Cork's Diarmuid Healy out for at least five more weeks

Elsewhere on the Cork hurlers' injury list Brian Roche has been nursing an ankle injury while his brother Eoin picked up a knock while on club duty over the weekend.

SETBACK: Cork hurling manager Ben O'Connor said Diarmuid Healy has found it tough dealing with his first injury. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

Cork half-forward Diarmuid Healy is facing at least another five weeks on the sideline, manager Ben O’Connor confirmed on Monday night.

Healy injured his quad last month and is set for a second scan this week, which will provide further clarity on how long he is to remain part of a scarcely populated Cork hurling injury list.

The minimum timeline of five weeks, as articulated by O'Connor, rules Healy out of the League decider and Cork’s opening two games in the Munster round-robin against Tipperary and Limerick, with no guarantees either that he’d be back in harness for the Round 3 trip to Waterford on May 9.

Healy lined out in the early League wins over Waterford and Tipperary, but was absent for the victory away to Kilkenny, the defeat to Limerick, and last Saturday’s annihilation of Offaly.

“He's up for a scan some day this week so hopefully he'll get good news out of that, but he looks under pressure at the moment anyway,” the Cork manager said at Monday night’s League final media briefing.

“He'll have another four or five weeks ahead of him at least, but we won't know more until he's scanned.

“When he hurt it, he didn't know how bad it was because he was never injured before. It's the first time that he is sitting out and watching fellas training, so it is not nice for him. It is just all part of it. 

"The older he gets, he'll figure out how to pass his time. It is just unfortunate for him, especially after a breakthrough season last year. Getting to a League final, he is going to lose out on that now, as well.” 

Elsewhere on the injury front, Brian Roche has been nursing an ankle injury of late, while his brother Eoin picked up a knock while on club duty for Bride Rovers, against Na Piarsaigh, over the weekend.

O’Connor had mentioned post-match on Saturday night that Alan Connolly picked up a bang against Offaly, but reported a clean bill of health for the Rockies forward.

Casting an eye to Sunday week, O’Connor said Cork will be travelling to Limerick gung-ho on defending their League title.

“We are delighted [to get to the final]. I was saying to the boys earlier that I was over watching in Thurles in 1998 when we won the League, and we didn't win it again until last year. The goal at the start of the year was to get to the final. We are after getting to the final and now we want to win it.”