PADDY ANDREWS BELIEVES the increase in the number of groin and hip problems affecting Dublin players is linked to the large amount of training they do each season.
The All-Ireland winning full-forward will join Bernard and Alan Brogan and James McCarthy in missing Saturday’s Allianz League clash with Kerry due to groin trouble.
Like Bernard Brogan, Andrews underwent surgery over winter and can’t say for certain exactly when he’ll be back. “Maybe march,” offered the St Brigid’s man.
It’s a worrying pattern of pelvic area injuries that are often identified as being linked to overuse.
“You are starting to see a trend where quite a few players are getting it, we probably have a few lads within the Dublin team that have it,” said Andrews.
“Probably just from the sheer volume of training you are doing and just a build-up of it all over the years. I think the new Cork manager came out and said the same, that his players are suffering from that injury.
“I suppose it is probably a bit of a worry that it’s happening quite a few players, not just the Dublin guys, and our medical team are looking into that.”
Another Dublin player that definitely won’t be involved this weekend is Andrews’ forward colleague, Jason Whelan. The Ballymun Kickhams man appeared to be part of manager Jim Gavin’s plans for the league before being suspended for two months for biting a DCU opponent during the O’Byrne Cup.
“It’s an unfortunate incident,” said Andrews. “It’s been looked after by the Leinster Council. I’m sure he’ll bounce back from that. Ideally, he would have gotten a couple of games in the earlier rounds of the league but that’s gone now.
“He just has to keep the head down, it’s a long year. It’s not just about the first eight weeks in January and February. Hopefully he comes back.”
Andrews used a regular run of games in last year’s league to nail down his Championship spot and admitted others have that same opportunity now. There might be a few fresh faces on Saturday so hopefully that stands to us,” said Andrews.
There has to be a glass ceiling in terms of how much training these amateur players with day jobs can do. Of course for the outside paid manager the more training sessions the better.
Karma,for what? Being the best team in the country? Long may it continue indeed!
That first paragraph is very misleading
Ands it’s going to become more and more common when you hear some of the training county teams are doing. And of course that has the effect of minor players starting weights earlier to ‘bulk’ up.
It’s karma and long may it continue
oaf