Injuries pile up for hurlers and footballers
Date Published: 10-Jun-2010
STEPHEN GLENNON
GORT attacker Aidan Harte is a major injury concern for Galway senior hurlers ahead of the Tribesmen’s Leinster semi-final clash against neighbours Offaly in Croke Park on Sunday, June 20.
Harte sustained a hip injury in Gort’s 1-13 to 1-15 defeat to St. Thomas’ in the fourth round of the county senior hurling championship last weekend and, consequently, he is now in a race to be fit for the showdown with the Faithful County.
The Gort man had a fine National League campaign and while he only tallied a point in the 2-22 to 1-14 Leinster championship victory over Wexford, he certainly has increased the Galway management’s options in attack.
Already ruled out of Galway’s Leinster semi-final clash are Portumna’s Kevin Hayes (hamstring) and Mullagh’s Conor Dervan (broken thumb), who picked up his injury in his club’s facile victory over Carnmore in the county championship last weekend.“
The club championship is beginning to take its toll,” said Galway manager John McIntyre. “We actually have to bring in a number of players for our trial matches later this week because we simply don’t have enough bodies to field two teams from the panel.”
Indeed, just 20 were able to participate in Tuesday evening’s training session at Kenny Park, as a plethora of players nursed knocks they had picked up playing for their clubs in recent days. These included Ger Farragher (calf), Eoin Lynch (concussion),Tony Óg Regan (dead leg), Niall Hayes (shoulder) and Damien Joyce and Damien Hayes (both knee).
As it is, Galway’s 2009 All-Ireland winning minor captain Richie Cummins continues to struggle with an ankle injury, while Ardrahan defender Pat Holland did not attend Tuesday’s session due to a family bereavement. Furthermore, Kevin Hynes continues to struggle with Compartment Syndrome (calf muscle injury).
Of course, the Tribesmen are already without Portumna wing-forward Andy Smith following his sending off against Wexford in the Leinster quarter-final. Although clearly unhappy with referee John Sexton’s handling of the Wexford game, Galway decided against appealing Smith’s suspension.
That means the Galway starting XV will have at least one enforced change for the tie with Offaly, with Ardrahan’s Iarla Tannian, Liam Mellows’ Aonghus Callanan and Craughwell’s Niall Healy among those pushing for a starting berth.
Meanwhile, Galway football manager Joe Kernan believes Caltra’s scoring machine Michael Meehan has a great chance of being fit for his side’s Connacht semi-final showdown against Kevin Walsh’s Sligo at Pearse Stadium on June 27.“
Michael is back in training, but we have to be careful with him over the next couple of weeks. That said, he is on course,” confirmed Kernan. “So, he has a good chance of playing. He is making good progress; given it was such a nasty injury. I suppose, it could have been worse, in that his season could have been over.
”Meehan is just one of a number of Galway players in a race to be fit for the Sligo contest. Garrett Bradshaw (quad), Diarmuid Blake (foot), Damien Burke (groin), Declan Meehan (shoulder), Niall Coleman (leg), Matthew Clancy (back) and Damien Dunleavy (ankle) are all carrying injuries of varying degrees of severity.“