News

Down forward Barry O'Hagan to miss rest of season with cruciate injury

Down's Harry O'Hagan is stretchered off at Pairc Esler last Saturday night. Picture: Philip Walsh.
Down's Harry O'Hagan is stretchered off at Pairc Esler last Saturday night. Picture: Philip Walsh. Down's Harry O'Hagan is stretchered off at Pairc Esler last Saturday night. Picture: Philip Walsh.

DOWN forward Barry O’Hagan has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a cruciate knee ligament injury.

The Clonduff clubman had scored three points against Antrim at Páirc Esler last Saturday night when he was injured and was taken from the field in obvious distress.

Early reports suggested he had suffered an ankle injury but The Irish News has since learned that the luckless O’Hagan in fact damaged his knee and will play no further part in Down’s campaign.

The news is obviously a major setback for his county. Skilful and quick with genuine inter-county class, O’Hagan was regarded as the go-to man in attack for Down this season under new manager Conor Laverty.

A scorer against Tipperary in Down’s opening Division Three win in Thurles, O’Hagan’s first-half treble in the remarkable comeback win against Antrim last Saturday night proved crucial in the win that maintained Down’s excellent start to 2023.

After failing to win a game last year, the Mournemen beat Monaghan and Donegal in the Dr McKenna Cup and exited the competition at the semi-final stage on penalties after drawing with eventual champions Derry, who then swatted Tyrone aside in the final.

The subsequent Division Three victories over Tipp and Antrim mean Down have gone five games unbeaten at the final whistle, a successful sequence which has eluded a series of managers in recent years.

The Down management and supporters will hope that in O’Hagan’s absence Saval clubman Pat Havern will continue his excellent start to the year. Havern served notice of his intention to nail down a place in the Down starting line-up with five superb points from play against Donegal and he has steadily built on that start with a match-winning 1-4 against Tipperary and two points against Antrim.

Andrew Gilmore has also made important contributions this year. The St John’s youngster came off the bench to register three points in Down’s opener and added 1-4 in the one-point success in round two.

Eamon Brown and Liam Kerr have also been among the scorers and Down will need them to maintain their form when they return to action with a trip to Fermanagh on Sunday, February 19.