Waterford duo in race to be fit for Clare clash on Sunday

Waterford manager Liam Cahill. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Waterford remain uncertain of Conor Prunty and Jamie Barron’s participation in Sunday’s Munster SHC clash with Clare (Semple Stadium, 3.30pm).

Both players are battling quad muscle injuries in a race to be fit for the game, but Waterford boss Liam Cahill said he would “give them every chance” to start.

The good news for Waterford supporters is that Austin Gleeson (ankle) and Shane Fives (quad) will be available for selection this weekend.

“Conor and Jamie are major doubts for Sunday but we’re going to give them every chance and hopefully they’ll be right for Sunday, they’ll have recovered.

“They’re in good hands, they have good people around them, and hopefully they’ll be able to be ready and will be one hundred per cent ready to go.

“They’re our only injury worries, there’s nothing else apart from the two of them.”

Prunty picked up his injury in Waterford’s last NHL game, a win over Tipperary, while Barron hurt himself at training last Friday, said Cahill: “He pulled a muscle in the course of our in-house match, we’re hoping with the relevant treatment it’ll come right.

“A muscle injury, it depends on how bad it is with the grades of tears and so on. We’ll have to see.

“Jamie has missed hardly any championship games in his career, and usually when he gets a knock he recovers fairly well and fairly fast.

“I think the science would have said early in the league that this is the kind of thing that could happen, and it has happened around the country in both codes. Players have come a cropper because of the intensity of the league running straight into the championship, and managers have had to tailor players’ workloads as a result.

“It’s a pity, but those were the cards we were dealt with covid and so on - to get a proper structure of our championship in it had to be run this way.

“It’s unlucky, but you need a rub of the green in anything you do. With these injuries, they tend to come at the wrong time, don’t they? The run-in was so short, and when you’re trying to tick all the boxes before the championship, then some players are going to react differently to others.

“You just have to suck it up and hope you have the depth in your panel - that’s why every manager carries 35 players plus, it’s to make sure there’s someone to carry the baton. And that’s what we’ll do Sunday if Conor and Jamie don't make it, we’ll be putting our trust in two other players to do the same job.”

In that regard, Cahill would prefer to retain the chance to make seven substitutions in championship games.

“I read recently that it looks like five substitutions for championship, which is a pity.

“It’s a pity because championship is so intense, so rapid-fire, I think the majority of managers around the country would have been in favour of retaining the seven substitutions. I know I would have.

“Especially when you have 35 lads training really hard every night, and you can only use five (subs). It’s a great opportunity to strengthen your team on the day, but it’s also a chance to get lads into action who might have been borderline calls to start from the outset.

“I know seven seems a bit much, but with the intensity of these games I think it would have been great to hold onto them.”

The Tipperary native sees Sunday as a “big day for both teams”.

“We’re very conscious that we need to be seen to progress, we’re (management) in year two here now and championship is the judge.

“Our league was chequered enough but championship will ultimately decide whether we’ve progressed or not from last year. I think (Clare boss) Brian Lohan is in the same boat when it comes to keeping Clare hurling to the fore up there - especially with issues that may have gone on off the field or behind the scenes up there.

“Their senior team, their flagship team, will have to reflect that unity and keep things going, so it’s a big game for both teams this Sunday.”