Tipp physios being worked over-time

Liam Sheedy's aim of knowing 12-13 of his Tipperary championship starting line-up by the end of the National League will be severely tested as the treatment room, which seemed to be easing, suddenly got busy again over the last week.

Last Saturday nights 1-21 to 1-14 league defeat to Limerick came at a cost with both Dan McCormack and Barry Heffernan forced off through shoulder and head injuries respectively.

McCormack damaged a the AC joint in his left shoulder after just ten minutes and is set for a spell on the sidelines. It is an eerily similar occurrence for the Borris-Ileigh man who limped out early in the second game of the league in 2018 also, on that occasion with a knee injury which kept him out for the rest of the league. AC joint injuries are notoriously slow to heal with teammate Joe O'Dwyer having been beset by them in recent years.

For Barry Heffernan, he will be hoping the bang to the head which forced him off late against Limerick, is not another concussion, of which he suffered at least two in 2016 which wrecked his season at a time when he looked nailed onto be a championship starter, with Seamus Kennedy benefiting and keeping the wing back berth all the way to the All Ireland final.

With Cathal Barrett (hamstring) and John O'Dwyer (ankle) also unavailable last Saturday night, that the waiting room to the treatment table seems to be a conveyor belt once more with Jerome Cahill and Jason Ryan still working their way back from injury.

 

To read more, pick up a copy of this weeks Nenagh Guardian locally or subscribe to our e-paper to access it online each Wednesday.