Paddy Durcan looking forward to football's resumption

By Stuart Tynan

PADDY Durcan, like many GAA players, is just itching to get back on the field already.

Since Mayo's defeat to Dublin in the All-Ireland football final, players up and down the country are awaiting news on whether they can return to training in the very near future.

Speaking at the launch of his partnership with Castlebar-based business De Facto Shaving Oil, Durcan said: “Hard one, last season when you take into consideration the club and the county which ran all the way to December I mean it was nearly up to Christmas Day when we got a break, but at that stage you were probably looking forward to a break if I’m honest.

“I didn’t mind a few weeks off in January and February, but now we’ve gone to a stage where you’d kinda love to be back playing and hopefully it will be sooner rather than later, but we don’t know just yet when that will be.”

Durcan's final ended prematurely after he was forced off at half-time due to a quad injury he picked up early in the game, and was forced to watch on as Dublin pushed on in the final quarter to claim a sixth successive All-Ireland crown, while Mayo's long wait goes on.

“I was fine going into the game no issues at all, I had no real injuries for the most part of the season, but just after a few minutes I pulled a quad I think it was three and half minutes in and then 17 minutes in right before the water break, got real more damage done on it and to be honest I was very limited and did well to make it to half time as I wasn’t able to move at the level I wanted to, it is what it is, no point in complaining about it too much

“It goes by so quick, once the decision was made at half time, you try and support the guys as best you can and have a few words with them. It was a tough watch in the second half, when you have no major influence on it.

“We were in a good position up to the last quarter. I think there was one in it maybe going into the last quarter and Dublin got a couple of scores quickly at the start of the fourth quarter that was probably a big point in the game and we struggled to get back into it, but look it was probably a tough watch, but it is what it is - you move on from things as well.”

On whether the injury has healed, Durcan said: “Obviously we haven’t got back to training, I have got scans on it, but I would be hopeful enough that when we do get back, be that in the next few weeks, I would nearly be on point.

“I suppose it is one benefit that if the league had taken place when it normally does, in January and February, I would be pretty confident I would have missed most of it if not all of it, so that is one positive to take out of it, I would be hopeful that I would be able to make it back”

*You can read the full interview with Paddy Durcan in this Tuesday's print edition.