Bryan Sheehan
Kerry star Bryan Sheehan has been ruled out for potentially up to six weeks with a hand injury.
His manager Éamonn Fitzmaurice confirmed on Monday evening that the St Mary's man hurt his hand playing for Kerry against Mayo on March 13, and that the player will meet a specialist on Tuesday to confirm the extent of the damage.
“We are not sure of the exact nature of the injury just yet. The top end will be six weeks, the bottom end will be two weeks. It will depend on what the specialist says to him,” said Fitzmaurice last night.
“It was actually at the very start of the game it happened. From the throw-in, the ball broke away and he went to tackle and he just hurt his hand. It was tender, initially. He got through the first-half, got it strapped at half-time and said it didn't impact on him at all in the second-half. Hopefully, it is not too bad. Obviously, it is a disappointment.”
The injury, if at the longer end of the scale, would rule Sheehan out of the remainder of Kerry's Allianz League campaign, a blow considering how good his form has been in recent months. Were Kerry to reach the Division I final, Sheehan might have a slim chance of being back in time but Fitzmaurice feels a spell on the sidelines is no harm for Sheehan anyway, given that the player has had an exceptionally busy run of matches between district team, club and county over the last six months.
“A hand injury means you are able to train away, keep your fitness levels up, but at the same time, you are getting a break from a couple of games," said Fitzmaurice.
“Regardless of the injury, he was going to be off last week from training on the Tuesday and Thursday and play with his club at the weekend. We are going to mind him with regard to the fact that he has a lot of games played, but, you know, players love playing games, especially when you are playing well and especially when you are winning, that is what players want to be doing.
“We will take the positives out of it. If he does end up missing up a game or two or three, so be it, we’ll use that time from the point of view of making sure that he gets a good break and is mentally fresh when he does come back.”
Sheehan aside, things are clearing on the injury front for Kerry. Killian Young, Paul Geaney, David Moran and Tommy Walsh all played with their clubs over the weekend, having been unavailable for Kerry in recent weeks with various knocks and complaints.
"We will have a strong squad for next Sunday against Monaghan and the only players ruled out, are Bryan Sheehan, Anthony Maher and James O'Donoghue," said Fitzmaurice. Maher is still recovering from hip surgery, with O'Donoghoe on the mend after shoulder surgery.
Kerry face Monaghan in Clones on Sunday, knowing a win will all but secure their place in the Division I semi-finals.
