Niall McParland is the latest Down player to be ruled out of Sunday week's Ulster SFC quarter-final against Fermanagh.

The half back is facing between four and six weeks on the sidelines after breaking his hand while attempting to block a ball at training on Tuesday night. It's a cruel blow for the former minor star who was looking forward to making his senior championship debut in Brewster Park.

He joins Benny Coulter (broken ankle) and Dan Gordon (broken bone in his foot) on the injury list for the meeting with Peter Canavan's men.

Speaking to The Irish News, Down assistant manager Aidan O'Rourke expressed the hope that the 2010 St. Colman's Hogan Cup winning captain would be available for either an Ulster semi-final against Monaghan or Antrim, or the first round of the qualifiers on June 30.

"It would be tight for the next game. It depends how he gets on, I suppose. He dislocated his knuckle and broke the hand behind his knuckle, so it's nasty enough," O'Rourke said.

"They reset it before he was put in cast so, at the minute, we wouldn't be sure of a time-frame, but you're probably talking four to six weeks. The only thing with an injury like this, as opposed to the likes of Benny Coulter and Dan Gordon, is that he can train away.

"Obviously he can't do any ball work or contact, but he can keep fit and sharp. Then, when the hand's healed, he'll be able to play football." Tweet

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