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25th November 2024
09:58am GMT
The Mayo footballers have already taken a massive hit ahead of the 2025 inter-county season, with the news Cillian O'Connor will be not returning.
The 32-year-old attacker's decision - which was reported in the Irish Examiner - comes amid rumours that other players will also be opting out of Kevin McStay's Mayo squad next year.
O'Connor is a two-time All-Star and the Championship's all-time top scorer, and holds the record for the highest individual tally in a game, scoring 4-9 in Mayo's All-Ireland semi-final win over Tipperary in 2020.
The Ballintubber man was used mostly off the bench this year, with his one championship start coming against Cavan in the All-Ireland group stage.
Mayo will have to be looking for a serious improvement on their All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final loss in June, which saw them beaten by Derry on penalties, with that challenge now significantly tougher.
The Irish Sun have, however, reported that O'Connor has not fully retired from inter-county football.
O'Connor, who made his SFC debut for Mayo in 2011, has had his fair share of injuries, missing the 2021 run to the All-Ireland final and a large portion of the 2023 campaign.
But just last January, he spoke of the "buzz" of inter-county football which had kept him coming back.
He said: "I’d say it’s just the sense of team. That’s what I like about it. The same as in work or in sport, you know when you are trudging along with lads, maybe going through a bit of adversity or a bit of struggle and it’s towards a common goal.
"There’s a buzz in that I think. I enjoy that sense of working with your teammates and we get to do it every week in training. That’s what keeps bringing me back."
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