End of the road for Leahy

TIPPERARY hurling manager Michael Doyle yesterday paid tribute to John Leahy, whose inter-county career has almost certainly been ended by another serious knee injury.

Doyle declined to speculate on what the immediate future holds for Leahy following Wednesday night’s training accident, but he confirmed the player has no hope of being considered for the May 18 championship showdown with Clare in Pairc Uí Chaoimh.

Leahy will undergo an operation in Waterford and is expected to be out of action for several months.

Long term, it’s assumed his inter-county career is finally at an end, ironically after another serious knee injury received against Clare in 2001 virtually finished it.

The injury on Wednesday night occurred during training in Thurles. It was described as ‘a complete freak,’ with no other player within a yard of him at the time. It was his ‘good’ knee which suffered the lateral ligament damage.

Doyle said: “It’s a heartbreak for himself. He was after making a huge effort to get himself fairly fit to get back into the panel and that’s not too simple when you are 33.’’

Leahy’s club-mate Brian O’Meara added: “I haven't been talking to him (Leahy) but if the cruciate really has gone then it's a terrible blow for John.

“He's just come back from the first cruciate injury and he was making great progress.

“He was so eager to get back and played with us (Mullinahone) in the championship while he wasn't maybe 100%. It was only really in the last couple of months that he was running around freely again and showing signs of a full recovery.

“He will be a huge loss to the panel because there's no doubt he definitely had plenty to offer.”

County Board PRO Liz Howard shared O'Meara's sentiments, adding: “I don’t know of any human being who did so much to get back to fitness. Pat Spillane did it, too, but he was much younger at the time.’’

Leahy came on as a sub, along with former captain Denis Byrne, late in last Sunday’s Allianz League game against Galway.

It was his first appearance in a Tipperary jersey since he damaged his cruciate ligament in the 2000 championship game against Clare in Cork.

That happened almost immediately after he came in as a substitute, when he fell awkwardly.

He missed out on the rest of the All-Ireland campaign and while he made a comeback with Mullinhahone last year - also managing them to win the county championship for the first time - his powerful desire to win back his place on the county panel was only recently realised.

Meanwhile, a number of team managers are anxiously awaiting news of the deliberations of Croke Park’s Games Administration Committee.

The speculation after the Tipp/Kilkenny game on Sunday week was that at least three players face a possible threat of suspension, but it has since emerged that the GAC sought videos of the Kerry/Armagh Allianz League game and last weekend’s Cork/Kilkenny hurling tie.

The only news to emanate from the GAC’s first meeting on Wednesday night was that Croke Park has been confirmed as the venue for the Division One and Two Allianz National League finals on Sunday week, May 4.

A decision on the venue for the hurling final the following day won’t be made until after the final games on Sunday.

It’s probable that the game will be in either Semple Stadium or Croke Park. Nowlan Park could possibly in the running, in the event of Tipperary and Kilkenny qualifying, as expected, and Tipperary being prepared to concede home venue.

In the event of Cork and Kilkenny qualifying, Semple Stadium would be the probable venue on the basis that to play it in Croke Park on a bank holiday Monday would be a certain loss-maker.

While work is proceeding on the completion of the roof on the redeveloped ‘old’ stand in Thurles, it won’t be available for several weeks.

However, it’s pointed out that the venue could comfortably take a 30,000 crowd.

Work is also going on in Nowlan Park, where extension of the terraces will increase capacity to 35,000 well in time for the June 8 Leinster championship semi-final between Wexford and Offaly.

Eleven of the last 12 NHL finals were played outside Dublin, five in Limerick, four in Thurles and two in Ennis. The last in Croke Park, in 1991, involved Offaly and Wexford.