TYRONE defender Conor Clarke has suffered a serious knee injury for the second time in three seasons. Clarke ruptured the medial ligament in his left knee in a club game, and has been ruled out of action for at least four months.
It’s unlikely the Omagh man will be fit in time to play in next year’s Dr McKenna Cup, and will find himself playing catch-up in terms of fitness in the run-up to the National Football League.
It’s the same knee but a different injury to that which he damaged just over two years ago.
A cruciate ligament rupture kept him out for more than a season, and while he regained full fitness towards the end of last year, he was unable to win back his place in the Tyrone team in 2016.
“It’s unfortunate, with it being that knee and the history of that knee,” said Clarke.
“Whenever it happened, all thoughts were the cruciate, but the results came back that the cruciate is intact, but the medial is gone.
The versatile 24-year-old is now set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, but he is taking an optimistic view over his prospects for recovery and rehabilitation.
“Hopefully it will be a four month job, not the full six. I’ll aim to be back at the end of November, get a good month in December, and then hopefully take in the McKenna Cup.”
Clarke is still feeling the pain of defeat to Mayo in the All-Ireland quarter-final, but said the players are keen to regroup and take on the challenge again next year.
“Any game is hard to lose, but when you lose by a point in an All-Ireland quarter-final, it’s that wee bit worse.
“But we’ll take stock, we’ll take it on the chin. Everyone is itching to get back, but that door is closed for now.
“We’re back with the clubs now, and no-one can really look beyond the club scene.”
Clarke will miss the entire Tyrone SFC, which starts for Omagh with a difficult first round tie against Clonoe early next month, but he plans to embed himself within the squad and do what he can to spur them to victory.
“I’m out physically, but I can still have a bit of an input around the training, try and get in around the boys and gee them up a wee bit.
“There’s a few of us in that boat. Jason (McAnulla) was unfortunate, he did his cruciate, but we’ll get in and we’ll get round the boys and see if we can help them out in any way we can.”
His injury could be a positive omen for Omagh St Enda’s. In 2014, Clarke damaged his cruciate in a first round game, but the club went on to win the title and reach the Ulster final.
“If that’s the result this year, I’ll be happy to sacrifice myself,” he added.
“It’s disappointing on a personal note, but the team is bigger than any individual.”
Omagh are among the favourites to win the O’Neill Cup, and stepped up their preparations for the championship with an impressive attacking display against Errigal Ciaran in a league game last weekend.
They won by four points, but had six goals denied by a superb goalkeeping display by former Tyrone star John Devine.
Clarke said: “JD had a massive game in nets. He might have saved seven or eight chances. But the boys are pulling together well. We looked at that game and said there needed to be a change, and the boys went out and delivered.”
