Running on empty

GALWAY manager Anthony Cunningham believes the current injury crisis in the set-up is a result of the punishing schedule inter-county hurlers, especially the Tribesmen, must fulfill in the Spring.

Corner back Fergal Moore (broken finger) is definitely out of Galway’s National League semi-final clash against Kilkenny at the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick (2pm) while fellow defender Iarla Tannian and forward Niall Healy have both sustained hamstring injuries in the past week and are rated as doubtful.

“Fergal won’t be playing. He had to go for surgery there. He played a couple of games with a broken finger, a knuckle, so he had to get it looked after,” confirmed Cunningham, who was more hopeful of Tannian and Healy winning the race to be fit.

“Hopefully they will be okay. I suppose, the longer they can leave it the better and they are just doing their rehab, their exercises and physio at the moment. It is the sort of injury that will be right or it won’t be and they won’t be risked if it is not right. We would be hoping they will be okay.”

Up to their National League quarter-final victory over Limerick three weeks ago, Galway’s season had been relentless, from Walsh Cup to National League to the inter-provincial series. Cunningham admitted the schedule put fierce pressure on the players and on the county’s playing resources.

“It (number of injuries) is unfortunate and it is probably a result of all the hurling they have done. The league is pretty hard and tiring. We didn’t train that much since the Limerick game because the lads have also to play a bit with their clubs in between. In fairness, you do have to balance it by allowing them back to their clubs.”

He agreed, though, that perhaps it was time to take a look at Galway’s schedule, given the players have been flat out since the Walsh Cup. “Yeah, absolutely. Even the two weekends you get off [in the National League], Galway are out in the Railway Cup.”

In any event, Sunday’s clash between the 2012 All-Ireland finalists is intriguing, particularly given both teams have impressed when they have had to throughout the Spring. Galway’s successes have, by and large, been built on an improving defence while Kilkenny’s have come on the back of some big scores.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.