Sport

McGrath's injury a worry for Waterford

Waterford's hurling management have an anxious few weeks ahead of them as news emerged Ken McGrath has fractured his thumb

By SEAN MORAN
Wed May 02 2001 - 01:00

Waterford's hurling management have an anxious few weeks ahead of them as news emerged Ken McGrath has fractured his thumb. The team's outstanding forward injured himself in a county championship match against Ballyduff.

The county's Munster championship opener is against either holders Cork or Limerick on June 10th. "It will be tight enough," said Waterford manager Gerald McCarthy yesterday. "Ken fractured his thumb and won't be out of plaster for three to four weeks and we'll have to see how he's recovered."

McGrath has suffered a great deal of injury trouble in recent times. A year ago after a devastating start to the championship match with Tipperary, he broke his ankle. He came back to lead his club to the Munster final last November. McCarthy has been jinxed by this injury problem during the current year. Wing-forward Dan Shanahan broke both his thumbs in the past few months - the second in his comeback match after recovering from the first. McGrath's club colleague Tony Browne also injured himself in the same match but is not a long-term doubt.

Another manager with injury problems is Laois' Colm Browne ahead of Sunday's Leinster football championship first-round tie against Wexford. Colm Parkinson, who had made a spectacularly successful conversion from wing back to full forward, has aggravated a thigh injury and is rated very doubtful for the weekend.

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At training on Monday night, he exacerbated the problem and limped off. Sources close to the team said Parkinson is unlikely to make the starting line-up. Browne is known to be strict about injuries and is expected to take no chances with the player.

If Parkinson doesn't make it, the likely replacement is former Dublin hurler Shane Cooke who declared for Laois at the start of the season under the parentage rule. He would join a similarly qualified Dubliner also making a championship debut for the county. Corner-back David Brennan is the son of former Laois player and selector Dessie.

A former playing and management colleague of Browne, Michael Dempsey, has decided to stay at the helm of Leinster club champions O'Hanrahans of Carlow. It had been thought that having guided them to two successive county senior football championship titles and a first provincial title last season, he would step down.

Dempsey, who also has expanding business commitments, had missed the club's opening series of county league games, causing speculation he was about to opt out. Following much deliberation with club officials, he returned to take charge of club training this week, as they prepare for the opening defence of their title.

Meanwhile, Wexford footballers give debuts to four players for the Leinster first-round meeting with Laois. Robert McGeenan, David Murphy, Diarmuid Kinsella and Redmond Barry will all start their first championship match. Top scorer Mattie Forde, however, misses out because of a knee injury.

Limerick will be searching for their first senior football trophy in 10 years when they meet Tipperary in the McGrath Cup final at Clonmel tomorrow. Manager Liam Kearns has to make plans without John Galvin, who has gone to America for three months, and the versatile Stephen Lucey, who is still recovering from a a leg injury.

Tipperary are preparing for their first round Munster championship clash against Kerry in two weeks.

Longford (SF v Louth) - G Tonra; C Drake, D Ledwith, B Burke; E Ledwith, D Blessington, M Mulleady; D Hanniffy, I Browne; P Barden, E Barden, T Smullen; P Davis, N Sheridan, J Martin. Subs: D Sheridan, P Jones, M lennon, A O'Connor, P Ross, D Barden, C Sheridan, W Skelly, D Brady.

Louth - C Nally; B Phillips, S Melia, Denis Reilly; J Neary, N Malone, S Gerrard; M Farrelly, K Reilly; C Grimes, S O'Hanlon, M Stanfield; David Reilly, O McDonnell, JP Rooney.

Laois (SF v Wexford) - F Byron; D Brennan, P McDonald, J Higgins; A Fennelly, P Conway, P Leonard; J Kealy, N Garvan; K Kelly, I Fitzgerald, D Sweeney; B McDonald, C Parkinson, C Conway.

Wexford - O Murphy; C Morris, P Wallace, R McGeenan; D Murphy, D Breen, L O'Brien; J Berry, W Carley; D Kinsella, T Howlin, R Barry; P Forde, M Mahon, J Hegarty.

Tipperary (SF v Limerick) - P Ryan; N Kelly, D Byrne, C O'Dwyer; W Morrissey, S Collum, L Cronin; E Hanrahan, S Maher; T Ormond, P Morrissey, J Shanahan; P Lambert, S McDermott, D O'Brien. Subs: C McMenamin, K Maguire, G McCarthy, D Hackett, T Connors, J Williams, B Hahessy, K Mulryan, N Fitzgerald.