Kilkenny duo ruled out ’til championship

THE Kilkenny management do not expect Henry Shefflin and John Tennyson to fully recover from their respective cruciate knee injuries and be back in the black and amber jersey until the All-Ireland championship.

Selector Martin Fogarty has confirmed that the Cats are not anticipating either player to return until their Leinster semi-final on June 18th at the earliest.

“This is the second time that the lads have had this sort of injury and giving them plenty of time to recover is the best thing we can do. We can forget about the league for them. We hope they can play some part of the championship and an optimistic target would be the early rounds.”

Tennyson suffered another blow in December when he picked up aninfection in his knee after surgery when he was getting fluid drained from the joint.

“With these sort of injuries, things don’t always work out 100% and he’s had an infection which is a setback,” said Fogarty.

Unlike Tennyson, Shefflin’s knee broke down in last September’s All-Ireland final defeat to Tipperary but he is faring slightly better as he aims to play in his 13th senior inter-county season for the Cats.

“Henry’s moving along nicely but with rehab you’re flying one minute and the next you’ve a lot of swelling,” revealed Fogarty. “For the lads, it’s all about being patient. They’ve been through this before and know how tough it can be. The key for them is to take their time. The positive is once they get through all the work they’ll be back and that’s a huge motivating factor.”

Promising forward Richie Hogan is also recovering from injury having had an ankle problem addressed before Christmas.

Speculation has been rife in Kilkenny as to what new blood Brian Cody will bring in for the new season and who he will release from the camp but Fogarty has said that there is no confirmed panel as of yet and places are up for grabs.

“The panel is wide open and there is nothing official right now. Derek Lyng and James Ryall have retired, Henry and John are injured, and that will give other players chances in the league. But there is no set panel.”

Fogarty has also become the latest high-profile inter-county management personality to slam the GAA’s 26-man panel, which applies in this year’s National Leagues and All-Ireland championships.

“It’s a disaster. The idea seems to be that it will cut down on costs for county boards but I’d be certain all if not the vast majority of county teams will have 30 players or more anyway.

“Expenses will still have to be paid to the four lads who will complete the 30 for a 15-a-side training match. It’s going to be a wretch having to tell four lads who have been training away that they are not togging out because of this rule. That is something the GPA has to look at because this is a real player welfare issue.”