Murphy boost to Rebels

The availability of defender Brian Murphy for the All-Ireland senior hurling final against Clare is a huge boost to Cork, according to selector Kieran Kingston.

Murphy, who broke his collarbone in a club game for Bride Rovers at the end of June, underwent treatment in England which negated the need for an operation. He made his return to action in a county championship game against Midleton on Sunday with no setback, to the delight of the Rebels’ management.

“We felt that we could have got 15 or 20 minutes out of Brian against Dublin if we needed him,” Kingston said.

“As it turned out, the way the game went, he didn’t get a run but the extra week probably helped him and he came through the Midleton match fine. Anyone who knows how Brian plays will know that he’s never one to shirk challenges or anything like that and that was a good way to test it and we’re delighted that he’s all systems go now for the final.

“He’ll have another three weeks to prepare and that’ll help him further.”

Before his injury, Murphy played a starring role as Cork beat Clare in the Munster semi-final. Kingston, however, is not placing too much significance on the outcome of that game.

“Brian did play well that day, an awful lot of our team and panel did,” he said.

“But realistically, this will be our fifth time playing Clare this year and that we’ve beaten them in the Munster championship won’t count for anything, the same way that they beat us in the relegation play-off won’t count for anything.

“For an All-Ireland final, everything else goes out the window, a lot will come down to who deals best with the occasion on the day.”

Meanwhile, Limerick’s misery following Sunday’s All-Ireland SHC defeat by Clare has been compounded with the news that Seamus Hickey suffered cruciate knee ligament damage in the first half.

Hickey will now target the first round of next year’s championship for a return to action though a smooth recovery could see the Murroe Boher man back for the concluding stages of the Allianz National League. Hickey, 25, was stretchered off after a quarter of an hour at Croke Park and he confirmed: “It’s a cruciate tear but I’ll try to pick myself up as fast as I can.”