ROBBIE HENSHAW MAY have powered back into action for Leinster at a critical stage of the season after his recovery from injury accelerated but Mayo manager Stephen Rochford does not envisage his star man Lee Keegan making a similar comeback in time for their big Connacht showdown with Galway.
Mayo welcome Galway to Castlebar on 19 May for a game that has created huge anticipation.
Westport man Keegan damaged his shoulder in Mayo’s league loss to Tyrone in March. Henshaw suffered a similar injury when in action for Ireland in the Six Nations in February but lined out ten weeks after and produced a stirring display in the Champions Cup semi-final win over Scarlets.
Rochford points out that the situations are not comparable.
“I wouldn’t say that (Keegan’s prospects are improving). It’s only seven weeks this weekend, which is six weeks post op.
“He’s back doing some running but hasn’t been in any contact. I don’t see him partaking in the game.
“I know locally they’re all thinking how did Robbie Henshaw get back. In a professional environment, more can be done. He isn’t in our plans.
“Lee required surgery. We’re planning very much without him. Cillian (O’Connor) has progressed well, isn’t back into full training just yet. But confident that he will be involved.
“Brendan Harrison is in full training, he has had some game time with club. Chris Barrett, Donal Vaughan are back. So there is nothing fresh at this juncture.”
With the debate raging over whether ringfencing the month of April for clubs is working, Rochford has described it as ‘a very complex situation’.
“(It’s) well documented that April, it’s been a challenge. It’s a very complex situation. It’s not a level playing field. We’re playing in 12 days time, teams (Kerry) aren’t playing until first week in June so trying to guard off the month of April is more feasible in counties that aren’t playing (until) in June.
“But in that last weekend was the first weekend that our guys have not played games since the first weekend of the FBD. Some guys haven’t played because of injury but between club, college, inter-county they have been going and going. Somebody has been demanding something.
“I’m a little bit (relucant) to come out and say Super 8s are the greatest thing in the world or April is the worst thing in the world because I think we need to let the season flush out. But there are a number of different factors in it. The clubs want their part of the pie quite rightly so. The provincial councils want to maintain provincial championships.
“That’s another complex element of it that people are sort of ignoring and county managers want to prepare their teams as best they can because really nobody is going to remember that they played two rounds of the league, the first two rounds in April and played a round of championship when you look back and assess how the county progressed through the championship.
“It’s been difficult, we’ve respected it, we’ve gone with it. We’ve played a round of club championship. So for a team that’s out the earliest in the championship bar the four Connacht counties this weekend, we’ve operated in really good faith in it.”
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
