Antrim defender Conor Burke, one of the three St Galls club men axed from the county line-up for last weekend's win over Laois, has quit the panel ahead of their qualifier game against Fermanagh.

Burke has been joined by Patrick McBride and Patrick McAleer, both of whom started in last Saturday’s surprise comeback victory over Laois, in travelling to the US.

Prior to that game Burke, along with fellow St Galls players CJ McGourty and his brother Kieran, was dropped having lined out in a club hurling game on the Friday night.

Both McGourtys and Burke were needed to make up the numbers for their club, with just 17 players togging out for league relegation battle with Clooney Gaels. “It left us in a bit of a position as the county board wouldn’t call the game off,” CJ McGourty said over the weekend.

Burke was corner back in the team’s Ulster championship defeat to Fermanagh earlier in the month, while McAleer started in the full back line against Laois and McBride started both games in the forward line, scoring 0-2 on Saturday.

Antrim GAA say that Burke's decision was made prior to developments over the weekend. The same they told The Irish Times is the case for McBride and McAleer.

Antrim seek revenge as they again play Fermanagh in the second round of qualifiers on July 5th.

Earlier this week manager Frank Fitzsimons had said that the St Galls trio remained very much part of the Antrim senior football squad.