Cork relief as Conor Lehane winning Munster final fitness battle
Cork star Conor Lehane will be fit for next month’s Munster senior hurling final clash with Clare,
The Midleton clubman aggravated an existing ankle ligament problem during the semi-final victory over Waterford nine days ago.
The original injury had threatened Lehane’s participation in the game but he scored four points from play before being forced off late on.
Lehane, who’s collected 0-14 in two championship outings to date this summer, was on crutches last week and could not be scanned until the swelling in his ankle subsided.
But he underwent a scan on Friday and the results are positive from a Cork perspective, with manager Kieran Kingston confirming last night that the 24-year-old has not sustained additional damage.
Bill Cooper suffered a hamstring strain in training last week but he too will be fit for the Semple Stadium showpiece against the Banner County.
Elsewhere, Wexford manager Davy Fitzgerald is confident that injury concerns Conor McDonald and Shaun Murphy will take a full part in training this evening, as they aim to prove their fitness ahead of Sunday’s Leinster final with Galway.
Forward McDonald is nursing an ankle injury and sweeper Murphy has a leg problem but if they come through tonight’s session unscathed, they’re two of the first names that Fitzgerald will pencil into his team-sheet.
Damien Reck is out once again with ankle ligament damage while Andrew Shore, who’s recently returned from a cruciate knee ligament injury, is set for a fresh spell on the sidelines after suffering a shoulder problem.
Dublin, meanwhile, will line out against Laois in Saturday’s round 1 All-Ireland SHC qualifier without injured trio Cian Boland, Darragh O’Connell and Cian Mac Gabhann.
Cuala’s Oisin Gough is rated at 50-50 with a hamstring injury but clubmate Jake Malone and Ben Quinn should be fit.
Full-back Eoghan O’Donnell will also make it, despite taking a limited part in training since the Leinster quarter-final loss to Galway.
And Carlow breathed a collective sigh of relief yesterday when it emerged that an x-ray on wing-back Richard Kelly showed up no serious damage.
There was huge concern for Mount Leinster Rangers player Kelly when he was removed by ambulance from the O’Moore Park pitch following Sunday’s All-Ireland SHC preliminary round defeat to hosts Laois.
Kelly, who was involved in a serious car accident in December 2013, injured his back in the dying seconds but was given the all-clear following the x-ray, and did not require an overnight hospital stay.
