Michael Fennelly to miss All-Ireland final

The 2015 man of the match will not be able to recover from his injury in time for the game.

Michael Fennelly will miss the All-Ireland hurling final with a ruptured Achilles tendon, writes Stephen Barry.

The Kilkenny County Board have confirmed that the influential midfielder will miss the decider against Tipperary after sustaining the injury in last Saturday’s semi-final.

Fennelly pulled up in agony in the 58th minute against Waterford, causing referee James McGrath to halt the action.

He was replaced by Lester Ryan and now faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Kilkenny GAA tonight confirm that Ml Fennelly has ruptured his Achilles' tendon & is out of All Irl Final. We wish him well in his recovery.

— Kilkenny GAA (@KilkennyCLG) August 15, 2016

Fennelly overcame a persistent back injury to play a starring role in last year’s All-Ireland final and won the man-of-the-match award.

The 2011 Player of the Year has won eight All-Ireland senior titles with Kilkenny and three with his club Ballyhale Shamrocks.