Boost for Rebels as Canty to be fighting fit for Croker clash

CORK full-back Graham Canty last night revealed that he has returned to full fitness ahead of his side’s All-Ireland football quarter-final next weekend.

Canty was withdrawn during Cork’s dramatic Munster final victory over Kerry when he suffered a medial ligament injury. Yet he has recovered in time and should be able to take his place on the Cork team next week.

“I’ll be fully fit and available for selection. I’ll be ready and raring to go. Hopefully I’ll get called into action at some point. The injury isn’t too bad. I’ve been working hard the last couple of weeks to get everything right. This week I’m just back into full training. But I’ve missed a lot of training and my sharpness probably isn’t what it should be. So I’m just trying to get that rustiness out of me now.

“I knew I hadn’t done as much damage as two years previously when I did the cruciate. I was able to walk off which was a good sign. Any kind of injury which would keep you out for a couple of months at that stage would mean your season is over. But luckily it was only a couple of weeks. I’m just delighted to be back in action again. I’m the captain this year and that’s a great honour so thankfully I’ll be able to carry it out for the rest of the year.”

In other injury news Cork defender Paudie Kissane has had the plaster removed from his forearm which he broke during Cork’s Munster semi-final win against Limerick. But the Clyda Rovers man is still a few weeks off returning to full fitness.

Meanwhile, Cork GAA spokesperson Bob Ryan has stated they remain hopeful that the county’s hurlers and footballers will have both their games scheduled for a double-bill in Croke Park next Sunday. Cork face Kilkenny in the All-Ireland hurling semi-final while the footballers are in All-Ireland quarter-final action.

“We’ve been making representations since the Munster football final. We were hopeful of advancing in the hurling as well. We’re very hopeful that it’ll be a double fixture and the indications are that it will be. We feel it’ll be favourable to our supporters that they will hold a double bill. Monday morning is when we’ll find out just like everyone else. There must be respect shown to everybody involved.

“The one thing we want to avoid is a repeat of last year. That’s something we’d like to stress. We don’t want our supporters having to pay on a Saturday and pay on a Sunday along with an overnight stay. That’s not fair and it’s not fair when it happens so often. It’d be a huge occasion for Cork GAA if both matches were together and I think it would be a huge occasion for the GAA as well.”