By Michael McMullan

ANTRIM manager Mark Doran is planning without key defenders Peter Healy and Ronan Boyle ahead of the National League campaign that gets up and running on Sunday.

The Saffrons welcome Carlow to Cargin as they begin a promotion bid after last season’s relegation from Division Three.

Doran, in his first year at the helm, used 28 players across their McKenna Cup games with Derry and Donegal.

His outlook on the competition was to get minutes into the legs, expose newcomers to life at county level without risking anyone not 100 per cent fit.

“Peter Healy has got a scan back and is probably going to be missing three league games,” Doran said of the former Naomh Éanna player who won a Leinster title with Ballyboden St Enda’s

“That’s a big blow to us and a big blow to Peter because he had got a run of games. If you take Peter Healy out of your team, it is going to be a big hole.”

Boyle is another who sat out the McKenna Cup but is also expected back during the league campaign.

“We have a few boys carrying knocks and you want to have your strongest hand available,” Doran said about the plans for Carlow’s visit on Sunday.

Adam Loughran was listed to start against Derry before being withdrawn after tightening up in the warmup.

Doran is hopeful of being able to call on Paddy McAleer and Niall Burns who weren’t risked in their early season games.

Conhuir Johnson, Ryan Murray and Conor Hand are other players on their way back from injury. Jack Lenaghan and Eunan Walsh have returned to training this week.

“In the McKenna Cup, if there was any doubt with anybody, any niggle, then they weren’t playing. Paddy and Niall should be okay, they are back in full training over a week,” Doran added.

“The worry is that they have very little minutes into them but we are hoping to have as strong a panel as we can.”

With the retirement of captain Dermot McAleese and with goalkeeper  Michael Byrne having stepped away, Doran won’t be able to call on midfielder Conor Stewart who has gone travelling.

Aghagallon’s Ruairi McCann is another who has stepped away from the panel in recent weeks.

The McKenna Cup was used to blood in new players to the setup. Tom McFerran came in from champions Dunloy. There is a return for Tomás McCann with goalkeeper John McNabb also linking up with the squad.

After Sunday’s visit of Carlow, Antrim will make the trip to Thurles to take on Tipperary before welcoming Longford in Round Three.

“Over the last five or six weeks, we’ve done a lot of work on certain teams and probably the most was on Carlow with it being the first game,” Doran told Gaelic Life of their analysis.

“I know from Division Three (in his time with Wicklow) that it was a dog fight, and I imagine Division Four will be nothing different.”

More Antrim buildup in Thursday’s Gaelic Life.