03-07-2025
Robbie Brennan updates on Meath's injury concerns ahead of semi-final
Robbie Brennan says James Conlon, Jack Flynn, Ronan Jones and Jack Kinlough won't play for Meath again this year.
All four have already undergone surgery on injuries sustained during the year and won't feature in the All-Ireland semi-final encounter with Donegal in 10 days' time, or a potential final a fortnight afterwards.
Jones and Conlon have suffered serious hamstring injuries and had operations, while Kinlough ruptured his cruciate and Flynn had an operation on a pectoral problem.
All four players would have expected to figure against Donegal if they were fully fit.
'I know I heard a few people saying, 'Oh you could have this guy back,' but they definitely won't be,' said Brennan. 'They're all in rehab for next season.
'I think they (Conlon and Jones) were both a 3C or a 4, whatever the highest grade you could get.
'So the surgeon basically just looked at them and said, 'You've no option here but to do it.'
'Jack Kinlough was cruciate and Jack Flynn tore his pec against Cork. So he's had the surgery as well, so he's only, whatever that is, a few weeks into that surgery.
'Jack is next year as well. He won't be back. In fact he won't play for the club either, so it's four big guys missing.
'We have certainly said all year, 'next man up.' The great Rory O'Carroll in Kilmacud taught me that lesson early in my days in Crokes.
'It's just about the next man up and that's what we've installed and luckily we have some really good players there and still more that haven't even been used yet. So we'd be quite happy with the squad we have.'
Brennan said Ruairi Kinsella and Sean Rafferty had slight ankle issues after the Galway game, while Bryan Menton had cramp.
But all three trained last Tuesday night as Meath ramped up their preparations for a first All-Ireland semi-final since 2009.
