Faithfuls star Rigney set to miss championship

OFFALY star James Rigney looks set to miss the championship after sustaining an arm injury in training.

The damage is to the same arm Rigney broke against Cork in an Allianz Hurling League tie last February.

Rigney was on course for a return to competitive action against Dublin in the May 29 Leinster SHC clash. But Rigney has been ruled out for at least another two months, effectively ending his inter-county season.

Rigney revealed: “I went for a ball and got a stroke on it. I knew straight away — I couldn’t move the arm.

“It’s above where the last injury was, about three inches above where I broke it the first time.”

Rigney added: “I’ll be four to six weeks in a cast and it’s another few weeks to get it fully right.

“But it looks like my hurling is gone for the year with Offaly. I was going okay at training and I was close enough to making the Dublin game. But now I feel like throwing my hurl away and leaving it. I was going for a ball and the lad pulled. I had my arm out to catch the ball as it hopped; I thought he was going to catch it too but he drew a stroke.

“It was accidental.”