Mannion set to miss 2015 league

Dublin senior footballers will have to plan for their defence of next year's NFL without forward Paul Mannion.

The Kilmacud Crokes clubman has departed for China for this semester of the academic year and is not expected to return full-time to Dublin until the end of next April/start of May.

Paul is a Business Studies student in UCD and is expected to spend two semesters in China which will end around the same time as the conclusion of next year's league.

This season Paul was a key figure as Dublin's under-21 footballers captured the All-Ireland U21FC title but is overage for the grade in 2015.