ACL INJURIES ARE a raw deal by their very nature, but to be struck down by the knee injury in the closing seconds of a game seems particularly cruel.
That was the fate Mayo captain Paddy Durcan was cursed with at the weekend. He only played the last 15 minutes of his side’s All-Ireland series win over Cavan, but needed to be carried off the pitch after a jarring movement of the knee.
Manager Kevin McStay conceded to the media that “we are a little bit worried,” but added that the medical team were hopeful of an encouraging outcome. A scan on Monday confirmed the season-ending injury, and now Mayo are without a leader and experienced defender.
Questions about Mayo’s potential to be All-Ireland contenders this year have already been raised, and Durcan’s absence from both their defensive and attacking strategies does little to ease those doubts.
Durcan had already been struggling with injury prior to the ACL setback. Trouble with his calf restricted him throughout the season, forcing him to miss Mayo’s Connacht final where his presence could have prevented defeat to rivals Galway. The Cavan game was intended to be the start of his comeback but, instead, he must face into an even longer recovery process.
And Mayo must count the cost of his absence for the rest of their Group 2 campaign in the All-Ireland series. At 29, Durcan has clocked up 108 appearances since making his debut for Mayo in 2015. One of the best half-backs in the country, he won an All-Star in 2019 and has scored 1-77 throughout his nine years of service. Durcan is a pacey defender who uses his physicality to carry the ball, attack teams from deep and hunt for scores. He gets power and distance behind his kicks too.
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One such example was Mayo’s 2018 famous Newbridge or Nowhere battle against Kildare in the 2018 All-Ireland qualifiers. Kildare won after a campaign to have the game played on home sod, but Durcan managed four points from corner back that evening. This thumping effort after making a run down the wing was part of his tally.
Paddy Durcan's huge kick has been a highlight of this clash.
Another example comes from this man-of-the-match performance in Mayo’s All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final against Galway last year. After soloing along at a casual rate up the channel in the 48th minute, he pivots sharply inside to create space and swings the ball over from distance. That was one of his two points He was also the orchestrator of David McBrien’s goal which proved to be the decisive score.
The versatility he possesses in being able to switch from defence to attack mode is something Mayo will miss desperately.
Durcan, whose twin brother James also played for Mayo, served in the All-Ireland final battles against Dublin in 2016 and 2017. He scored three points across the draw and replay deciders of ’16, starting both games in the seven jersey. He was named as a late starter to replace Diarmuid O’Connor the following year and operated at wing back again that day.
The Castlebar Mitchels man is one of three survivors from the team that started that final, along with Cillian O’Connor and Aidan O’Shea which underpins the extent of his longevity at inter-county level. The fact that he was also captain of the Mayo team last year illustrates the high regard in which he is held among the Mayo backroom unit. He lifted the trophy after they defeated Galway in the Division 1 final that year, and was surely intent on picking up more tin this season.
McStay won’t have long to select a replacement although they have spent chunks of the season without him already. And while Durcan’s loss is seismic, the return of Diarmuid O’Connor from a hamstring injury is a major boost to the Mayo squad.
Eoghan McLaughlin, Jack Coyne and Stephen Coen formed the half-back line in the Connacht final against Galway, where all but Coyne played the full game. The Ballyhaunis man was replaced by Conor Loftus after 65 minutes.
Sam Callinan started at centre-back for Mayo’s nine-point win over Cavan at the weekend as Coyne slipped back to corner-back. Loftus came on for Donnacha McHugh at corner-back and scored a point.
McStay has said that Durcan will continue on in his roll as team captain while Tommy Conroy and Stephen Coen are the vice captains. It’s possible that they will adopt and share the on-field captaincy role, as Mayo prepare to face Roscommon in the second round of the All-Ireland series. They’ll round off their Group 2 march against Dublin, a tie that will surely stoke up old rivalries.
A cruel sentence for Durcan and a leader lost for Mayo.
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2019 All-Star who can score and defend - Mayo count the cost of Durcan injury
ACL INJURIES ARE a raw deal by their very nature, but to be struck down by the knee injury in the closing seconds of a game seems particularly cruel.
That was the fate Mayo captain Paddy Durcan was cursed with at the weekend. He only played the last 15 minutes of his side’s All-Ireland series win over Cavan, but needed to be carried off the pitch after a jarring movement of the knee.
Manager Kevin McStay conceded to the media that “we are a little bit worried,” but added that the medical team were hopeful of an encouraging outcome. A scan on Monday confirmed the season-ending injury, and now Mayo are without a leader and experienced defender.
Questions about Mayo’s potential to be All-Ireland contenders this year have already been raised, and Durcan’s absence from both their defensive and attacking strategies does little to ease those doubts.
Durcan had already been struggling with injury prior to the ACL setback. Trouble with his calf restricted him throughout the season, forcing him to miss Mayo’s Connacht final where his presence could have prevented defeat to rivals Galway. The Cavan game was intended to be the start of his comeback but, instead, he must face into an even longer recovery process.
And Mayo must count the cost of his absence for the rest of their Group 2 campaign in the All-Ireland series. At 29, Durcan has clocked up 108 appearances since making his debut for Mayo in 2015. One of the best half-backs in the country, he won an All-Star in 2019 and has scored 1-77 throughout his nine years of service. Durcan is a pacey defender who uses his physicality to carry the ball, attack teams from deep and hunt for scores. He gets power and distance behind his kicks too.
One such example was Mayo’s 2018 famous Newbridge or Nowhere battle against Kildare in the 2018 All-Ireland qualifiers. Kildare won after a campaign to have the game played on home sod, but Durcan managed four points from corner back that evening. This thumping effort after making a run down the wing was part of his tally.
Another example comes from this man-of-the-match performance in Mayo’s All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final against Galway last year. After soloing along at a casual rate up the channel in the 48th minute, he pivots sharply inside to create space and swings the ball over from distance. That was one of his two points He was also the orchestrator of David McBrien’s goal which proved to be the decisive score.
The versatility he possesses in being able to switch from defence to attack mode is something Mayo will miss desperately.
Durcan, whose twin brother James also played for Mayo, served in the All-Ireland final battles against Dublin in 2016 and 2017. He scored three points across the draw and replay deciders of ’16, starting both games in the seven jersey. He was named as a late starter to replace Diarmuid O’Connor the following year and operated at wing back again that day.
The Castlebar Mitchels man is one of three survivors from the team that started that final, along with Cillian O’Connor and Aidan O’Shea which underpins the extent of his longevity at inter-county level. The fact that he was also captain of the Mayo team last year illustrates the high regard in which he is held among the Mayo backroom unit. He lifted the trophy after they defeated Galway in the Division 1 final that year, and was surely intent on picking up more tin this season.
McStay won’t have long to select a replacement although they have spent chunks of the season without him already. And while Durcan’s loss is seismic, the return of Diarmuid O’Connor from a hamstring injury is a major boost to the Mayo squad.
Eoghan McLaughlin, Jack Coyne and Stephen Coen formed the half-back line in the Connacht final against Galway, where all but Coyne played the full game. The Ballyhaunis man was replaced by Conor Loftus after 65 minutes.
Sam Callinan started at centre-back for Mayo’s nine-point win over Cavan at the weekend as Coyne slipped back to corner-back. Loftus came on for Donnacha McHugh at corner-back and scored a point.
McStay has said that Durcan will continue on in his roll as team captain while Tommy Conroy and Stephen Coen are the vice captains. It’s possible that they will adopt and share the on-field captaincy role, as Mayo prepare to face Roscommon in the second round of the All-Ireland series. They’ll round off their Group 2 march against Dublin, a tie that will surely stoke up old rivalries.
A cruel sentence for Durcan and a leader lost for Mayo.
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huge blow Mayo GAA paddy durcan