By Shaun Casey

INJURIES and county commitments have hampered Aughnamullen’s year so far but with championship just around the corner, Lee Conlon’s side are refreshed and looking forward to the business end of the season.

Aughnamullen were one of the stories of 2023 as they reached the last eight of the Monaghan Senior Championship and they are hoping to repeat those same heroics this time around.

They’ve been drawn into a difficult group, alongside reigning champions Scotstown, who ended their championship campaign last season, 2022 winners Ballybay, Cremartin and Corduff.

A win over Killanny in the relegation play-off semi-final two weeks ago means Aughnamullen clung onto their top tier status, but that will only be maintained if they finish in the top three of their championship group.

“It was a tough league for us,” said Conlon. “Starting off even for pre-season we had that injury curse over us. Once we hit five games in and we had no points, we knew we knew that we were going to have to be play a relegation semi-final, so we put all our eggs in that basket.

“We sat down as a management team and a group and said we’d get all our boys fit and give lads opportunities that have been chopping and getting no football. We went into that relegation semi-final with a lot of men back and fresh and thankfully we got over the line.

“It’s championship football and it’s been good. When you take your county lads back into your training, the quality does lift in your training sessions and every man has got a kick from those boys returning to the panel

“We’ve got a couple of trainings, we get a few challenge matches in between just to work through things. It’s a long break but we’re sort of glad of it.”

With county men Micheál Bannigan, Joel Wilson and Kevin Sheridan back with Aughnamullen, they’re looking ahead to the opening round against Scotstown in a few weeks.

“Time is a great healer for any man,” added Conlon. “Micheál came back from the county scene carrying an injury, a foot injury and that held him up, Bobby McCaul (a Monaghan u-20) was injured and Joel Wilson as well.

“They’re all big players that were injured but it’s looking good, everything’s well cleared up with the boys and they’re taking part in all our sessions, and we hope to have all available for selection when we face the kingpins of Monaghan on the 17th.”