'Brilliant to have him back in' - Mayo squad update ahead of league opener against Galway

Conor Loftus could be set to play his first game for Mayo in almost two years this spring, with confirmation that the versatile Crossmolina Deel Rovers players returned to training with the county senior football panel last week.

Loftus, a holder of All-Ireland minor and under-21, National Football League and All-Ireland intermediate club medals, has not worn the green and red since featuring as a substitute in the 2024 championship exit to Derry in Castlebar. He scored his penalty in a 4-3 shootout defeat for the home side.

It was his eighth consecutive appearance off the bench that season, having also featured in the latter stages of that year’s Division 1 campaign.

Loftus focused his energies thereafter on his club’s 2024 championship campaign and was inspirational as Crossmolina won county and provincial titles. He then overcame the adversity of personal tragedy to score a late match-winning penalty in Croke Park last January, as the Deel Rovers captured the All-Ireland Club IFC title, and was inspirational in the club’s return to the Mayo SFC last season where they eventually exited only at the semi-final stage after extra-time.

Conor, who turns 31 this year, joins his clubmates Jordan Flynn and Kobe McDonald in the Mayo panel, both of whom featured in a challenge game against Clare in Ballinrobe last Friday night, where manager Andy Moran fielded a strong team that saw Mayo win 0-21 to 2-9.

While Flynn and McDonald are thought to be in contention to feature in next weekend’s NFL Division 1 opener away to Galway, selector Colm Boyle has confirmed that Donnacha McHugh, Mattie Ruane and Cillian O’Connor remain unavailable for selection at present.

McHugh only returned to full training last week but it is the closest of all three to making a return, with Mattie Ruane having also undergone an operation in the close season.

“We’re looking towards the middle of the league hopefully for him,” said Boyle on Sunday. “Cillian is back running and we’d be hoping to push him through in the next few weeks.” 

Welcoming the return of his former county teammate Conor Lotus to the Mayo panel, Colm Boyle said: “It was his first week this week. He hasn’t done a full session yet so it’s going to take him a bit of time obviously. He’s been out of the inter-county scene for a while and his body will have to get used to the rigours of inter-county training, but it’s absolutely brilliant to have him back in.” 

The Western People understands that 10 of the Mayo team that started Friday’s challenge game also started the previous week’s FBD League game away to Roscommon, namely Rob Hennelly, Enda Hession, Michael Plunkett, Paddy Durcan, Rory Brickenden, Bob Tuohy, David McBrien, Ryan O’Donoghue, Aidan O’Shea and Tommy Conroy, giving an indication as to what the line-up might be in Salthill Sunday.

Jack Coyne will captain Mayo for the first time in a competitive fixture with the impressive displays of Sam Callinan, Fenton Kelly and Stephen Coen last Sunday further bolstering Mayo’s defensive options. Jack Carney offers another possibility at midfield now that he has started his first game of the year while Frank Irwin, Paul Towey and Fergal Boland, along with newcomers Darragh Beirne and Tom Lydon, will all have an eye on forcing their way into the attack.