Canning in fitness battle as Tribe tackle Limerick

Galway captain Joe Canning is in a race against time to be fit for Sunday’s league quarter-final clash with Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds.

Canning is battling with a hamstring injury as he bids to lead the Tribesmen out for the first time since being appointed captain during the winter.

Canning picked up a few injuries helping Portumna win the All-Ireland club title for the fourth time last week, with a niggling hamstring problem the biggest cause for concern.

That flared up again on Friday night and Canning did not feature in Sunday’s entertaining 0-18 to 1-15 draw with All-Ireland champions Clare at Ennis.

Manager Anthony Cunningham said the situation had not changed much since then and that he did not know if Canning would make it.

“We will have to wait until the weekend and see how he is. It will take until then. He picked up a few knocks so we will just give him as long as possible and hopefully he will make it.

“A few others got knocks on Sunday but they have recovered so hopefully will have them all available. We have been playing every Sunday since the middle of January but the lads are in a good place,” said Cunningham.

Galway are not expected to finalise their team until the weekend.

Two of his Portumna teammates, Damien Hayes and Andy Smith, returned to the Galway side on Sunday when they came on as second-half substitutes.