Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Paddy has Erne clash in his sight
DONEGAL football boss Declan Bonner says he’s confident ace forward Paddy Mcbrearty will be available for their Ulster Championship opener against Fermanagh in May.
After featuring in the first half of last year’s provincial final against the same opposition, Mcbrearty was forced off early in the second half after tearing his cruciate ligament in Clones.
There was more bad news for Donegal this week with talisman Michael Murphy (inset) undergoing knee surgery and he could mreturn for the latter stages of the League.
Bonner is already without seven members of his squad as Gaoth Dobhair prepare for an All-ireland club semi-final, while Frank Mcglynn, Paddy Mcgrath and Leo Mcloone are all working their way back to full fitness.
On Mcbrearty’s rehab, manager Bonner said: “Normally the recovery period is around nine months, so you could be
talking about
March-april.
“But I still think that playing in the League would come a bit too soon for Paddy, and so I feel that being available for the Championship game against Fermanagh at Brewster Park on the 26th of May would be a more realistic option for him.
“We’re very happy with the progress he has been making with his rehab.
“We’re counting down the days to the time when Paddy will be able to come back to taking a full part in our training programme.”
As regards Murphy’s absence he added: “We’re sure that Michael will come back to us fresh and ready to go for the rest of the League.”