Updated: Wednesday, 17 Sep 2014 16:58 | Comments
Tipperary face an anxious wait to discover whether captain Brendan Maher and key forward Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher will be fit to face Kilkenny in Saturday week’s All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final replay.
Both players are recovering from muscle strains.
Half-back Brendan injured his calf and Bonner, Tipp’s goalscorer in the drawn final, has been affected by a long-term quad complaint.
There were also some reports he had injured a knee in training last week.
“We have a lot of concern about Bonner,” coach Paudie O’Neill told reporters on Tuesday.
“He’s had a quad strain, had it now for a couple of months. It comes and goes so that’s a concern.
“Brendan Maher has been nursing a calf strain. He hasn’t been able to fully participate in training.
“You’re just hoping things will come right. It’s more the fact that their preparation has been a bit affected.
“We’d be hopeful that on the day they’ll be there. Last week it wasn’t that important because we were just recovering but this week we’re trying to get a bit of work done. You’d want them on the field.”
Meanwhile, forward Niall O’Meara has returned from a college placement in the United States to be available for the replay.
The Kilruane MacDonaghs man missed out on a place in the panel in the drawn game due to a thumb injury but is expected to be included for the replay.