Padraig O'Hora's was the main thing on Ballina Stephenites manager Niall Heffernan's mind after the player was hospitalised with a head injury on Sunday.
The club got the better of rivals Castlebar Mitchels to advance to the final four of the Mayo SFC but Heffernan was focused on the condition of his player which had left him 'very concerned' after the win.
O'Hora - a key man for Mayo at intercounty level - had been representing his club in the fixture before suffering a head injury in the 28th minute of play.
As per Mayo Live, the player was removed from the field of play with assistance from staff before he was taken to hospital in an ambulance.
Ballina boss calls for protection after Padraig O'Hora head injury
His side would fight on for a 0-08 to 0-07 win against Castlebar but naturally Heffernan's thoughts were with his player.
Head injuries have not been as scrutinised in GAA as in professional sports like rugby and soccer but remain a concern across all contact sports.
Heffernan was emphatic when calling on officials to offer players more protection during games when it comes to head injuries.
Speaking to Mayo Live's Michael Gallagher, the manager revealed that O'Hora will not compete in the semis while urging a greater effort to ensure player welfare.
We're very concerned about Padraig's health," he said.
"He's gone off there in an ambulance. Players need to be protected on the pitch and I feel Padraig didn't get as much protection as he should have got. He's definitely out for next week.
"I'm not going to say any more about it, but we told the players at half time that we owed it to Padraig to go out and win the game.
"We asked them to show up in the second half, stand up and do what Padraig does for us, and a lot of them did that."
Ballina Stephenites manager Niall Heffernan was delighted to get over Castlebar Mitchel’s in the Connacht Gold Mayo GAA quarter final this afternoon telling https://t.co/oMDt5TCVDh after the game that it was very tough physical game. pic.twitter.com/iwYwr9ec0W
— Mayo GAA (@MayoGAA) September 29, 2024
Speaking to Mayo GAA socials after the win, he added that O'Hora's knock looked to be 'quite a serious bang to the head.'
Ballina will no doubt miss a player of his calibre on the pitch when they return to action next weekend.
