Damien Comer has not suffered a season-ending cruciate knee ligament injury, with scans indicating the Galway forward should be available for their Connacht SFC campaign.
Comer went down with a knee injury in the opening stages of Galway’s Division One defeat to Roscommon at Pearse Stadium last Sunday, and after receiving treatment on the pitch he was eventually carried off the field on a stretcher, prompting fears of a very serious injury.
However, a Galway team spokesperson has confirmed to The Irish Times that while Comer is set to be sidelined for “several weeks”, scans showed no cruciate tear on his right knee.
It is unlikely he will feature for the remainder of their league programme. Galway’s last divisional game is against Kerry on March 26th, but team officials are not putting a timeframe on his recovery yet, saying “it all depends on how quick the recovery and healing process is”.
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Comer has been hampered by a number of injuries in recent years, most notably ankle and hamstring issues.
However it is hoped he will not require surgery and will be ready to feature for Galway during their championship campaign. They begin the defence of their Connacht title against either Mayo or Roscommon on April 23rd, which is just a little over 11 weeks away.
In the immediate aftermath of last Sunday’s defeat, Galway manager Padráic Joyce had feared the worst in relation to Comer’s injury.
“He has to go for a scan to see but it doesn’t look good,” he said.
But while the news on Comer is more upbeat than it might have been, it does still leave the Tribesmen short of attacking options for the weeks ahead. Rob Finnerty suffered ankle ligament damage during their league opener against Mayo – an injury expected to keep him out for between four to six weeks.
Shane Walsh is currently in Australia on a prearranged trip following his involvement with Kilmacud Crokes during the club championship, which means Galway are currently without the entire full-forward line that started last year’s All-Ireland final against Kerry.
Kieran Molloy is already out for the season with a cruciate injury, Liam Silke is living in New Zealand, and Patrick Kelly is absent because of a back injury at the moment.
Galway have one point from two league games and are at home to Tyrone in round three, knowing anything but a victory against the Red Hands will leave them in a relegation scrap for the remainder of the competition.
Joyce’s men were promoted from Division Two last season but are in danger of making an immediate return should they not pick up points in their upcoming matches.
Meanwhile, Wexford senior hurling manager Darragh Egan has confirmed Lee Chin will continue as captain of the Model County side for the 2023 season. The Wexford vice-captains will be Damien Reck and Rory O’Connor.
