Ronan McNamee has targeted the beginning of the National League for his return from injury after having corrective ankle surgery two weeks ago. The Tyrone full back had an outstanding 2015 as he played a key role in helping the Red Hands recover from a preliminary round defeat in Ulster to reach the All-Ireland semi-finals.
His performances on the field didn’t go unnoticed as he was deservedly nominated for a National All Star award and last weekend was voted Teamtalkmag County player of the year. Little did people know that he had been playing through the pain barrier throughout the summer.
“I was getting through the games okay thanks to pain killing injections but then I wasn’t fit to walk for a couple of days afterwards,” admits Ronan.
“Surgery was the only option and I had the procedure done at the Ulster Independent Clinic in Belfast. There was a bit of a chipped bone that was rubbing against the tendons so I got the ankle cleaned out. I have been told that I can return to competitive action in eight weeks’ time so while I will miss the McKenna Cup the beginning of the league is a realistic target for me.”
The season may have ended on a disappointing note when missed goal opportunities cost them against Kerry at Croke Park but Ronan believes that there is a lot of positives to be taken into 2016.
“We put in a lot of work during the past year and as the games went on during the championship we got better,” he said.
“Playing football in Croke Park at the end of August is where you want to be and having got a taste of it we want to be back there again. The players who came into the panel after winning the All-Ireland U21 title really made an impact and no doubt the new additions for this season will push it on further again. An influx of new blood always helps competition for places on the team and I’m looking forward to 2016.”
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