Brady to miss opener against Offaly

GAELIC GAMES: TOMÁS BRADY was caught in the slightly awkward position of attending the 2011 All-Ireland hurling championship launch just as word came through he will miss Dublin's campaign opener.

The Dublin full back sustained a knee injury training with his club Na Fianna over the weekend, and while there was considerable relief that scans revealed Brady hadn’t damaged his cruciate ligament, they did reveal a grade two medial ligament tear – which will force him to miss Dublin’s Leinster championship date with Offaly at Croke Park on May 29th.

“Yes, I’m definitely out of the Offaly game,” said Brady, speaking at the Dunloy Cuchaillains club in Antrim along with other provincial representatives as part of the official hurling championship launch.

“I’m told it will be between four to eight weeks’ recovery, but I’m targeting six weeks, which means hopefully I’ll be back for whatever game follows the Offaly match.

“It’s very frustrating, obviously, particularly with the high that Dublin hurling has been on over the last week or two after winning the league. It brings you back down to earth for sure, but you have to accept these things happen. It’s about bouncing back and being ready to go whenever you are needed again.”

It’s another setback Dublin manager Anthony Daly could have done without in his preparations for the meeting with Offaly in just over two weeks’ time: defender and team captain Stephen Hiney is already ruled out for the rest of the year having torn his cruciate against Wexford in the earlier rounds of the league, in March – and in the meantime centre back Joey Boland, who had just returned from a foot injury, sustained a dislocated shoulder in the league final win over Kilkenny, which has ruled him out of action for six eight weeks.

Even if Dublin do get past Offaly there’s no guarantee Brady will be back in time for their Leinster semi-final on June 18th – most likely against Galway – as that will be just the bare six weeks from the time of the injury.

“If the knee is alright come six weeks or so I will still have to put in the performances in training if I hope to be selected again,” he added. “But there are a couple of us in same boat, and we’ll just have to put the head down and get on with it. It’s an opportunity for lads to come in and stake a claim for the first 15. We pride ourselves on having a strong panel, and lads who can come in to do the job.”

Brady thus misses Dublin challenge against Tipperary in Athy on Sunday, which is being staged to commemorate the 1908 All-Ireland hurling final played in Geraldine Park between the counties.

The hurling championship gets under way this weekend with three rounds in Ulster, plus the Leinster championship opener between Laois and Antrim. One slight difference from 2010 is the Leinster hurling championship has been expanded by one county to include Westmeath, the winners of last year’s Christy Ring Cup, who are therefore entitled to contest the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

It means Leinster now comprises nine counties and the Liam MacCarthy Cup has 14 counties taking part.

GAA Congress decided last year there would be no relegation from the Liam MacCarthy Cup for three years, but that the winners of the Christy Ring Cup could be promoted, if the county itself desired it.

Last year saw Carlow promoted to the Leinster championship as Christy Ring Cup winners, and Westmeath earned the right to join the top-tier counties last summer after beating Kerry in the final – 2-16 to 1-18. The addition of Westmeath to the Liam MacCarthy Cup will also necessitate an additional round in the All-Ireland hurling qualifiers, with the preliminary round now comprising of the five Leinster teams that fail to make their provincial semi-final, and the loser of the Munster preliminary game, quarter-final – with two of those teams receiving a bye to the first round proper after an open draw.

Galway hurlers have been hit with a major blow with forward Iarla Tannian set to miss most of the Leinster championship with a serious hand injury. Tannian, who hit 2-11 from play in five league matches, broke a thumb and ruptured ligaments in a club match and looks set to be out for at least two months.

It is a big blow for manager John McIntyre, especially as the big full forward was in devastating form in the league, even though he missed a couple of games.

The 27-year-old picked up the injury playing for Ardrahanagainst Kiltormer in the Galway SHC on Sunday and the extent of the injury has confirmed Galway’s worst fears. “He broke a thumb and ruptured ligaments,” said McIntyre, who expects Tannian to be out for many weeks.

Galway will open their campaign when they take on either Westmeath or Carlow on June 4th, with a Leinster semi-final date against either Dublin or Offaly two weeks later and Tannian stands little chance of being fit for those games.