This is a huge blow for Tyrone.
Tyrone’s 2024 season has already been hit with a major blow following the news that Mattie Donnelly sustained a serious injury in a club game.
The Trillick star will miss the entirety of the club season, and it is likely that he will miss the majority of the inter-county season next year.
Donnelly has had a difficult time with injuries over the past few years, and only recently came back from a horrific ankle injury that caused him a lot of bother.
Before the 2021 season, when Tyrone went on to win the All-Ireland, the flying forward had ripped his hamstring off his bone, and needed a lengthy period of rehabilitation to recover.
Last year, he was arguably Tyrone’s best player as he seemed to have regained full fitness and confidence, from the previous injuries.
Although he lined out at 14, you would more often than not see him in the opposition defence, tracking runners breaking tackles and then starting the next phase of attack from deep.
This time the box to box player broke his tibula as well as tearing his posterior cruciate ligament, sometimes referred to as your PCL.
Depending on the extent of the injury and the treatment required, Donnelly could be out for anything between six and 12 months.
It is not yet confirmed if Brian Dooher or Feargal Logan will remain in charge of Tyrone next season, but this is not the news they would have wanted to hear.
A captain during Mickey Harte’s reign, Donnelly has been pivotal to everything that has brought Tyrone success in recent years, and his absence will be a huge blow for the team.
Related links:
- Joint managers Brian Dooher and Feargal Logan make decision on Tyrone future
- Tyrone make U-turn and agree to postpone underage matches following stabbing incident
- Police attend alleged stabbing incident at underage Tyrone GAA game
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