KILKENNY HURLER MICHAEL Fennelly has targeted a comeback next spring in the wake of rupturing his Achilles tendon last Saturday night in Thurles.
Fennelly will miss next month’s All-Ireland final after suffering the injury in the second half of their semi-final replay win over Waterford.
It’s the latest setback for Fennelly who has been plagued by injuries in recent years and he is set to undergo an operation on Monday as he begins his rehabilitation.
While he will be watching on for the All-Ireland final against Tipperary on 4 September, Fennelly is not considering any thoughts of retirement at the moment.
“I’ve had a lot of injuries; especially with the back, it’s been a rough few years,” Fennelly told Ireland AM on TV3 yesterday.
“I’ve been here before but I’ve no doubt it’ll come back right again. We’ll just see how it is. You can’t rule out anything.
“If your body can’t cope with the load that carries it during the season, you might have to step away from it but we’ll cross that bridge. I’ve no intention of retiring at the moment.
Kilkenny GAA / Twitter
Kilkenny GAA / Twitter / Twitter
“Fingers crossed everything will go well with that (operation). Six weeks then in a cast and then another six to eight weeks in a boot and hopefully then by next February or March I’ll be back playing a bit of sport.”
Fennelly had injury concerns in the build-up to the replay clash with Waterford.
“The week before, during the first game, I felt a strain in it during the game and it was kind of catching me.
“During that week I took Tuesday off from training to rest it, and then Thursday I got out jogging around and it was still catching me.
“But look, with these things you normally warm up and you get going and you forget about it, but in the game itself then, the replay, it was causing me a problem again.
“But look you just strive on, adrenalin is pumping and whatnot, but unfortunately I went to accelerate and there was a pop. It was like someone shooting your leg or someone kicking you from behind.”
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Thank the Lord Cafferkey is gone. Been a great servant but past it. Vaughan the best choice to nullify Star.
Seamus to be dropped, Durcan to start in the half backs with Lee coming into the middle to shackle Moran and stop the ball being fed into the front 3.
God knows we owe the cute hoor artists…here’s hoping.
@Jack Strong: just wait till we get Jack Barry on. Keegan and Aidan o shea won’t know what hit them
@Seán O’Sullivan: Enda Smith, the form midfielder in the country, disagrees. If we’re going to get at Kerry at all it’s going to be in midfield. Aidan on Maher gives us a real chance of getting the running game going from the half back line. If we get Paddy, Zippy and Kev Mc running at the Kerry defence ye’re in trouble.
@Seán O’Sullivan: Jack Barry is a poor man’s William Kirby. No where near as good as he’s made out to be. A big block of a man but a very limited footballer.
@Tomás Ó Tiocair: if he’s that bad how did he play Brian Fenton off the field in the league final? If he can do it to Fenton he can do it to keegan surely
@Jack Strong: there’s no way maher will mark o shea or keegan. He’s way too slow. He’ll be on parsons I’d say.
@Seán O’Sullivan: Jesus anyone can have an off day. Sure the Galway corner back literally played JOD off the field in the QF….should we hand him the all star now and hail him the next Mark O’Se???
@Seán O’Sullivan: Parsons is the quicker of the two so Maher has to pick up one of them. Mayo will play a 3 man midfield with Aidan flirting between there and the 45 because it’s Kerry’s weakest line.
@Jack Strong: Technically Cafferkey is one of the best around, might just be a little bit too slow. But in terms of getting his hand in and technique, he’s very very good.
@Daragh O’Brien: agree Darragh. He’s been left exposed in the past by tactics more than anything else. He’s a quality player and former all star. There’s no better full back on that Mayo panel unfortunately. He probably didn’t get a great chance to get match sharp coming back from injury and was poor against Cork. I’d personally like to see him in there to make amends for Kerry 2014. I know he would be raring for that.
@Daragh O’Brien: Cafferkey has been roasted alive all year, he was simply woeful in Salthill and against Ros. Solid in his day but that day has definitely gone, he’s lost the legs since the injury last year.
@Tomás Ó Tiocair: an off day because Barry was there
@Seán O’Sullivan: Fenton is streets ahead of Barry but you keep on telling yourself otherwise. #deluded
“Good old St Lee. Never breaks the rules. No pulling, dragging, punching”. Says everyone from Mayo. But nobody else.
@Thomas McGilly: he’s easier defend than a fella with a criminal conviction in any case.
@Thomas McGilly: there’s a reason he saw red in 14 and black in 16.
@Jack Strong: Good man Jack. Whatabouttery from the get go.
@Seán O’Sullivan: Keegan was sent off for a nothing offence in 14. Walsh was pathetic with his carry on that day. Enright was the only one who deserved to see the line that day and the outcome would have been very different.
@Thomas McGilly: I wonder who’s jersey he’ll be asking for during the game when he’s trying to rip it off his shoulders.
@Dave Murray: Ah St. Lee doesn’t do such things. He is, as Ellis Boyd Redding would say, “Cleaner than a virgin’s honey potter”.
From a Galway man have a feeling mayo will edge this,there hungry for blood and out for the kill had to bring Vaughan in ,I said after Galway beat them was best thing to happen to them and put money on them to be there year ,prob be game of the season ,can’t wait to see the midfield battle and if Kerry can stop mayos runners and if mayo can stop supply to the full forward line,very intrigued indeed
Its hard to see anything other than a comfortable win for kerry, but to have any chance ,Mayo will have to make sure they stay in this game early on, and if so after forthy mins it might be an interesting finish.
Great team Cmon Mayo
I think colm the gooch cooper is gonna have a field day against this mayo defence. Not 1 of them will stop him
Yeah… he’ll have a great game in the studio.