Déise blow as Walsh out for two months

WATERFORD All Star Michael “Brick’’ Walsh has been ruled out of action for at least two months with a fractured arm sustained in last Sunday’s league defeat by Galway.

The Stradbally clubman picked up the injury early in the second half but played on, unaware of the severity of it. However the arm became severely swollen on Sunday night and an x-ray at Waterford Regional Hospital on Monday confirmed the news that he had suffered a bone fracture.

The injury will rule the star centre-back out of the remainder of the league campaign, but the main concern from here on for manager Davy Fitzgerald is that Walsh’s recovery rate will be sufficient to ensure his availability for crucial Munster championship semi-final against Clare in Semple Stadium on June 7.

Fitzgerald expressed his disappointment, saying: “Our priority concern now is that he will make the speediest possible recovery, because you don’t and can’t readily replace players of his class and quality.”

Waterford County Board chairman, Tom Cunningham, who is a Stradbally club mate of Walsh, said the injury represents the worst possible news for all of Déise hurling.

“Maybe had Brick not played on the damage might have been less severe, but then again you are dealing with one of the most committed players ever to have to pulled on a jersey for club or county,’’ said Cunningham.

“He will be a massive loss both to his club and to Waterford, and I can only hope that he will be fully fit and ready to face Clare in the championship.”

With Walsh now sidelined for the foreseeable future the probability is that Fitzgerald will turn to at least some of his “elder statesmen’’ whom he has not called up for duty so far this year.

Ken McGrath, Tony Browne, Eoin Murphy, Seamus Prendergast, Dan Shanahan, and John Mullane have all been underaking their own fitness regime but are due to return to training with the full panel this week.

It is thought that Mullane in particular is ready to resume playing competitively and he, and at least two others, among sextet could now be in contention for a recall for the next league game at home to Limerick on Sunday week.