Canning emerges as a major doubt for hurlers debut
Date Published: {J}
STEPHEN GLENNON
THE injury crisis which has been stalking Galway hurlers all year has taken another turn for the worse as they could be without a number of their ace marksmen – Joe Canning, Iarla Tannian and Ger Farragher – when they face Westmeath in their Leinster quarter-final in Mullingar on Saturday, June 4.
Tannian will definitely miss the opening rounds of the Leinster championship with a broken thumb, while Farragher (knee) and Canning (hamstring) are in a race to be fit for the clash with the Midlanders on the first Saturday of June.
Farragher lined out for his club Castlegar on Wednesday night in the county championship and the team management will have kept their fingers crossed that the experienced midfielder/forward didn’t suffer a setback in their 2-22 to 3-7 heavy defeat to St. Thomas’.
These are not Galway’s only injury concerns. Fellow attacker Damien Hayes (knee) is also struggling, but the management are hopeful that he will be fit for the opening test, while David Collins (dead leg) and Eanna Ryan (hand) have also been nursing knocks sustained in the local club championships.
To compound matters, two other Galway players have just been released from the squad due to injury – defender Ciaran O’Donovan, who fractured his shoulder blade in Athenry’s defeat to Mullagh in the senior club championship at the weekend, and Sarsfields’ Kerril Wade.
Former minor and U-21 star Wade had only been recalled to the panel in the past month, but has been unable to shake off a quad and knee injury in this time which has prevented the attacker from doing any training.
“I am sorry for both players,” said McIntyre. “Ciaran picked up a shoulder injury that will, most likely, see him out of action for the entire summer, while it could be another three weeks before Kerril is able to resume full training and our championship campaign will be well underway by then. It is just desperate timing for the two players concerned.”
For more, read this week's Galway City Tribune.