Football

James Horan calls on GAA to relax squad deadline

Mayo manager James Horan. Picture by Brendan Moran / Sportsfile
Mayo manager James Horan. Picture by Brendan Moran / Sportsfile Mayo manager James Horan. Picture by Brendan Moran / Sportsfile

MAYO manager James Horan has called on the GAA to relax the deadline for registering a squad with Croke Park.

Counties are obliged to have a teamsheet with the GAA by 9am on the Thursday morning before the game.

While there has been some relaxation for this year in the form of counties being able to change their team after that, it will only be in the scenario of a player being unable to play because of Covid-19.

Mayo were without Cillian O’Connor for their defeat by Tyrone on Sunday, after he failed to recover in time from a knock. He was named at number 15 but was not in the matchday squad.

“He picked up a knock in the Galway game and you’re going to see this, with so many games so soon, you’re going to see lots of players not being able to play,” said Horan.

“We have to submit a team on a Thursday morning, we have to submit the 26. They’re not dummy teams, they’re the 26 we think will be playing, but because guys are having a fitness test on the Saturday, you don’t know if they’ll make it. He was very close, he just didn’t make it.

Asked if the ruling should be relaxed, he said: “Ah, think about it. We train on a Wednesday after a Sunday game and we have to have it in at 9am on Thursday morning.

“Sure there’s still another three days to go. I cannot understand it for the life of me, to be honest.”

Tyrone’s win will see Mayo outside the top flight in 2021, although the GAA are understood to be considering a move to regional leagues next year that might offset the drop.

They begin their championship campaign against Leitrim and are likely to have to face both Roscommon (semi-final) and Galway (final) if they are to win a Connacht title this year.

“If you look at the last two games, there’s a lot of good stuff there so we’ll build on that but whatever league it is next, it is not the end of the world whatsoever.

“It [relegation] doesn’t impact on the 2020 championship, that’s for sure so we’ll be looking forward to Tuesday night and getting back on the road.”