Diarmuid Healy Injury: Cork Hurler Faces Months Out | Updates & Team News
Cork half-forward Diarmuid Healy will be sidelined for at least five more weeks with a quad injury, Cork manager Ben O’Connor confirmed Monday night. The injury, sustained last month, necessitates a second scan this week to determine the full extent of the damage and a precise recovery timeline.
The extended absence rules Healy out of the upcoming Allianz Hurling League final and Cork’s initial Munster Championship round-robin matches against Tipperary and Limerick. O’Connor indicated that a return for the Round 3 game against Waterford on May 9th is not assured.
Healy enjoyed a breakthrough season last year but has been limited this year, featuring in early League wins against Waterford and Tipperary before being sidelined. He missed the victories over Kilkenny and Offaly, as well as the defeat to Limerick. Saturday’s dominant win against Offaly saw Cork secure their place in the League final.
“He’s up for a scan some day this week so hopefully he’ll get quality news out of that, but he looks under pressure at the moment anyway,” O’Connor said at the 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 since 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.”
Cork are also monitoring injuries to Brian Roche, who has been nursing an ankle problem and his brother Eoin, who sustained a knock whereas playing for his club, Bride Rovers, against Na Piarsaigh over the weekend. Alan Connolly, however, appears to have escaped injury after receiving a “bang” during the match against Offaly.
Looking ahead to the League final against Limerick, O’Connor expressed his team’s determination to defend their title. He recalled witnessing Cork’s 1998 League final win in Thurles, a victory that preceded a long drought until last year’s success. “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 wish to win it.”