Colm Boyle: Injuries are more of a worry for Mayo than Kerry defeat

Now firmly outside the camp, Colm Boyle could only watch on as a Mayo defence he spent 14 seasons part of was simply ripped to shreds by Kerry in the recent league final.

The Kingdom brushed aside the Connacht men, with David Clifford leading the green and red on something of a merry dance at Croke Park, ably assisted by a cast of Kerry players keen to make a mark with the championship looming.

Jack O'Connor’s side raised three green flags, won by 15 and in truth the margin could have been even greater as Mayo were ruthlessly exposed at the back.

In the aftermath, there has been some discussion that perhaps Mayo had upped their training programme with a provincial semi-final against Galway to contend with on Sunday week, but either way, it makes a Connacht title defence, not to mind a shot at Sam Maguire, a tall order.

Speaking at the RTÉ GAA Championship coverage launch, Boyle, who hung up his inter-county boots in November with four All-Stars, six Connacht medals and half a dozen All-Ireland final appearances, said his main concern for Mayo is the number of players in a race to be fit for the championship.

"I was more worried about how the next three weeks would go in preparation for Galway with so many injuries," he said.

"I think that was my major concern, because the way that Mayo set-up against Kerry and how much they were overran in the middle third, normally we are so strong there. When I sat down and thought about it, and thought about the players that were missing, Oisín Mullin, Paddy Durcan, Diarmuid O’Connor, those three especially – and Jordan Flynn is obviously an injury doubt as well now.

"Kerry really overran Mayo in that middle third and when you get those four/five players back eventually Mayo will be very