Waterford hurling manager Justin McCarthy is resigned to being without Ken McGrath for the championship after the Mount Sion man broke a thumb in a club championship game against Ballyduff last Friday evening.
McGrath required an operation and no date has been set for a possible return.
"A broken thumb is not something you can work on. It's not like a ligament, tendon or hamstring that you can bring on. It just needs time," said McCarthy.
It means Waterford go into the Munster championship semi-final against the winners of this Sunday's Limerick versus Tipperary match without three of the best players ever produced by the county.
John Mullane has had a plate inserted in his wrist which rules him out for another six weeks, while Eoin Kelly received a 12-week suspension after being sent off in the league encounter against Offaly on April 9th. The suspension ends the week after the Munster hurling final.
"You can replace these players but not the experience they provide," admitted McCarthy. "It's going to be very hard. We just have to face up to the situation. At least this hasn't been put upon us in the week of the game. We have a bit of time to think about it.
"There are young guys in the panel who are willing and able that will now get a chance. We have to replace three key players. It's bad enough being one player down but we will just have to fill the gaps.
"Other players will just have to put their shoulders to the wheel, stand up and be counted. If we had all our players we would be contenders, but with three lads out we will just have to wait and see. But we'll still get our act together."
Waterford captain Paul Flynn is due to return from suspension this weekend and despite a chest complaint he will lead the team out in just under four weeks.
Limerick manager Joe McKenna will release his team tomorrow with major doubts surrounding free-taker Mark Keane and Mark Foley. Both have recurring groin strains.
Leaving Certificate student Séamus Hickey could make his championship debut in the absence of Foley. Hickey played in the St Flannan's team that lost last week's All-Ireland Colleges final to Dublin Colleges.
Tipperary are expected to announce a team this evening with Micheál Webster set to start at full forward despite a significant period of inaction. Webster returned to competitive hurling against Antrim in the league and also played against Offaly but he was replaced at half-time in the league semi-final defeat to Kilkenny with a sprained ankle.
Last year's captain Benny Dunne is unavailable due to medial knee ligament damage but Paul Kelly and Séamus Butler have recovered from injuries.
The Munster Council will be faced with a predicament if Sunday's game ends in a draw as the replay is scheduled for the Gaelic Grounds on Saturday week - the same day Munster play Biarritz in the European Cup final.
The throw-in for Sunday has been brought forward to 2pm so RTÉ can televise the game live.
All-Star wing back Derek Hardiman could miss the start of Galway's championship campaign with a back injury. But the news about half-back partner Shane Kavanagh, is more hopeful with the Kinvara clubman, who was stretchered off in a club game against Athenry with a leg injury on Sunday evening, not as badly hurt as feared.
Sunday's other live television game is the Leinster football championship match in Croke Park between Offaly and Westmeath at 4pm.
Although selected at midfield, Offaly's Ciaran McManus remains a doubt.
Manager Kevin Kilmurray gives corner back Nigel Grennan and right half back Kevin Lynam their championship debut, while Karol Slattery captains the side from the other wing back slot.
Westmeath manager Tomás Ó Flátharta will select his first championship team on Thursday with Dessie Dolan the only, albeit significant, absentee through injury.
The other match in Croke Park pits division two champions Louth against neighbours Meath. Graham Geraghty made a point-scoring return for Meath in a narrow defeat to Armagh over the weekend.
Ollie Murphy togged out but never took the field, all but ruling out any chance of the 1999 All-Ireland winner making a championship start this weekend.
Armagh are out against Monaghan in Clones on Sunday in a repeat of the 2003 Ulster preliminary round meeting when the then All-Ireland champions were surprisingly beaten.
The other football match sees Roscommon play New York in Gaelic Park. Full forward Karol Mannion (broken finger) and wing back Seán Purcell (dislocated shoulder) have both been ruled out of the Connacht championship.
The only other championship game this Sunday takes place in Casement Park as Down and Antrim do battle for a place in the Ulster hurling final.
OFFALY (SF v Westmeath): P Kelly; G Rafferty, S Sullivan, N Grennan; K Lynam, S Brady, K Slattery; A McNamee, C McManus; C Quinn, N Coughlan, J Reynolds; T Deehan, P Kellaghan, N McNamee.
