Horan has cause for optimism

NEW Mayo boss James Horan is confident he’ll be dealing from a full deck in 2019.

The Ballintubber man says he is yet to be informed of any retirements from this year’s playing squad and he is planning to hold county trials to assess the depth of talent in the county just now.

“The players that have played in 2018, I’m working through those and I haven’t come across anyone yet that’s stepping out,” he said last night.

“Obviously I would have gone to some of the older players first and had these conversations, so anyone I have talked to is very keen to be involved in the trials and get cracking.

“Some of them didn’t think they had to play in them, but they do, so that’s where it is.”

Horan is back at the helm for the second time in his career, having brought Mayo to two All-ireland finals in four years between 2010 and 2014.

He plans to use the League as a method of blooding new talent, but admitted much could rely on how well they start.

“The National League, it’s very hard for it to work that way, a lot depends on how your first two games go,” he said.

“Any new management team that comes in, you’re always looking for someone or something fresh. If it’s a close call between an existing player and a new player, if they’re performing, the new player is going to get the nod, that’s the way it will work.

“There’ll definitely be some new players knocking around, getting game time. Sometimes if a new player can get one, two, three games in a row, sometimes you need to take a punt on them.

“And maybe in the first game they stumble, but if you give them time it’s amazing what can happen.

“Some of the young guys coming through offer real hope. Whether they play inter-county next year or not you just don’t know, and that’s the exciting part.”