Skehill injury is latest blow to Galway camp

Date Published: 14-May-2009

GALWAY hurling goalkeeper James Skehill hopes to be back in contention for a starting place for a possible Leinster semi-final date on June 20 or 21 despite breaking the index finger in his right hand during a trial game in Ballinasloe last Sunday morning.
The Cappataggle club-man was told by a specialist on Wednesday that he does not need pins in his injured finger and has been given a “90% chance” of making a full recovery within just over a month after a splint is applied to the finger.
The initial prognosis looked to be far less promising following the accidental collision with an opposition forward, after he advanced off his line during the game at Duggan Park.
It is the second major injury of the year for the Capptaggle club-man, who suffered a dislocated shoulder while in action with Limerick IT back in January – an injury which ruled him out of his club’s run to the All-Ireland Intermediate final at Croke Park in addition to virtually the entire NHL campaign with the county.
Skehill, the current panel’s most experienced goalkeeper, only returned to inter-county action in Galway’s final League game against Clare on April 19 – the only NHL game in which the Tribesmen kept a clean sheet – and was worried that he could miss the entire 2009 championship
in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s collision.
He has been forced to miss some of his Construction Management exams at LIT this week as a result of the injury, deferring them to the Autumn, but was cheered up somewhat by the prognosis
on Wednesday morning.
“It has been a tough start to the year, with two injuries in the space of a few months,” he told Tribune Sport. “I have to go back in next week, but they’ve told me I don’t need pins and they’ve given me a 90% chance of making a full recovery after putting a splint on the finger.
“I should have the splint on for about three and a half weeks and my aim now is to be back for a Leinster semifinal.
Thankfully, the dislocated shoulder has fully healed at this stage.”
This weekend’s scheduled senior hurling championship game between Cappataggle and city club Liam Mellows has been postponed due to Skehill’s injury, a controversial decision which could cause fixture problems down the line for the Galway Hurling Board.