GALWAY MANAGER PÁDRAIC Joyce said that ‘it’s a joke’ that they have to travel to Monaghan for their relegation play-off and he doesn’t believe Séamus McEnaney’s men should have home advantage after breaking Covid rules around training during lockdown.

“I’m just after being told it is away because they had no home games and we had two home games so they are being rewarded for breaking a curfew and I find that unbelievable to be honest,” said Joyce.

“It’s a joke if you ask me and I don’t know how Croke Park came up with that solution to play in Monaghan. We will play wherever it is on but I think it disrespects the whole system and the whole Allianz League if you are going rewarding a county to get a home vital game when you broke the rules.”

Avoiding the drop is now the main priority for Joyce in his second year in charge but, for the third year in a row, Damien Comer is a major doubt for the start of the championship having picked up a hand injury in the win over Roscommon last week.

“He is one of our better players so it is a huge injury blow. He is going to be out for three, four, or five weeks. He did his thumb last Sunday against Roscommon, he played on with it in the second half, but he has taken the tendon off the bone. He is in a bit of bother and is in a race against time to be fit for the Championship.

“This is his third year in a row so he needs some sort of break, at least it isn’t a muscle injury. He may be able to do some conditioning work. If he comes back in time he will just need the ball handling skills to go with it. Before he had leg injuries which stopped him training,” added Joyce.

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