Championship D-Day nears for Cadogan
Cadogan has been troubled by a shin injury which sidelined him for both league finals and is battling to be fit for Cork’s SHC clash against Tipperary on May 30 and an SFC semi-final against either Kerry or the Premier County a week later.
But hurling boss Denis Walsh yesterday revealed that the Douglas star is rehabilitating well.
Walsh said: “Eoin is working away in the gym. Hopefully towards the end of the week, he might try out the leg.
“If there is no reaction, then we’re good to go.
“They’ll probably scan him and see how it goes. If there is a reaction he is out. That would be a big disappointment.”
Walsh, speaking at the Munster championship launch in Adare, admitted Cork’s NHL final decider to Galway has left him with plenty of food for thought ahead of the meeting with the Premier County later this month.
He said: “A few lads probably realised they need to up the ante a small bit and some of the other players are showing good form and have consolidated their positions. Everyone would argue that if you have 12 or 13 or your starting 15 at the end of the league (for the championship) it would be a good campaign.”
He added: “We feel we still haven’t firmed down the different ways we’d like to play.”
And he admitted that a review of the league final DVD didn’t make for pretty viewing for many of the attackers.
He said: “The lads took the wrong options. We looked back at that and spoke to the lads. You have to threaten the opposition in some way, another day the goals would go in but the decision making would be crucial. I felt the last day and I’m sure the lads would agree with me, we should have knocked the ball over the bar a bit quicker.”
Aisake O hAilpín came in for criticism in the wake of that last defeat but Walsh defended the giant forward: “I think he did well overall in the league and I’d be happy enough with him.”
But Walsh agrees that the manner of their defeat to the Connacht men has “focused us all to the Tipperary game and in general to the pace of what is required. It will be a big challenge. They are coming to Cork and we don’t want to be beaten by them for a fourth time in a row.
“I know we beat them in the league but this is the championship and that is what we’ll be remembered for.”
And he warned: “I think whoever wins the game will get a huge boost and whoever loses will have more work to do than they think, both hurling wise and mentally.”
Meanwhile Carlow and Wicklow have a number of injury worries ahead of Sunday’s Leinster SFC derby in Portlaoise.
Wicklow’s 2009 All-Star nominee, Ciaran Hyland, is out.
Arklow man Hyland has not been able to train after suffering torn muscle ligaments. Corner forwards Paul Earls and Dean Odlum are nursing injuries.
Carlow forwards JJ Smith and Daniel St Ledger are out while selector Hughie Brennan confirmed Eric McCormack is very doubtful, as is U21 full-back Shane Redmond.
Carlow, 7/2 with the bookies, remain bullish about the contest.
“We would be optimistic enough, even without the lads,” said selector Brennan. “We have had a good forward line all year. We have been training well and we haven’t been that far off the mark.”
Meanwhile Gerry O’Grady has opted out of the Clare squad in a bid to cure a long-term ankle injury. O’Grady’s decision robs boss Ger O’Loughlin of one of the county’s most experienced players as a youthful Clare face Waterford in the Munster SHC next month. The Crusheen man joined the senior squad in 2003, making his debut that year in the county’s All-Ireland qualifier defeat to Galway in Cusack Park that signalled the end of Cyril Lyons’ three-year reign as manager. Since then O’Grady has made 27 championship appearances for Clare – his final game coming in the relegation win over Wexford in O’Moore Park. Because of injury problems, O’Grady only started three games in Clare’s 2010 NHL campaign.
Long-serving midfielder Nigel Crawford is set to captain Meath as he looks forward to his 12th championship, beginning with the Royals’ Leinster opener against Offaly in Portlaoise on Sunday week.
If selected Crawford will made his 50th championship appearance and will join a select band of only five other Meath players who reached the half century mark – Peter McDermott, Colm O’Rourke, Martin O’Connell, Graham Geraghty and Darren Fay. The Dunboyne clubman is the only member of Eamonn O’Brien’s squad to have gained All-Ireland honours.
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