media and local radio due to the fact that Donegal has had a high number of Covid-19 cases in recent weeks and are currently in ‘Level 3’ of the Government’s restrictions.
The Mayo News has clarified that Croke Park officials granted permission for the game to be played and that all inter-county GAA challenge games are officially sanctioned by Croke Park — as per the GAA’s Covid-19 protocols and insurance regulations.
The match, which was played in Sligo, also followed strict public health guidelines and regulations around inter-county GAA fixtures, according to sources in both camps.
Both team’s doctors, Dr Seán Moffatt (Mayo) and Dr Kevin Moran (Donegal), are also members of the GAA’s Covid-19 Advisory Group.
