Injured Conlon facing months sidelined
NIALL Conlon has been ruled out of most of Louth’s upcoming National League campaign and faces possible surgery after failing to shake off a long-term arm injury during the recent O’Byrne Cup games.
Manager Pete McGrath confirmed that the O’Connell’s clubman could be out for months and it’s a second blow for the Wee County forward line after Sam Mulroy (pictured below) suffered a fractured ankle in the game with Longford at the end of December.
Conlon came on in the second half of the Longford game and then started in Hawkfield and kicked a point in the victory over Kildare but was substituted in the third quarter after a collision with teammate Bevan Duffy.
Initial fears for his well-being were quickly eased as he was diagnosed with nothing worse than a dead leg, but it’s an arm injury which will see him miss most or all of his county’s National League campaign.
Speaking on Monday afternoon, McGrath confirmed that Conlon would be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
‘This is something that has been bothering Niall from way back in the summer and it’s come to a head and he is going to be out for a bit of time with an arm injury,’ he said.
‘It needs a bit of surgery and it will rule him out for a few months which is disappointing for him and us, but that’s the rough and tumble of football at this level.
‘Sam is out long-term as well, but apart from that we’ve picked up the usual number of bits and pieces here and there - knocks and bruises.’
Injuries aside, McGrath has been delighted with Louth’s preparations to date for the start of the National League on Sunday week and in their two challenge matches since beating Kildare they have beaten both Moorefield and Slaughtneil.
The Reds will complete their programme of games prior to the visit of Down with a challenge match against Laois this coming weekend, although the venue is being kept secret as McGrath keeps his cards close to his chest in terms of team selection and tactics.
‘The second of those games against Slaughtneil was particularly competitive and very hard-fought and was definitely beneficial to us,’ the manager reported.
‘Every game you play you learn a lolot in terms of getting an understanding staunderstanding of what players can do in ddifferent positions and getting clocloser to what you might think is the strongest 18/19 for the National alNational LLeague.
‘In the matches to date there wawas a certain amount of experimentation, imeexperimentation, and for myself particularly ticparticularly it was getting to see plaplayers playing in a competitive envenvironment.
‘There’s no point in having a papanel of 35 or 36 and not letting them have game time to show what they can do.
‘The teams we have selected have been a mixture of those who probably will be starting, a few we are still finding out about and others who are in contention for the starting fifteen.’ •O’Connell’s have appointed Paul Gallagher as manager of their first team for the 2018 season. He will be assisted by Ronan McMahon and two selectors from O’Connell’s who have yet to be confirmed.