Meath captain Kevin Reilly is likely to miss the Royals' entire 2015 Allianz Football League campaign.
The full-back has recently undergone surgery for a troublesome hip injury and is set for an extended period on the sidelines.
He missed his club Navan O'Mahony's country championship final win over Ashbourne last Sunday.
Meath open their Division 2 campaign away to Galway on 1 February.
