Kildare are set to be without the influential Paul Cribbin for up to a month, with injury ruling him out of at least three of their remaining five league games as they look to negotiate their way out of division three.
The 23-year-old has undergone surgery on a cartilage problem in his knee that his been hampering the former AFL player since his involvement for Ireland in the International Rules series last November. Manager Cian O’Neill expects the Johnstownbridge man to be out of action for a further three to four weeks, with him expected to begin light training over the weekend. He was replaced at half time against Offaly three weeks ago and underwent minor surgery in Santry early the following week.
Over the next three weekends Kildare play Longford, Limerick and Sligo. Before ending their league campaign with games against Tipperary and Clare.
Cribbin excelled last season in a midfield role under Jason Ryan, a position that Kildare currently have no shortage of options in. The former Collingwood player though has lined out in his more natural half forward role in the county’s two league games so far in 2016, the wins over Westmeath and Offaly.
Another former AFL player Daniel Flynn, enforcer Daryl Flynn, the fit again Tommy Moolick and Athy's Kevin Feely are all competing for the eight and nine Kildare jerseys this year - with O'Neill keen for his players to battle it out in their natural positions rather than be accommodated elsewhere.
Last year's Kerry coach says Moolick's return to action for UCD during last weekend's Sigerson Cup triumph was "positive news" after an unfortunate 12 months hampered by injury. He'll now be considered for the Longford game on Sunday - and among those he will be fighting for a position with is Feely.
Fresh from a four year stint playing professional soccer with Charlton Athletic, Carlisle United, Wimbledon and Newport County - Feely has so far settled back into the Lilywhites engine room although for DCU he was deployed as a full back during the Sigerson competition.
His manager insists though that he will not be considered in that role for Kildare.
"It's not something we'd be considering (playing him at full-back)," the new team manager told The Irish Times. "Kevin will be challenging for a position further out the field. We have our own defenders to play in defence and we are confident in them."
Meanwhile Armagh's injury woes have been added to with midfielder Ethan Rafferty set to sit out the weekend's game against Fermanagh, and possibly the Cavan encounter a week later following a hamstring injury sustained in UUJ's Sigerson Cup quarter-final win two weeks ago. The same injury which ruled him out of their semi-final defeat to DCU.
