Hennelly available for FBD League start

GOALKEEPER Robbie Hennelly is the only player from the All-Ireland replay defeat who is available to Mayo manager Stephen Rochford for the FBD Connacht League clash against NUI Galway in Castlebar, next Sunday.

The only members of last summer’s Mayo championship panel that did not to go on the team holiday to South Africa earlier this week are Hennelly, Barry Moran, Shane Nally, Conor O’Shea, Brian Reape, Conor Loftus and Michael Hall.

Nally is the only other player available for selection as Moran, who got married on New Year’s Eve, is on honeymoon while O'Shea, Reape and Loftus are turning out for their college selections in the series. Hall is ruled out with a groin injury.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Ger Cafferkey will play no part in the FBD League.

Although back in training, the former All Star full-back is still recovering from the serious hamstring tear that ended his 2016 season prematurely.

Rochford is going to run the rule over a number of new players for this month’s pre-season competition with all of them expected to play some part next weekend.

Four members of Mayo’s All-Ireland winning under-21 team have been invited into the senior set-up for the upcoming games against NUI Galway, IT Sligo and Roscommon — Fergal Boland, David Kenny, Michael Plunkett and Liam Irwin.

Rory Byrne, Donie Newcombe and Neil Douglas from county champions Castlebar Mitchels have also been drafted in.

Mayo’s opponents next Sunday, NUI Galway, are managed by former Mayo forward Maurice Sheridan.