Blow for Limerick as Galvin to have surgery

GAELIC GAMES NEWS:JOHN GALVIN'S worst fears have been realised with confirmation he is the latest intercounty footballer to have his season cut prematurely short due to a cruciate ligament tear – which at the same time deprives Limerick of their most influential player when they could do with him most.

Limerick were preparing for their Munster championship semi-final on June 4th, most likely against Kerry, with a challenge game against Down last Sunday, and it was there, in a fairly innocuous challenge, Galvin sustained the injury.

A cruciate tear wasn’t expected at first, given Galvin still had reasonable knee movement, but after undergoing scans in Dublin this week the big midfielder got the news he didn’t want to hear. Surgery is necessary to repair the tear and also reset a small bone break in his knee, with a period of around six months rehabilitation to follow.

The loss of Galvin is a serious blow to manager Maurice Horan as he prepares to take on either Kerry or Tipperary at the Gaelic Grounds.

Galvin hit 1-2 against Kerry in the Munster final last year and helped ensure Limerick gave the then All-Ireland champions a thorough test, before they eventually lost out 1-17 to 1-14. Galvin was later named on the Gaelic Players Association team of the year at midfield, and was also nominated for an All Star.

So far this season he has once again juggled his commitments with Limerick and also with basketball, with the St Mary’s Castleisland club in the Division One league.

Galvin has been one of the key players for Limerick since making his championship debut in 1999, and has been their first-choice midfielder since. Captain of the Limerick team that won the Munster under-21 championship in 2000, he has since lost four Munster senior finals, to Kerry in 2003, 2004 and 2010, and to Cork in 2009. In fact he hadn’t missed a championship match since 2001, but is now resigned to missing the 2011 championship before it even gets under way.

Dual star Stephen Lucey is Limerick’s only other injury concern ahead of their semi-final date.

For Galvin, however, there’ll be little consolation in the fact he joins a distinguished list of recent cruciate victims, including early last month that of two of Gaelic football’s rising stars in Cork’s Colm O’Neill and Kerry’s David Moran, and also Kildare’s Dermot Earley and Peter Kelly, Meath’s David Bray, and Mayo’s Conor Mortimer – plus Dublin hurling captain Stephen Hiney. Kilkenny’s Henry Shefflin and John Tennyson are only now back to full training after sustaining the injury last summer.

But there may be some consolation in that fellow cruciate victim Paul Griffin will make his first start for Dublin this season, after sustaining the injury last year, in this evening’s senior football challenge against Monaghan in Parnell Park.

Griffin is named in defence along with Rory O’Carroll, who also missed Dublin’s league campaign, while Bernard Brogan plays his first intercounty game since hobbling off in the league final with a hamstring injury.

The St Oliver Plunkett’s, Eoghan Ruadh man sat out the Navan Road side’s two Dublin senior football championship games, but did line out against London club Parnell’s in last weekend’s challenge in Ruislip.

This evening’s game is a 7pm throw-in and all proceeds from admission receipts (€10 for adults and €5 for OAPs, students and pass holders) will benefit three well-known charities: Cross Care, the social care agency; Peter McVerry Trust, which opens doors for homeless people; and the Society of St Vincent de Paul, who help people with a variety of needs.

Dublin manager Pat Gilroy has expressed his pleasure with this charity fixture: “We are delighted to be associated with these three charities and hope that fans come out and support them by attending the game.”

DUBLIN (SF v Monaghan):Stephen Cluxton; Paul Brogan, Rory O'Carroll, Michael Fitzsimons; Kevin Nolan, James McCarthy, Paul Griffin; Denis Bastick, Michael Dara MacAuley; Paul Flynn, Kevin McManamon, Bryan Cullen; Alan Brogan, Diarmuid Connolly, Bernard Brogan.