DONEGAL AND CORK have both been hit with hamstring injury setbacks to key forwards as they approach the midway mark of the Allianz Football Leagues.
Donegal captain Patrick McBrearty will have to undergo surgery to repair a hamstring tear that he sustained in their recent game against Tyrone.
McBrearty missed yesterday’s loss to Monaghan and it was confirmed afterwards that he now faces a surgery with a comeback date unknown.
There had been uncertainty over the extent of McBrearty’s injury last week with a bulletin released by the county board stating that he would undergo a fitness test ahead of the match in Clones.
“Unfortunately the injury is serious enough and he is going to be out for the foreseeable future,” said Donegal boss Paddy Carr, speaking to Donegal Live after yesterday’s game.
“His season has not ended and we have got the best medical advice there now. His surgery will happen very quickly.”
Donegal face Down in the Ulster championship on 22 April and are currently bottom of Division 1 after losing two of their opening three games.
“It’s a blow and Paddy is a leader. What can you do? Lots of other teams have marquee players out too. Paddy’s influence is important. It’s a hamstring tear. There’s different degrees of injury and it necessitates surgery. We only got the definitive word over the weekend and we couldn’t release anything until we knew.”
Cork are also facing an anxious wait in relation to the fitness of a key forward with Cathail O’Mahony to undergo a scan today after damaging his hamstring in last week’s Sigerson Cup final.
O’Mahony was on crutches at Cork’s defeat to Dublin in Páirc Uí Chaoimh after suffering the injury last Wednesday night during UCC’s win over UL in Waterford.
The Mitchelstown club man, who won an All-Ireland junior hurling medal in January with Ballygiblin, had come off the bench to score 1-1 from play in Cork’s last league game against Kildare, but missed out yesterday. O’Mahony missed 10 weeks with a hamstring tear in 2021, suffering the injury blow in a game against Westmeath.
“He’s going for a scan, we’ll know more after that,” revealed Cork boss John Cleary after yesterday’s game.
“It doesn’t look good at the moment from his point of view but we’ll wait until we get the definite answer back on that. He’s out for the next few weeks anyway.”
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It is an absolute disgrace that Joe Schmidt doesn’t consider Duncan Casey for the Autumn Internationals.
He is praised all over the media from rugby experts and picks Strauss instead…with a very questionable reason that “he understands how South Africa plays”, as some newspaper reveals today.
Seriously Like!!!
Schmidt is either blind or having a laugh.
Now is the time for young lads to show if they are worthy. Come the 6 Nations it’ll be too late.
A couple of points.
The only important figures missing are Healy and O Brien. The other players mentioned are not part of the core group.
Also what real importance do the Autumn internationals have outside of preparation for the 6N and the WC? (With the exception of some day maybe beating New Zealand that is)
From that perspective blooding New players has got to be good whether through design or default.
Andrew Trimble? The outstanding Irish player of the recent Six Nations? Not an important figure or part of the core group?!
You should pay more attention, old boy.
Hard to argue with Phil here, old boy.