Hiney has reconstructive knee surgery

Stephen Hiney has had reconstructive surgery on the injured knee which ruled him out of the Dublin hurlers' Championship plans.

The Dublin captain's operation was by performed last Saturday by leading knee surgeon Ray Morgan at the Santry Clinic.

Hiney has been sidelined since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament during an Allianz Hurling League match against Wexford in March.

The Ballyboden St. Enda's clubman is currently on crutches as he cannot put his leg to the ground. Dublin County Board Chairman Andy Kettle said that the operation "went well".

After the swelling goes down, Hiney will set out on a rehabilitation programme that should see him make a full recovery for the 2012 season.

He was a member of the Dublin team that lost to Limerick at the quarter-final stage of the 2009 All-Ireland Championship.

This Sunday sees the counties clash once again for a place in the last-four. Limerick's greater experience and physicality helped them get over the finish line two years ago, but Liam Rushe believes the Dubs are a much better team now.

"I would like to see how many starters we have from that day now. Probably only five or six from that team. It's been a massive turnarounound," said Rushe.

"I didn't realise then how young we were. I was just gone 19. The same with Peter Kelly and Gougher (Oisín Gough) and people like that.

"We're two years older and we had the experience of last year so hopefully, we won't make the same mistakes of two years ago."

Dublin's Leinster U-21 title-winning skipper added: "It will be a huge challenge. Limerick had a comprehensive win over Antrim. They did a lot better against them than we did last year.

"They're organised and that’s half the battle. As well as that, they play a different sort of hurling this year and that's something that we won't have come across this season. But we look forward to these challenges."