ANTRIM’s vice-captain Dermot McAleese is expected to miss the rest of the National League after suffering a broken jaw in an accidental collision during the early stages of last weekend’s Division Three tie against Down in Newry.
The Portglenone wing-back will undergo surgery tomorrow and will miss roughly eight weeks of football, and while he faces a race against time to be fit for the county’s Ulster Championship clash with Armagh on April 9, he should be available to play some Championship football this season.
It’s the second time in two years McAleese has suffered a broken jaw, having missed a huge chunk of the 2021 club season.
Arguably Antrim’s best player during Enda McGinley’s two-year reign as manager, the 28-year-old has already established himself as a mainstay of Andy McEntee’s half-back line.
However, the new Antrim boss has defensive options to cover for McAleese’s absence, with Cargin’s Sean O’Neill doing well when he entered the fray in Newry on Saturday night, albeit picking up a black card midway through the second half.
Despite losing McAleese after six minutes and then the game itself after holding commanding leads against the Mournement, it was one of the best Antrim performances in recent years.
Ruairi McCann of Aghagallon proved a handful on the night for Down with the bustling attacker hitting 2-1 and yet still finished on the losing side at the final whistle.
Suffering back-to-back losses in Division Three, Antrim resume their NFL campaign away to Tipperary in 11 days’ time.
