Stephen Lavin will miss remainder of league campaign
INSPIRATIONAL defender Stephen Lavin will miss the remainder of the National Football League.
The Adare man is receiving treatment for ligament and tendon damage to his shoulder and faces up to eight weeks on the sidelines.
While Lavin should be fit for the championship on June 6, he will miss the four remaining NFL ties.
One positive is the possible return of Lavin's Adare club-mate Conor Fitzgerald. The attacker has agreed to return to training to achieve full fitness after his long standing shoulder injury and a more recent cartilage trouble.
A mounting injury list is hampering Limerick's quest to get their promotion push back on track.
A depleted Limerick face the difficult trip to Aughrim this Sunday (2.30) to face Mick O'Dwyer's Wicklow. As well as Lavin, Mickey Ned O'Sullivan's side will be without John Galvin (groin), while Johnny McCarthy, Seanie Buckley and Stephen Kelly all departed the field with injuries during the surprise defeat to Waterford.
Ian Ryan is also carrying a hip injury, which has cast a doubt over his role in both the league and under-21 game.
That six players join a queue for the treatment table that already includes long-term absentees Stephen Lucey and Eoin Hogan.
"Most of them are our spiritual leaders," said Mickey Ned O'Sullivan of those on the injured list.
"It is not an ideal scenario but unfortunately these are the things that happen to teams, when you just get a spate of injuries."
The Limerick management will wait until close to the weekend to select their team with a number of the panel playing in the Munster under-21 semi-final this Thursday evening.
"We need to win the weekend," accepted the Limerick manager of the Wicklow game.
"We need to push on towards promotion. To go up to Wicklow and win with an understrength team will be difficult, but not impossible - it would be challenging with a full strength team."
To date in the four league games, Limerick have given game time to 28 different players.
Twenty-one different players have started games, with Brendan Moran and Conor Ranahan rotating the goalkeeping position as management seek a permanent replacement for the retired Sean Kiely.
Other new faces to secure starting berths have been under-21 player Eoin Joy and Ray Hayes and John Mullane.
Among the newcomers to be introduced off the substitute's bench are Philip Corrigan, Barry Fitzpatrick, Patrick Mullins and Wayne Enright.
"To have three wins out of four and to have tried out 28 players is good," said O'Sullivan.
"Lads are getting blooded and they are good. With the injuries we don't have the comfort zone of starting players with a strong backbone of regulars, but if we were to win Sunday, it would put pressure on some of the injured players to get their places back."
After Sunday's trip to Aughrim, the Limerick footballers will be back in the Gaelic Grounds the following Saturday, March 27, when minnows Kilkenny are visitors.
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Weather for Limerick
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 13 C to 23 C
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