MONAGHAN defender Drew Wylie will be fit for the Farney men’s All-Ireland quarter-final on August 8.
Wylie missed the Ulster final victory over Donegal after sustaining medial ligament damage while playing for his club, Ballybay Pearse Brothers, following Monaghan’s Ulster semi-final win over Fermanagh.
The tough-tackling full-back will be back in time to help Monaghan’s bid to reach the semi-finals but their opposition in the last eight won’t be decided until after Saturday’s Round 4B Qualifiers.
If Tyrone beat Sligo they will play Monaghan, but only if Donegal beat Galway. However, if Galway and Sligo win then the Tribesmen will play Mayo and Sligo take on Monaghan.
In any case, Wylie should be available for the game but he will have a battle on his hands to reclaim his place in the starting line-up after Vinny Corey impressed at full-back in the Ulster decider against Rory Gallagher’s Tir Chonaill outfit.
Fintan Kelly took over Corey’s regular position in the half-back line and also did well meaning that Monaghan manager Malachy O’Rourke may have some difficult decisions to make.
Initially O’Rourke had feared that Wylie’s injury was cruciate ligament damage that would have ruled him out for the rest of the rest of the season.
“We thought he was gone for the year,” said O’Rourke, adding that Wylie – who had resigned himself to missing the rest of the year - was delighted with the reprieve.
“When he got the news first of all he was devastated, because a more committed fella than Drew Wylie you wouldn’t get,” he said.
“He was just after coming back from a horrible injury, a quad injury he picked up before the first round, and he had worked really hard to get back.
“He was playing a club game to get a bit of game-time under his belt when he hurt the knee. He initially felt that his year was over and he was frustrated and annoyed so it was a great boost for him.”
