Doyle 'hopeful' on McCormack Kildare availability, Feely set for lengthy spell on sidelines  

Kevin Feely, 30, confirmed last month that he had suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon and he now faces several months of rehabilitation.

LILYWHITE ROYALTY: Kildare manager Glenn Ryan, centre, with selectors Johnny Doyle, left, and Dermot Earley. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Kildare selector John Doyle has admitted he's 'hopeful' that All-Star nominated forward Ben McCormack will be available again next season.

But the news on experienced midfielder Kevin Feely isn't so good with Doyle conceding that the former professional soccer player is likely to miss all of the National League and a portion of the Championship.

Feely, 30, confirmed last month that he had suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon and he now faces several months of rehabilitation.

Boss Glenn Ryan should at least have key forward McCormack to call upon despite recent reports that the man who hit five points against Dublin in the Leinster final was planning to head to Australia.

Speaking at the announcement of the 2022 Leinster GAA Beko Club Champion winners, Doyle said he's positive about the McCormack situation.

"There are lots of rumours going around about Ben," said Doyle. "There was talk of him going travelling but we'd be hopeful that we'll have a white jersey on him next year, all things going well."

On Feely, who played for a number of soccer clubs in the UK including Charlton Athletic before returning to Ireland and Kildare, the news isn't so good.

Achilles injuries are notoriously troublesome and there is no clear timeframe on when he'll be back.

"His Achilles snapped so it's going to take him a while," said Doyle. "I'm not sure of a timeframe. Kevin is one of these players that if you say four weeks, he'll be back in three. With this, you're probably going to talk about Championship time, all going well. Listen, it's all about how it heals.

"It's a serious enough injury but he will do everything he can to get back. He's very driven from that point of view. His own profession is based around physiotherapy and that side of things so he knows exactly what he's at and what he has to do.

"Please God, it'll be sooner rather than later but you're talking about missing the league and maybe the early part of the Championship."

Kildare's first season under Ryan and his star-studded backroom, which contains county greats Doyle, Dermot Earley and Anthony Rainbow, was a mixed one. 

They were relegated from Division 1 despite beating Dublin and Monaghan and drawing with Kerry. They bounced back by reaching the Leinster final but suffered a heavy defeat to Dublin, conceding 5-7 in the first-half of that match and then lost a final round qualifier against Mayo. In their last three games of the Championship, all at Croke Park, they conceded nine goals.

"The facts are there - we gave away a lot of goals and we have to stop doing that," said Doyle. "We felt after the Dublin game that it was a real tough blow to us from that point of view. Certainly that would have improved in the Mayo match but it was still disappointing to give away two goals. It's an area that we're going to have to concentrate on and try to get right."

Doyle was among a group of ex-Kildare players that recently visited former manager Mick O'Dwyer to present a token of appreciation for his contribution to the Lilywhites.

"We were coming out and he said, 'Best of luck for the year' and he said, 'Look, I did 27 days (training) in a row with Kerry in the '80s - I'm not sure that was such a good idea!'" revealed Doyle. "But that would give you an idea of the way he thought, that you have to work hard at your fitness levels and speed work."