GAELIC GAMES:MAYO STAR Conor Mortimer is resigned to missing his county's entire season after undergoing major knee surgery in Dublin last Friday. Renowned surgeon Ray Moran performed an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction procedure on Mortimer, who has been told he could be facing a nine-month lay-off.
The 27-year-old damaged his left knee playing under-21 football for Mayo in a Connacht championship tie against Sligo seven years ago, but the full extent of the damage was not revealed for another four years.
For the past seven seasons, Mortimer has been operating without a cruciate ligament in his left knee but recent flare-ups left the Shrule-Glencorrib clubman with no alternative but to go under the knife.
Moran informed Mortimer that surgery will prolong his career and when the former All Star forward returns, his knee will be as strong as it has ever been.
During surgery, part of Mortimer’s patellar tendon, which connects the kneecap to the shin bone, was removed to form a new ACL.
Mortimer said: “The recovery period is anything from five to nine months. There are some strengthening exercises that I can get done to help the injury, like tensing the quads and getting the muscle around the knee working again. It’s swollen up like a balloon at the moment and it will be a couple of months before that’s fully gone down.
“But Ray has said that I’ll be fine. I’ll be looking to get back for the Mayo club championship – that’s my priority at the moment.
“If Mayo get as far as the All-Ireland quarter-finals, there’s a chance but I wouldn’t be 100 per cent positive about being ready for that. But the main thing is that the knee will be 100 per cent for the first time in seven years.
“I didn’t know how bad the damage was at the time because I didn’t have a scan on it but a scan a few years ago revealed that it was ruptured.”
Meanwhile, UUJ student Mortimer has backed Mayo to give a good account of themselves in next Sunday’s National Football League Division One round-two clash at home to old rivals Kerry.
Mayo have got off to a solid start under new boss James Horan, following up an opening day NFL draw at home to Down with an FBD Connacht League final victory against NUI Galway last Friday night.
“I think they’ll be fine. There’s a good bunch of young fellas there and James is a good coach and a good guy.
“Mayo will be looking at winning the Connacht championship as a minimum requirement. For now, it would be good to keep the winning momentum going after the FBD success.”
