WHILE THE MAYO panel licked their wounds after September’s All-Ireland final defeat, Alan Dillon had added concerns.
The 31 year-old four-time All-Ireland finalist struggled through the 2013 season with a persistent ‘groin’ injury, meaning once the final whistle blew in Croke Park his plans for a pain-free 2014 began.
“2013 was one that I wasn’t probably at 100 per cent, and surgery in November corrected my problems,” explained Dillon. “I have got the last four or five months under my belt and I’m now confident in this championship.
“I suppose, early on, in the Connacht championship it was tough enough going. I couldn’t train, and the number of training sessions I was missing, I didn’t enjoy. I was just managing, really.
“After the All-Ireland final against Donegal (in 2012) we went straight back into club action and then it was a case of going through the rehab phases early in 2013. It was just the load, the quantity, the training we were doing with Mayo, it’s just very intense.
“It was something that was difficult to nail down but credit to the medics at the end of last year we got to the bottom of it and the rehab has been successful.”
Dillon was replaced after 55 minutes in last September’s 2-12 to 1-14 loss, the county’s second consecutive All-Ireland final defeat.
“Now I’m confident to say that I’m training at the maximum, at the 100 per cent level where you are out of control and you can get to that uncomfortable phase in training. Last year there was always that doubt that you could go past your normal threshold.”
Dillon’s injury problem’s have been termed as groin issues although the specific “rectus abdominis” issue which troubled him. The rectus abdominis is a large muscle in the center of your abdomen that extends from your ribs to the front of your pubic bone
“The problem is common enough with some high profile players have injuries like that,” he says. “It’s a hard one to tie down, it’s the quantity and load of training. It just had to take time. I went down the road of rehab, unfortunately it didn’t work so corrective surgery was the other option.”
Dillon underwent his treatment with former Meath footballer Gerry McEntee in the Mater Private hospital.
“I went down that route of talking to various consultants. It was hard in-season. We are amateurs, we have to go to work, you wouldn’t have that professional time to recover, to get the rehab, to get the level of training and fitness.
“The game has gone so intense and so fast that you miss a block of training and you are always trying to play catch-up. So I suppose it wasn’t an option, really.”
The two time All-Star made his return against New York in the Connacht quarter final last month, and he will be pushing for a starting slot against Roscommon in Sunday’s Connacht semi final. Ten years on from his first All-Ireland final, how do Mayo motivate themselves once more?
“To be honest, it’s something we have left in-house, and don’t need to discus with anyone else. It’s in the past now, and I’m not sure why we would go back and analyse again. The focus now is on ourselves, and Sunday.”
