Kerry's Stefan Okunbor suffers shoulder dislocation

Okunbor sustained the injury in the final minute of Na Gaeil’s All-Ireland Club IFC semi-final loss to Derry champions Steelstown Brian Ógs. Picture: Michael Donnelly

Kerry's Stefan Okunbor will miss the Kingdom's Allianz Football League campaign after suffering a dislocated shoulder in a club championship game on Saturday.

Okunbor sustained the injury in the final minute of Na Gaeil’s All-Ireland Club IFC semi-final loss to Derry champions Steelstown Brian Ógs in Bekan. The Kerry star raced back to try and prevent Cahir McMonagle from scoring a goal but fell awkwardly over teammate Devon Burns.

Okunbor, who has returned to Ireland after three years in Australia with Aussie Rules' side Geelong, was treated on the pitch for 20 minutes before being transferred by ambulance to Mayo University Hospital Castlebar where a consultant maneuvered the joint back into place. 

Na Gaeil manager Mark Bourke explained: “It’s an injury that looks worse than it is on the field because of the pain. 

"But once the shoulder is popped back in to the socket, the pain recedes and it’s just a question now of how quickly the rehab takes. 

"Stefan is a great form and he got a round of applause when he arrived back to the clubhouse on Saturday night at Killeen to join his team mates. 

"It’s not easy say how long Stefan will be out of action but suffice to say it will probably take five or six weeks. 

"But knowing how professional Stefan is and how quickly he can rehab injuries, he may return to Kerry training quicker than others would with a similar injury.” 

Bourke had no issue with the outcome of the game: “We were just not good enough on the day. I thought Steelstown had that bit more intensity. We missed a lot of frees there in the first half and we should probably have been ahead. But I am just very disappointed for the lads because that is not how they usually play. “