Mortimer: I won’t be back soon and Joe Brolly is “jealous” of the Gooch

Conor Mortimer had some interesting things to say on Mayo and Joe Brolly today, downplaying any rift with James Horan, while saying that Joe Brolly is jealous of the Gooch.

Former Mayo talisman forward Conor Mortimer has said he will in attendance and supporting Mayo as they take on Down in Croke Park.

Mayo’s top all-time championship scorer has also denied any talk of any rift between him and Mayo boss James Horan when speaking to Newstalk’s Oisin Langan for their Breakfast Show.

Mortimer had retired from intercounty football unexpectedly this summer having received minimal game time in the Connacht Championship.

When asked “Is it a bit weird not being part of the build up to the game?” Mortimer replied it was but he’ll be attending their quarter-final against Down in Croke Park this weekend.

“It’s a bit weird being out of the loop as they say and the week before the game you’d be getting a bit of the Championship buzz. I’ll go to it and have a look and see how they’ll get on,” before saying that he is still a Mayo supporter. “I am. It’s where I’m from and I went to the games when I was boy...it’s just one of those things.”

Mortimer says he won’t be returning anytime soon saying, “You never know what might happen in the future, it’s not really on the agenda at the moment.”

On his relationship with James Horan, Mortimer said there was nothing acrimonious between them

“The [relationship is] same as always, myself and Jimmy have always got on. I made the decision and he accepted,” Mortimer said, although he added cryptically when asked if much had been said to him by fans that “Everyone’s got their opinion. I’ve been keeping my head down and not saying anything. That’s the way it is – it’s a player-manger thing.”

On the Mayo-Down game this weekend Mortimer is confident that his former teammates will progress to the semis, “I think if they start well, get into the pace of the game they’ll be fine.”

Joe Brolly has often criticised Mortimer in the past and the former Mayo man thinks Brolly’s recent criticisms of Kerry and Colm Cooper are rubbish saying, “Personally I think it is nonsense, I think a lot of people think it is nonsense too. Joe has his own opinions on things – I don’t know where he gets them from though. Everyone has their opinion but I think what he said wasn’t merited, especially the stuff about Cooper...I think Joe might be a little bit jealous of him.”

You can hear the interview in full on newstalk.ie/sport