Football

McManus will be fit in time for November's Aussie Test

Conor McManus after the 2014 Test at Paterson's Stadium, Perth
Conor McManus after the 2014 Test at Paterson's Stadium, Perth Conor McManus after the 2014 Test at Paterson's Stadium, Perth

IRISH NEWS Player of the Year Conor McManus, Ireland’s top scorer in the last two International Rules series, expects to be fully fit to take on Australia in November’s one-off Test.

The Clontibret and Monaghan forward picked up a hip injury in the first match of his club’s defence of their county championship title which has left his participation in Sunday’s quarter-final against Magheracloone in serious doubt.

McManus, no stranger to injury problems, admits he hasn’t been able to train properly for almost two weeks but is confident the hip problem won’t keep him out of Ireland’s bid to reclaim the Cormac McAnallen Cup.

Australia won last year’s series 56-46 in Perth despite McManus shooting four overs (12 points) in Ireland’s fightback over the last two quarters. He won the GAA Medal as Ireland’s outstanding player and is determined to lead Ireland’s attack at Croke Park on November 21.

“Hopefully I’ll be fit to compete in that,” he said.

“It’s not something that’s going to keep me out long-term, it’s not the ongoing hip injury.

“It’s something to look forward to, but it’s going to be a competitive panel and we’ll have to wait and see what Joe (Kernan, Ireland manager) and the selectors decide.”

In 2013 McManus top-scored with 25 points (including two goals and four overs) in the second Test at Croke Park as Ireland won 116-37 and wrapped up a 173–72 series win.

His scoring power for club, county and country alerted Aussie Rules scouts and McManus revealed that Melbourne outfit Essendon showed interest in taking him to the AFL.

“It was an enquiry and it never went any further,” he said.

“It’s hard to know what I would have done, it’s a big move and it’s not something that I give too much thought to, to be honest.”

McManus, one of three players from Clontibret O’Neill’s – along with Dessie Mone and Vinny Corey – to win Irish News Allstars last night, will have to give a lot of thought to taking part in the battle with Magheracloone on Sunday and he’ll leave the decision to the last minute.

“I don’t know yet,” he admitted.

“I tried doing a bit of training last night, it’s the first I’ve done since the last game two weeks’ ago.

“I’ve been limping and hardly fit to walk at times so it’ll be a case of seeing what it’s like on the day. I’ll give it every chance.

“It’s an injury I got during the game – a knock on the hip and I’m hoping it’s not part of the long-standing end of things.

“It’s on the other side, I have the hip problem on both sides, and I had surgery on the right side and this is on the left. I don’t want to miss this game because if we win it we’re into the semi-final, the direct route, whereas if we lose we have to go the qualifier route. So it’s definitely not a game that you want to be missing out on.”