Injuries mount up for hurlers as focus switches to Galway 

ALL-IRELAND champions Limerick  have several injury worries ahead of their next Allianz Hurling League fixture with Galway in two weeks' time.

Treaty manager John Kiely confirmed that Declan Hannon’s hand injury which was picked up against Cork is likely to keep him out of the trip to Pearse Stadium.

Kiely further confirmed that Na Piarsaigh’s Mike Casey is also unlikely to play any part in that fixture, while the hamstring injury that forced David Reidy off against Clare could see him miss the next few weeks action.

Colin Coughlan was ruled out of the Clare game due to injury but that was a precautionary measure after he complained of a tight hamstring after coming off the pitch during UL’s Fitzgibbon Cup victory  over  UCD last Thursday night.

Cathal O’Neill missed that game with UL and both he and Coughlan are injury doubts for the college’s Fitzgibbon semi-final against SETU Waterford this Thursday.

Kiely feels that it will take time for his side to reach the heights of championship intensity and that plenty of work is needed. Limerick scored a six point win over Clare at TUS Gaelic Grounds on Saturday.

"I think it just takes time to work towards performing for the full 75 minutes that you are going to need to perform, 80 minutes even,” John Kiely said after the win over Clare.

"That takes a bit of time to build up towards that and it’s not always going to be there. We have just got to keep working on it.

"We have two weeks' until the next game and it gives us a chance to get a body of work done and hopefully we can be a better team in two weeks time."

Reidy’s injury gave Adam English a chance to impress in an unfamiliar position in the middle of the park but the Doon youngster had a solid outing against Clare.

English made his comeback for Limerick against Cork and then also played a full game for UL before his Clare cameo. The Limerick manager highlighted the need for every player to be  ready to do whatever is needed when they are asked to fill a role on the pitch for the All-Ireland champions.

"I think we are just looking at our group overall and how best we can put it to use,” explained Kiely. "We have to maximise the talent and its effectiveness in our group. If a fella is given a job to do, we expect him to come in and do it.

“It’s a good step forward for him (English) in that regard and hopefully he will take many more. He had a really difficult season last year with injuries. This is only his second full game in 2023.

"He was laid out for maybe seven months with injury. He knows himself that he has a long way to go yet. He was gassed out in that last 15 minutes so that’s a piece of work for him to do there."

While Limerick hurlers are without a game next weekend, the county’s senior footballers are back in action when they make the trip to Louth in Division 2 of the Allianz Football League.

Ray Dempsey’s side have lost both games so far but the second half performance against Dublin has brought some positivity around the camp.

Limerick’s senior camogie team make their season bow in Division 1B of the Very Camogie league. John Lillis’s side make the trip to Wexford on Sunday next for their first outing of 2023.