TOMMY FREEMAN was working away last Thursday when a freak accident resulted in a nail gun puncturing a hole in his hand. The Monaghan All Star's ninth championship season was immediately put in doubt.

In reality, Freeman should be a complete write-off from any activity this summer, never mind intercounty football. Somehow, fate decreed that he would make a remarkable recovery to feature against Fermanagh in Enniskillen just three days later.

"The nail stuck in my hand," he explained at the Adidas boot launch yesterday. "They had to do a few X-rays to see if there was any tendon or bone damage and there wasn't. Then Friday came and they took me down to theatre and I went under an anaesthetic and was out for about an hour."

Surely it had a negative effect on his performance? Freeman did after all finish up with a mere three points, two from frees, in the 2-8 to 0-10 defeat that sees Monaghan condemned to nine weeks of inactivity while they await the qualifiers.

"I told Seamus (McEnaney, managaer) on Friday night if I wasn't 100 per cent fit to play I wouldn't play as I would be letting down my team-mates. I felt I was 100 per cent and Seamus took it on board. He was happy enough with me too."

Despite a severely damaged right hand, Freeman could have claimed another 1-2 that would have kept Monaghan on course for a return to the provincial final. "Hitting the crossbar twice, these things happen, other days they go over and then the goal chance cleared off the line. It was just one of those days when the ball wouldn't go between the posts."

The obvious explanation for those outside the county is that the burden of expectation led to a mediocre collective performance. Losing by the narrowest of margins to Kerry in last year's All-Ireland quarter-final has increased the profile of Monaghan football.

Freeman dismisses such a theory out of hand. "Fermanagh looked hungrier for the ball on the day and the best team won."

Could the lengthy lay-off result in mass defection? "It's not for me to say but I'm certainly confidant we'll stay together," said Freeman. "This is a fairly young Monaghan side. We've no silverware to show . . . a Division Two league title we won a couple of years ago but we're still hungry for success."