Antrim defender Paddy McAleer has revealed that he doesn’t expect to return in time to feature for the Saffrons in this season’s Allianz Football League.
The Ballymena wing-back has been sidelined for the first two rounds as he continues to struggle with a hip injury and a groin strain.
He had hoped to play some part in Antrim’s Division Three campaign, but a recent setback means he is now focused on returning to action when the Championship season gets under way in April.
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“It is the hip and going injuries that’s keeping me sidelined at the minute. It happened during the Cavan game last year and it flared up immediately after the game," stated McAleer.
“It has been something I've been trying to manage ever since. I played through the Tailteann Cup game (against Leitrim) and the club season with the hip problem and I’ve been trying to manage it as best I can.
“Over the past couple of months, I’ve been working away to try and see if I can get back out onto the pitch and manage the injuries. It has been to no avail so it looks like a longer-term injury.
“I’ve probably another while to spend on the sidelines and I’ll explore different options. I’m still enjoying being around the panel, but I’m just a spectator for now.”
Antrim resume their Division Three campaign this Saturday when they take on Tipperary in Thurles and their final game is also on the road against Longford on Sunday, March 26.
McAleer feels the League games will come too soon for him and he is hoping to regain full fitness for Antrim’s Ulster SFC preliminary round tie against Armagh at the Box-It Athletic Grounds on Saturday, April 8.
“Probably aiming to be back by the end of the League campaign is a bit unrealistic,” added McAleer.
“For myself, I’m trying to build myself back up for the Championship and we’ll see where we lie after the League.
“We’ve the Ulster Championship campaign and then see what happens after that, but it is a tight timeframe to get back for the last couple of games.
“Before Christmas, I thought I would have made it back, but I hit a bit of a setback. I’m back to square one.”
News that McAleer will be no part in Antrim’s League comes at a time when another leading Saffron defender is out for the rest of the League.
Portglenone’s Dermot McAleese, Antrim’s vice-captain, suffered a broken jaw in Antrim’s last-gasp defeat to Down in round two while Mourne attacker Barry O’Hagan sustained a season-ending cruciate injury in the same game.
McAleer says McAleese’s injury is a big blow for Antrim, but hailed the performance of Cargin’s Sean O’Neill, who replaced McAleese early on against Down.
The injuries sustained by Peter Healy and Kevin Small in Páirc Esler are not serious and the pair are expected to feature against the Premier County on Saturday.
“We’re not having great luck with injuries at the minute,” said the Ballymena native.
“If you look right across the Leagues, even in our own division, injuries and quite serious injuries are common at the minute.
Barry O’Hagan was injured in our game, Dermot in the same game. Conor Sweeney for Tipperary, Ciarán Byrne for Louth. It isn't great to see boys picking up long-term injuries.
“Whenever you look at Dermot’s injury, Sean O’Neill was the one positive and he is probably the brightest talent coming through Antrim football at the minute. I think he is a cracking player.
“He had to earn his minutes - just because he was flying at club football (for Cargin), that doesn’t mean he is going to take a jersey off Dermot or Marc Jordan.
“He fought really hard to get minutes and it was justified against Down - he performed brilliantly. With Dermot out, it leaves the jersey hanging for someone else to come and take. It is brilliant for competition, but it’s not great when it is a leader like Dermot.”
Andy McEntee’s side, like Tipperary, will be aiming to pick up their first points of the Division Three campaign after their crushing loss to Down earlier this month.
Leading by five points with five minutes of normal time remaining, the Saffrons were stunned by a late comeback with Conor Laverty’s men claiming a 2-18 to 2-17 win.
“The immediate reaction was of real disappointment. It was in our control and some mistakes were made - that’s football. It is a cruel game at times,” reflected McAleer.
“If you are not keeping the error count low and not reacting to the danger, that’s what can happen.
“We are learning constantly from our experiences in the League and our aim is to improve in every game.
“When we looked at the Offaly game, we knew we didn’t take our chances. That was an area we had to improve on. We felt we did that against Down.
“We were so much more productive going forward, but it isn’t realistic to win games when teams are scoring 2-18 against us. There’s another learning curve for us.”
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