Good and bad news for Limerick hurling as John Kiely provides panel injury update

LIMERICK hurling manager John Kiely has confirmed that defender Mike Casey is to attend Santry Sports Injury Clinic with a knee injury.

The Na Piarsaigh defender sustained the injury in a challenge game against Galway on Sunday in the LIT Gaelic Grounds and now looks likely to miss the remainder of the 2020 season.

But Casey's Limerick team-mates Darragh O'Donovan and Richie English could see action after injury lay-offs.

The two Doon clubmen missed their side's Limerick SHC final appearance when losing to Casey's Na Piarsaigh.

Both have also been sidelined with knee injuries - O'Donovan's sustained in his club's county quarter final win over South Liberties and English's cruciate ligament injury sustained in the Allianz Hurling League win over Galway on February 2.

"We are not to the end of the process yet but it's not good. He has damaged his knee and he has to go to Santry for further investigative scans. At the moment, unfortunately, it's not looking great for him," confirmed John Kiely of Mike Casey, this Tuesday evening at a Limerick GAA media event via Zoom.

"Just a simple landing - textbook knee injury where a player just lands and tries to turn direction on landing and that was it," said Kiely of Mike Casey's injury.

"We have had one nearly each year for the last five years in the squad and I hope he is the one for this year only - if it turns out to be confirmed, once fully investigated in the coming days. We still have to go through the process."

Speaking ahead of team training from Mick Neville Park in Rathkeale, the Limerick manager confirmed that Darragh O'Donovan and Richie English were back in training.

While it appears Kiely is accepting he faces the championship without Mike Casey, he will have O'Donovan and perhaps even Richie English, who is nearing nine months since he damaged his cruciate.

"Darragh O'Donovan has returned to full training," said Kiely.

"Darragh suffered a knee injury in a club game in every similar circumstances (to Mike Casey) - on landing and twisting at the same time."

Kiely continued: "He was very fortunate it wasn't a very serious injury but at the same time it did necessitate him missing a couple of games for his clubs; real vital and important games like a county semi final and final - nobody wants to miss those games but Darragh and his club knew that the injury at the time was just too serious to take any chances with. He was pragmatic and the right decision was taken that he wouldn't participate in those games," said Kiely.

"The proof is in the pudding and he is back in full training but it is a pity that he wasn't able to play in that series of games with his club. But he is a young player and they are a good club, with a really strong underage academy feeding into their system, and I have no doubt they will be back in county finals and semi finals many times over the next six, seven, eight years and I know Darragh will play a big part in those games but the right decision was taken by the club and Darragh to give himself a chance to recover fully before coming back training or playing."

What of Richie English?

"Richie has made fantastic progress over the last six months under the guidance of Dr James Ryan, Mark Melbourne and Mark Van Drumpt - our medical team. He is running hard and working hard and I have no doubt he will put on the green jersey again in the coming months. There is a small bit of work to do but not massive," confirmed the Limerick manager.

Elsewhere his players are preparing injury free for the October 25 tie with Clare in Thurles.

"Fellas have picked up soft tissue injuries across the country - from my understanding every panel has suffered a little bit with soft tissue injuries coming out of the club championship and into the heavier work that we would be doing with players; longer sessions, harder sessions; more aggressive and faster breaking and twisting and turning in training," explained Kiely.

"It's nothing unusual and it's manageable - the lads are in great shape in the overall sense. We would have been extremely happy with the way we came back from the clubs - the overall picture was that they were not that far off the mark in terms of where they needed to be in terms of where we wanted to get them to on championship day."

He added: "They came back very fresh and eager for work and really happy to be back together as a group, as we all were. It was a long time since we were together as a group back in March. It was refreshing for all of us to be back together and to get down to work, albeit in a slightly modified environment".