Hayes a major worry for hurlers

Date Published: 07-Jul-2009

GALWAY manager John McIntyre has warned his players that they are “heading into another war zone” when they travel to Ennis to take on neighbours Clare in a mouth-watering All-Ireland hurling quarter final on Saturday (7 p.m.). With no ‘safety net’ available to the losers, this is a crunch ‘do or die’ championship clash in which the Tribesmen will bid to overcome a Banner side who have enjoyed the upper hand (9-2) in meetings between the counties down through the years.
Both sides exceeded expectations in their defeats to Kilkenny and Tipperary in their respective provincial campaigns, but the plaudits will count for nothing for the side which ends up on the wrong side of the scoreline (and out of the championship) at Cusack Park this weekend. McIntyre and his selectors are sweating on the fitness of corner forward Damien Hayes, who aggravated his calf injury
in a club championship game between Portumna and Turloughmore last Saturday week and has not trained since.
“Damien hasn’t trained since that club game and is only responding slowly to treatment, which is a major worry,” said McIntyre yesterday. “He was badly shaken up against Kilkenny and came in for
rough treatment in that game.”
Galway also have injury concerns relating to defender Damien McClearn and attacker Niall Hayes, neither of whom started in the 2-20 to 3-13 defeat to Kilkenny at Tullamore on June 20. Meanwhile, both Eric Ward and Brian Mahony have withdrawn from the panel due to injuries but, apart from Hayes, they can call on virtually all of their first choice players, with Castlegar’s Ger Farragher pushing for a starting place in their attack.