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Down may not be without talismanic forward Benny Coulter for all of this year's Championship after it emerged that the Mayobridge ace could return to action in July.
Coulter broke his ankle in a Down ACL Division One match against Bryansford on Monday night and it was feared that he would miss the rest of the season.
But the ankle break is a clean one and, though the 2010 Allstar will definitely miss Down's Ulster SFC opener against Fermanagh on June 3, he could be back in red and black the following month.
The Fermanagh encounter will be the first Championship match Coulter will have sat out since he made his senior inter-county debut in 2000, but he is optimistic he will be back quicker than initially expected.
"Hopefully it'll come on and heal well," he said.
"The doctor told me it's a good, clean break and if it does heal I could be back in ten or 12 weeks.
"I'm not ruling myself out. All going well, I'll get game time in early July and hopefully we're still in the thick of things and doing well."
The Mournemen have had no luck with injuries this season. Also on the sidelines are Danny Hughes, Anton McArdle, Declan Rooney, Dan Gordon and Damien Rafferty.
Hughes is the only one likely to be fit for the Ulster opener and he hopes to get a game in for his club, Saval, before then.
“I would hope that in a couple of weeks I’ll be kicking a football,” said all-action half-forward Hughes.
“The physio is very, very good and she’s doing a lot of work with me so things seem to be going OK.
“I’m doing a bit of bike work, I’m out jogging and getting up to half pace and I’ll hope to get a run out with Saval (his club) before the Fermanagh match, just to get me up to some kind of match fitness.”
