Kerry football captain Bryan Sheehan has been forced to call a halt to his stellar 20-match streak – which included just one defeat – due to a hand injury. He'll miss Sunday's trip to Clones to face Monaghan in the penultimate round of the Allianz Football League, and potentially the rest of Kerry's league campaign.
According to manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice, Sheehan sustained the injury early on in their previous game against Mayo last Sunday week. The full extent of the injury is still unclear, but will sideline Sheehan for the first time since the All-Ireland defeat to Dublin last September.
Since then he’s played winning roles with South Kerry (to a county senior title) and St Mary’s (to county, provincial, and All-Ireland intermediate honours). The only defeat in that 20-game period came in a Division 2 play-off defeat to Spa in January, as he also played a part in Kerry’s wins over Down, Donegal and Mayo (missing the opening defeats to Dublin and Roscommon).
A specialist
“We are not sure of the exact nature of it yet,” says Fitzmaurice. “He is meeting a specialist tomorrow to see how long he will be out for. The top end will be six weeks and the bottom end will be two weeks.
“It will depend on what the specialist says to him basically. It was from the throw-in that it happened, the ball broke away and he went to tackle and he just hurt his hand. It was the area at the back of his hand that got a jolt.
“It was tender initially but he got through the first half against Mayo, and he got it strapped at half-time and he said it did not impact him at all in the second half. But we will have to see how bad it is . . .”
Not that Fitzmaurice is worried about giving Sheehan the break, given his run of games since September: “It could well be for his good. With a hand injury it means you can train away, and keep your fitness levels up and at the same time, you are getting a break from a couple of games so there is no doubt that you would be looking at the positive side . . ..
“We will take the positive out of it, if he does miss a game or two or three, so be it. We will use the time making sure that he has a good break and that he is fresh mentally when he comes back.”
Fitzmaurice has some better news concerning players previously carrying injuries.
In contention
“
Killian Young
played with his club at the weekend and will be back in contention,
Paul Geaney
played for Dingle and did well,
Tommy Walsh
and
David Moran
were also playing with their clubs this weekend so I have not heard about any of them picking up any knocks. 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”
Meanwhile Dublin, Wexford, Kilkenny and Clare will all have home advantage in their respective Allianz Hurling League quarter-finals on the weekend after next. The first game is on Saturday, April 2nd, when Dublin host Limerick at Parnell Park (7.0).
On the Sunday Wexford play last year's league champions Waterford, who lost just once (to Dublin) in the recent campaign, in Innovate Wexford Park at 3.30.
Kilkenny host Offaly in Nowlan Park and Division Two champions Clare meet Tipperary in Ennis – both those games will start at 3.45pm.
Cork travel to Pearse Stadium in Galway to take on the Tribesmen in their Division 1A relegation play-off, also on the Sunday; a day earlier Kerry will host Laois in Tralee for the 1B play-off.
