Injury concerns for Galway ahead of National Football League opener

February cometh and with it arrives the time of sorting out the men from the boys in the world of Gaelic football – Galway’s trek east on Sunday (2pm) to take on the warriors of Meath in Navan will certainly not be an occasion for the faint hearted.

Galway will be lining out without the services of Michael Meehan, Gary O’Donnell, Conor Doherty, Gareth Bradshaw and Keith Kelly due to injury problems, but they will have their third level Colleges brigade available again after the FBD campaign.

Meath, under Mick O’Dowd, have just come through an impressive O’Byrne Cup campaign, reaching the final on Sunday last where they lost out to Kildare by a four point margin, but they do see themselves as a side ready to challenge Dublin’s supremacy in Leinster.

A long standing ankle injury rules out Meehan for the first two matches of the league (the second game is a February 9 clash against Donegal in Pearse Stadium) but management are hopeful that the Caltra man will be fit for the third round match against Laois on March 1.

An ankle injury also rules out Moycullen’s Bradshaw for the first two games while Doherty has knee trouble and Kelly is recovering from a hip operation. Fiontán Ó Curraoin, however, has fully recovered from his hip operation and will give Alan Mulholland more midfield options against a Meath side not short of aerial and physical power, in the long-standing tradition of that county.