O’Rourke issues positive update on injured trio

TYRONE manager Malachy O’Rourke has issued a positive update in relation to injured trio Mark Bradley, Padraig Hampsey and Conor Meyler as focus now turns to their Ulster Championship quarter-final opener against Cavan on Sunday, April 13.

Mark Bradley sat out yesterday’s Division One victory over Dublin due to a calf strain, but the hope is that he’ll be able to make a hasty return to action, while O’Rourke is also optimistic that we’ll see a return of Padraig Hampsey and Conor Meyler in the coming weeks and months.

Defensive stalwart Padraig Hampsey is recuperating from a shoulder operation that saw him miss out on Tyrone’s league campaign, but is working his way back to fitness, while there is also good news regards Conor Meyler, who has been beset by injury for more than a year.

Meyler, who was nominated for Footballer of the Year for his performances in Tyrone’s All-Ireland winning run in 2021, had an injury-plagued 2024 which included two knee operations and an Achilles injury.

The Omagh St Enda’s man has remained sidelined in the early part of the 2025 season but his manager is hopeful that his injury nightmare is soon to come to an end.

“Conor has been tortured with the knee in the last couple of years but he’s been working really diligently, he’s doing everything in his power to get back.

“He’s on the field training so hopefully over the next few weeks we’ll see him being in contention for a place first of all on the panel and then on the team as things move on.”

Commenting on Padraig Hampsey’s injury, O’Rourke also said: “Padraig had the shoulder operation in November. There’s a fair recovery time from that but again we’d be hopeful that he’ll be back in full training over the next couple of weeks and be in contention as well.

“So it’s good news on the injury front and we’re hoping to have a full panel to pick from”