Donegal set to lose Stephen McBrearty for championship

Donegal will be likely be without Stephen McBrearty for their Ulster football championship campaign as the young Kilcar player intends on spending the summer in the US.

According to a report in the Donegal Democrat, McBrearty has opted out of the panel, and will almost certainly miss their championship opening against Antrim in Ballybofey on Sunday week.

After the mass exodus of players Donegal experienced within the last year, McBrearty was expected to help fill at least some of the gap. The forward, younger brother Patrick McBrearty, has been involved at senior level for a few years although only limited game time during the league this year.

Last summer saw his older brother Paddy underline his star status in the senior team, and Stephen had looked poised to do likewise: the 2014 All-Ireland minor finalist has already transferred that potential to under-21 level this season, winning an Ulster title before exiting to eventual champions Dublin in the semi-final, and he had been tuning up nicely for the summer, hitting six points for Kilcar in the recent first round of the Donegal championship.

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Speaking earlier this year, Donegal manager Rory Gallagher had suggested that McBrearty was "very close to playing consistently for Donegal", although for now it appears that situation will have to wait.