McManus injury not a cause for concern

Meath woke up yesterday morning secure in the knowledge that they had come through their Leinster final victory over Dublin the previous day relatively unscathed.

The one injury concern was centre back Enda McManus, who left the field after just 19 minutes suffering from a thigh muscle injury. His condition, however, is not serious and indications are he should return for their All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Armagh on August 29th.

According to a county spokesperson yesterday, the diagnosis for McManus was good, although he may be forced to miss a fortnight of training. During the game the pain affected his lower back and that ruled him out of any further role. It didn't cause any problems for Meath, however, as they switched Donal Curtis into defence and brought on Richie Kealy as a forward.

The only other concern in the Meath camp is whether their star forward Tommy Dowd can return in time for the Armagh game after undergoing an operation for back trouble on Saturday morning. Dowd had a lower disk removed, an injury which has kept him out of action since the Leinster semi-final win over Offaly.

Despite continued treatment, the injury had failed to clear up which forced the player to have the necessary operation. However, he did rise from his bed and leave hospital on Sunday afternoon to play a supporting role in Croke Park.

The normal recuperation time for an operation of this kind is a month at least, so at this stage it appears somewhat unlikely he can return in time for the Armagh clash.

Meanwhile, Down manager Pete McGrath won't be making an immediate decision on whether his 10-year reign at the helm of the county's football panel is about to end. Following the heavy defeat at the hands of Armagh on Sunday, McGrath dismissed any questions on his future until some weeks when he could look at the situation in "the cold light of day".