A fitting reward for Mayo’s long-serving team doctor

At training on the Thursday before the All-Ireland, Dr Seán Moffatt, Mayo’s team doctor, thought Mayo were absolutely purring. He turned to the team’s senior physiotherapist Martin McIntyre who felt the same.

“We could just see that they were in such fine condition physically. Our injury levels were very low. Tactically, we were so well set up that it’d take a fair team to beat us,” he said.

“But to actually go out and perform that day to such a high level was a massive achievement. We’ve been around so many times, it’s very hard to win the All-Ireland. There’s been so many dark days when we just fell short,” he added.

Seán Moffatt has been the Mayo team doctor since James Horan took over in late 2010. He was the minor team doctor under Ray Dempsey from 2007 to 2009 and U21 team doctor before joining the senior set up. He has been in losing All-Ireland final dressing rooms on no fewer than eight occasions (six senior and two minor). He was no mean footballer too and played for Mayo in a losing U21 All-Ireland final himself in 1995.

So when the hooter sounded on July 26, he was beside McIntyre and Andy Moran, celebrating like the Mayo football man he is.

“To actually achieve it was a great sense of relief, pride and joy professionally. But absolutely once the final whistle goes, you can switch to fan mode in a sense. And it was just brilliant.

“And particularly brilliant and, the players can identify with this, that when you look into the Hogan stand and pick out family members who have also been on this journey also with many tough days, it was such a joy to finally win.

“It’s not always smooth as a team doctor. Things can be going poorly with periods of high injury rates. It’s not always the easiest environment with understandable demands to optimise injury management and rehab but we have a great team.

“I work closely with our expert physiotherapy, dietitian, psychology, and strength and conditioning colleagues so winning this year's All Ireland was a real collective effort in terms of our medical and sports science support team.

“I think as Mayo people, it has given us great confidence. It’s got the monkey off the back. We’re at the top table.

“It was surreal to have The Sunday Game at our team hotel that night. All the traditions go to the winning team. The children’s hospital the next morning was always something that I said, from a medical background, ‘God if we ever won, I’d love to see some of my colleagues and just be involved in that,” he said.

Dr Moffatt was speaking in his GP’s office at the Ballina Primary Care Centre just before a very special arrival. Eight Mayo senior footballers were coming in with one Sam Maguire to visit staff and patients at the clinic, to say thanks to the long-serving medic.

“I couldn't stay in this role for 16 years without a superb team behind me. So being able to bring the cup to the clinic today to my staff, my friends, patients, many patients who are fighting their own battles through cancer and really tough illnesses, I think it’s given everyone a lift of hope and encouragement,” he said.

Mayo players Sam Callinan, Darren McHale and Aidan O’Shea all spoke, effusive in their praise of the contribution of Dr Seán Moffatt to their success.

O’Shea knows him longer than anyone. He was his team doctor for two years at minor and all bar his first two years at senior level.

“To be able to bring the cup back into the clinic today is a very special moment. Seán puts in an unbelievable effort, I don’t think we get to say it often enough,” said O’Shea.

“We pick up the phone to Seán, I’ve been down in his house, he’s been suturing my eye, he’s been putting my nose back into place, pulling him away from dinner plates. He could be on holidays and you ring him and he will have something sorted. It’s not just me, it’s every single member of the squad. The staff here, we’ve been down here many times, early in the morning, late in the evening and you’ve always been an absolute pleasure to deal with so we really do appreciate it,” he said.

Mayo vice-captain Darren McHale wasn’t able to play this year due to injury and knows too well the importance of a top-end medical setup.

“Personally I’ve spent a lot of time in here this year, more time in here than I have spent on the grass! A big thank you to Seán… there is a huge level of expertise with Seán and a massive thank you from everyone on the panel, we wouldn’t be where we are without him,” he said.

Dr Moffatt is a leading part of Mayo’s medical team, working closely with the physiotherapy, strength and conditioning, dietetics and psychology teams. A key part of his role is overseeing the clinical assessment of injuries through imaging and scans, ensuring players get the correct diagnosis from the outset, alongside general health work including cardiac screening.

He has seen huge advances in sports science and sports medicine since he took on the role in 2011, particularly around training loads, recovery, nutrition and injury prevention. For an amateur panel balancing football with work and college, those advances have been hugely important.

“An important marker of how well we’ve done medically during the season is limiting soft tissue injuries and, if there have been soft tissue injuries, limiting recurrence,” he said.

“If they're not managed appropriately, a player that could be in contention for a starting position could be out for six to eight weeks.” 

After all those years, all those losing dressing rooms and all that unseen work, Seán Moffatt finally got to celebrate Mayo reaching the Promised Land.