DESPITE significant injury problems, Mayo have made minimal changes from the team that defeated Meath in the NFL quarter final last month. A vacancy has been left at midfield to allow Liam McHale as much time as possible to recover from a pulled hamstring.
Otherwise, the only change for Sunday's semi final with Derry is necessitated by the suspension of full back Kevin Cahill, who was sent off against Meath. He is replaced by wing back Pat Holmes, whose place is taken by returning team captain Noel Connelly, who was injured for the quarter final.
Full forward John Casey and left wing forward Ronan Golding are listed, but both are carrying injuries. Golding is expected to recover from a hamstring strain, but Casey's ligament trouble will need careful monitoring.
"I'll wait as late as Saturday or Sunday to give Liam McHale and John Casey every chance," says manager John Maughan. "John was in my house on crutches but I decided to include him. Liam's more of a problem, because he's 30, while John is only 21."
McHale's difficulty is an unusual one in that he has never previously pulled a hamstring, despite a decade of top class basketball and football. Because of his (relatively) advanced age and lack of familiarity with the injury, the big midfielder could be risking a long lay off if he plays at the weekend.
The selection of Pat Holmes at full back is also a gamble. "He hasn't (played there before) to the best of my knowledge," says Maughan. "It's a specialist position and we're not covered unless Peter Ford (former Mayo full back and one of Maughan's selectors) togs out. We've lots of cover at midfield, but not there."
Maughan is understandably happy with progress from Division Three to the semi finals, but he's not carried away with it all. "I'd a fair idea we'd get to the quarter finals, but once here (in the semi finals), it's unknown territory. Beating Meath did shake things up around the country and showed we were able to compete. But Croke Park is a new ball game, particularly for our younger players who haven't experienced the thrashings there in recent years.
"In the county the vibes ard positive but the expectations are realistic. There's a realisation that this is a young side starting off and there's no pressure, which is nice because before, the average Mayo supporter used to think every year that the team should be winning an All Ireland.
Meanwhile, RTE and the GAA are, according to Croke Park spokesperson Danny Lynch, about to sign a contract to cover broadcasting of matches for the next three years. "I would expect it before the end of the month," he says. "Congress superseded things a bit, but the main provisions are agreed."
These include the proposed schedule of matches for live coverage which was agreed last month with the provincial councils. The deal, when it is signed, will be for a three year term to cover the next two years and, retrospectively, last year's matches which were broadcast on an ad hoc basis.
Other items to be agreed include the financial details and access to RTE's pictures for overseas marketing, which is no longer done by RTE who were replaced as international rights holders in 1992 by Chrysalis and, later, Stirling Productions, a Belfast production company.
On the international front talks are advanced to secure a deal between Stirling and the leading US sports networks for weekly packages of football and hurling championships. The networks involved are Prime Sports and ESPN.
Prime Sports has made an offer, whereas a final conclusion from ESPN is waited. Both are nationwide cable networks. ESPN has two channels, with ESPN 2, specialising in international sports, the likely outlet for any GAA package. It reaches about 50 per cent of homes in the US.
Prime Sports has various local subsidiary networks, such as Madison Square Garden, New England, and any deal with them is to be on a "must carry" basis, so that the package will be broadcast on all networks.
Prime Sports also has an international arm, Prime International.
. There are a couple of changes to the weekend's fixtures details. Brian White of Wexford will referee the Donegal Cork NFL semi final at Croke Park. He replaces Westmeath's Pat Casserly.
The Leinster under 21 football quarter final replay between Offaly and Westmeath goes ahead on Saturday at Tullamore, rather than Portlaoise, at 3.0 p.m.
