Mathew Costello Faces Extended Absence Due to Hamstring Injury
Mathew Costello, a key player for Meath, has revealed that a severe hamstring injury he sustained in February will keep him out of the Championship for a significant period. The experienced forward has not played since suffering a major tear during the Round 3 League match against Louth at Croke Park. This injury has kept him away from the field for the last five games, including Meath’s recent Division 2 final victory over Cork.
Costello, who is set to turn 35 this year, has made a return to the team panel and has impressed his Dublin teammates with his performance. However, the latest setback is causing concern as he expects to miss the Leinster SFC opener against Westmeath or Longford on April 19.
“I plan to see some part of the Championship,” said Costello. “I think the first round in Leinster is going to come around too early for me. But if everything goes according to plan, and we can go far, I’ll hopefully get to play.”
This is the second consecutive season that Costello has faced a block of League action due to hamstring issues. While he admitted that last year’s injury was due to ‘overtraining’, he believes the latest one was purely a matter of bad luck.
“It was a Grade 3C hamstring tear,” he explained. “It was a fairly significant one, just happened from a freakish landing unfortunately. I think last year was a bit of overtraining on my part, whereas this year it’s actually just a freak thing. I landed awkwardly, it just came at me out of the blue, a freakish enough sort of thing.”
Update on Meath’s Other Injured Players
Speaking at Meath’s press evening ahead of the Leinster SFC, manager Robbie Brennan provided an update on the team’s injured players. He mentioned that Ronan Jones, the former Meath captain, is fully back on the pitch and is pushing hard to regain his form. Adam O’Neill has also returned to training and could have been used in the recent game against Cork if needed. Jack Kinlough had a minor setback but is now back on the pitch as well.
“Bryan Menton rolled the ankle the other day but nothing too bad,” Brennan added. “But generally, we came through the League final well, just a couple of bumps and bruises.”
The team is hopeful that these injuries will not affect their performance in the upcoming matches. With several key players returning to action, Meath is looking to make a strong showing in the Leinster SFC. The manager expressed confidence in the team’s ability to handle the challenges ahead, despite the setbacks they have faced this season.
