Mortimer ready to be tested once again

Championship 2007 News round-up:These are testing times in Mayo. Anyone worried about John O'Mahony juggling his roles as election candidate and football manager should spare some sympathy for Conor Mortimer. Like O'Mahony, one half of his brain is concentrating on Sunday's Connacht football showdown against Galway, and the other half, instead of politics, is concentrating on studies.

Two years into his Sports Science degree at Dublin City University (DCU), Mortimer has exams scheduled for Saturday and Monday, which clearly run uncomfortably close to Mayo's test in Pearse Stadium on Sunday. Yet he's not complaining: Mortimer is embracing the course and student life in Dublin, which helps guard him against the hype and pressure involved with such a local derby.

"I'll be under a bit of pressure with the exams," he admits, "but I don't mind it. DCU is a good environment. I'm living in Dublin so I'm well away from all the talk around the game. You do your training and there's no one bothering you afterwards, unlike, say, the fishbowl scenario of living and playing football in your own county. I think footballers are scrutinised more when they're living in their own county, and when you're out of that it's a great relief."

Now in his fifth season on the senior panel, Mortimer finds himself with increasing responsibility within the Mayo forward line. No longer the new kid on the block, he was easily the most productive scorer on their recent run to the National League final, totalling 4-27 - including a hat-trick of goals against Tyrone.

Ultimate success, however, has been harder to come by, and defeat to Donegal in the league final extended further Mortimer's losing run with Mayo - which now includes All-Ireland final defeats at all levels including minor, under-21 and senior (twice).

"With a bit of luck maybe I'd have won something," he adds. "But you look at other teams and they don't get near finals. Maybe it will happen for me some day and maybe it won't. Losing that league final wasn't too bad. You always want to win games, but there's not the same hurt losing a league game as a championship game, regardless of what people think.

"There's high expectation in Mayo again this year, and that's the way it will always be. Hopefully we'll be there again when it comes to the later stages, but this is a very big game for us going into the first game of the championship. There's always big pressure on us playing Galway, especially away from home."

If anything, expectations in Mayo this year are higher than ever - mainly because of O'Mahony's return as manager. With typical championship timing, O'Mahony finds himself straight up against Galway, the county he led to All-Ireland success in 1998 and 2001, and having already orchestrated a win over them in the league semi-final it will be something of a body blow if they lose on Sunday.

So far Mortimer has no doubt O'Mahony is living up to his hype: "We wouldn't have got back so soon after the All-Ireland defeat and into a league final if he wasn't good. He is very, very organised, to the finest detail. Everyone knows their roles and what they're being asked to do."

The timing of O'Mahony's arrival, suggests Mortimer, was perfect, giving everyone the incentive to dig themselves out of any lingering depression after the All-Ireland defeat. "Obviously you'll get enthusiastic about someone like him coming in, no matter what age you are. It helped me as well, although to be honest I'm not too bad after losing games. I wouldn't be long getting back into it. If it was anyone else you'd be a little more worried. But when you come back to a manager who you know has a good chance of winning something of course it helps.

"And there's no arguing with what John has done, and you have to look forward to working with him. Jim Kilty (the fitness trainer) has been very good as well, working a lot on biomechanical stuff, and improving our speed."

He still spares a thought for Mickey Moran and John Morrison, O'Mahony's predecessors, who still give Mortimer the odd phone call: "They were good guys, a good management team. And that doesn't change just because they lost an All-Ireland final."