Mayo will definitely be with out the services of both Keith Higgins and Enda Varley for Sunday's National Football League final against Cork it was reveled on Saturday afternoon. Both men who won u21 All Ireland titles against Cork back in 2006 underwent fitness tests on Saturday morning before Mayo departed for Dublin. Higgins picked up a knee injury in Mayo's win over Monaghan in the penultimate round of games in the league stages of the competition, while Varley aggravated a hamstring injury while playing for his club Garrymore in the opening round of league games at the start of the month. The UL student did make a cameo appearance for his club last weekend, but failed to make the grade for Sunday's game.
John O'Mahony has stuck with the winning formula from Mayo's last outing against Sunday's opponents in Cork a fortnight ago, so there is no place in the starting 15 for Ronan McGarrity who was back in training following a injury he picked up against Galway in the FBD league final. Aidan Kilcoyne who has finally been given the all clear from a shoulder problem he picked up in Mayo's All Ireland quarter-final defeat to Meath last August and he aggravated in training for Knockmore ahead of club championship action last Autumn also didn't make it into the starting 15. Both men will have to be happy with a place on the bench if selected in the match day 24 for Sunday.
Cork manager Conor Counihan has made eight changes from the side that faced Mayo a fortnight ago, as he looks shuffles the pack ahead of Sunday's clash.
MAYO: D Clarke; C Barrett, G Cafferkey, L O’Malley; D Vaughan, T Howley, K McLoughlin; S O’Shea, T Parsons; A Moran, A Dillon, T Mortimer; C Mortimer, A O’Shea, M Ronaldson.
CORK: P O’Shea, R Carey, M Shields, E Cotter; N O’Leary, P Kissane, J O’Sullivan; A O’Connor, A Walsh; F Goold, D O’Connor, P Kelly; D Goolding, C Sheehan, P Kerrigan.
