Has the Mort left the Mayo panel?

Today’s Hospital Pass looks at the mystery surrounding Conor Mortimer’s rumoured departure from the Mayo panel and the lasting effects of Galway’s shock victory on Sunday.

Has the Mort left the Mayo panel? Woolly’s on the case

Conor Mortimer’s absence from the Mayo team named today to play Sligo in this weekend’s Connacht Final wasn’t that much of a story considering the fact that he was also excluded from the starting XV against Leitrim the first day out.

Or, at least it wasn’t a story until Colm Parkinson suggested on Twitter that the bleach blonde corner forward had withdrawn from or was dropped off the Mayo panel in recent days and didn’t attend training last night.

Shortly after Parkinson’s post, Sunday Independent journalist Marie Crowe tweeted the Newstalk analyst to suggest that she had heard the rumour too, while TV3’s Kieran McSweeney has also expressed similar sentiments, so although there is no official confirmation of Mortimer’s status just yet, there is also no smoke without fire so it might be best to watch this space.

If the news does turn out to be true, Parkinson will be forgiven for thinking he has a flavour for this investigative journalism lark, having exposed the man behind the wildly popular (nearly 27,000 followers) fake Marty Morrissey Twitter account earlier today after something of an ongoing battle with him on the social networking site in recent days.

Parkinson did jokingly suggest that Mortimer might give fake Marty the Micheál Jackson treatment against Sligo on Sunday by reprising the famous t-shirt he flashed against Galway a few years back, but one of his followers had a far better suggestion for the message Mortimer might be eager to get across this weekend.

Pic via Twitter/Gerard Hall

It was only a matter of time...

By beating Kilkenny in the manner that they did at the weekend, Galway not only threw the race for Liam McCarthy wide open, but ensured that every underdog in the country will be citing them as motivation in GAA matches for weeks to come.

It was only a matter of time before somebody did so publicly and sure enough, Laois manager Tony Doran referred to the Tribesman when speaking of his side’s charges against the Cats in the Leinster under-21 hurling final tonight.

"You have to be like Galway at the weekend,” Doran told the Laois Nationalist.

“There is only one way (to beat them), go straight at them. Get in amongst them because if you give them an inch they will punish you.

"We've done a few extra bits and things in regards to how to take them on. But as I have stressed time and time again to the players, it is only 15 against 15. If you show them respect out on that field you're beaten before you go out. You have to be ruthless."

We’re expecting some ruthlessness in Portlaoise this evening, but Doran shouldn’t be surprised if it comes from the opposition as opposed to themselves.

There’s nothing as dangerous as a wounded animal they say and we’d fear for the first team that have to cross Kilkenny’s path after what happened on Sunday. Best of luck tonight, Laois.