McNamee back in Faithful fold following head injury

OFFALY stalwart Niall McNamee made a welcome return to the Faithful football fold in recent weeks having sat out the season thus far due to concerns over a head injury which he suffered on club duty last year.

The Rhode sharpshooter (above) picked up a heavy knock in a nasty collision during the Offaly SFC semi-final victory over Clara last September which saw him carried off before making a brief cameo in his side’s county final loss to Ferbane in mid-October, but he had been sidelined since.

The 34-year-old visited neurologists and underwent brain scans over the winter with Offaly boss John Maughan revealing that he was a “long way” from taking to the pitch again in January, but thankfully he returned to play earlier this month.

A challenge game against Limerick in the Faithful Fields on March 5 marked his first appearance since October and while the coronavirus has shut down all intercounty activity for the foreseeable future, McNamee is expected to be available for selection when/if it resumes.

McNamee had been on the sideline during some of the Faithful’s Division 3 games and he enjoyed a brief stint back on the pitch when coming on as a secondhalf substitute and blowing some cobwebs off in their defeat of the Treaty County.

Maughan is unlikely to rush McNamee into the fray, however, but having him available once again is a huge plus given the wealth of experience he brings to the table having made his SFC debut as a Leaving Cert student in 2003.